I am Yours... FF last updt @18 - Page 4

There was a small clearing amongst the mammoth trees that surrounded Anant and navya. Anant opened the car door and stepped out. He walked around the car and held open navya's door. navya was too preoccupied with the sight before her to notice Anant standing there waiting for her to exit the car. 8

"Navya." Anant said, trying to get her attention.

"What? Sorry. It's just so beautiful." Navya replied.

Lights adorned the surrounding trees. Lanterns, flowers, and decorations were strewn about adding webs of color to the area. The clearing seemed unreal, almost magical. Situated in the back was a small table, draped with a dark, velvet table cloth and a small but fancy candelabrum that sat in the center.

"Are we having dinner here?" asked navya once her eyes fell on the table.

"Yes we are. Don't worry. I didn't cook. The chef made dinner, so it's safe to eat." Anant said with a grin.

"I honestly thought you were going to take me out to some fancy restaurant." navya admitted.

"Oh come on, navya! That's so impersonal. A first date should mean something special." Anant replied.

"This really is special, Anant. When did you find the time to do all this?" navya asked.

They started walking deeper into the clearing, making their way to the back where the little table was.

"I wasn't really at work all this time. I was doing this. Well, I didn't really do all of this myself, but I oversaw the project." Anant said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Navya figured that he hadn't really done all of this himself, but she thought he'd sent people to decorate while he stayed at his office and worked. It was good to know that he actually took time out of his busy schedule even if it was just to oversee the project' as he put it. Navya sat down at the table. anant brought out a bottle of champagne. He poured two glasses and handed on to navya.

"I don't drink." navya declared, eyeing the glass suspiciously.

"It's just champagne." anant chucked. "We need to toast."

"Toast what?" asked navya.

"Our first date! To us," Anant said, raising his glass, "for making it through these first few weeks of marriage relatively unscathed with minimal arguments."

Anant and navya toasted. Anant immediately gulped down his champagne. navya took a small sip, wrinkling her nose at the taste. She set it aside and waited for Anant to serve the food. He stood up and fiddled with the dishes before placing a plate in front of navya.

"Dinner is served." He announced. Bowing slightly, imitating a waiter.

navya giggled.

"Indian food?" she said, surprised.

"Obviously. It's probably not as good as yours though. Don't tell the chef I said that. We have gobhi paratha, lamb biryani, chicken curry, aloo gobi, kheer,palak paneer and mango sherbet. One hundred percent Indian." Anant said. 10

"So much food...we can't finish all of this." navya said.

"We can sure try. Let's eat!" Anant exclaimed.

"That is the most food I've ever eaten." navya declared after finishing the last bit of kheer.

"You've barely had anything." Anant retorted, stuffing some biryani in his mouth.

"Seriously? Anant, I ate all of this."navya said, gesturing to her once full plate.

"Whatever you say." Anant replied with a smirk. "Come on." He grabbed navya's hand and pulled her up from her seat. He started to lead her back towards his car.

"Where are we going? What about the food?" navya asked.

"Just leave the food. I'll have someone clean all of this up later." Anant said, still pulling navya along.

"Where are we going?" navya asked again.

"It's a surprise." Anant said grinning.

"Another surpise...great." navya said dismally.

Anant opened the passenger door and motioned for navya to sit inside.

"Please tell me where we're going." Pleaded navya as Anant buckled up in the driver's seat.

"If I tell you, it'll ruin the surprise." Anant said, gazing at her. He turned back to the road and focused on driving. The commute wasn't long. Only a few minutes had passed, and AnaNT was already slowing down the car. They were in some sort of open field near the forest area where they had eaten dinner.

"What in the world?" Navya said upon viewing the field. There was a large screen set up in the center of the field. Spread out in front of the screen were several blankets. "A film?" navya guessed.

Anant said nothing in response. Instead, he quickly opened navya's door and pulled her towards the blankets.

"Just sit and watch." He commanded. He whistled really loudly and gave a thumbs up to some unknown person who wasn't visible to navya.

"Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayega! I love Shahrukh Khan! This is my favorite film! How did you know?" navya exclaimed as the opening credits rolled. 17

"Everyone loves DDLJ and everyone loves Shahrukh Khan. It wasn't that difficult." Anant chuckled at navya's excitement. 32

navya settled herself on the blankets and got comfortable. Anant sat cross legged beside her but maintained some distance. He couldn't help but stealing at glances at navya throughout the movie. He couldn't help but notice the dreamy expression she would get every time a very young Shahrukh Khan graced the screen with his presence. She would laugh at every comedic moment as if she were watching it for the first time, even though she must have seen the film at least a dozen times. Anant continued to watch navya He watched her more than he watched the movie.

Finally, the movie came to the part Anant had been waiting for.

"Tujhe dekha to yeh jaana sanam," the song started.

"Pyaar hota hai deewana sanam." Anant joined in the chorus. 2

Navya looked at him with a slightly amused but otherwise incredulous expression. He continued to sing along with the song. He stood up and held out his hand. navya looked at him suspiciously. Surely he wasn't asking her to dance with him. He was doing just that. Anant gently took navya's hand and helped her up. He placed her arms on his shoulders and placed his own on her waist. They started off in a slow side to side motion, but Anant eventually ended up twirling navya gracefully around the field as the song concluded. 5

"Did that really just happen?" navya asked in disbelief.

"It did."anant replied, grinning.

"This is the best date ever." Admitted Navya.

"I'm glad you think so." Replied Anant.

The film concluded an hour or so later. Anant and navya hadn't realized how late it had gotten. navya started to worry about Payal being alone so late at night. They rushed to get back home.

"Payal," navya called as they entered the mansion.

"She's probably asleep." anant said.

"I'll go upstairs and check on her." Navya said before scurrying up the stairs. Anant slowly followed her.

"Hi Didi!" Payal exclaimed as soon as navya reached the top of the stairs. She dragged navya into Anant's room. anant, slightly amused, followed behind the two girls.

"Tell me everything!" demanded Payal. She plopped down on Anant's bed.

navya gave Anant an apologetic look. Anant simply smiled in response.

"I think navya really enjoyed herself." Anant interjected.

"Really? Did you, Didi? What did you two do?" Payal asked, her eyes bulging with excitement.

"Just dinner and a movie." Anant spoke up.

Navya smiled at Anant's understatement of the night's activities. Dinner and a movie couldn't even begin to explain the magical evening navya had with Anant.

"That's it? Boring!" Payal chastised.

"Payal." Navya warned.

"No no navya. She's right. I'll just have to do better next time." Anant said with a wink, which caused navya to blush.

"Yeah! Jija-ji will just have to do better. Didi, you deserve it." Payal said.

"Payal, that's enough. Go to sleep. It's late." navya reprimanded.

"Okay okay. I'm going." Payal stood up to leave but paused in the doorway, "Didi, should I sleep downstairs?" she asked.

"Why would you do that?" navya asked.

"Well, it seems like there might be a honeymoon part two in the making tonight." Payal said quickly, running out of the room and down the hall. 9

Navya gasped and then blushed profusely. She was completely stunned and severely embarrassed. Anant tried to stifle a chuckle. A slight blush crept up his neck. Payal actually thought they had a romantic evening out and wanted to continue the romance tonight.

"So," Anant started, attempting to dissolve the awkwardness of the situation.

Navya said nothing. She'd turned away from him in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

"Where should we go on our honeymoon?" Anant asked. 6

"What do you mean?" Navya asked hesitantly.

"We haven't been anywhere. We should travel abroad." Anant suggested.

"And do what?" navya blurted out though she was dreading the answer.

"Go sightseeing, of course. You can go shopping too if you'd like." Anant replied, coolly.

"Oh," was all navya said in response.

"What did you think I was going to say?" Anant smirked.

"N-nothing." navya stuttered, "Just...you know...people don't go on honeymoons just to go sightseeing. They go to..."navya trailed off, making a motion with her hand in an attempt to prompt Anant to understand her insinuation.

"Oh of course! There would be plenty of that too." Anant grinned. 8

If navya were drinking a beverage at this moment, she would've spit it out all over Anant. She was that shocked. She opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out. 3

"Relax, Navya. I was just joking." Anant said, chuckling lightly.

"Oh." She said. She wasn't sure what to think. She just didn't want to be near Anant at the moment. She walked to the other side of the room and sat down on the bed.

"I'm sorry, navya. It was just a joke." anant conciliated. "We don't have to go anywhere if you don't want to."

navya said nothing.

"Navya?" Anant tried again. He walked over to the bed and sat down beside her.

"It's just that...we aren't," navya started.

"I know." Anant replied. "Let's just forget about this. We had a great night. There's no point in spoiling it over nothing." He continued.

"Right." navya agreed.

Anant and navya got ready to go to bed. It was late and they were both tired. While navya was putting on her nightclothes, her thoughts traveled to her marriage, to her perfect date, to Anant. navya blushed at the thought of him. At first, they were two strangers hurled into a predicament. Then, they became friends. She wondered if they would ever fall in love. navya stared at herself in the mirror. She was covered nearly head to toe in black. Plain was the word that came to mind when she looked at herself. ANANT would never fall for a plain girl. Navya heaved a great sigh before she opened the bathroom door and stepped out. Anant was sitting on the bed and seemed like he was in some sort of deep thought.

"Anant," navya said cautiously.

"Hmm." He replied without even looking up.

"Are you okay?" navya asked, still standing.

"I'm fine." Anant said coldly. He abruptly stood up and stalked over to the sofa. He stopped in front of it but didn't sit down.

navya watched Anant suspiciously. She was taken aback by his sudden change in mood, but she didn't want to bother him and make his mood worse. +

"navya," Anant turned back to face navya. He pouted slightly. "My back hurts." He admitted quietly.

navya smiled. Anant was such a child sometimes.

"Please don't make me sleep on that uncomfortable sofa tonight." Begged Anant.

navya stifled a giggle. He was acting as if he were a child in a toy store pleading with his mother to buy toys for him.

"Is that a yes?" Anant asked, bemused by navya's laughter.

navya stopped laughing. It suddenly dawned on her what Anant was asking. She looked down. A small blush tinged her cheeks.

"It's fine. I'll manage." Anant said, realizing how uncomfortable of a position he just put navya in.

"No. You can..." navya said quietly.

"Are you sure?" asked anant.

navya just nodded. She turned away from him and walked to the other side of the bed. She laid down, pulling the covers over her. She scooted all the way to the edge of the bed. After settling herself, she looked back up at anant. He continued to stand where he was, making no effort to move. A conflicted expression was apparent on his face.

"Anant, really. It's okay." navya said.

Anant hesitated for a moment before walking over to the bed. He'd had many girlfriends with which he'd spent countless nights. He'd had his fair share of hookups and even a few one night stands. However, he had never ever in his life been this nervous to get into bed with a woman before. This wasn't just any woman. This was his wife, the woman he'd be spending the rest of his life with. This was navya. Anant couldn't help but acknowledge that he had a physical attraction towards navya. It was undeniable. He silently promised himself that he would behave himself and keep his distance tonight. 4

"Anant," navya said. She watched him curiously.

"Yeah." Anant pulled back the covers and laid down. He immediately felt relieved as he straightened out his back against his very comfortable bed. It felt a thousand times better than the sofa he'd been sleeping on.

navya watched Anant. A new wave of guilt surged through her. Anant must've been silently suffering all this time. Anant suddenly looked at her. Their eyes locked for a brief moment before navya looked down. Anant's brows furrowed in confusion.

"This was a bad idea." Anant declared, flinging off the covers and getting to his feet. He started towards the sofa.

navya looked on in shock. It took her a moment to respond. She stood up and hastily followed anant.

"Wait!" She grabbed Anant's arm so that they both came to a halt just before reaching the sofa.

"What happened?" navya asked.

"You're uncomfortable." Anant answered, looking away from her.

"You're the one who's uncomfortable, Anant. I knew that sofa would cause you trouble. You should've told me earlier that you were in pain." navya chided.

"That's not what I mean. You're uncomfortable...with me." Anant replied.

"I'm not. I...Should I be?" navya questioned. She awkwardly shifted from one foot to another.

"No! Not at all. Um...let's just go to sleep." Anant said quickly.

He followed navya back to the bed and watched as she slipped beneath the covers. She looked up at him expectantly. He slowly lifted the covers and laid down on the bed, his eyes never leaving navya. She seemed okay, not relaxed, but okay nonetheless. Anant shifted awkwardly until he found a position he was comfortable with. He laid with his eyes wide open. Any ounce of exhaustion he was feeling moments ago seemed to have suddenly disappeared. navya wasn't any better off. She laid with her eyes glued to the ceiling, hesitant to move at all.

"Why do we do this?" Anant asked, breaking the silence.

"Do what?" asked navya. She took her eyes off the ceiling and focused them on Anant.

"Make things more difficult than they have to be. Sharing a room was such a big deal. Now sharing a bed...God! We're worse than teenagers." Anant said in frustration.

"I don't mean to make things difficult." navya replied. She believed Anant was placing the blame on her.

"It's not just you. We're both at fault. There's this barrier between us, navya. We can't just ignore it," Anant sighed, "I'll be back on the sofa tomorrow. Don't worry."

"Anant..." navya started.

"Maybe we can convince Payal we had one hell of an argument, you know, as an excuse to sleep in different bedrooms...if it ever comes to that, I mean." Anant interrupted.

"She might worry." navya said. She felt conflicted. Staying in different bedrooms is exactly what she wanted, but she was enjoying putting on this charade with Anant. It made her feel like an actual wife, and she really did take pleasure in spending more time with Anant.

"Let's just see how tonight goes. If you're feeling awkward or uncomfortable, tell me. Please, navya. I mean it." Anant said sternly but with immense sincerity.

"I will. You don't need to worry, Anant." she replied.

"Goodnight, Navya." Anant said. He reached over and turned the lamp off.

Darkness washed over the room. navya felt Anant shift on the bed to get to comfortable position. After that though, it felt like he wasn't even there because the bed was so large.

"Goodnight, Anant." navya whispered to Anant, who had his back turned towards her.

navya tossed and turned all night. She couldn't fall asleep for the life of her. She didn't know if it was because Anant was beside her causing some strange spell of anxiety or if it was because of something totally unrelated to Anant's close proximity. navya looked at Anant. He seemed to be peacefully asleep. He was still turned on his side, his back still facing her. navya looked up at the ceiling in despair. She let her mind wander to anything but Anant. Her eyelids felt heavy after a while, and she soon fell asleep.

Anant awoke to a heavy weight on his chest. He felt someone's grip tighten on his shoulder. When he opened his eyes, he found navya snuggled onto his chest, her hand clutching onto his shoulder. He was surprised at first and then slightly amused. Anant felt a small breeze as navya attempted to snuggle closer to him. He immediately understood. She felt cold and was unconsciously being drawn to the warmth of his body. Anant had forgotten to close the window before going to bed, thus the crisp New York City wind was making its way into the bedroom, disturbing navya's sleep. Another breeze, this one a bit strong, blew into the room. navya shifted in her sleep.

"navya," Anant whispered, "wake up."

navya stirred but didn't wake up. Anant tried to pry away from her, but he decided it was best to not disturb her. After a bit of futile effort, Anant conceded. He wrapped his free arm around navya and went back to sleep.

Rays of light entered through the open windows. navya unconsciously shielded her eyes from the brightness. She unwillingly opened her eyes. Suddenly, she pulled back with such force that she startled Anant.

"navya? What's wrong? Are you alright?" Anant asked, half asleep and half shocked.

"I...um..." navya struggled for words.

Anant noticed his arm still lazily placed around navya. He quickly pulled it away, sitting up swiftly.

"Sorry." He muttered, a little embarrassed.

"No it's okay," navya looked away, "I'm on your side of the bed," she said, her cheeks on fire.

The couple sat there for a moment in awkwardness before navya finally decided to move back to her side of the bed. 3

"I was feeling cold," said navya quietly.

"I know. I forgot to close the window." anant admitted.

navya looked at Anant blankly for a second. Suddenly, she burst out laughing. Anant couldn't help but join in the laughter.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad arrangement after all.

. +

OMG! Sleeping in the same bed now! What's going to happen next?

Comment and like! Tell me what you thought!

"I don't think you are either."

"Relax, you're thinking too hard."

"It's going to burn!"

Navya and Payal were busy in the kitchen. Navya had convinced the chef to

let her have the kitchen so she could teach Payal how to cook some traditional Indian dishes. As of now, they both were struggling.

"Payal, don't put that much in there." commanded Navya.

"A little more won't hurt anyone." Payal replied, adding a pinch or two of salt to the concoction resting on the stove.

"You're going to give your future husband food poisoning." teased Navya.

"Future husband? No thank you." Payal replied.

"Payal, you have to get married." navya said.

"No I don't." Payal answered non-chalantly. She started chopping vegetables. navya reached over and stopped her.

"Yes you do. Baba will be so disappointed if you don't." Navya tried to reason.

"I'll only marry the man I love." declared Payal, stubbornly.

"Payal, that's against our traditions." navya said.

"Traditions are meant to be changed." Payal answered.

"Look how happy Anant and I are. Don't you want to be happy?" navya asked.

"I can be happy with a love marriage. Jija-ji is amazing! You got lucky with him. Not everyone gets that lucky. Plus, who wants to get married? I'm staying single for as long as possible." Payal said.

"Why are you saying this all of a sudden?" navya replied.

Payal looked away. She turned so that navya couldn't see her face.

"No reason," replied Payal quietly.

"Good morning! What's cooking?" Anant asked, excitedly as he entered the kitchen.

He took in the sight of the two sister before him and paused.

"Did I interrupt one of your sister moments?" he asked.

"No Jija-ji. Not at all. Come taste my cooking!" Payal exclaimed.

Anant strode forward, eager to taste what Payal had made. If Payal had half the ability that navya had, Anant would definitely be in for a treat. He took a spoonful of the aromatic concoction from the pot and carefully tasted it. Suddenly, Anant stopped chewing and shot navya a look. navya scrunched her eyebrows in confusion, while Payal stood there smiling widely.

"Don't you like it?" she questioned.

Navya looked at anant cautiously. Anant reluctantly swallowed. What seemed like pain was apparent on his face.

"It was..." Anant started. He was at a loss for words.

"What?" Payal asked. She took a spoonful for herself and tasted it. Immediately she spat out what she had just cooked.

"Oh. My. God. That was terrible." Payal announced, "How did you swallow that?" she asked.

Anant took the spoon and handed it to Navya.

"Please, don't ever let Payal cook again." he pleaded.

"Can I talk to you privately?" he asked navya.

"Ooohhh Jija-ji is getting romantic!" Payal teased as she went back to the stove. navya blushed. Anant led her out of the kitchen towards the living room.

"About last night..."Anant started as soon as they were far enough away from the kitchen.

"Anant it's okay. I was the one who was on your side of the bed, remember?" navya replied.

"I know. The sofa really is okay though." Anant tried to convince navya.

"I don't believe you." she challenged.

Anant took a step closer. A smug expression was on his face. A smirk twitched at his lips. she took a step back, unsure of what he was up to.

"navya," Anant said, watching her intently, "Do you enjoy sleeping in the same bed as me?"

she blushed deeper than she thought possible. She lowered her gaze.

"I knew it! You do! That's why you're taking all this so well. Admit it. You don't mind what happened last night because you like me." he declared.

"Stop being so childish." she retorted weakly. 2

A wide grin spread across his's face. He lightly chuckled.1

"I'm just kidding, navya. Lighten up." anant said. He started to walk back to the kitchen.

"Anant," she said quickly, "Do you..."

"Do I what?" anant said, walking back towards where navya was standing.

"Do you like me?" she asked. She always accused Anant of acting childish. Now it was her who was being childish. 2

"Of course I do," Anant smiled. "If I didn't like you, you wouldn't be staying in my bedroom and I definitely wouldn't have taken you out on a date." she winked at her before walking back to the kitchen.

navya's heart fluttered. he might be developing the same feelings for her as she's developing for him. She composed herself and followed anant into the kitchen. She tried to control her blush so Payal wouldn't notice.

"So what's up?" Payal eyed the couple suspiciously as they entered the kitchen.

"Nothing," Anant replied, nonchalantly biting into an apple.

"Then why all the secrecy?" Payal pushed further.

"There was no secrecy. It was just something private between a husband and his wife." he said.

A wide grin appeared on Payal's face. She looked over at navya, who was desperately trying to refrain from blushing.

"I'm not even going to ask. I think...I may be too young to hear this." Payal concluded.

"Payal!" navya exclaimed incredulously, "It's nothing like that."

"Nothing like what?" Payal replied, feigning innocence.

Anant was curious to know where this conversation was heading. He leaned back against the counter, waiting for navya to answer.

"Nothing like what you were thinking." navya was beating around the bush, uncomfortable with approaching the subject.

"Whatever you say, Didi." Payal answered sheepishly.

Anant smiled to himself. navya and Payal were so funny when they were together. Payal is such an extrovert, confident and personable. navya is shy and modest. anant wondered how the two sisters get along.

"So what are your plans for today, Payal?" Anant asked.

"NYU this morning, then I'm taking a look at SUNY." Payal answered

"SUNY? Why would you go to a SUNY?" asked anant. His sister-in-law would attend the best private university that will accept her.

"A SUNY? There's more than one?" Payal replied, unsurely. 2

"Payal, SUNY is a system of college. It stands for State Universities of New York."he explained. "Didn't you do any research about colleges here before boarding a plane and heading over?"

"Not...really. I just missed Didi." Payal answered quietly.

navya smiled at her little sister. Even though she constantly tries to make fun of navya, Payal was a great sister, and navya knew she was lucky to have her.

"Do you want to go to school here?" Anant asked seriously.

"Of course! It's New York City! And this way, I can't get married before I'm twenty-two. I can pursue graduate studies. That'll keep me single until at least twenty-five!" Payal said excitedly.

"You want to go to school in America...to stay single?" Anant asked, confused at what Payal's motives are. He thought back to himself and how he was so reluctant to give up his freedom and get married. He unconsciously looked over at navya, who was busy preparing breakfast. She seemed unfazed at the mention of Payal's intentions.

"Yep!" Payal answered.

"navya, did you know about this?" Anant asked in disbelief.

"Well, she just told me this morning." she replied.

"And you're okay with this? Studying in America to evade marriage?" he asked navya.

"An arranged marriage." Payal piped in.

navya looked down. he could feel himself growing angrier. He and navya were forced into an arranged marriage. It wasn't as bad as Payal was making it out to be. It wasn't as bad as he himself had thought it would be.

"Why is an arranged marriage such a bad thing, Payal? You're willing to give up the home you grew up in and travel thousands of miles to a foreign country just so you won't have to get married. What are you afraid of?" Anant confronted Payal. navya looked on in astonishment.

"I'm not ready to get married." Payal answered.

"Neither were we, Payal. We're older than you are. You aren't getting married anytime soon. You shouldn't worry so much. And an arranged marriage isn't that bad." he stated.

Payal looked down. navya examined her sister's expression.

"Payal, why are you so worried about marriage all of a sudden?" navya asked.

Payal refused to look up and stayed silent. navya moved closer to her.

"Baba said he has a suitor in mind." Payal admitted, tears stinging her eyes.

navya gasped. Payal was eighteen. She wasn't ready to be married. navya, who was in her early twenties, wasn't even ready for marriage.

"Shit!" anant cursed. "This isn't happening. I won't let it." he declared.

"What did you tell Baba when you came to New York? He doesn't think you're visiting colleges, does he?" asked navya.

"He thinks I'm meeting...him...my future husband." Payal replied.

"Here? All by yourself?" navya asked.

"He lives in New York City just like Jija-ji. I told Baba to send me, and I'll have you and Jija-ji take me to meet him." Payal answered.

"Why did you tell us that you were looking at colleges?" navya asked.

"So you wouldn't freak out." Payal said.

"What's his name?" Anant asked suddenly.

"Rakesh Sehgal." Payal said.

"Rakesh?" Anant said. His fists clenched. Payal was like a sister to him, and he wouldn't let just anybody marry her. Rakesh and Anant have been friends for years, not close friends but friends nonetheless. Rakesh was nearly five years older than Anant and had previously been married. He had a lapse in judgement when the two of them along with Hiten had gone to Vegas a year ago. Rakesh met a girl in a bar and, after spending only three days with her, decided that they just had to get married. He didn't even regret his decisions until his business contacts began to doubt his decision-making skills and branded him as hasty and irrational upon hearing the news of his impromptu Vegas wedding. Rakesh and Anant were one and the same. They were afraid of commitment. The only difference now is Anant is married, and Rakesh is still a womanizing player who has absolutely no respect for women. There was no way in hell he was going to marry Payal.

"Do you know him?" asked Payal, breaking Anant's train of thought.

"Yeah. Pretty well actually." Anant said, "You're not marrying him."

"What?" navya asked, "Why not?"

"Don't question him, Didi! I think Jija-ji is on to something!" Payal exclaimed, traces her joyful self started breaking through the solemn exterior she's erected.

"He's not good enough for her." Anant said.

"Aman, Baba decided that Payal will marry Rakesh. He wouldn't choose someone who wasn't good enough her her." navya reasoned.

"He's five years older than me! He doesn't respect women, navya. The number of girlfriends and flings he's had is larger than his bank balance!" Anant tried to explain.

"Five years?!" Payal exclaimed.

"Five years older than me, Payal. He's in his thirties, and you're barely an adult." Anant replied.

navya looked at him in shock. Rakesh didn't sound like a decent man to marry. Why would her father choose such a suitor for Payal?

"A business deal." navya said to herself, quietly.

"What?" Anant asked.

"Anant, can I talk to you privately?" navya asked.

"Didi! This isn't the time for romance! We're trying to solve a major problem here!" Payal interjected. 3

"It will only take a minute, and it has nothing to do with romance." navya said, taking Anant by the arm and pulling him out of the kitchen behind her. She led him up the stairs to his bedroom. Once inside, she closed and locked the door.

"navya, what are you doing?" Anant asked suspiciously.

"Anant! This isn't time for that kind of thinking." Navya chided.

"Sorry, I didn't know what to expect. Why are we here?" he said.

"A business deal!" exclaimed navya.

"Okay...?" anant replied, still confused.

"Why else would Baba choose such a husband for Payal?" navya said.

"Damn! You're right. There must be some sort of benefit coming from this alliance." Anant said.

"It's just like what happened with us!" navya realized.

"But I'm not as bad as Rakesh." Anant countered.

"Anant, you're not bad at all." navya answered sincerely.

"navya," Anant said moving closer, "We can't let Payal marry Rakesh."

"But Baba..." navya said hopelessly.

"Let's convince him to let Payal go to school here. She shouldn't get married before completing her education. If that fails, then I'll find her someone to marry, someone who's worthy of her.

Navya wanted to shed tears of joy. She wanted to jump into anant's arms and embrace him forever. He was treating Payal like she really was his sister. He cared more about her than their own father.

Pnavya and anant walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Payal was no longer there. She had gone into the living room and was talking to a man. navya looked at him questioningly. Anant looked angry. Sitting on the couch, next to Payal was Rakesh! Payal was laughing at whatever he'd just said, and he was trying to work his charm to its fullest extent.

"Rakesh." Anant called.

"Anant! Hey man! How's it going?" Rakesh answered as he stood up. He walked toward Anant, shaking his hand vigorously.

"What are you doing here?" Anant asked.

"I just got back from Australia! What is this? You didn't invite me to the wedding? Hiten said you got married in India." Rakesh said. His eyes traveled to navya, trying to assess whether or not she was Anant's wife.

"I did get married. This is my wife, navya." anant said gesturing to navya, who was standing beside him.

"It's nice to meet you, navya. You're so beautiful. How did Anant get so lucky?" Rakesh said. He reached to shake her hand, but she folded her hands together and offered a quick "Namaste" before retreating behind Anant.

"Okay. Namaste." Replied Rakesh, copying navya's hand position. "A bit traditional for my taste, but it's alright." He turned to Payal, "And who is this lovely lady? I've never seen her here before."

"Payal. My sister-in-law." Anant answered, gritting his teeth.

Payal stood there, stunned. Rakesh tried to greet her, but she didn't respond.

navya led Payal out of the room. They walked upstairs into Payal's bedroom.

"Payal, say something." navya pleaded. "Payal!"

"Didi...it was him. He's who I'm supposed to marry." Payal said. She wasn't thinking straight. She was still in a state of shock.

"That was him." navya confirmed.

"He seemed so nice. He said I was pretty and all these other nice things. He was...just...so old." Payal reasoned.

"I know." navya answered.

"I don't want to marry him." Payal said, nearly breaking down in tears.

"I know. We're going to fix this. Don't worry." navya consoled her

Meanwhile, Anant continued his conversation with Rakesh. He wondered what bacta and Payal were talking about upstairs. He desperately wanted to know if Payal was okay.

"So how are things? Any big news?" Anant asked.

Rakesh took a sip of coffee and eyed Anant, trying to figure out what he wanted to know.

"Big news? You're the one with the big news around here." he said.

"You should get married too. It's the best feeling ever." Anant said. He knew this was a lie, but he hoped Rakesh would believe him. There was nothing wrong with being married. If Anant could choose between the life he'd had before he'd gotten married and the life he has now,however, he'd choose the life he'd had before. Men like him and Rakesh weren't meant to be tied down by the bonds of marriage.

"Really? I never thought I'd hear those words coming from your mouth." Rakesh laughed.

"It really is wonderful. Are you planning on getting married soon?" Aant asked. He needed to be sure whether Rakesh knew about his impending marriage or not. He didn't know that he was marrying navya when he was called to India, so there's a chance that Rakesh might not know either.

"No way! I'm a bachelor for life." Rakesh stated.

"Good." Anant said, "You should stick to that."

"What happened to marriage is the best feeling'?" Rakesh asked mockingly.

"It is, but it's not for everyone." Anant said.

He and Rakesh talked for a while longer. Anant was eager to get Rakesh out of his house, so he could check on Payal.

"Payal." Anant knocked on Payal's door. navya opened it and stepped aside, so Anant could come in. Payal was sitting upright on her bed, tightly clutching a pillow. She rocked back and forth uneasily.

"Jija-ji! What happened?" asked Payal, nearly jumping off her bed.

"He doesn't know about the marriage." Anant said, "and he's not too keen on getting married at all."

"That's great!" Payal exclaimed.

"Payal, his father and your father might have arranged the marriage without telling him." Anant said.

Payal's smile faded.

"What do we do now?" Payal asked, helplessly.

"I need to speak with your father." Anant said rushing out into the hallway. He went into his bedroom, navya following swiftly behind him.

"You're going to call him now?" she asked, as anant hurriedly searched for his phone.

"Yes." Anant said.

He tossed aside a pillow and found his phone lying underneath. He quickly looked up navya's father's number in his contact list and called him. she waited anxiously. She wasn't sure what Anant was going to say or how he was going to convince her father to cancel Payal's marriage. Her father had threatened to disown her if she didn't marry Anant. She didn't want that Payal to have to make the same decision she did "Hello? Namaste."navya heard Anant greet somebody on the phone. She heard him ask her father's secretary if he was available to discuss something very important. After exchanging pleasantries, the men got down to business.

"You don't understand. Payal is too young to get married."

"She needs an education, and New York is one of the best places to get an amazing education."

"Yes, I do know Rakesh. He's not right for Payal. The age difference alone..."

Anant and navya's father were arguing back and forth. navya knew she should be with Payal, but she couldn't pry herself away from the Anant's conversation with her father.

"Look, I've tried being nice about this, but I absolutely cannot allow this marriage to happen. I don't mean to disrespect you, but I don't think you have Payal's best interest or her happiness in mind." Anant said. There was a long pause. navya's father was replying. Navya held her breath. She could sense the tension rising.

"If you aren't going to respect me as your son-in-law and at least listen to what I have to say, then what was the point of forcing navya to marry me?" Anant retorted angrily.

"Anant." navya couldn't believe he was talking to her father like that. She understood that he was angry, but she couldn't help but intervene. +

Anant glanced over at navya, but didn't apologize. He was too angry to even think about respecting his elders right now.

"What does that matter? Your father is my business partner, not you." Her father replied ruefully.

"True, but when he retires in two weeks and hands over all of our companies' assets to me, then I'll be your business partner. You can't go making business deals without my approval." Anant smiled slyly. He was the only who knew about his father's retirement, and he wouldn't let any deal with Rakesh or his family take place.

"What? No...I'll...have navya divorce you." navya's father tried desperately to counter.

"So what? We never wanted to get married in the first place." anant said nonchalantly. Truthfully, he hoped navya wouldn't be forced to give him a divorce even if he disliked being a married man. He'd survive a divorce just fine even if he had to pay an alimony. What he was worried about was the toll a divorce would take on navya.

"Anant, you can't do this." navya's father said hopelessly.

"I can, and I will. Payal isn't getting married, not yet. She should go to school here, but I'll send her back to India if that's what you want. I take full responsibility of her marriage. As your son-in-law, it's the least I can do." Anant said, smiling to himself.

"navya. What are you doing here?" he asked, "Why are all the lights off?" Anant flipped the light switch on. He looked over at navya who was hastily trying to wipe away her tears.

"What's the matter?" Anant asked. He quickly made his way to her. "Why are you crying?"

navya didn't answer. She turned away and stepped closer to the window, breaking away from the slight grasp Anant had on her shoulder.

"navya, please talk to me." anant again approached her. She didn't pull away this time, partly because she didn't want to and partly because there was nowhere else to go.

"You..." navya started, a tear rolling down her cheek as she spoke.

"Me? Did I do something wrong?" Anant asked, concerned.

"You...want a divorce." navya managed to say. She burst into a silent cry. Anant took her in his arms and allowed her to cry on his shoulder.

"No, navya. Why would you think that?" Anant tried to calm her down. He pulled away from her and wiped her tears away.

"On the phone...you s-said..." navya stammered. She fixed her gaze on the ground.

"Those were just empty threats. I wasn't really going to leave you. I don't want a divorce, honestly." Anant said quietly. After he'd wiped away the last of her tears, he pulled her into another embrace.

navya blushed. She was so embarrassed. Here she was, bawling like a baby just because Anant had said he'd divorce her. She hadn't known him for long, but she realized now that she couldn't bear the thought of not having him in her life.

"I'm sorry." Anant apologized. He pulled away from her again, and navya was left desiring his body's warmth.

"No, I'm sorry for reacting this way." navya answered.

"It's okay. It's nice to know you care so much." he replied, "Come on, we better go downstairs otherwise who knows what Payal must think we're doing."

"Okay," navya agreed. She silently followed anant back downstairs. She felt a slight fluttering in her heart. Anant was making her more nervous than usual. His close proximity had nearly sent her swooning. navya knew she was falling for him, but she had to keep herself under control. 4

"Didi! Jija-ji is brilliant! Guess who's not getting married anytime soon? This girl!!" Payal exclaimed, animatedly pointing at herself.

"You convinced him?" navya asked, looking up at Anant.

"Yeah but it was so damn difficult." Anant replied. "I'm still sorry."

"About what? Didi, what did he do?" Payal interjected defensively.

"Nothing, Payal. It's okay." navya replied quickly trying to diffuse the situation.

"Really, Payal. I'm innocent." Anant smiled.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure you are." Payal said sarcastically.

"Jokes apart, ladies, we're going out tonight." Anant announced "We are?! Where? Where?" Payal asked excitedly.

"A party. One of the city's hottest nightclubs has been rented out for the event." Anant explained.

"We aren't going." Navya said firmly, "We don't belong at nightclubs."

"Didi! It'll be so much fun!" Payal countered.

"navya, it's not a wild party by any means. The nightclub is simply the venue." Anant tried to convince her. "One of my friends is celebrating his wedding aniversary. We can't just not go."

"Yeah Didi! We have to go, otherwise Jija-ji's friend will feel bad." Payal insisted.

"Okay, but Payal, you aren't staying out late. And you aren't drinking any wine or champagne." navya reprimanded.

"Didi, you aren't old enough to drink either! The drinking age is 25." Payal countered. 2

"It's actually 21 here." Anant chimed in, "so feel free to drink if you want, navya."

"Of course you would take her side." Payal muttered.

Anant smiled. Spending time with Payal and navya was always so entertaining.

"What are we going to wear?" Payal asked suddenly, finally bringing up every woman's concern before attending a major event.

"How fancy is this party?" navya asked, turning to Anant.

"Not as fancy as the last one." Anant replied.

Payal's eyes lit up.
"You've already been to one of these fancy New York parties?" she asked P.

navya nodded shyly. She never went out anywhere when she lived at home. She would hardly even go out with her friends. It was safe to say she was a homebody before coming to New York.

"I'm so jealous." Payal said, still in a daze over the thought of attending the party later tonight.

"Go shopping." Anant suggested, diverting the topic back to Payal's wardrobe concerns.

navya thought back to the last time Anant had told her to go shopping for something appropriate to wear to the earlier party they'd attended and cringed. Anant noticed her reaction, but didn't comment on it. He glanced at Payal, hoping she didn't noticed navya's pained expression.

"We just went shopping." navya said.

"But we didn't buy any party clothes!" Payal exclaimed. "I'm going to get an amazing strapless dress. I'm totally going to look hot!"

"No you aren't," said navya adamently.

"Didi, this is America. We can look hot once in a while. Jija-ji, wouldn't Didi look hot in a little strapless dress?" Payal said. navya blushed. Aman tried to imagine navya wearing a short, little strapless dress but found himself unable to. The thought of his wife in a short dress made him very happy, but the thought of her parading around in that short dress in front hundreds of other men at a nightclub just didn't sit well with him.

"She would." Anant agreed

she blushed even deeper.

"Then it's settled. Strapless dresses for us." Payal announced.

"Payal, make sure you're prepared for the cold." Anant warned.

"A short dress is inappropriate and you'll freeze." said bacta.

Payal pouted. She had always wanted to come to America and become westernized now that her parents weren't here to stop her. She had forgotten that navya was just as bad as them. 1

"But Didi!" Payal complained.

"No arguments. Go to your room. I need to talk to Anant." Navya said sternly. Once Payal had retreated up the stairs, navya smiled. She found great pleasure in taking the matronly role when it came to Payal. She usually wasn't as harsh as she was being at this moment, but she really didn't want Payal to become so engulfed in Western culture that she forgets her Indian values.

"Anant, why did you have to get her all excited? Now she's going to want to wear such inappropriate clothing." navya said, frowning slightly.

"I didn't know she'd want to buy all that. You didn't." Anant defended.

"Payal is different. She's more outgoing than I am, but she's more irresponsible." navya replied.

"Payal is a teenager. Let her have a little fun." Anant said, smiling.

Maybe Anant had a point. Maybe it's best to let Payal be how she wants to be here while she's in America. Once she's back in India, she couldn't even dream of going to nightclubs or wearing short, strapless dresses. navya's heart ached for her sister. She wanted to be independent and free to do whatever she pleases, but they both knew that would never happen. The least navya could do was allow her a little freedom.

"You're right. I should let her have a little fun, but just a little." navya conceded.

"Oh my god! I look hot!" Payal exclaimed as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was clad in a knee length, deep purple, strapless dress complete with matching stiletto heels. The bust was a shiny material, while the rest of the dress was silk. It clung to her body like a second skin. navya frowned at Payal's appearance, but didn't comment on it. 2

"Didi, go show Jija-ji." Payal said to navya.

navya's cheeks flamed. She was wearing an embroidered sari with a sleeveless blouse that stopped quite a few inches above her belly button. The blouse was backless, and showed a lot more skin than navya hoped. She wore it for Payal, who insisted that they both look hot that evening. 5

"Maybe I shouldn't." navya said, turning away so Payal wouldn't see her blush.

"You should! After seeing you dressed like that, he's going to fall in love with you all over again!" Payal exclaimed.

Fall in love with her again? navya smiled. If only she and Anant were in love, then that would be able to happen.

"Aren't you going to come in?" he said. He was fixing his collar in the mirror. bacta looked up and was thankful that where she was standing wasn't reflected in the mirror.

Ababr turned around. His eyes traveled from the bottom of the sari, slowly up the navya's face.

"Wow. You look great. I'm having a hard time believing that you're wearing a sari." Anant commented.

navya blushed. She took a step further into the bedroom.

"Is this alright?" navya asked shyly.

"Yeah, it's great. You look beautiful." Anant complimented.

Navya smiled.

"I mean is it alright that I wear this?" navya tried again.

"Yeah, of course. Why? What's wrong with it?" "Well...it's..." navya said shyly. She didn't know how to tell Anant. Instead, she decided to show him. She turned around, exposing the backless blouse.

Anant gave her his full attention now. His eyes widened slightly, surprised that she was comfortable wearing such an outfit. He swallowed hard. He had to admit. Payal was one hell of a persuader, and navya looked amazing.

"Umm..." he faltered, "I...are you okay wearing that?" he managed to ask.

"Payal wants me to." naya admitted.

"Yeah? And what about you? What do you think?" Anant asked. He slowly began walking closer to navya.

"I...don't know. She wants me to wear this. I don't want to disappoint her." navya replied.

Anant stopped right in front of her. He leaned in and took the drape of navya's sari that hung over her shoulder. His close proximity made navya nervous. She wondered what was on Anant's mind, but she didn't shy away from his advance. Anant took a step closer. He then walked around navya, the drape of her sari still in hand. The long cloth fell over her exposed back. Anant brought the sari around so that it wrapped around navya's other shoulder. Her back and waist were now concealed for the most part.

"Better?" Anant said quietly, practically a whisper. He hadn't moved away from navya, and still stood close.

navya nodded. She took the end of her sari out of Anant's hand and clutched it tight. Her breathing grew uneven as she noticed anant coming closer. There were merely inches between their faces. Anant's nose grazed against navya's cheek. navya couldn't help but blush. She wanted to turn away, but found herself frozen with anticipation. navya gasped when nant's hand found the small of her back. He gently shoved her forward so that there was hardly any space between their bodies. Their lips were only centimeters apart.

Anant wasn't sure what had gotten into him. Something about seeing navya dressed in that backless blouse triggered some sort of desire in him. He suddenly realized the thirst that he'd been feeling ever since he'd gotten married. Right now, at this very moment, he intended to satisfy his perpetually bothersome thirst

Ooohhh cliffhanger! Are they gonna kiss? Hmmm...idk :)

Anyways, sorry there wasn't much progress with the storyline here. I want to speed things along with the progression of Anant and navya's relationship so that the real juicy parts of the story can be introduced. Btw I think I wanna get rid of Payal. She's starting to annoy me haha. Should I? 1

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