The Malhotra Bride (12 page)

all the four walls. These were interspersed with huge bouquets of asters. The furniture was arranged

against the walls while a red carpet was spread in the centre. Guests from the groom’s side sat on one

side and those from the bride’s side on the other.

Sunita and Akshay sat on a twin sofa, watching the ceremony. Tanuja and Raj Malhotra sat at the

front of their group facing Grandpa Ratan, Gokul and Leela Rishi.

The
panditji
arrived along with his assistants and performed a brief
Puja
. He then read the

announcement that had been written in consultation with both the families. It was a contract between

the Malhotras and the Rishis to marry their children – Akshay and Sunita – on September 13. The

guests bore witness to the signing of this contract. While Raj signed on behalf of his son, Grandpa

Ratan signed for his grandchild as he was the eldest.

Sunita was startled to hear a date that was less than a month away. She looked at Akshay for the

first time that evening. He’d been frustrated with her lack of attention, unaware that she was feeling

too awkward in this crowd of so many strangers who had them both under a microscope.

He raised an eyebrow in query. She nodded imperceptibly towards the
panditji
and his

announcement. Akshay shrugged a smile on his face. It was no surprise to him as it had been his father

who had pressed Gokul Rishi for an early date.

Sunita noted the traditional
churidhar kurta
made of off-white raw silk that he was wearing,

looking so handsome. She ran her eyes over the loose, collar-less
kurta
falling down to his knees, the

three gold buttons shining brightly. Akshay wore a red
tikka
on his forehead and sported tiny diamond

studs on his ears. Sunita marvelled how such a good-looking, rich, man-of-the-world was marrying

someone like her.

The
panditji
was finally through with all the formalities and now it was time for the betrothed to

exchange rings. Tanuja came forward with the ring boxes. Akshay removed the cluster of small

diamonds set delicately in gold from the box. He lifted Sunita’s left hand and placed the ring on her

finger. Red colour ran up her cheeks while she refused to look up at him.

She took the other box from Tanuja and opened it to remove a ring with a large diamond. Her hands

shook with a fine tremor as she lifted his to place it on his ring finger. He refused to let go of her

hand. She pleaded with her eyes, only to receive a smug smile in reply. By now, the two of them were

completely unaware of the cheering relatives and friends.

The engagement ceremony was over and people thronged around Akshay and Sunita to convey their

congratulations and best wishes. Sunita stood glued to Akshay’s side, her hand trapped in his.

There were heavy snacks served buffet style and guests invaded the dining area with relish. The

people from the bride’s and groom’s sides mingled together to have a gala time.

It was nine by the time all the visitors left. The last to leave were the Rishis and Lalwanis. They

thanked the Malhotras profusely and started piling into their waiting cars. “Thank you once again for

everything, Raj. I’m glad the function went off so well.” That was Gokul Rishi at his most pleasant.

“Oh, anytime, Gokul. I’m sure the marriage will also happen without a hitch.”

In the flurry of goodbyes, Leela noticed that Sunita had not stepped out. Her hand was still locked in

Akshay’s.

“Come Sunita, let’s go.”

“You all go on, Aunty. I’ll drop Sunita home in a while,” Akshay answered for her.

Her face turning red, Sunita waved to all of them with her left hand.

“Mom, we’re both in my room if you need us,” Akshay called out to Tanuja as he pulled Sunita up

the staircase.

They entered his room. He switched on the light and shut the door.

“At last.” He let go of Sunita’s hand to circle his arm around her waist.

Sunita made a big show of flexing the fingers of her right hand. “Ooh, what a relief!” she sighed

dramatically.

“Oh, you didn’t want to hold my hand.” It was a statement.

“Akshay, be reasonable. You’ve been holding my hand for the last two hours.”

“So what? I’ll hold your hand the whole day if I please.”

“I give up.”

“Not so fast.” He put his other arm around her waist and pulled her fully into his arms. “Do you

realise that it’s three days since you gave me a proper kiss?” he growled against her ear. “You

wouldn’t even look at me today. Why?” Akshay sounded genuinely confused.

Sunita looked up into Akshay’s eyes, surprised. She placed her arms on his shoulders and stood on

tiptoe to kiss him on his lips. It was obvious that he was upset even she didn’t know why.

Akshay’s hands roamed restlessly on the bare skin of her back as he traced his tongue over her lips,

seeking entry. Silence reigned for a while before he came up for breath, burying his face in her neck.

His lips traced the neckline of her blouse, leaving a hot trail as he reached her cleavage. Unable to

take any more, Sunita tugged at his hair.

He raised his head with great reluctance. “Please, Akshay,” she whispered, unable to deny him. He

curbed his passion to pull her head against his shoulder.

“Feeling better?” she asked.

“Hmm.”

“What were you upset about?” she asked him.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Akshay?” She looked up at him imploringly, her hand caressing his cheek. She pressed her lips to

his jaw.

He shrugged. “Why did you ignore me?”

“I did?” she didn’t understand.

“You wouldn’t even look at me from the moment you arrived,” he accused.

“But, Akshay,” Sunita raised a hand to wipe the frown off his forehead. “There were so many

people watching us.”

“You can’t punish me for that,” he was angry as he recalled the evening.

Sunita looked at him in confusion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just didn’t have the

guts to look at you with two hundred guests around us.” She was on the verge of tears when she

thought that she’d probably spoilt the evening for him.

She was so young. He kept forgetting that.

“I’m so sorry,” Sunita touched his cheek.

He shook his head, the smile back on his face. “Let’s forget it.”

“Akshay,” she whispered, “you look amazing in these clothes and the
tikka.
And the earrings suit

you so well.”

She was going overboard with the compliments. Colour ran up his cheeks as he had a tough time

keeping control over his libido.

“And I had a difficult time keeping my hands off you through the evening,” he countered. “You look

sexy in that outfit,” he murmured as he bent down to kiss her again.

The next time they came up for air, Sunita asked, “Don’t you think the marriage date is set too

early?”

“No.”

“So many arrangements to be made,” Sunita was worried.

“Don’t worry your pretty head about it. Everything’s been taken care of. Now come along and have

a look at our room.”

Sunita liked it on sight. It reflected Akshay’s personality. “Feel free to make any changes,

sweetheart. I’ve converted the room next door into a dressing room for you,” he took her in there.

Comparatively small, floor-to-ceiling wardrobes were fitted on one wall of the room. She gasped

as she noticed the opposite wall which was one large sheet of mirror. The third wall had French

windows that opened into the balcony that extended from the bedroom.

Akshay opened the wardrobes to show her the storage. One of the doors was fitted with wooden

sticks that could be removed. “These are for your bangles,” said Akshay as he caressed the ones on

her arm. So thoughtful! Sunita hugged him in delight.

She was fascinated with the jungle of potted plants in the balcony. She had fallen in love with the

suite.

They sat on the garden chairs, talking away till Sunita said reluctantly, “Time to go home, Akshay.”

He couldn’t wait for the day when she would take permanent residence here.

They went down and Akshay removed the Audi from the garage. There wasn’t much traffic as it was

very late.

The car stopped at a signal. A wooden club came hurling at the driver’s window. One minute, there

was absolute peace in Sunita’s world. The next, everything shattered, literally. There was glass,

everywhere. Akshay tried to drive away from the scene when a bullet zipped past his nose and lodged

itself in the car’s upholstery.

Akshay acted quickly and pushed Sunita down as the next bullet caught him in his right arm, just

below the shoulder. He pressed the brakes as he was losing control of the car. There was no more

shooting.

Akshay removed his left hand which had been pushing Sunita down - to touch the right arm that felt

numb.

Sunita raised her head to see Akshay’s hand come away with blood. She bit her lip hard to stop the

scream that rose within her. “Akshay,” he turned around to give her a weak smile. He was losing

blood, fast.

Sunita jumped out of the car and ran to the driver’s side. She rummaged in Akshay’s pocket for his

handkerchief and tied it tightly above his wound to arrest the blood flow or so she hoped. She looked

around desperately for help. She thought she heard the sound of a motorbike. But there was not a

single soul on the godforsaken road. She pushed Akshay across to the passenger side of the car. He

was too feeble to protest.

She got into the driver’s seat and started the ignition. “Dr. Ramprasad,” said Akshay, his voice low

as Sunita strained to hear him. “He has a private nursing home nearby. Take a left at the next signal

and then the first right—” Akshay passed out.

Sunita bit her lips to control her tears and drove the car in the direction he had pointed her in

unaware that she was chanting ‘
Hare Krishna
’. She reached the right turn and now what? She looked

at Akshay. His eyes were closed, his face grey. There was blood everywhere. Sunita looked up and

down the road. Thank God! There was the ‘red cross’ sign indicating the presence of medical care at

the end of the lane. She drove towards it and saw the name ‘Dr. Ramprasad’ on the board containing

half a dozen names of eminent doctors. She slammed on the brakes, opened the car door and ran

inside the compound.

She rushed to the reception, tears pouring down her cheeks, screaming for “Dr. Ramprasad.” A

white-coated figure came out hearing the noise. Sunita recognised his face. He had attended the

ceremony earlier in the evening. She caught hold of his arm and said, “Doctor, emergency - Akshay

Malhotra - in the car. He’s been shot—” she fell to the floor in a dead faint.

Thirteen

Sunita woke up to find herself on a hospital bed. She jumped up when she remembered what

happened. She ran out of the room, into the corridor. She looked around for a minute, confused about

which direction to take. A sob escaped her as she ran towards her right, correctly guessing the

direction in which the reception lay.

She ran headlong into Raj Malhotra’s arms as he walked into the private nursing home with Tanuja

behind him.

“Uncle,” sobbed Sunita, a dam bursting forth as the events of the past hour came tumbling out in a

rush. She cried her heart out to them over the bullet wound Akshay had suffered. She turned around to

ask the nurse in charge of the desk, “Where’s Akshay Malhotra?”

“He’s undergoing an operation. Dr. Ramprasad won’t be long. Please be seated,” she replied

politely.

Tanuja was in a daze. She didn’t open her mouth. Raj led the two women over to the vinyl chairs

and made them sit down before pacing the floor. Tanuja held Sunita around her shoulders. Despite her

pain, she felt sorry for the younger woman. It must have been a shock.

“Uncle, why would anyone want to harm Akshay? They didn’t try to rob us or anything. No one

came near the car actually.” Sunita shuddered, her active imagination at play.

“Calm down, Princess. Let’s leave the police to deal with it.” Sunita’s eyes widened in horror as

she realised the magnitude of the situation!

The doctor came out of the Operation Theatre. He took Raj’s hand in his. “Your son’s one lucky

chap, Raj,” he smiled. “The bullet was lodged in his muscle and hadn’t even touched his bone. The

main issue was loss of blood. I think it’s Sunita,” the doctor smiled at her, “who was smart enough to

tie a handkerchief in the right place. I’ve removed the bullet and patched him up. He’s fast asleep and

nothing to worry. He should be fine in a week or so. You may go in to see him one at a time.” The

doctor cheerfully patted Raj on his shoulder.

“May I see him?” piped up Sunita. Then she saw Tanuja and said, “Sorry, Aunty. Please go in.”

“I won’t be long, darling,” Tanuja reassured her son’s fiancée, seeing the small face pinched with

anxiety. Raj spoke to the doctor for a while before removing his cell phone to call Sunita’s residence.

It was long past midnight.

An extremely angry Gokul picked the phone at the other end and barked, “Is that you, Sunita? Don’t