CHAPTER 15
Isha sipped her coffee Saturday morning. The party to celebrate the twins’ first birthday was a blast the previous night. The kids had a bit of fun but the evening turned out to be overwhelming for Isha as a lot of her brother’s friends were there with their families.
She heard so many stories about her brother that she would have never heard from Ravi himself.
Sami’s friends were obsessed with the twins, taking turns to play with the little ones.
Everything was great, except for the part that the family they had expected to attend, were a no show. They didn’t get any messages either.
Based on how many times Ashok glanced at the entrance even though he had staff stationed to inform him when his family arrived, she knew he had anticipated seeing them.
She could not read his eyes but knew he had to be disappointed and as if she felt the need to make him feel good, she stuck to his side.
In spite of how late it was after the party, she could not sleep and when she came downstairs to find Ashok in the kitchen looking out into the backyard.
No words were exchanged except for the fact that he was going to the rowing club to workout.
Isha felt guilty that she had been in the house for months and didn’t know he rowed for workout.
Explained his beautiful stature and structure.
knew immediately that something was wrong.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the doorbell rang. It was too early for anyone to show up at that hour. She took a sip as one of the house staff attended to the door and heard them talk to a woman.
Something about the way the woman at the door was speaking, Isha padded to the door in her pajamas and robe wondering if it was one of the neighbors with an emergency.
Instead, she found herself face-to-face with a woman who looked overly familiar.
The woman had Ashok’s dark eyes, the same strong jawline, the ability to make her feel instantly uncomfortable, at least early on.
“You must be Isha,” the woman said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m Aravinda, Ashoka’s sister. I hope you don’t mind me dropping by unannounced.”
Isha’s stomach dropped. Ashok had not mentioned anything about his siblings, except for the fact that he had three older sisters. Just based on the woman’s demeanor, she had to be the oldest of the siblings. She also noticed how she said his name differently.
“Of course not,” Isha managed, stepping aside to let her in. “We missed you at the birthday party last night.”
Isha could not help feeling angry about the woman choosing to show up literally the following morning of the party. And she didn’t know why she was there by herself.
Aravinda did not respond to Isha’s comment, but silently walked toward the small table in the kitchen.
“Ashok is away at the rowing club.” She reached for her phone. “I don’t think he knew you were visiting. I can have him come—”
“No need,” Aravinda interrupted, her gaze sweeping over the space with surgical precision. “I’d love to chat with my new sister-in-law first. We haven’t had a chance to meet.”
Aravinda’s words made Isha’s skin crawl. She forced a smile and asked, “Can I get you some coffee or Tea?”
“Coffee, please.” She paused for a moment and added, “Where are the children?”
“Still asleep.” Isha was glad they were still sleeping because she didn’t know in what state they would wake up after going to bed, pretty late and exhausted after a fun party.
Aravinda settled herself on the chair like she owned the place, pulling out her phone to check something. “I have to say, I was so surprised about the wedding. So sudden, wasn’t it?”
Isha’s hand trembled slightly as she started the coffee maker. She suspected Aravinda may have timed her visit to be when Ashok was away. Was she being interrogated? It seemed like it.
“When you know, you know,” she said, with deep conviction in her voice.
“Hmm.” Isha felt Aravinda’s eyes follow her every movement. “And you decided to move forward with the marriage soon after Sami’s and your brother’s accident? You barely knew each other.”
Isha’s stomach dropped and the pain of her loss was surmounting at the mention of the accident. She swallowed the lump that had formed and turned to look at Aravinda from the kitchen. “We only had each other.”
She paused expecting Aravinda to say something but she fell silent.
“And Ashok and I have known each other the past few years,” Isha corrected, and added the color that she felt was needed.
“The short time we spent during Sami and Ravi’s wedding, we realized we had a connection.
” She paused to gauge Aravinda’s expression and added with confidence, “the long distance ended what we tried to nurture and after what happened, we found each other again.”
Aravinda didn’t say anything and Isha decided not to back down on anything Ashok’s sister would say. The coffee maker gurgled loudly in the silence that followed. Isha could feel Aravinda’s eyes boring into her back as she reached for two mugs, trying to keep her movements casual.
A strange silence had fallen but Isha maintained a calm demeanor as she walked to Aravinda before handing her the mug of coffee, before taking the chair across from her at the small dining table.
“Tell me about you,” Isha was not going to back down and decided to interview the woman who showed up unannounced.
Aravinda accepted the coffee mug with another of those sharp smiles. “Ashoka didn’t tell you anything about us?”
The woman was smart and Isha smiled in response. “Ashok always has a sense of disappointment when he talks about family and I want to hear about the family without that.”
Aravinda’s eyes flashed but she didn’t say anything. “Ashoka always took Sami’s side.”
Isha swore she saw a small smile on Aravinda’s face but she was back to interrogating her. “So, tell me about the proposal. I’m dying to hear how Ashoka popped the question. I never thought he’d get married.”
Isha’s mind went completely blank. She wasn’t sure what to say. Was the woman going to assess the validity of the marriage based on the proposal style? She bought some time by taking a sip of coffee and that burned her tongue.
Isha chuckled. “You know your brother too well.” She decided to stick to the truth. “I was the one who proposed that we get married. We both knew what we had and that the only way to move ahead with our lives was to recognize our love and become a family.”
“That’s lovely. Tell me more.” Aravinda leaned forward, her eyes bright with what looked like genuine curiosity but felt more like a trap. “Where were you both? What did you say? How did you convince him to get married?”
“Well—” Isha started to say and stopped as she heard the back door opening. Relief flooded through her as Ashok appeared in the doorway, his hair damp from the exercise. But she noted that he could not have finished his workout.
Did he know his sister was at the house and he came back?
“Aravinda?” His voice was rough and something that might have been a bit of annoyance. “What are you doing here?”
“Surprising my brother, obviously,” Aravinda said sweetly, standing to embrace him. “I was just getting to know Isha. She was about to tell me all about her proposal.”
Over Aravinda’s shoulder, Ashok’s eyes met Isha’s. She saw the mix of confusion and a bit of panic that she was feeling, reflected at her.
“It’s good to see you, Aara.” Ashok said carefully, his arm sliding around Isha’s waist as she stood. The gesture looked casual, but she could feel the tension in his muscles. “I hope you haven’t been interrogating my wife too much.”
Isha just laughed and looked at him. In that moment, she saw something in his eyes and she smiled, leaning in to brush her lips against his.
“Was she mean to you?” His tone was playful.
“What?” Aravinda laughed, but there was no humor. “I was just trying to understand how my brother managed to fall in love and get married without any of us knowing about it. It’s all very mysterious.”
“Not mysterious,” Ashok said, pulling Isha closer. “Just private. And given I hadn’t heard from anyone for years, and the circumstances we were in, we needed each other. It was just us.”
Isha was surprised to hear him say those words. Like they connected on another level.
“Yes, indeed.” Aravinda’s smile weakened. “Which is why I found it so odd that you’d do something this impulsive. Marriage has never been on your mind, right?”
“True,” Ashok smiled and added, “It was all her. She was the one who proposed.”
Shut the front door! How was he saying the same things? Well it’s the truth.
The silence that followed was deafening. Isha could feel her heart hammering against her ribs, certain that Aravinda could hear it too.
“I heard.”
He turned to look at Isha, and for a moment, she believed the warmth in his eyes was real and it meant something for her. “You told her already?”
“Yes, all the details,” she whispered, wondering if Aravinda could hear the lie in her voice as clearly as she could.
“Good, let’s go sit in the living room,” Ashok led them to the larger living room like he needed Aravinda out of the kitchen. “I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
Isha led his sister into the living room. As if it was part of the plan, she pointed to the wall of memories and said, “This is my favorite part of the house.”
Isha and Aravinda were talking about some pictures when she heard the voices of the twins. Ashok seemed to be away freshening up and she wasn’t sure how to handle them even with the care takers. The kids might throw a fit if they don’t see Ashok which was usually the case.
She was starting to panic as their babbling got louder. At least they didn’t sound upset as they made their way down the stairs on their own.