CHAPTER 24
The next morning, she woke up alone to distant squeals of the twins. Her eyes fluttered open wondering why the kids were up so early and noticed almost immediately she was alone in bed. Her eyes fell on the t-shirt she had the night before all hell broke loose. It was right by her pillow.
She reached for it and slipped it over her head.
Her eyes wandered to the small table where the bedside clock told her it was eleven past eleven.
She took a deep breath trying to ignore the signal for the four ones and looked at the small envelope that was placed next to it with her name on it.
Next to it was a water bottle. Curious as to what it was, she reached for the envelope.
To her surprise, a strip of pills slipped from the envelope. She scrunched her nose and wondered what the medication was for as she didn’t recognize the name. Unsure of what the medication is for, she read the fine print on the medicine foil and deduced that they were morning after pill.
Heat crept her cheeks at the memory of their passionate night they shared.
Hunger and impatience were not something she ever experienced.
Knowing how much restraint Ashok had shown the months leading up to last night.
For them to give in without even thinking about protection was a bit unsettling and exciting at the same time.
She had never felt so desperately reckless, not even as a young woman with raging teenage hormones.
Lucky for her she didn’t need the morning after pill. She had a birth control implant as she never wanted kids. And never once did she think it would come in handy the way it did, never in a million years.
Last night was on another level to even process all of what happened and how.
As she planted her feet on the floor, she didn’t know what it would be like to face him.
It was an intimate moment but it all happened in a flash.
The only thing she remembered was the intensity of everything.
The emotions and the sensations that made her go over the edge like never before.
It felt like a complicated situation that they may have to talk about and settle things.
What that meant she had no idea but she knew it wasn’t going to be as easy as it had felt maybe a couple of months ago.
It wasn’t just about bodily attraction but she felt the weight of the situation and how it could impact the kids if they didn’t get their act together.
The morning light filtered through the sheer curtains of the large bedroom which had been Ashok’s since he was a boy.
There was nothing romantic about the night and as she padded barefoot across the marble floor, her robe clinging to her skin as she made her way toward the balcony where the kids seemed to be with Ashok.
Even as she told herself everything should be the same as the day before, somewhere deep inside her she wanted something else.
What it was, she had no idea.
The air between them had been thick with unspoken tension that had been building for months.
With what happened last night she thought everything would alleviate but she only felt her heart race as she got closer and she heard Ashok’s voice too.
He looked up as she stepped outdoors and when their eyes met, she felt her stomach drop.
His eyes were blank and didn’t show any emotion.
It was a stark opposite to how he looked at her when he kissed her last night.
The kiss was desperate and hungry, months of careful distance dissolving into something primal.
She remembered the way he’d pressed her bare chest against him, the soft groan that had rumbled in his chest when she’d tangled her fingers in his dark hair, and most of all the way he looked at her when he pulled back, it had made her dizzy with want.
There was nothing left.
“Good morning,” she managed to say as the twins rushed toward her. The melancholy that was settling in, as if in response to his deadpan expression was wiped out by the twins’ enthusiasm.
She was happy to see them and didn’t feel the rush to be somewhere like she had been the past few weeks since the time they arrived at the island. She kept her eyes downcast and focused on the kids even when she knew he was looking at her.
Her heart hammered against her ribs as she thought about meeting his gaze again.
Wondering if he would smile at her this time or if there would be any recognition in his eyes or acknowledgment of the moments of passion they shared.
She wanted to know what it meant for him as she was unsure what it was for her.
What did she want anyways? Have him kiss her again?
Yes!
And say her name like he whispered it against her lips. It made her name sound like it was something else, more like an emotion.
“I have to go shower,” he declared. But when she looked up, he was already gone.
Isha wanted to say something, anything to make him stop and stay. But she could not think of anything. Instead, she decided to give him the silent treatment. He’ll come around. He had been aloof like this after a certain kiss or such an event but the last night was nothing normal.
She took the twins and went to their space where two cribs were set up with their toys. She was told that the room belonged to their mother. “Kiddos, your room is so cool. You have the best view of the ocean.”
The twins had been sleeping in that room with Ashok watching them since she was not as equipped as their uncle nor was she in a state to take care of them.
And until last night she was in another room, in the same wing.
She wondered if she should go back to that room or be in Ashok’s.
She knew it had to be the latter but she wasn’t sure, especially when he was playing the game of silence.
She left the kids with their toys and asked for their nanny to keep an eye on them as she wandered to her room. She stepped into the now very eerily quiet room of hers which had been bustling with people the last couple of days as they prepped her for various events.
By habit she opened one of the double doors that opened up to a walk-in closet and was stunned at the sight of the bare walls. All her clothes that were hung there even last evening were all gone. “What the heck!”
And then it occurred to her that her clothes would have been moved to Ashok’s, now that they were officially married as per the island traditions. She didn’t know what was lined up for the day but she knew she would be expected to show up for a meal with the family.
Realizing that the room no longer belonged to her, she wandered back to where the kids were playing with their nanny. After ensuring that everything was set for the kids’ meal that morning, she dared to walk back to the room she slept in last night.
She heard the sound of the shower running and avoided that door and pushed open the double doors that were similar to the ones in her room. She paused taking in the scene in front of her. Men’s clothes lined up on one side of what seemed to be a much larger closet and women’s on the other side.
She walked toward the men’s side toward the first outfit that was hung. It was what he had worn for the wedding ceremony right after he had placed the garland around her neck. He looked magnificent in royal attire. Her eyes fell on her wedding outfit that hung on the other side.
What a waste of such beautiful outfits. All of this for nothing!
She was so lost in admiring the outfits, she didn’t notice the shower had stopped running and only realized it when her heart sped up. Moments later, the musky scent of his soap hit her along with the heat from him.
She waited for a few moments pretending to have not noticed his presence but eventually turned when he stood still, giving her the silent treatment. She turned slowly to find him standing only a foot away, bare chested like the night before with a white towel wrapped around his hips.
“What’s the schedule for today?” She decided to be the one to break the silence. Irrespective of what happened between them, they still had a charade to keep up with.
He held her gaze for a long moment before shrugging lightly. “Whatever you want to do.”
His tone and body language were borderline annoying and something snapped inside her. “How can it be what I want? I’m not the one who is going to be here to take care of the kids.”
Something flickered in his eyes. “Let’s go have lunch with the family.”
“Okay,” she said, shy of yelling at him and added, “And I don’t need any pills. I’m on long-term birth control.”
Why she had to mention the part at the end she had no idea. She grabbed the first dress hung on the closet and zoomed past him in the doorway not wanting to be anywhere near him.
Shortly after, she stepped out of the shower. She could hear him right outside the bathroom, talking to someone. She looked for inner wear in one of the dressers inside the bathroom like they had been in her room. To her relief, they were neatly arranged.
“Crap.” She realized the outfit she chose in a hurry was a traditional dress that was midriff baring. And just as she was going to step out of the bathroom to switch costumes, she paused when she heard other voices. Only female voices.
She swore under her breath when she heard his sisters’ voices.
No matter how annoyed she was with him or vice versa they still had a charade to keep up with.
She stared at herself, the tight-fitting blouse and the skirt she had on with a good portion of her midriff being shown.
In spite of wearing these outfits the past few days she didn’t know how to drape the scarf.
Isha gave it a few tries and knew she was not going to do a good job. Maybe she could just stay inside and wait for them to leave and ask one of the staff to help. Just as that thought passed through her, another idea sparked in her mind.