The Malhotra Bride (11 page)

while her eyes and lips were made up lightly. Her hair fell down in shimmering waves as excitement

added sparkle to her eyes. Slipping on maroon sandals with high heels, Sunita went to Grandpa’s

room, looking anxiously at the clock. She knocked on his door and heard him say, “Come in.”

“Hello,
Dadaji
.”

“Hello, my dear. Looks like Akshay’s taking up all your time.”

Looking at her blushing face, Grandpa let out a happy sigh. “You remind me so much of you
Dadi
.

You look exactly like she did when she first fell in love with me.”

“But,
Dadaji
, I’m not in love,” protested Sunita.

“Says who?” he challenged.

“I do.”

“Then you’ve not understood the meaning of love, my dear child. Anyway, time will tell,” he

continued on seeing her panic. “Come, sit down and tell me where you went yesterday.”

Sunita sat beside her beloved Grandpa and told him about meeting Tanuja and Raj and having

dinner with them. He was glad to see his beloved granddaughter so happy.

She got up to leave when it was time. “Bye,
Dadaji
,” she kissed him on his cheek before running

out eagerly to the waiting car. Kamat opened the back door for her reverently.

She smiled and thanked him sweetly as she got in. Her cell rang and she picked up to find Akshay

on the line.

“Hi,” her throat almost dried up in excitement.

“Hi, sweetheart, has Kamat come to pick you yet?”

“Yeah, we’re leaving just now. I took your advice and went to sleep.”

“Lucky lady,” he grunted. “Well, see you then, bye.”

“Bye.”

She looked forward to the evening. The morning had been a turning point in her relationship with

Akshay. She felt much closer to him now.

She arrived at the plush office building of Malhotra Garments, went to the reception and gave her

name. It worked like magic as she was whisked by a private lift to the tenth floor that housed the

offices of the Managing Director and Chairman.

Her grey-green eyes shone in anticipation as Akshay’s assistant greeted her. She was in her late

forties, with a motherly figure and benign smile. “Welcome to Malhotra Garments, Ms. Rishi. I’m

pleased to make your acquaintance. I’m Sara Thomas, Akshay’s PA,” she said, shaking Sunita’s hand

heartily.

Sunita gave Sara a wide smile and said, “Thank you. And please call me Sunita.”

“Sure, my dear. Please go on,” she pointed to the door on her right, “Akshay’s expecting you.”

Sunita pushed the door open and walked in with a lilt to her step. Akshay was sitting behind a large

desk that dominated the huge office. His swivel chair was turned the other way as he faced the

windows, talking on the phone. He didn’t hear Sunita enter.

She walked to him, her footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. The minute he put the phone down, she

went behind his chair and playfully covered his eyes with her hands.

“Guess who?” she asked in a loud whisper.

“My Sweetheart?” asked Akshay as he dragged her in front of him. She lost her balance and fell on

his lap in an undignified heap. She squealed only to have it stopped by Akshay’s kiss.

He kissed her thirstily as if his life depended on it. She held on to his broad shoulders, revelling in

his embrace.

He lifted his head and gazed at her with satisfaction. She was a sight for sore eyes. She felt too shy

to look him in the eye and buried her face in his throat. His coat and tie were off while his shirt was

open at the collar. The top of his hair-roughened chest tickled her face. She sighed in pleasure,

snuggling close.

“Sunita.”

She raised her head at that and was shocked to see his haggard face and the dark circles around his

eyes, highlighted by the evening light streaming from the floor-length windows. She jumped down

from his lap.

“Akshay, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing that a cup of coffee and wash can’t cure.” He turned his head away.

“Look at me.” Sunita put her hand under his chin and pulled his face towards her own. “All those

late nights and full days have finally caught up with you,” she declared.

“Don’t fuss. I’ve survived on lesser hours of sleep.”

“What’s the plan today?”

Akshay got confused by the sudden change of subject. But then, his wits had obviously deserted him.

“We’re off to Mom’s boutique for shopping and then dinner at The Taj Mahal Palace. I’ve a table

booked for nine o’ clock at The Zodiac Grill.”

“Okay.” Sunita lifted the phone and spoke to Sara on the intercom. “Sara, will you connect me to

Mrs. Tanuja Malhotra, please?”

“Sure, Ms. Sunita, please hold the line.”

“Hello, Tanuja here.”

“Hello, Aunty. It’s Sunita.”

“Darling, tell me. I thought you and Akshay will be on your way here.”

Akshay sat there in a daze wondering what Sunita was up to.

“Aunty, we won’t be coming today. Please don’t wait for us.”

“But why, my dear?”

“I hope you don’t mind my saying that your stubborn son’s been burning the candle at both ends.

And he refuses to see reason. I’m sure you’ll agree that we all need at least six to seven hours of

sleep.”

“Of course, dear,” said Tanuja, realising what Sunita was getting at.

“I’ll pack Akshay home immediately, Aunty. We’ll come to the boutique tomorrow.”

“You do that, dear and bye,” chuckled Tanuja, feeling quite sorry that she wouldn’t be around to

witness her son being ‘packed’ off home.

Sunita lifted the phone again. “Sara, please cancel the dinner booking at The Zodiac Grill for

tonight.”

“Sure, ma’am.”

“I suppose the parcel has no say in the matter,” Akshay spoke from the chair, his temper flaring.

Sunita turned around, “What?”

“How dare you cancel our plans without consulting me?” he asked in a hushed voice.

She knew that tone now and quietly waited for him to continue.

“My dear Sunita,” his voice was heavily sarcastic, “Do you maybe think I’m as old as Grandpa

Ratan? I told you I’ll be okay and you still cancelled everything. You’re crazy, Woman. Call Mom

immediately—”

“No way.” Her chin was set in a determined fashion.

Akshay was amazed. “But, sweetheart—”

“Don’t ‘sweetheart’ me and listen for once.” Akshay’s jaw dropped. No one spoke to him like that,

never. “We aren’t going shopping, period. I’d rather you went home and slept. Tell me if you’ve a

better idea.”

“I’d like to put my head on your lap and go to sleep on that sofa there,” Akshay pointed to the huge,

comfortable sofa at one end of the room that was reserved for informal conferences. He thought that

he would shock his shy fiancée into falling in with his original plans. But she was like a tigress out to

protect her mate, albeit from himself.

Sunita nodded her head vigorously. “That’s perfect. Let me massage your head and shoulders first to

help you relax.” She didn’t wait for his answer as she removed her bag,
dupatta
and bangles and set

them in a pile on one corner of the table. He watched in growing astonishment as she pulled her

flowing hair into a low knot.

“Sweetheart, listen to me—”

“Shh!” She went behind him and used her hands and fingers to massage his scalp, nape and

shoulders.

Her fingers worked magic as she tugged his hair gently applying even pressure on his scalp. Akshay

groaned in relief. She moved to the front and continued her ministrations. He buried his face in her

soft breasts. Sunita held his head close to her body and realised at that moment how much she loved

him.
Dadaji
was right. She had grown to love Akshay. It was a relief to finally acknowledge it.

She waited for him to get comfortable as he turned his head this way and that, before she rubbed his

nape and shoulders, relieving them of tension. His breathing turned even as he went into a semi-sleep

state. After fifteen more minutes of kneading and pulling, Sunita touched his shoulder, “Akshay.”

With no response from him, she shook his arm, “Akshay.”

She felt quite sorry when he opened his blood-shot eyes. But he would be in pain if he continued to

sleep on the chair.

“Come and lie down on the sofa.” She led him over and made him lie down with his head on her

lap.

“Just what the doctor ordered,” Akshay gave a weak smile, buried his face on her lap and promptly

fell deeply asleep.

Sunita looked down at her sleeping boyfriend, a gentle smile on her lips. She ran her hand through

the silken strands of his jet black hair and smoothed back the lock that fell forward on his forehead.

There was a knock at the door. It opened and Sara put her head in. Sunita placed a finger on her lips

as she beckoned the older woman closer.

“Switch off the phones, lock up and go home, Sara. Just inform the watchman so that he doesn’t lock

up,” she instructed.

Sara smiled her approval and nodded her head at the young lady. She left the office with a

whispered good night.

Akshay did not stir an inch. He was bone tired. It was more than a week since he had slept well and

last night had been a nightmare.

He opened his eyes and looked around, completely disoriented. He turned on his back and opened

his eyes wide to see better in the darkness. He saw Sunita’s smiling face and everything came back to

him.

Sunita switched the light on the side table. Akshay rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. It was a

few minutes past eight. He had been out for almost three hours.

He got up abruptly and looked at Sunita. “I’m sorry.” He felt stupid.

“Hey, don’t be. You needed the rest. If you hadn’t slept after that massage I gave you, I’d have been

sorry,” she smiled.

“Ah, the massage,” Akshay smiled in remembered delight. “It was awesome.” He touched Sunita’s

cheek. “Didn’t you get bored, sitting in the dark all by yourself?”

“Says who? I’d my boyfriend with me.”

“Yeah, fast asleep, some company.” His voice was irritated.

“You’re too hard on yourself. Don’t you feel better? Or do you generally wake up like a bear with a

sore head?” she laughed.

Akshay looked at her affectionately. “You are a sweet young thing. I wonder what I ever did to

deserve you.”

Both thrilled and embarrassed by such open praise, Sunita shooed him, “Go have a wash. I’ll make

some coffee.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he saluted smartly and got off the sofa.

He suddenly swooped down and pressed a kiss near her earlobe. “Thank you, sweetheart.” Sunita

dimpled at him. “I’ll be ready in a jiffy,” so saying Akshay stepped into the bathroom next door.

He had a bath and dressing room fitted adjacent to his office when he took over as Managing

Director.

Akshay was ready soon after a shave, shower and change of clothes. Sunita couldn’t take her eyes

off him as she walked into his arms.

She pressed her lips to his in a swift kiss before saying, “The coffee’s ready. Help yourself. I won’t

be a minute,” as she went into the bathroom.

Akshay realised he’d fallen for Sunita some more that evening.

Twelve

The days leading up to Sunday went away in a flurry of shopping. While she looked forward to

getting engaged to Akshay, a small niggling doubt lingered in Sunita’s mind. She was fast losing her

freedom.

The engagement ceremony was to take place at Malhotra Park. When Sunita got out of the car, it

was as if a Goddess had descended from the heavens as all the eyes of the hundred-odd crowd turned

in her direction. Feeling shy, she hung her head low.

She was dressed in a traditional
ghagra choli.
The skirt in pale lavender silk billowed down to her

ankles with a rustling petticoat. Her blouse
of the same material fitted over her breasts, enhancing

their shape, leaving a few inches of her midriff bare. Both the skirt and the blouse were embroidered

with gold thread and pearls. The
dupatta
hanging from her left shoulder was the same shade of mauve

and was made of gossamer thin chiffon, edged with fine off-white lace to match the embroidery.

She wore dangling pearl earrings set in gold and a matching necklace. Gold bangles jingled on her

forearms, interspersed with mauve-coloured glass bangles. Gold anklets graced her slim ankles.

Her face was artfully made up. There was a
tikli
of pearl and gold on her clear forehead, pearly

white eye shadow on her eyelids and black eyeliner under her eyes. Mauve lipstick completed her

make-up as her blushing cheeks required no high-light. Her hair was caught in a thick braid and

decorated with jasmine.

Akshay and his parents came out to welcome Sunita and her family into their home. Luckily, no one

spoke about her earlier visit.

Tanuja carried a round silver tray bearing flowers and a lighted silver lamp. The tray was circled in

front of Sunita three times in a clockwise direction and Tanuja placed a
tikka
of rice and vermilion

paste on Sunita’s forehead. This was to ward off the evil eye and greet the bride-to-be into her future

home for the first time.

The spacious hall was decorated flamboyantly. Fresh marigolds were strung together and hung on