PV SS - Reluctant Relation (Epilogue - part 12 ) - Page 2

Part 3

You have a damn nerve. Do you realise how this could have gone down if I had disclosed what you were up to last night. Running around at clubs and accompanying strange men to their hotel rooms. You should be glad that I didn't call off this wedding. I felt sorry for your family and didn't want to embarrass them by disclosing that they have floozy for a daughter. I didn't want this marriage in the first place and now I have to live with a loose woman for the rest of my life. Heaven know how many men you have been with. Given your behaviour last night, too many I'm sure. How dare you make disparaging remarks about me when you have no sense of decency?" he was shouting at her, but not loud enough that the rest of the household could hear.

"So what do you want. Did you expect me to fall at your feet in gratitude? Well you will wait a hell of a long time for that. Was I the only one that went clubbing last night? You were there too. You kissed me. You invited me to you room. You ... you... ." She could even utter the rest of what had happened. "We are both equally guilty so why should I be grateful to you. I was the one that came to my senses. I was the one that left. And don't you dare call me a floozy. You have known me for one day. One day and you think you can label me. Do you think I wanted this marriage? I was forced into this marriage as much as you were." She shouted back.

"So are you saying that you would have been ok with me telling everybody about what happened last night and calling off the wedding? Ruining your reputation. Probably never getting a proposal again?"

"My reputation as you call it is not important to me. As for getting a proposal again, who cares? This was not my plan. I don't want to be somebody's wife, somebody's mother, somebody's daughter-in-law. I had planned to have a career. So if you think you can ruin my life, you are too late."

"Is that right. So you don't care about your reputation. People in this community even in the world are far more unforgiving of loose women than men. I can tell our whole story and guess what? I will come off as every guy's hero for getting you in my hotel room the first night. But you will be painted as easy. But you don't care right?"

He grabbed her arm violently and dragged her towards the door.

"What are doing?" She asked as he dragged her.

"We are going to tell my family what happened last night." He continued dragging her.

"No, please no." she begged, "Stop"

He stopped.

"Not so brave now I see."

She looked down and felt defeated.

"This has nothing to with bravery. I still don't care about my reputation. I just don't want my father to be hurt. That is all. What you have said is all true, but it doesn't make it right."

He let go of her arm and went to the bathroom.

He didn't know what he had expected when he got to the room but not that. Maybe he did expect her to grovel at his feet in gratitude. He did not expect the spitfire that awaited him. She was right, society treated women unfairly. He couldn't argue with that but the fact remains that she was still the type of woman that would go to a man's room alone the first time they met. But he is not going to let that bother him. As long as she does not expect him to be a husband to her. He was going back to London in a few days and would continue living his life as he had before the marriage. She could live here with his family seeing as they chose her. He better make it clear to her that she is not to get up all kinds of escapades that will cause shame to his family. When he came out of the bathroom she went in. He took a blanket and pillow and settled on the couch for the night.

The next morning Aarti did the rituals as expected and served breakfast to the family. She was dressed in a saree with her head covered. This was unusual for her as her parents were not traditionalists. She respected the Scindiya's. But this was not what she wanted for her life.

"Bauji, I will be going back to London in a week. I think that is better for Aartiji to say here at first."

She was so schocked that she dropped the jug of juice that she was holding and it broke on the floor. Everyone stared at her. She ran to their room."

Here we go again. This woman turned everything into a big drama. Now that she was gone is whole family looked at him. They didn't say anything but it was clear that it was expected of him to go after her. He did what was expected.

When he entered the room she was pacing like a caged tiger.

"What the hell is wrong with you now?"

"You are crazy if you think that I am going to stay in this house with a bunch of strangers doing household chores, being covered from head to toe while you go gallivanting in London. I won't stay here."

"You are crazy if you think that you are taking you with me."

"I want to work or continue to study"

"You are not going to work. And why do you need to study if you are never going to work? Why do you want to work anyway, there is no shortage of money"

"There was no shortage of money in my family either and I was still allowed to study and work part time for the company."

"I beg to differ. Remember the reason why we got married?"

She felt like kneeing this insensitive so and so in his groin. How dare he bring it up? She was now livid. She made a silent decision not to take anything from him ever. She is not his charity case.

"Fine, then I will go home. I haven't unpacked yet. I can take my bags and go right now."

"You are not doing that."

"Well Mr. Scindiya, the choice is yours. I am moving back home or you take me with you to London and give me a job."

"Now I am convinced you are insane. You're not going with me and I am not giving you a job. The daughters-in-law of this family do not have jobs outside the home."

"I am not insane. If I stay here I will die. Don't make me stay here." Then she started to cry. "Please don't make me stay here. Please. I want to work. I want to make something of myself."

This girl went from a screaming banshee to sobbing like a little girl. He could deal with her angry screaming persona but her crying like a little girl was too much for him.

"Ok, ok. You can come to London with me but I am not giving you a job. Just stop crying."

Her head shot up and she smiled through her tears.

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it." She looked happy.

"When are we leaving?"

"In 7 days."

"Then can I ask you another favour."

Favour he thought, favour. He was emotionally blackmailed.

"What?"

"Can I spend some time at home before we leave? I will ask Ma and Bauji as well."

"That's fine. I will speak to them and he left the room.

When he came back to the dining room he announced. "Aartiji will be accompanying me to London. Ma Bauji, I said that it would be fine for her to spend some time with her family before we leave."

He could see his family was shocked at his announcements. His brother's eyes and smiles mocking him. Yash Scindiya never changes his mind once he makes a decision. How it that he has changed his mind twice in as many days for this girl, his wife. He was confused and exasperated.

The next day he took her home and explained to her family and explained what their plans were and left. He was looking forward to be free of her for a few days. He could spend it with his family, drama free and catch up with friends.

It was on the last day of his freedom as he now came to think of it that he and his long term friend Ishita went for dinner at a popular restaurant. Tomorrow Aarti would be home and they flew to the UK the day after. Ishita as usual looked beautiful. Many people had assumed that they would get married one day, but they were just friends. As they entered restaurant, Ishita walking in front of him and his hand on her back, he saw his wife with what looked like 3 of her friends. She looked stunning, she was dressed in flowing cream dress in Grecian style with gold trim. The dress was just above the knee and she sat with her beautiful long legs crossed and to the side so it was clearly visible. She was wearing flat gold sandals. Her hair was in a messy bun to the side of her neck. She looked exquisite.

She noticed him too and felt a pang of jealousy as she saw him being so intimate with this beautiful woman. He looked so handsome. He wore a pair of jeans that fit him just perfectly, a white shite and a black jacket. She saw them head towards her table and she felt anxious.

He came to greet them. "Good evening, Aartiji. This is Ishita, my friend. Ishita, this Aarti my wife."

"So lovely to meet you. I missed your wedding as I was out of town at the time. We must do lunch sometime."

"Aarti just nodded. She had no intention of doing lunch with her.

Yash already met her friends at the wedding but she re-introduced them as it was obviously a wildly busy day.

"Yashji, you remember Sunita, Mansi and Neelam."

"Nice to meet you again. Enjoy your dinner"

Yash was aware of Aarti the whole time. He was also aware of the appreciative looks that she was getting from various men in the room. He didn't like that, he didn't like that at all. Finally he had enough when he saw the waiter bring over a bottle of wine to her indicating that it was sent over by a man seated a few tables away. He excused himself saying that he has something urgent to discuss with Aarti and went to her table.

"Sorry ladies, can I borrow my wife for a while?"

He friends were totally charmed by him and this irritated Aarti. She got up to follow her outside. She was surprised when he took her hand and entwined her fingers with his possessively. She felt the tingling start from her fingers and reached every inch of her body.

He took her a secluded spot on the balcony and started berating her.

"Is this reason why you have a problem with the way the women in my family dress? You are parading half naked."

"I am not half naked. Most women here are wearing shorter more revealing dresses, including your good friend Ishita. I didn't know we were allowed to date."

"It is not a date. We are only friends. Every man in this place is ogling you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh please, don't tell me you haven't noticed. And this man sending you wine. Why didn't your return it."

"Are you jealous?"

"This has nothing to do with jealousy. You're my wife, act like it."

"And what does that mean. I have never been a wife before so how should I know how to act like one. Why don't you act like my husband and not go on dates."

"Oh you want me to act like your husband. I can do that."

He pulled her to him and started to kiss her. She desperately tried to push him away bit soon her struggles were abandoned as his lips devoured hers. The hands that were pushing, slid up his hard chest and found themselves around his neck as she demanded more of him. Her hands moved up and rubbed her fingers through his hair. His hands moved down and cupped her buttocks. His lips moved down to her neck and shoulders, back to her lips, his hands slid further down, pulling up her dress and his hand were about to reach under her dress when he heard footsteps. He moved to make sure she was out of sight of whoever was coming. She collected herself and she made sure that she looked decent. He didn't know why he did it but he reach out pushed a piece of stray hair from her face. They looked each other in eye for a long time. The longing that was reflected there did not go unnoticed by either of them. They walked back into the restaurant in silence and it was clear to everyone that looked at them what had happened. Her hair was messier than before and her swollen lips were now devoid of lipstick. When they reached her table, Yash took the bottle of wine and took it back to the man that had sent it and said.

"My wife does not need gifts from strangers." And walked away.

Both of them were very uneasy the rest of the time and both of them couldn't wait to be by themselves to analyse what had happened this evening.