Chapter 35
*****
Later that evening, Isha looked at herself in the mirror as the woman who showed up a couple of hours ago worked the final touches of her look. She didn’t expect people to show up with a selection of clothes and with makeup skills.
She had no idea she would have a team to help her dress. Did people dress to this extent? She was never the kind to dress extravagantly and felt a bit uncomfortable with so many people in her space. She tolerated it as it was part of the plan.
Even as she got dressed, she could hear Ashok speak with the twins as they ate dinner and got ready for bed.
The twins went to bed early so they would wake up in the morning for Ashok to spend time with them.
She found the guy’s dedication to the twins fascinating.
Somehow, she did not feel the need to be around the kids as much as he did.
This is why he was best placed to raise them, take care of them.
But what if the woman he eventually marries does not like the kids?
A sudden chill passed through her. How could she ensure the twins would get the same attention from whoever Ashok marries in the future? Is that why he wants to be united with his family? But who would care for them even if they were with the family.
Lost in thought, she didn’t realize the two women were done styling her for the evening. “Thank you,” she mumbled as they left her all by herself.
Isha slowly stood up, her bare feet taking in the cold marble floor. She absently slipped on matching heels that were set aside for the evening. She took a deep breath wondering if she should bring up the questions she had in her mind when they went out that night.
It may not be a pleasant conversation to have but she felt compelled to address her concerns.
She reached for her phone before leaving her room.
Because she was distracted with her thoughts, she didn’t realize that Ashok was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs looking up at her as she descended the steps.
When their eyes met, her step wobbled as her heart kickstarted in her chest. Ashok was dressed in a navy dress shirt and khaki pants and looked debonair. She suddenly felt unsure under his gaze but she held it like she could not look away.
He held his hand out as she got closer, his eyes holding an expression she could not decipher. “You look beautiful tonight.”
She felt heat rush to her cheeks and she nodded. “You look sharp.” She smiled.
He nodded. “Ready to go?”
With those words he led her to the awaiting car on the driveway. Unlike the other times they had gone out, he held the door open for her. He helped her slide in before coming around to get into the driver’s seat.
“I hope you’re okay to eat dinner a bit later.” He kept his eyes on the road as they pulled out of the compound.
“I’m okay, I can wait.” She wasn’t sure of what the plan was but she was too focused on when to talk to him about twins and what his plan was, five years into the future.
She didn’t know how long they drove before she said, “Ashok, I need to talk to you about something.”
He didn’t respond immediately like he suspected something was on her mind. “Sure.”
“You…you are great with the twins and I’m a hundred percent confident that you would do a great job with raising them and doing everything right by them.
” She paused to look at him even as he kept his eyes on the road and added, “How would it all work out when you get married and there is someone else in the twins’ lives? ”
Ashok kept his eyes on the road and after a long, awkward silence, he said, “I don’t know.”
His words made her heart drop to her stomach. It was the truth but she was not ready to accept it. Her chest rose and fell as she thought of a scenario where the twins have no one to focus on them and that suffocated her.
“But we’ll figure it out,” he said before adding, “I have no plans to get married anytime soon so don’t think too much about it.” It gave her a brief relief and she nodded.
And as if he sensed the stress she was feeling he chuckled before adding, “And it’s now up to you to decide when I can marry…again, since I’m still married to you.”
She let out a laugh, relief enveloping her.
That’s right, she can make sure there is no other woman in his life by never divorcing him.
He can’t make her. Maybe she could make him hold off on getting married until the kids turn ten.
He would be thirty-eight which wouldn’t be a bad time for him to get married and settle down.
Maybe the twins could live with her at that age. They would be easy to handle. She decided not to extend the conversation further. She was somewhat satisfied with his response and she looked forward to enjoying the evening out of the house.
“Where are we headed?” she asked, suddenly curious.
“Well, we are on a mission to make sure there is no doubt whatsoever about our marriage and there are a few things that need to be done to fix that.”
Something seemed off. “What do you mean by a few things? I thought we were just going out for dinner.”
He nodded. “One more stop before that and it shouldn’t take long. I hope it won’t.”
“I’m intrigued. What is this stop for?” She suddenly felt at ease with him and wondered why at times there was this strange tension that built between them. Like the time their eyes met a short while ago when she descended the stairs.
Just at the memory of the moment a short while ago, her heart started to thud. Besides the sudden rage in her chest, his proximity and his cologne was doing weird things to her mind. She took a deep, hissed breath looking out the window.
The city lights shone bright and instead of overthinking her reaction to his proximity, she decided to enjoy the sights in front of her. She chose to remain silent instead of making small talk.
“We are here,” he said, pulling into a parking spot marked as reserved.
She looked around for a sign that would tell what ‘here’ was but no telling signs.
Even as he held the door open for her, she looked around the building and she could not even see an entrance until she heard a heavy door open to one side.
Double doors that were camouflaged and a young woman and a slightly older man walked out to greet them.
“Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Dev. We are so glad to host you for the evening.” The older man was elated.
Isha was confused. She thought they were having dinner at a restaurant. She stayed quiet as they were led down a long corridor and at the end of it stood a security guard. She looked around and the building did not look like anyone’s home.
She was about to ask Ashok what the stop was as he had mentioned when he leaned closer to her. “Hope you like something here.”
What was he talking about?
The door opened to a brightly lit store and the entrance they used seemed to be a service one.
They were in a jewelry store, filled with all kinds of precious and intrinsic wearables.
It took her another moment to process the fact that everyone present were all staff in matching uniforms and there were no other customers in the store.
“Mrs. Dev, Sir mentioned that you’d like to see some rings, bracelets and earrings. What would you like to look at first?”
Isha was stumped to deny the idea or say anything else. She looked at Ashok rather blankly. Ashok nodded at her and said, “Maybe an engagement ring first?”
“This way, ma’am,” one of the women led her and Ashok toward where all the rings were on display. “Any preference for stone, ma’am?”
Still reeling from the shock, she didn’t respond immediately. She had never been the girl who visited a jewelry store to even look at stuff. The only time she had stepped foot in one was when her cousin’s husband asked for her help to buy a ring for Chandini before he proposed to her.
She had never thought about marriage let alone what she wanted for an engagement ring. She didn’t care for such things but something about the process was endearing. Even if it was all for show, she thought it was smart of Ashok to think of getting her a ring.
But, why not get one for her just like he made the marriage certificate happen?
As if she wanted an answer, she looked up at Ashok and found him looking at her. Her heart skipped a beat and her mouth went dry. What was it about the way the guy looked at her, made her react that way?
Like he sensed her apprehension, he walked over to where she sat, a dozen rings on display in front of her. He kept his eyes trained on her and like she had to decipher the look in his eyes, she held his gaze.
Ashok stopped a foot away and before she could say anything, he knelt in front of her chair and that made her heart somersault. He leaned close to her, filling her lungs with his musky cologne. “Pick a ring. It’s needed.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Help me pick the ring.”
Ashok held her gaze for one more moment before looking away to talk to the staff. “My wife likes Rubies.”
The words made her stomach drop. She remembered her mother’s ruby ring she always wore. It was beautiful. She could still remember the ring’s unique design. Like she found a new interest in jewelry she smiled at the staff member. “Do you have any antique rings?”
Isha’s sudden interest in the item, sparked enthusiasm in everyone in the store. “Let’s show Mrs. Dev the antique Ruby collections,” the older man who escorted them from the parking lot said, looking rather happy.
An hour later, Isha was lost in hearing the stories about each and every one of the items, especially the vintage ones. Jewelry pieces that have been collected from all over the world and uniquely curated to be part of one set.
“Get all of them,” Ashok said, pointing to a seven-piece jewelry set with a ring, bracelet, earrings, two necklaces and a waist chain.
Shockingly for her, the idea of wearing them excited her but her realistic side kicked in. “Ashok, no that’s a lot and–”
He interrupted. “Give us a moment.”
With those words the staff that was helping them scurried away to give them the space as Ashok had asked.
Ashok looked at her for a long moment. “Just go with the flow.”
Isha wasn’t in agreement. “Why would I need all of these? I don’t wear jewelry and it would be such a waste of money.”
“You are not paying for this.” His tone was flat.
She shook her head. “Even if you are paying for it, it is wasteful.”
He took a step close to her and just like he had earlier, went down on his knee in front of her.
He reached for the beautiful Ruby ring that was set on the table.
“The family that is going to welcome you as their daughter-in-law is going to pay for this. It is part of the tradition that this happens.”
He slipped the ring on her finger and she could not take her eyes off the ring and something about that moment was striking. Him kneeling in front of her, the beautiful ring on her finger. Their eyes met and she froze when she felt a shudder pass through her.
Ashok held her hand and was moving closer. Was he going to kiss her?
Anticipation building, she held his gaze as he moved closer and she closed her eyes taking in the moment and that’s when she felt his stubble rub against her cheek. “My sister has a spy in the store. He is going to report back to her as to what our dynamic really is.”
Yanked away from the moment, she realized it was all still part of the act for him. But she was having other reactions. Even as she processed the reality of the moment her body had a mind of its own. Her hand went up to his cheek, her fingers going into his hair.
He stayed still as she turned her face to plant soft kisses on his cheek. “How do you know she has a spy here?”
He didn’t respond immediately and that’s when she noticed that his breathing was strained just like hers. She felt the pressure on her hand he held. “I…I just know.”
“I love the ring, Ashok,” the words were genuine but she didn’t know why she felt the need to say anything.
He remained silent and a moment later he was pulling away from her when their eyes met. Everything around them seemed to freeze and as if under a spell, she tightened the hold on his hair as she closed the gap between their lips.
She gently brushed her lips over his, slowly, unlike the time she angrily kissed him.
The feel of his lips on hers was addicting and she could not get herself to pull away.
Even as her body took in the bliss, her mind fought the absurdity of the moment.
Embarrassment hit her hard and her eyes flew open.
She jerked away and looked down at the ring. “I hope your sister’s spy is convinced we are a real couple.”
Ashok leaned closer and planted a kiss on her head. “If we buy the entire set, the spy will be convinced.”
The endearing gesture made her heart go haywire.
She placed her right hand on her chest as she looked at the ring on her finger.
It felt good at that moment but she could not figure out why in the world she felt compelled to kiss Ashok for absolutely no reason.
It scared her how aware she became to his presence and proximity.
Was she attracted to him? She had to be! The guy was decent looking and she knew he wasn’t an asshole.
Not good, Isha. Cut it out.