Chapter 18

ARJUN SMITH

I was sitting here at the dining table after scolding her for no reason in her room. That was her room
and I'd already offered her that. But she didn't defend herself for that. I was nervous when I saw the
couch was empty and I was searching for her, in the whole room and then I saw her when she ran into
the room like somebody was following her and locked the door and started jumping in fear, I thought.
When I took some steps forward and realized that wasn't a jump of fear and a dance of fear. She was
so excited about something that I can't quite guess, yet.

Then suddenly I felt her dhupata on my face and I was irritated at that moment. I tried to talk calm but
my voice came in stern anyway. I told her that my parents were coming in two days and be ready for
the media meet. When I tried to open the door I heard her voice come from behind me and I stopped in
my place as listen's her. She told me that she placed my coffee on my table. I just nodded and went
back to my room.

When I sat on my couch in my room with coffee in my hand that's when I imagined that what if she
came to my room and she felt nervous and shy and she placed the cup on the table and ran back to
her room and she expressed her excitement in her room and I caught her off guard. That's what'd have
happened I imagined. And also I realized that I was over imagining kinds of stuff lately. "This is not
good" I muttered to myself.

I was waiting for food to serve and expecting Alice but I was surprised by the image I saw who was
standing in front of me. It wasn't Alice but Anushiya. Apart from surprised I was shocked if I'm being
honest with myself. She placed the plate in front of me.

"I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to go outside and buy a banana leaf to serve. And also I don't know
where to buy it. So please adjust. I'm sure next time when I serve Indian food I'll serve it on banana
leaves." She told me and made a sorry face. Her eyes were focused on the table the task she was



doing. She didn't bother to look at my face. I wondered how many days she can live without seeing my
face. Did she even see my face before saying no to me? Suddenly my mind crossed full of questions.
So I'm going to eat Indian food today.

I saw the notification on my phone the on table in front of me. I took it in my hand, unlocked it with my
fingerprint, and started scrolling the messages column and that was Charles. He said that he was on
his way.

She put some of the Indian dishes on the plate and waiting for me to taste them. I put my phone aside
and scrutinized the plate.

"What is this?" I asked her pointing out the white color cake in a round-shaped.

When she was about to give a definition a voice interrupted her. "I'm home my dear sweet and new
sister."

Charles.

"Morning, Mr._"

"Just Charles,"

"Come and have breakfast." She invited him.

He took in the full view of the table in front of him, a couple of hot boxes dozens of bowls with different
colors of sausages, and swallowed a lump in his throat as he took a seat beside me. "Treat, huh?" he
grinned at me, his charming grin.

Once he sat on him, she started to answer my questions.



She looked at my hand what I was still pointing. "That's idli like a rice cake and you can have it with
sambar or any other chutney you prefer," she said gesturing all the different chutney in front of me.
There were different colors like green, white, orange. "That's masala dosa, you've to eat with the
masala that's inside the dosa or you can have it with sambar or chutney," she said as looking at the
white round paper like food it looks crispy, so that's called dosa and if there's any masala inside the
dosa it's masala dosa.

She paused as if she was checking me whether I was listening or not.

"Then what's this, Donut?" I Charles asked pointing the donut-shaped thing.

She giggled as her hand closing her mouth so that I can't see her cute smile and her diamond teeth.
What was happening to me, God!?

"What so funny?" He asked now totally annoyed.

Silence fills the air and she stopped laughing and came back to sense.

"Yes, it may look like a donut but it isn't a donut. It was one of the South Indian's foods. And It's also
spicy, be careful you can find green chili in there." She assured me.

"Ohh," said Charles.

"Had you ever eat any Indian foods before?" she asked me curiously.

"No." I just said, keeping this all a small conversation.

"O-Okay" she looks confused now. "Aunty never served you any Indian foods?

"Aunty?" I was confused about who she was talking about. Then I realized that she was talking about
mom. I laughed a throaty one. She stared at me with wide eyes as if she just saw me when I was



laughing. "Ur-hum" I cleared my throat to speak. "Don't mention her as aunty if she heard anyone
calling her aunty she can't sleep well at night. Just call her Devi"

"How can I call someone elder than me with their names, my amma and appa didn't teach me like that.
They always told me to respect elders even if they were one day elder than me." She said all that in a
single breath. It may be followed in India but this is America.

"Whatever, you wish. Then don't say I didn't warn you." I said, calmly. "And hey, she was born and
raised in America so she was growing up like a normal American and she doesn't know anything about
cooking or Indian traditional things. Except for this arranged marriage," The last sentence was a
whisper.

The day was as usual like I was busy with business meetings and conferences. It's been a week since
the news about me got viral on every social media and news. But till now the heat of it the news didn't
get old. I was married but I have to wait for mom and dad to arrive from India to get this wedding
official. So they also told me to do some arrangements about reception a grand one. So I've to work
with that too, to check the quality of the things for guests who were all going to give us a visit.

I didn't have any time thinking about that I was married and I've lived outside that four walls office, not
that like I'm in love with her. She wasn't safe in that huge house alone because I've lots of enemies
here and there who were spying on my family and my every move. In India that was different, nobody
knows me but here even newborn babies know me.


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