Page 40 of The Unwanted Husband
She paused expecting Aravinda to say something but she fell silent.
“And Ashok and I have known each other the past few years,” Isha corrected, and added the color that she felt was needed. “The short time we spent during Sami and Ravi’s wedding, we realized we had a connection.” She paused to gauge Aravinda’s expression and added with confidence, “the long distance ended what we tried to nurture and after what happened, we found each other again.”
Aravinda didn’t say anything and Isha decided not to back down on anything Ashok’s sister would say. The coffee maker gurgled loudly in the silence that followed. Isha could feel Aravinda’s eyes boring into her back as she reached for two mugs, trying to keep her movements casual.
A strange silence had fallen but Isha maintained a calm demeanor as she walked to Aravinda before handing her the mug of coffee, before taking the chair across from her at the small dining table.
“Tell me about you,” Isha was not going to back down and decided to interview the woman who showed up unannounced.
Aravinda accepted the coffee mug with another of those sharp smiles. “Ashoka didn’t tell you anything about us?”
The woman was smart and Isha smiled in response. “Ashok always has a sense of disappointment when he talks about family and I want to hear about the family without that.”
Aravinda’s eyes flashed but she didn’t say anything. “Ashoka always took Sami’s side.”
Isha swore she saw a small smile on Aravinda’s face but she was back to interrogating her. “So, tell me about the proposal. I’m dying to hear how Ashoka popped the question. I never thought he’d get married.”
Isha’s mind went completely blank. She wasn’t sure what to say. Was the woman going to assess the validity of the marriage based on the proposal style? She bought some time by taking a sip of coffee and that burned her tongue.
Isha chuckled. “You know your brother too well.” She decided to stick to the truth. “I was the one who proposed that we get married. We both knew what we had and that the only way to move ahead with our lives was to recognize our love and become a family.”
“That’s lovely. Tell me more.” Aravinda leaned forward, her eyes bright with what looked like genuine curiosity but felt more like a trap. “Where were you both? What did you say? How did you convince him to get married?”
“Well—” Isha started to say and stopped as she heard the back door opening. Relief flooded through her as Ashok appeared in the doorway, his hair damp from the exercise. But she noted that he could not have finished his workout.
Did he know his sister was at the house and he came back?
“Aravinda?” His voice was rough and something that might have been a bit of annoyance. “What are you doing here?”
“Surprising my brother, obviously,” Aravinda said sweetly, standing to embrace him. “I was just getting to know Isha. She was about to tell me all about her proposal.”
Over Aravinda’s shoulder, Ashok’s eyes met Isha’s. She saw the mix of confusion and a bit of panic that she was feeling, reflected at her.
“It’s good to see you, Aara.” Ashok said carefully, his arm sliding around Isha’s waist as she stood. The gesture looked casual, but she could feel the tension in his muscles. “I hope you haven’t been interrogating my wife too much.”
Isha just laughed and looked at him. In that moment, she saw something in his eyes and she smiled, leaning in to brush her lips against his.
“Was she mean to you?” His tone was playful.
“What?” Aravinda laughed, but there was no humor. “I was just trying to understand how my brother managed to fall in love and get married without any of us knowing about it. It’s all very mysterious.”
“Not mysterious,” Ashok said, pulling Isha closer. “Just private. And given I hadn’t heard from anyone for years, and the circumstances we were in, we needed each other. It was just us.”
Isha was surprised to hear him say those words. Like they connected on another level.
“Yes, indeed.” Aravinda’s smile weakened. “Which is why I found it so odd that you’d do something this impulsive. Marriage has never been on your mind, right?”
“True,” Ashok smiled and added, “It was all her. She was the one who proposed.”
Shut the front door! How was he saying the same things? Well it’s the truth.
The silence that followed was deafening. Isha could feel her heart hammering against her ribs, certain that Aravinda could hear it too.
“I heard.”
He turned to look at Isha, and for a moment, she believed the warmth in his eyes was real and it meant something for her. “You told her already?”
“Yes, all the details,” she whispered, wondering if Aravinda could hear the lie in her voice as clearly as she could.
