“Any girl, but you!”
“Oh, Raag! You know, there is something wrong with me…” I look down for a second, embarrassed. Then I look up at him and sigh. “Sometimes I think a part of me doesn’t listen to me. It is as if that part is constantly in search for more. Maybe I should stop listening to it. I am so sorry, for sabotaging our precious moment.”
“Would you please stop apologizing?” Raag asks but doesn’t wait for my answer. “Don’t you dare lose that rebellious part of you. Because I am madly in love with it. It is that part of you that makes you who you are, unique. That part is what keeps you true to yourself, and to others.”
I look at him wistfully and breathe slowly, observing him. “Raag, don’t make me think you are not real! Like a mirage. This whole thing—the night, the rain, the lightning, this place, and you. It looks like one beautifully wild dream.”
The sparkly blue diamond ring lying on the table distracts me yet again. Then, I sense my hands softly lifted up, and soft kisses on my knuckles. I can’t help but look him in the eyes with a shy smile.
“Is this real?” Raag asks, and I blush.
“You should remember that the public display of affection is strictly prohibited in this country.” I flutter my eyebrows. “By law!” I add.
Quickly I check the side table, and it appears that the British troops have dispersed. When did that happen?
I turn my eyes back onto my angel, who keeps his warm grip on my hands, his face too close to my hands that I can feel his warm breath as he says, “You needed a reminder that this night is as real as it can get.”
Oh, he is real. He is mine.
Chintu arrives, distracting us, and begins to pick and stack the dirty plates. Swiftly I take my hands out of Raag’s hold, providing amusement for both Chintu and Raag.
Chintu places a plate of sugar-covered flannel seeds on the table with a receipt. I guess he and the thela chef both figured that the show is over for today.
However, with the amount of entertainment I have provided tonight, they should be the ones paying us. I think.
While Raag takes care of the payment and small talk with Chintu, I use the time to arrange my wayward hair in a low bun. Though Raag is sitting on the chair, and Chintu standing by him, Chintu looks only slightly taller than Raag. Chintu, for sure, looks way too young and way too petite for his age.
While talking with Raag, Chintu momentarily looks at me as if he is holding back some insightful thoughts. I wonder what they are. I guess he is not going to tell me anything after I frightened him with my impressive performance, first interrupting Raag’s romantic proposal and snatching that Vick’s phone from his hands. Awfully embarrassing!
“Sir, can I tell you something?” Chintu asks Raag.
“Sure, go ahead,” Raag replies.
“You should have asked madam, before proposing. That’s the trend these days.”
“Oh, really?” Raag narrows his eyes at me with an amusing smile on his face as if he is asking that question to me and not to Chintu. I smile in response.
Chintu answers, regardless, “Yes, sir!”
Raag now looks at Chintu and explains, “But it won’t be a surprise.”
“What, sir?” Chintu taps his own forehead. “This way, you got surprised!” He laughs a careless boyish laugh, shaking his head in disapproval as if he has cracked a big joke. I roll my eyes at his departing figure, trying to hide my embarrassment.
Turning toward Raag—looking at his serene smiley face and encouraged by a strange inner urge—I mumble, “You know, I’m scared of this part of me!”
“The one with the bun?” Raag asks, raising his eyebrows, and I let out a carefree laugh. I love this man. He doesn’t miss any chance to make me laugh.
“No!” I softly scold. “The one wanting completely opposite of what is beautifully laid out for me!”
“There is nothing wrong in that.”
“See, right there. You are pampering me. You shouldn’t agree with everything I have to say; rather, you should be firm. Why would you not insist me to marry you? Insist on going with you?” I ask but do not wait for his reply. Instead, I murmur hastily, “You don’t have to be this understanding.”
Raag chuckles in response, then asks, “Is that the norm too?”
I can’t help but laugh again. “Are you always going to give me what I want?” I ask in a serious tone, searching for answers in his eyes. If only I could read the lines on his face.
“I’m not giving you anything.” Raag shrugs. “This is your life, you own it. You deserve to live it the way you want. Simple,” he says, and I wonder if he is really the man I found through the process of an arranged marriage or a faraway prince made just right for me. No wonder our stars match.
“Yes, but my life is not just mine now. You are a part of my life. This is our life. I don’t want you to compromise your feelings for mine,” I explain.
“I am not compromising my feelings. I want you to be happy. If you are happy, I am happy.” Raag says this as if he is explaining the simple fact of mathematics to a child—one plus one is two. “Now stop bugging your brain, and tell me: What do you have in mind?”
“Meaning…?” I ask.
“Future plans, Ms. Bhatt!”
“I think I am too young to settle as a wife,” I say, and my words feel like a confession.
“Finally, you agree with me? I am not the one discriminating by age here.”
“Come on!” I say, tapping my forehead. “The other type of visa?”
“Wow, the great infection of H1B virus?” He smirks.
“It got to me!” I say halfheartedly.
Part of me is dying to be with this man. If we get married this month, I could be with him forever. The thought of being with him is tantalizing. It tugs at my heart, and I sigh. You talked him out of it. Now focus.
“All right, if that’s what you want.” He shrugs. “Sure, we have to find a company that is willing to hire you and sponsor your H1B visa.”
“That is way too oversimplifying it.” Just as I say this, I get to hear his chuckles mixed with some classic Bollywood songs.
The street is slowly getting less and less crowded as the night dissolves under the low drizzle. I pause to enjoy this moment with Raag in this timeless spot.
“So…?” he presses.
“Um…yes, there is more,” I say, and Raag looks keen on listening to what I have to say. “I…um…my company where I did the internship, they offered me a full-time position.” My voice lacks the kind of excitement expected when I disclose this news.
“That’s great. Why isn’t there a smile on this lovely face like a full moon?” Raag exclaims. “This calls for a party!” He throws his hands in the air delightedly.
My subconscious is rolling on the floor with that compliment—comparing my face with a moon, while I am still worried. “My parents won’t agree.” I let out a cold sigh.
“Why?”
“It is in Mumbai.”
“Mumbai!”
I shrug. “Yes, I don’t know how I am going to convince my parents for any of this!” I sigh. “First of all, I don’t know if they will accept my decision not to get married. Forget about working in Mumbai! My father won’t even consider the fact that I have a say in this matter as, according to him, I am young and naive. And my mother will have a full-fledged stroke. I am already the talk of the town, and this would just torch the fire.” I explain everything very quickly.