Home is where the heart is
Chapter 1 - below
Chapter 2 - page 4
http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4782143&TPN=4
Chapter 3 - page 6
http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4782143&TPN=6
Chapter 4 - page 11 (Epilogue)
http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4782143&TPN=11
Chapter 1
"Mmm, who is that hunk?" Aarti asked her cousin Paridhi.
"That is Prateeks older brother and Pankaj's boss, Di-di."
"Ooh, yummy. Introduce me." Aarti was totally unconventional and she normally did whatever she pleased. He parents were permanently upset with her about something or another. And now that they have had decided to move back to India after 18 years, even more so. She seemed to do everything wrong. And she had to tread carefully as not to offend her sisters in laws. In fact they were at her engagement party now and as usual her attire was frowned upon. She refused to wear a traditional outfit.
"Di-di, he is different. He is very serious. He doesn't indulge in flirtations. Their parents have been wanting him to get married for ages but he is just not interested." Said Pari.
Aarti rolled her eyes.
"No surprises there. Now come, introduce us." She walked ahead and Pari walked behind her nervously. She was a bit afraid of Yash. He hardly ever smiled and hardly spoke unless he had had to or it was about business.
Aarti came stopped in front of Prateek and Yash."
"Aartiji, how are you." said Prateek and hugged him.
"Fine and you handsome?"
"Great, let me introduce me to my bhayia. Yash, Aarti, Aarti, Yash."
"Enchante, Mr. Scindiya." she held out her hand to him.
He looked at her curiously.
"Hello" he said and looked away irking Aarti.
"So, Mr. Scindiya what do you do for a living?" She pursued.
"I work for the family business."
"Could you be more specific?"
"I could."
"Wow, talking to you is worse than pulling teeth."
"Bhayia is not a great conversationalist, Aartiji. Unless of course it is about the business."
"But he looks so interesting. Very intriguing."
He looked at her.
"And you are very outspoken."
"That sounds like an accusation."
"It's an observation."
"In that case, it is very accurate."
"I know."
"So have you also observed that this is a party?"
He looked at her again, annoyed.
"And your point?"
"Will you be a wall flower or are you going to dance? Can you dance?"
"I can, I haven't decided if I will."
"Wow, typical."
"Typical what."
"Typical Indian male."
Aarti said and turned around and walked away.
Yash looked at her as she was walking off. She was wearing a very short dress, with high heeled sandals. She was absolutely stunning. He had noticed her immediately when he entered the room, but she was not his type at all. Not that he was interested in women much of late. He was too busy for that. His father was grooming him to take over the business and he wanted to make a success of it. His parents kept shoving women in his face expecting him to settle down but he was only 27, so for him there was no urgency.
But this one...? He disliked girls like her. It was clear that she was not raised here. He knew the bride and her family has just recently moved back from England after the wedding was fixed. They were Prateeks girlfriend's family, not that he was really allowed to date, but there was little their parents could do about it. Prateek was the less conventional of the two of them. There were talks of marriage but he knew it was expected of him to get married first. That was really the only thing that would let him get married. His favourite person in the whole world, his chote.
He watched her for a long time. Dancing and interacting with people. He caught her looking his way quite a few times. Finally she came over to him again.
"Fine, I will grovel"
"What?'
"Dance with me, please."
"I don't think so. Besides, you don't seem to lack any number of partners."
"But I want to dance with you."
"Why?"
"I just want to. You intrigue me as I said before."
"I don't want to."
"Ok, let me incentivise. If you dance with me, I will stop pestering you. If not, oh well..."
"You always get your way don't you?"
"Mostly, yes. And so do you, am I right."
He nodded.
"So we have reached a stale mate."
"Why do you speak English so much?"
"It's my language of choice."
"I see. But you are in India now. And you are fluent in Hindi."
"Yes, mom and dad only speak Hindi at home. But I normally reply in English. I only speak Hindi when I chat to my grandparents and when I am in India. But I haven't been here since I was about 13."
"Your parents didn't come home."
"No, they came. My whole family came quite regularly but I normally stayed home or with friends till they came here."
"Why didn't you come?"
"I don't know. Too many restrictions, too hot, too many Indians."
"Really. You don't consider yourself Indian then?"
"I suppose I am in appearance, but that's pretty much where it ends."
"You are very fair, so I suppose it is easy for you to blend in with the Europeans. So do they accept you as their own?"
"More so than here. Here I get frowned on a lot and judged. Just like you are doing now."
"So you can be the only one that I judgemental."
"I don't judge anyone."
"And that condescending statement that you just made?"
"It was not meant to be. You asked me why I didn't come to India and I told you. It was a statement not a judgement."
"Keep telling yourself that."
"So I take it you are not dancing with me. I suppose you only dance with sari clad, bhindi wearing traditional girls, whose only desire is to be the ideal wife and bahu. Who looks at you and looks away shyly. Modern girls like me are a threat to you. Pity, we could have had fun. You missed out." She turned around again and walked away.
Suddenly she felt a hand on her back guiding her to the dancefloor. She knew of course it was him and she let him. The song was fast paced and he was a really good dancer. They were such a stunning pair that people stopped and stared at them. Then the music changed and he pulled her to him and held her tightly to the slow song. She stared at each other for a long time, both confused with the strong pull that they felt toward each other. And knowing that they totally did not match.
The wedding proceedings had started. Yash went for only one reason. To exorcise this constant distraction that was running riot in his head. He hadn't seen her since the engagement party. But he could not stop thinking about her or the brief moments that she was in his arms. It was so frustrating because he did not care for her kind. But now he felt compelled to see her one more time. He knew with her way of thinking she would probably not be in the country long. Not the way she felt about India and its people.
He didn't attend all the pre-wedding rituals, but the one day that he went, was the sangeet ceremony. It just so happened that he got there when she was performing a dance with Paridhi and some of their other cousins. He could barely tear his gaze away. She looked stunning in the orange and yellow sari she was wearing. She could deny her heritage as much as she wanted but she certainly had the rhythm. She danced on that song like a professional performer. She was the best one there. But then again, he didn't notice anyone else. At some point she noticed him. She smiled and bit her bottom lip. It seemed that every move she made after seeing him was only for him.
Aarti loved to dance. Her parents had tried to instil their culture and heritage in them, so they had to perform rituals and even had to do traditional dance classes. She excelled at it and won various competitions. But by the time she was 13 she had decided that she was no longer in India and she would not live like she was anymore. She cut her hair and started wearing only western clothes and speaking English. There was a huge Indian community, but they didn't live in it and rarely associated with them. They lived in an affluent part of London. Her friends were all the same, they were rich and fun loving as was Aarti. She was quite sought after because of her exotic looks and she dated extensively, but mostly in a crowd. And no one has ever made her feel like he has done.
The Sangeet ceremony was her favourite Indian custom. Whenever she attended a wedding she was always asked to dance. These days, it was the only time she wore traditional attire. When she saw him from where she was dancing, she was thrilled. Excitement coursed through her body at the sight of him. The way he was looking at her was quite intoxicating. She could see he was looking at her only. And she was dancing only for him. Her movements were only for him and they both knew it.
After the dance she went outside to for a breath of fresh air. He followed.
"You were great." he came to stand next to her.
"You sound surprised."
"I just didn't think you could do that kind of dancing. Too Indian and all."
"Some things you never forget."
"I hope so. You look lovely in that sari by the way."
"Lovely, mmm. That was the look I was going for."
"Ok, you look hot, sexy, absolutely scintillating."
"You look rather dashing yourself. This sherwani really becomes you"
"Thank you." He turned to her.
"Have dinner with me tomorrow."
"I can't."
"I see." he said and was about to leave.
"Yash, wait. I can't go out till after he wedding. My sister asked me to behave at least with her wedding. So I am trying. But after the wedding I am free."
He smiled.
"Fine, be good. Will you have dinner with me the night after the wedding then."
"No."
"What now."
"We will go for coffee directly after the wedding."
He laughed.
"I accept your terms. Miss Dubey."
"Good" she said "I will be counting the minutes."
He smiled.
"I think I have to go. Before you get into trouble with your sister." he looked at her with a suggestive smile and walked away.
She laughed. He touched her hand softly and walked away.
Two days later, they were at the wedding. It was truly beautiful. Her older sister, Vidhi was a stunning bride. It was an arranged marriage but she looked truly happy. Aarti did not understand this, but she was happy for her di-di. She was a beautiful person inside and out. Unlike Aarti she had always embraced their traditions. She was already 12 when they moved to England and she never really liked it. She came back for visits as often as she could. Despite this, she was the one that always stood up for her and tried to convince their parents to let her live the life she wanted. She was very sad, that she was leaving the home. She cried and hugged her tightly when she left with her husband.
She was standing aside as the bridal couple left when she heard him say.
"I take it you are not up for that coffee now?"
She dried her tears.
"No, I need some cheering up. Let me go home and change and then I will meet you."
"No, you look beautiful. Will you manage to go from here?"
"Give me a few minutes." she said and went to her parents.
"I told mom and dad that you are taking me to where Pari and Prateek are having coffee and will be home later."
They left and he took her to a little restaurant on the Mumbai beachfront.
She was actually hungry, she didn't eat at the wedding. There was too much going on and then she had this date on her mind as well. Luckily the kitchen was still open and they ended up having dinner and coffee.
"So now that your sister is married, what are your plans?"
"I am considering a few options. But I haven't decided."
"Are you staying in India?"
"I wasn't planning to but now ..."
"Now what?'
"Now I've met you. I'd like to see where this goes."
"You are considering changing your plans for someone you just met. That's not wise."
"I know. But the fact of the matter is that I have never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. Even after only singular meetings. I can't not explore that."
He stared at her. Taken aback by her honesty. This kind of talk made him very nervous as he had no plans to settle down in the near future.
"Aarti, don't make plans around me. I am not into long term relationships."
She was hurt by his statement.
"What are you doing here then?"
"Well I thought you are a modern girl ..." he let her make her own deduction.
"I see."
They sat quietly for a while.
"I think we misunderstood each other. Please take me home."
He paid and took her home.
The drive was silent, and when he stopped she greeted and got out of the car. He looked at her as she was walking away from him and he couldn't just let that happen.
He got out of the car too and walked after her. She was already at the door when he called her name. She stopped.
"What?'
"I don't know what it is, but I can't have you walk out of my life like this."
He grabbed her and kissed her. The kiss was everything that she could have imagined and more.
"When can I see you again?" he asked.
"Tomorrow." she said breathlessly.
"I will call you. Don't leave India just yet."
"I won't. Not just yet."
They started seeing each other secretly. No one wanted the complication of the family's involvement while they were trying to figure out what it was that they were feeling. Yash was surprised that he was seeing so much of this girl and they only had a platonic relationship.
A month into the "relationship" they met at a house that he owned that they met sometimes. This time she extended the invitation there.
He came straight after work. It had been days since he had seen her. It wasn't always easy for them to meet. Besides the fact that it was getting increasingly difficult for him to be alone with her.
As he stepped inside the house, the fragrance of food greeted him.
"Aarti" he called.
"I am in the dining room" she called back.
He made his way there. What greeted him left him speechless.
"Namaste, Yashji." She said, putting her hands together.
"What is this, Aarti."
"I cooked for you."
"And the clothes."
"You don't like it."
"It's just ... It's unusual for you."
"Well, get used to it."
"Huh?" he was confused.
"This is the new me."
"What, you going to wear saris all the time now."
"Sari's, Anarkali and Salwar suits. No more western dress."
"Why?"
"Because I have discovered something."
"What?"
"That I love you. And I want to be the type of woman that you approve of and consider as good marriage material."
He was shocked. She truly carried her heart on her sleeve. And this scared him. He could not make sense of his feelings for her and he certainly did not want to get married.
"Aarti, you know how I feel about marriage."
"I know but I have changed, you might change too."
"That is not a guarantee. And I don't think it is wise of you to do this. To change yourself for me. To become the type of woman that you despised not too long ago. I would never ask this of you."
"I did not despise them. I know you would never ask this of me, but I want to do this Yash."
"Aarti ..."
She rushed over to him.
"Shhh, just sit down and eat. Bet you didn't know I could cook." she tried to make light of the situation. Masking the pain of his words. He had never given her any indication that they will have a long term relationship but she had hoped ..." But she was prepared to wait and work for his love."
She served his food with a bright smile. But he could sense her disappointment. But he allowed her to go ahead and serve and then she stood next to him.
"Sit down and eat please, you are making me nervous."
"You are such a scaredy cat. Don't worry, Yashji, I won't make any demands on you. But I will prove to you that I can do this. Now how is the food?" She changed the subject again.
"Good. Delicious actually. And yes, I didn't think you could cook."
"One thing I could never get used to in England was the bland food. And my nani and mom allowed me to mess around in the kitchen with them, I guess hoping for this day." She smiled.
He just looked at her, but didn't smile back.
They ate and after she served him desert. She sat and fed it to him. The she leaned over and kissed him. He pulled her over onto his lap and he continued to kiss her. His fingers roamed around her exposes tummy area giving her shivers down her spine. She kissed his neck and she undid his tie and started to unbutton his shirt.
He broke the kiss and said breathlessly.
"This is not how a good Indian girl behaves."
"Allow me a vice or two, please baby. I mean Yashji." she smiled,
He was careful however never to let it get too far with her.
A couple of days later she was in the kitchen at home cooking.
"Who is this and what have you done with my baby sister."
Aarti turned around and smiled.
"Di-di, please." she laughed.
"So, who is he?'
She turned back.
"Who is who Di-di?"
"The guy that is turning my wild child into a little miss India."
"No one. There is no guy di-di."
"Look at me, Aaru. You can't hide anything from your di-di. Now spill."
"Ok, but don't freak out, ok."
"Oh, I don't like the sound of this."
"It's ... its Yash Scindiya."
"What!" she shouted.
"Shh, di-di. Please we don't want people to know." Aarti was anxious now.
"You have feelings for my husband's boss."
"He is amazing di-di."
"Sweety, I have no problem with him as a person, but as a life partner? He has always made it clear that he is not in the market for marriage. The women he sees, well, let's just say that they are not the type that he would want to bring home to his parents anyway. Does, he know how you feel about him?"
"Yes, we have been seeing each other for a while now."
"And how does he feel about you?"
"I ... I am sure that he cares for me."
"Aarti, did you sleep with him?!"
"No, di-di."
"Aarti!"
"I promise di-di." He sister didn't need to know that it was him that applied the brakes all the time.
"And he asked you to do this? Aarti, it is not wise. It will never work. This is not the real you. How can he ask such a thing of you?"
"He didn't. It was entirely my decision. His re-action was much the same as yours when I told him."
"Oh, Aarti ..." Vidhi was exasperated.
"Di-di, you are the one person that has always supported me. Please, di-di I need your support now more than ever. Please." she was begging with tears in her eyes."
Vidhi's heart softened.
"Ok, Sweet pea. I will try. But I won't stand by and watch you get your heart broken."
"I know you are only looking out for me, di-di, but I really want this. I have never felt this way about anyone."
Vidhi, sighed and nodded.
"Thank you, my darling di." They hugged.
They were having dinner at their house about 2 months later. Pari and Prateek were joining and she had convinced Yash to come along with them. And of course Vidhi and Pankaj. Her parents were very impressed that Pankaj's boss were coming to their house. If the Dubey's were wealthy, the Scindiya's were so much more so.
They were sitting at the table as Vidhi and Aarti served dinner. Vidhi was seething. Which was not her usual self. But she was fiercely protective of her baby sister. And Pankaj had told her about Yash's escapades with the ladies. And if he thought he was going to do it with her sister, he had another think coming. She was openly antagonistic towards him and she practically threw whatever she served him on his plate. Her husband was in state about her hostile behaviour towards his boss.
Later the evening, when the elders had retired the youngsters decided to have coffee on the patio.
"I will make it." said Aarti.
"I will help" said Yash.
"No. I will." said Vidhi.
"Di, please relax. Jiju, wants your company too. You didn't come back home to work."
"I don't mind."
"Di, please."
She looked at Yash angrily and then at Aarti and turned around to sit next to Pankaj.
"So your sister knows." he said immediately when they got to the kitchen,
"Yes."
"Aarti, we agreed that no one would know about this." he was not happy about this.
"I know, but she knew, there was someone and I couldn't lie to her. She is my di-di. I asked her not to tell anyone."
"Now she hates me. Dammit Aarti. Pankaj is an employee. If this gets out, then there will be consequences."
"What Yash? Marriage? Would that really be so bad?"
"You don't understand Aarti. You are not from here. You think your family is traditional? You haven't seen anything yet. My family will eat you alive. They were not impressed with your attire and behaviour at the wedding and engagement."
"So I am not good enough for them."
"That's not what I am saying. Look Aarti, I have a lot on my plate at the moment. Bauji is giving me more and more responsibility all the time. I cannot be distracted. And revealing our relation, not to mention entertaining marriage talks with you will cause a storm at the moment."
She was totally heartbroken.
"I understand." She said turning away and starting to make the coffee. She could hardly see through her tears.
He felt bad. He knew he should not have gotten involved with her. It was too complicated. But it was own selfishness. He did not want her out of his life for any length of time. And he had to work through all of this. He felt like in deer caught in headlights.
He went to her and hugged her from behind.
"I know you don't really understand. And really you are good enough. You are the best. I should let you go, I want to let you go but I can't. I'm sorry to put you through this. I will understand if you don't want to see me anymore" he said in her ear.
"I don't have a choice in this Yash. I love you. I want to be with you. But how long should I wait? Should I wait at all? Please tell me if there is no hope."
"I wish I knew the answer to your questions. But I don't."
She wiped her tears.
"They are waiting on the coffee."
She started making the coffee and he stood watching. She put everything on a tray and he picked it up to carry it out.
"Yash" she said before he left the kitchen
"Yes"
"I need some time too. I'm going home." she walked past him to the patio.
They didn't speak after that. He just finished his coffee and left.
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