Chapter 21 #2
Luv remarked, ‘God, you look like you went on a bender. Should I be worried or impressed?’
There were faint shadows beneath his eyes, his stubble darker than before. Swayam said, ‘I haven’t had a drop. It’s just been… a long night.’
Luv let out a soft hum, tilting his head. ‘Why? Couldn’t sleep because you’re excited to meet your future bride today?’
There was a slight tension in his jaw as Swayam said, ‘No, but my wife certainly is.’
It stung, but she absorbed it in silence, because he had every right to feel the way he did.
Luv scoffed, shaking his head. ‘Lucky man.’
‘Yeah, I’m living the dream,’ Swayam said, his voice laced with dry sarcasm.
‘Can we not do this right now? Just get in. We’re already running late,’ she said, turning back to the wheel.
‘Swayam!’ The voice carried across the courtyard. He turned at once, and Kashvi followed his gaze to see Malini coming down the stairs. She held the edge of her dupatta over her head, gesturing animatedly as she spoke to the man walking beside her.
Beside her, the pandit carefully held a brass plate, a small diya flickering on it.
They came to a stop beside Swayam, and Malini tapped his head as she said, ‘There you are. Meet Panditji. He will be handling all of Viru’s wedding rituals.’
Swayam bent to touch his feet. Luv and Kashvi joined their hands and greeted him with a namaste. The pandit lifted his hand in blessing.
As Swayam straightened, Malini pulled his ear as she insisted, ‘Panditji, please bless him properly. He is going to meet a girl today.’
Swayam gently pushed her hand away as he said, ‘Maybe he should bless Viraj more so he can finally learn how to wake up on time.’
Malini gave a resigned smile. ‘You know how he is. That boy will do everything last minute. You should’ve taken him along to the mall. Do you want me to call him?’
The words landed like a blow to her gut and her breath froze.
No!
The message he’d sent in the middle of the night flitted through her mind.
I’m in bed with Lavanya, and all I can think about is how delicious you smell.
Kashvi had not checked her phone since, thoroughly repulsed and on edge about what else he might send.
Her breath came out in a rasp when Swayam shook his head. ‘Let him sleep. While you were busy all night getting things ready for today, he was out drinking with his friends,’ he said, his voice edged with disapproval.
The relief rushed in so suddenly that she almost swayed with it. Her vision blurred slightly before she blinked rapidly, forcing it to clear. She leaned her head against the wheel as the tension drained out of her.
Beside her, Luv shifted closer. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked in a whisper.
She nodded and straightened in her seat. ‘I’m fine.’
‘The groom should not be drinking before such an auspicious ceremony,’ the pandit said, frowning at Malini.
She clicked her tongue, waving her hand nervously. ‘You know how boys are. His friends must have insisted, or Viru would never do this.’
‘You always make excuses for him and spoil him too much,’ Swayam said with blunt honesty.
Malini placed a hand on her hip as she shot back, ‘I have spoiled both of you equally, so don’t act like you’re some saint and he’s the only one who gets away with it. Besides, getting married changes a man for the better, so he’ll grow up too.’
Luv let out a bitter scoff, but shook his head when Kashvi raised a brow in silent question.
‘Enough of this. Panditji, please put the tilak on his forehead and bless him. Everything should go well today,’ Malini said, stepping aside as she nudged Swayam towards the pandit.
Swayam kept a hand on his head as the pandit applied a dot of vermillion to his forehead and chanted a Sanskrit verse.
The pandit adjusted the plate in one hand and held out the other. ‘Now give me the money, and I will remove the dosh.’
Malini’s eyes widened. ‘Arrey, I forgot to bring it.’
The pandit frowned as he said, ‘That’s not good. The ritual won’t be complete without it. I need to ward off the evil eye. Until then, his kundli will have a dosh that could affect anything auspicious.’
Swayam tensed, and almost at the same time, he glanced towards Luv. If she hadn’t been watching closely, she would have missed him slipping his wallet into Luv’s hand.
Malini, unaware of that silent exchange, turned to her nephew. ‘Swayam, you give him the money.’
Swayam waved his hands in the air. ‘I don’t carry a wallet.’
She clicked her tongue, shifting quickly to Luv and asked, ‘Beta, you must have some, no?’
Luv brushed the back of his neck, slamming the glove compartment shut. ‘I don’t have any cash. Will a credit card work?’
‘Do I look like an ATM machine to you?’ Malini asked, rolling her eyes.
Before she could turn to Kashvi, Luv leaned ahead, covering for her. ‘Kashu doesn’t have any money either. We always steal from her, so she doesn’t keep cash anymore.’
Malini frowned. ‘What now?’
‘Call Lavanya and ask her to bring some money. It will take only a few minutes,’ the pandit suggested. ‘It’s crucial that we do this now, or else he won’t be able to meet the girl today.’
Luv moved instantly, getting out of the car. ‘We’re already running late, and if we wait too long, all the good stuff will be gone in the discount sale.’
Huh?
Before Kashvi could process it, Swayam slid into the passenger seat in one smooth motion. She became hyperaware of his proximity as his cologne filled her senses.
Malini grabbed his arm, trying to stop him. ‘Don’t be like that! At least wait until the pandit finishes the ritual.’
‘Maasi, you told me to be home on time. I’m just trying to follow your orders here. Mumbai traffic is not going to care about this,’ Swayam said.
Malini pointed a finger in warning. ‘If you leave like this, I won’t allow you to meet Aisha. Then don’t complain later.’
Swayam gave a soft, careless scoff. ‘That’s tragic, Maasi. I’m absolutely heartbroken, but I think I will survive. The world won’t end today if I don’t meet her.’
‘That’s not how it works. A lot has to go right and align for an auspicious day like today, so take it seriously,’ she scolded.
Swayam gave a satisfied smile and stole a glance at Kashvi. ‘Maybe that’s the point. Maybe this is just a sign that it’s not meant to be.’
Kashvi replayed the last few minutes in her mind, and it hit her that he was trying to get out of this match. Her ears rang as every nerve in her body screamed at her to take this easy way out. All it would take was her silence.
If Swayam didn’t go, she wouldn’t lose him.
But then Viraj’s arrangement would fall apart, and he would loom over their heads like a sword. If he could find something to use against her, what would stop him from exploiting his cousin’s vulnerabilities until he found something to use?
I can ruin his life too.
Kashvi couldn’t let that happen. If Swayam got together with that girl, Viraj would have no reason to drag him into it.
He would come for her instead, and she could handle it. But the thought of Swayam being caught in the same web made her want to fall to her knees and weep.
‘One minute,’ Kashvi said, retrieving his wallet from the glove compartment where Luv had stashed it.
Her pulse thundered in her ears as she slid out a five-hundred-rupee note.
When she finally met his gaze, the sheer force of it left a crack in her chest. ‘Don’t,’ he whispered under his breath.
Kashvi pressed her lips together to hold back her tears. She kept her eyes on him as she rotated the note over his head a few times, because looking away would make it easier and she did not deserve that.
She handed the note to Malini, who was beaming at her. ‘That’s how it’s done! Bless you, beta. You’ve saved the day.’
‘Glad to be of help,’ Kashvi murmured politely, though it sounded distant to her own ears.
Malini playfully smacked Swayam’s arm as she said, ‘Now you just wait and see. Your life is about to change.’
‘I like my life the way it is. I don’t want it to change,’ Swayam said, looking straight ahead.
The pandit shook his head in disapproval. ‘I’ve known Jay and Viru since they were kids, and you shouldn’t trust them to take care of anything. If you really want things done right, you should go with them, Malini.’
She hummed thoughtfully, considering it.
Swayam jumped in, a hint of urgency in his tone. ‘Maasi, you really don’t have to come. All this running around will get too hectic for you.’
Malini narrowed her eyes at his hesitation. ‘You know, Panditji is right. I can take out one or two hours from my day to make sure you don’t mess this up.’
‘I will do everything properly. Don’t you trust me?’ Swayam urged, hoping she would see reason.
‘No, I don’t, which is exactly why I should come so I can see for myself,’ Malini retorted instantly.
When she got no support from her nephew, she turned to Kashvi. ‘Beta, you don’t mind if I come along, right?’
Kashvi didn’t have time to think. ‘Of course not, Auntyji. Please come.’
Swayam started to protest, but Malini shut it down, reaching for the back door handle. ‘I’m coming, that’s it.’
Luv got out and helped her settle into the backseat. The door shut with a soft thud, sealing them into the car together.
As she adjusted her dupatta around her neck, Malini said, ‘You know, Kashvi, I don’t have a daughter, so I’m really excited to go shopping with you. And maybe with you backing me up, my boy will not argue with me so much.’
Kashvi mumbled a polite response, the smile frozen on her face as she tried to think.
‘Let’s go,’ Malini urged.
The engine hummed to life, and Kashvi eased the car back onto the main road with trembling hands.
She had planned to drop them at the mall, to step away before it became too much, but now she was trapped in it too
Beside her, Swayam was quiet. She could feel his frustration, his restraint, in the way the tension lingered in the air.
There was a storm in her chest, and just as persistent was the ache of having to spend the next few hours being close to him while knowing exactly how much she was hurting him.
How am I going to survive this?