"Hi! My name's Hwang," he said.

I was riveted by his eyes, the sheer blackness of the iris beckoned me. Black was mysterious. So at odds with the open smile he had. So intriguing.

I recovered in time to answer.
"Hello, I'm Veena."

"Veena," he repeated, pronouncing it with a W. I was giddy that he'd just said my name.

"Ok, let's go meet the rest of the brood." My brother, Hari steered Hwang away into the throng of guests who had arrived for the wedding. I expected most people to stare at the exotic creature amidst them but they were too busy gossiping with one another to notice.

The smile I had while being introduced to him was still on my face. It was a good thing no one paid much attention to me today. Nope, the spotlight was on my cousin, Deepika, literally. She was the bride - all made-up, and decked with silk and gold and flowers; the cameraman was having a field day capturing her radiance from every angle.

It was bitter-sweet to watch her bask in all the attention. She had begged me to forego my make-up so she would look good. I wasn't even wearing kohl! But, it was Deepika's day today and I wasn't going to grudge her that. Besides I had something else to distract me - Hwang.

Hari was flouting the fact that he was working at Singapore. Which was another way to brag that he earned more than most guys his age at the wedding. Which was another way to advertise that he was single and very eligible. He was doing it under the not so subtle cover of introducing Hwang.

Jerk!

Single. That was what I was too. Deepika was a year younger than me and by rights it ought to have been me who should be getting married first. I despaired at the whole arranged marriage thing, especially the bit where they tried to match the horoscope. There was a problem with mine. The blasted astrologer predicted that my husband would die quite young unless the prospective mate was born under some specific alignment of the planets and stars. I'd love to roll up that scrap of paper on which my fate was supposedly charted out and shove it up his... well, you know what I mean.

So here I am, a virgin at twenty five. And by the look of things they'll probably decide to get me hitched to the first guy with the right horoscope. I hope that when they find someone, I'd have enough of rationality left to scrutinise him before giving my final decision.

Hwang had disappeared while I was wallowing in self pity. Where could Hari have taken him? Probably the thickest part of the gathering where he could talk loud enough to advertise himself to everyone within earshot. I looked among the said bunches.

No Hwang.

Marriage meant wedding feasts. They must be in the dining hall stuffing their face. Boys!
I bet it would be a treat to watch Hwang pick at our cuisine. I wouldn't be surprised if the catering ladies fawned over him, plying him with the spicy curries and sweet kheer and the crispy papads and steaming white rice.

Hwang had that effect on people. His pitch black eyes, although mysterious, were taking in the spectacle before him with all the wonder of a little child. How I wished I could just grab those cheeks of his!

I rushed up the stairs to the dining floor, earning myself an admonishment and some advice about how women were supposed to behave from some obscurely distance relative, an aunt of some kind.

On the dining floor, I scanned the tables, it shouldn't be that hard to find him. Still, no luck. Where could they have gone? Did he get tired of the endless greetings and forced smiles, and excused himself back to his hotel room? That wouldn't surprise me. But Hari had brought him all the way over from Singapore, on a weekday no less. He wouldn't let Hwang go that easily. Maybe they have taken refuge in one of the guest rooms.

Their shoes were outside...