Page 24 of The Unwanted Husband
“Now spill the beans. What did you do?” Chandini was impatient.
Instead of going around in circles like she did when she tried to confess with Aman, she kept it to the point. “I kissed Ashok.”
“Ashok? Ravi’s brother-in-law?” Chandini asked and added, “You made out with someone finally.”
“Stop it, Chandini.” Even as she barked at her cousin, she could not deny that there was something raw in that moment that she had never felt before.
“Are you worried about what Aman would say? Did you call him?” Chandini didn’t really understand the dynamic they had. Aman and she had not been a couple for years but they maintained that façade so Aman’s family and hers didn’t pressure them.
Isha didn’t feel any physical attraction toward him; it was just genuine affection. What she had felt for Ashok in that fierce moment was intense.
“I did but I was so shaken, I didn’t really tell him exactly what happened. Not that it mattered because I didn’t make out with him.”
Chandini paused for a moment. “Tell me what happened.”
Isha didn’t realize how she had to love through the whole situation while sharing the details with Chandini. She wrapped the whole episode by saying, “It meant nothing but a boat load of embarrassment for me.”
Her cousin was awfully silent. “Maybe he is the change.”
Isha clenched her teeth and silently looked up at the ceiling in frustration. Chandini was back to the same theory of angel numbers.
“Right.” She was annoyed.
“From what I remember of him at Ravi’s wedding he is hot too. Maybe dump Aman and date that guy.”
“Chandini, I love you, thank you for taking my call, I’m going to sleep peacefully now.” Before Chandini could say anything, else Isha had ended the call.
She rolled her eyes, playing back in her head what Chandini said before getting under the sheets.
*****
Distant noises brought her back from her suspended state. The sounds were distracting at first but as she tried to go back to sleep, the next set of noises were familiar. Her eyes shot open when she realized who was the source of her wake-up call.
“Vaish, where are you?”
Isha froze when she heard Ashok’s voice and the next moment, she felt tiny fingers grab onto her hand. The little girl was climbing up to her bed and that very sight made Isha ease a bit. She gave the young one a slight pull and she was on the bed and was laughing like she climbed a mountain.
The joy on the baby’s face made Isha feel at ease suddenly. “What’s so funny?” she whispered gently, poking one of the chubby arms.
“You think you can hide from me?” Ashok did not sound amused.
Isha’s back stiffened and all good feelings left her body when she heard him approach her room. Thankfully, he stopped at the door.
“Vaish, let’s go. You need to eat lunch.”
Lunch? Had she been sleeping that long?
Her eyes fell on the clock and there it was 11:11am and her stomach dropped. Remembering what Chandini said, she quickly made a wish. For Ashok to not demand an explanation for her irrational behavior or worse misunderstand her intentions.
As if in response to her uncle’s words, Vaish moved closer to Isha like she wanted to be with her.
“Vaish?” his voice was firmer.
The girl did not budge and he stood there silently, his eyes on the baby.
Isha finally gathered some courage and said, “I’ll bring her downstairs in a few minutes.”
He hesitated just for a moment. “Okay.”
