Chapter 17
"You're my wife. I love you. I will always love you. When we married, we became one."
Jai's words flowed through Bani's mind as she stepped into the shower, causing a warm, fuzzy, glowing feeling to seep through her pores. Hope flared within her although she didn't want it to. She hadn't wanted to end her marriage, but when things had begun to get worse between her and Jai, she'd finally decided to take her in-laws' suggestion and get out of their son's life.
Even after three years of seeing how happy she and Jai were together, they still couldn't look beyond her past. They saw her as a nobody; a person who had married their son for his money. She had offered to sign a prenuptial before the wedding and Jai had scoffed at the suggestion, refusing to even draw one up. But still, his parents had made it known each time they saw her just how much they resented the marriage.
And no matter how many times Jai had stood up to them and had put them in their place regarding her, it would only be a matter of time before they resorted to their old ways again, though never in the presence of their son. Maybe Jai was right, and all she'd had to do was tell his parents off once and for all and that would be the end of it, but she never could find the courage to do it.
And what was so hilarious with the entire situation was that she had basically become a workaholic to become successful in her own right so they could see her as their son's equal in every way; and in trying to impress them she had alienated Jai to the point that eventually he would have gotten fed up and asked her for a divorce if she hadn't done so first.
After spending time under the spray of water, she stepped out of the shower, intent on making sure there was enough hot water left for Jai. She tried to put out of her mind the last time she had taken a shower in this stall, and how Jai had joined her in it.
Toweling off, she was grateful she still had some of her belongings at the cabin to sleep in. The last thing she needed was to parade around Jai half dressed. Then they would never get any talking done, she thought with a smile on her face.
Bani slipped into a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants she found in one of the drawers. Jai wanted to talk. How could they have honest communication without getting into a discussion about his parents again? She crossed her arms trying to ignore the chill she was beginning to feel in the air. In order to stay warm they would both probably have to sleep in front of the fireplace tonight. She didn't want to think about what the possibility of doing something like that meant.
While her cell phone still had life, she decided to let her best friend cum lawyer Prachi know that she wouldn't be returning to Mumbai tonight. Jai was right. Not everyone with money acted like his parents. The Nandas, owners of a huge manufacturing company in Mumbai, were just as wealthy as the Walias. But they were as down-to-earth as people could get, which proved that not everyone with a lot of money are snobs.
"Hello?"
"Prachi, it's Bani."
"Bani, I was just thinking about you. Did you make it back before that snowstorm hit?" asked a concerned Prachi
"No, I'm in the mountains stranded" replied Bani.
"What! Do you want me to send my cousins to rescue you?" asked Prachi.
Bani smiled. Prachi was talking about her four single male cousins, Krish, Aryan, Karan and Vivek Nanda. Bani had to admit that besides being handsome as sin, they were dependable to a fault. And of all people, she, Prachi and Prachi's two younger sisters, Neha and Pooja, should know more than anyone since they had been notorious for getting into trouble while growing up and the four brothers had always been there to bail them out.
"No, I don't need your cousins to come and rescue me" said Bani.
"What about Jai? You know how I feel about you divorcing him, Bani. He's still legally your husband and I think I should let him know where you are and let him decide if he should — "
"Prachi," Bani interrupted. "You don't have to let Jai know anything. He's here, stranded with me" chuckled Bani.
"How was your shower?" Jai asked Bani when she returned to the living room a short while later.
"Great. Now it's your turn to indulge" said Bani with a smile.
"Okay." Jai tried not to notice how the candlelight was flickering over Bani's features, giving them an ethereal glow. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and for a long moment he stood there staring at her.
She lifted a brow. "What's wrong?" asked Bani.
"I was just thinking how incredibly beautiful you are" said Jai in a husky tone.
Bani breathed in deeply, trying to ignore the rush of sensations she felt from his words. "Thank you" she said.
Jai had always been a man who'd been free with his compliments. Being apart from him made her realize that was one of the things she missed, among many others.
"I'll be back in a little while" he said before leaving the room.
When he was gone, Bani remembered the conversation she'd had with Prachi earlier. Her best friend saw her and Jai being stranded together on the mountain as a twist of fate that Bani should use to her advantage. She said she loved this "Beast from the East" and could not ask for anything better to strike at this moment. Prachi further thought that for once, Bani should stand up to the elder Walias and not struggle to prove herself to them. Jai had accepted her as she was and now it was time for her to be satisfied and happy with that; after all, she wasn't married to his parents or the Walias, she was married to the man in the black Porsche, who was Jai first and a Walia later on.
"You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry the person who you cannot live without."
A part of Bani knew that Prachi was right, but she had been seeking love from others for so long that she hadn't been able to accept that Jai's love was all the love she needed. Before her shower he had asked if his love was enough and now she knew that it was. It was about time for her to acknowledge that fact and to let him know it too.
Jai stepped out the shower and began toweling off. The bathroom carried Bani's scent and the honeysuckle fragrance of the shower gel she enjoyed using.
Given their situation, he really should be worried what they would be faced with if the weather didn't let up in a couple of days with the little bit of food they had. But for now the thought of being stranded here with Bani overrode all his concerns about that. In his heart he truly believed they would manage to get through any given situation. Now he had the task of convincing her of that.
He glanced down at his left hand and studied his wedding band. Two weeks ago when he had come here for his pity-party, he had taken it off in anger and thrown it in a drawer. It was only when he had returned to Mumbai that he realized he'd left it here in the cabin. At first he had shrugged it off as having no significant meaning since he would be a divorced man in a month's time anyway, but every day he'd felt that a part of him was missing.
In addition to reminding him of Bani's absence from his life, to Jai, his ring signified their love and the vows that they had made, and a part of him refused to give that up. That's what had driven him back here this weekend — to reclaim the one element of his marriage that he refused to part with yet. Something he felt was rightfully his and will always remain his.
It seemed his ring wasn't the only thing that was rightfully his that he would get the chance to reclaim. More than anything he wanted his wife back, he wanted his Bani back where she belonged, in his heart, his arms and his life.
"More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse."
Humour for the day – Double dhamaka again
Your dog called last night!
A woman came up behind her husband while he was enjoying his morning tea and whacked him on the back of the head. 'I found a piece of paper in your back pocket with the name 'Sienna' written on it,' she said, furious. 'You had better have a damn good explanation!'
'Honey, please calm down!' the man replied. 'Remember last week when I was at the dog track? That was the name of the dog I bet on.'
The next morning, his wife snuck up on him and whacked him again.
'What was that for?' he complained.
'Your dog called last night!' replied the wife.
The month is up today
A man sat at a bar, drinking slowly. On his face was the saddest hangdog expression.
The bartender asked, "What's the matter? Are you having troubles with your wife?"
The man said, "We had a fight, and she told me that she wasn't going to speak to me for a month."
"The bartender said, "That should make you happy."
The man said, "Not if the month is up today!"
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