CHAPTER 8
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Chitra was at the temple. It was her favorite festival.
“Happy Diwali!”
She greeted the volunteers as she helped with the decoration of the temple with flowers and lights. The temple was filled with people.
And all of them were dressed up in traditional outfits. There were also some non-Indian visitors who were dressed up in colorful festive wear.
“Happy Diwali!” one of them greeted her.
“Thank you. Happy Diwali to you too!” she greeted back with a smile.
Smiling, she hurried with the decorations.
“Chitra, I need help setting up this tray.” One of the girls working with her that evening carried a tray with flowers. “Can I use these white flowers?”
Chitra smiled. “Yes, you can, but we need more colors. It’s Diwali, and everything has to be brighter and more cheerful this time of the year.”
She pointed to the flowers and garlands that the temple patrons had brought as offerings to God. “Bring me those flowers and the oil lamps.”
Even as she focused on the flower and the lamp arrangement, she couldn’t help but hear excited murmurs about a man in attendance who was rumored to be a prince.
Shaking her head with a smile, Chitra continued with the decoration, adjusting the flowers to make it a perfect arrangement. Just as she finished, she felt a familiar awareness.
She looked up from the tray.
A soft gasp escaped her, and her heart skipped a beat when her eyes met the sight in front of her. Mihir was dressed in a traditional outfit, and he looked stunningly handsome. The buzz around her picked up when he started to walk towards her. She heard the word prince and realized the people were referring to him.
They weren’t wrong about Mihir looking like a prince—a dashing one at that.
“Can I help?” he asked with a smile.
She felt a strange flutter in her stomach. Ignoring the awareness, she smiled at Mihir.
“Yes, we need as much help as we can! There are a lot of lamps to be lit this evening.”
With a smile, he came and knelt next to her. Then, he began lighting the lamps.
There were shrieks of young children as they played in the temple courtyard.
Chitra smiled, looking at them.
“You like children,” Mihir observed.
Chitra looked at him. “I love children. Don’t you? How many children do you want to have?”
She looked at his surprised expression and laughed.
“I know all of us who grew up at an orphanage dream of a family,” she said. “I’m sure you did too.”
He was silent for a moment before he smiled.
“How many children do you want?” he asked.
She let out a laugh. “When I was younger, I wanted four kids. But realistically, based on my other dreams of a house, a car, and some savings, I’ll settle for three children. You?”
“I want three children too,” he replied softly.
Something about the way he spoke made her heart flutter. She strangely imagined he was trying to tell her he wanted three children because she did.
Stop imagining things.
But she did see something flash in his eyes. “Chitra… I need to tell you something.”
Before he could finish, a little girl came running to Chitra.
“Chitra, you have to come now.” The little girl dragged her by her hand. “We want to burst the firecrackers.”
Chitra smiled. “You should wait until it’s time. Why don’t you have some Diwali sweets? I heard they are yummy.”
The little girl’s eyes lit up. “Yes, I want sweets.”
The girl ran towards the dining hall.
Chitra looked at Mihir. “Now that I mentioned the yummy Diwali sweets, I am craving to have some too.”
Mihir laughed. “Then let’s go.”
Chitra got up and she and Mihir went to the dining area.
As they made their way to where the snacks and sweets were served, Chitra noticed a few people giving Mihir a lot of attention. Some even greeted him, and a few tried to converse with him.
She was glad Mihir was making more acquaintances, which would help him adapt to the new country and make it his home.
They relished the sweets and snacks. Mihir, especially missed the Indian sweets, which he was able to finally binge on.
Chitra laughed. “Wow. Looks like you love Indian sweets.”
“I love them. In fact, my sis---” He suddenly broke off.
He looked at her. “Chitra, I need to tell you something. Can we go to a quieter place?”
“Sure. I know a place where we can even watch fireworks from. Let me wash my hands and I will join you.”
He nodded.
Excited to watch fireworks, especially with Mihir, she stepped into the women’s bathroom.
She washed her hands which had become sticky with the sugar syrup from the sweet. She smiled, recalling how many sweets Mihir had eaten that evening.
“Mihir Thakvar is the heir of a royal clan in India.”
She was jerked out of her thoughts when she heard Mihir’s name from the woman next to her. The woman was talking to her friend. Both women looked slightly older in age. They appeared to be in their thirties or forties.
“The Thakvars have a four-hundred-year-old mansion, and the Singoor desert region is among the wealthiest and most prosperous places in India. The family is well respected. Did you notice the logo of the attacking tiger on his ring and the pendant on his chain?”
Chitra was amused they mistook Mihir to be a royal from a faraway desert. She bit back a smile and left the bathroom, not wanting to miss the fireworks and unable to wait to tell Mihir what the women were saying about him.