Chapter 8 : conversation

Ruhaani looked around amazed. Frankly, she hadn't seen such a big house before, other than on a screen. The exteriors had bowled her over. To have a lavish lawn between the main gate and the actual building in one of the most premium areas in Delhi screamed luxury. The Sehgals had a rectangular lawn around the main structure and two gates. The spacious interiors multiplied her amazement. 

There were three rooms on the lower floor. Shelly Bua took one of the rooms on the lower floor, one was the guest room, and the third room was shared by Dai Jaan and her son. There were four bedrooms on the first floor. The siblings took one each, the twins sharing one. Other than that they had a multipurpose room with glass walls.

Aadarsh led her into that room after briefly telling her about the rooms. He closed the glass door as they stepped in. There was a long desk on one side with two office chairs. The room was spacious. It had a few closets. On the other end of the room was a treadmill with a few dumbells placed on a rack beside it.

"This is like a multi purpose room. Sometimes Nirvan and Mukti use it when their tutor visits. Sometimes Ashvi captures it for days together when she has projects to work on. On days, when we are lazy to go to the gym this serves as a makeshift gym."

Ruhaani nodded looking at the tainted French windows that were opened into a balcony. 

"That's the front facing balcony. It faces the main gate." He spoke as he saw her gaze drift to the windows.

"This house is huge." She voiced her thoughts.

"We designed it to be spacious."

"You built it?" She asked, glancing at him over her shoulder

"Yes, it was one of my early projects." Aadarsh answered. He followed her gaze to the ceilings. He had particularly participated in the choosing of the interiors as well. Maybe that would be too much information to share.

"What about the second floor?" She had noticed the stairs that led up but was surprised to see nothing but a wooden wall. The elevator also had the '2nd'floor button. 

"It's actually an open hall. Whenever there's a house party we have it there. We did have access from inside the house but then for security and privacy reasons we've blocked the entrances. One can only go to that floor from the steps and the lift outside." Aadarsh answered.

Ruhaani nodded. Perhaps it was the twins. They were still young. She couldn't imagine leaving Pari on her own in such a big house. She was used to knowing exactly where her daughter was and what she was doing.

"Third floor?" She asked curiously.

"That's the terrace." He answered precisely.

She nodded.

"You wanted to talk about something," he prompted when she began observing  the room. It seemed like they had run out of small talk.

"Hmm," she said looking around, wondering if she should move to the bean bags or take the chair. He noticed her gaze and quickly pulled the two office chairs to the center. 

She took the cue and sat on one chair. While he settled on the other.

"About Wednesday, I really appreciate that you called me to fill me on the happenings."

He nodded, watching her keenly.

"Umm, " she didn't know how to bring it up. "Actually I didn't know they were visiting you and your family."

He was staring at her face. Her eyes looked at him. She blinked, fidgeting with her fingers, then lowered her gaze. Aadarsh watched as her gaze darted to the floor then to her hands and then back at his face.

He understood she expected him to say something. "I uh, thought so. I just didn't want any misunderstandings because you didn't give me a definitive answer and they said yes. So I.. I thought... I mean I just wanted to let you know."

"I appreciate that. I wonder why you didn't tell me that they suggested that you consider my cou..."

He didn't wait for her to complete and jumped right in to defend himself. "I didn't know if I should. I mean it came as a shocker to us too. I thought your uncle and aunty wanted to meet to discuss about us. But rest assured, we didn't entertain the idea. I know it gets a bit weird; Arti is like your sister. "

"Yeah," Ruhaani sighed. She was super pumped up with anger about him hiding about it a while ago but right now, she didn't feel the same anger. If anything she understood how uncomfortable it must have been for him . "I just came to know about it on the way here." She added.

"Oh," Aadarsh was getting impatient. He hated when people went in circles or took the spiral route instead of the straight one to convey something. Like right now. He couldn't figure what exactly was Ruhaani trying to put across. Was it an elaborated way to say thank you? Or was she upset about the suggestion of Arti's hand in marriage. He just couldn't understand what was she arriving at.

Ruhaani took a deep breath. Maybe she was just overthinking the whole thing. But thoughts didn't leave her. What did he think? About her, about her uncle and aunt, what did he think of them? 

The fact that constantly bothered her was that he was a rich powerful man, and she was nothing in front of that. With her uncle's unnecessary meddling they'd already be considered people filled with greed and low self-respect. She wondered if it made sense to go ahead with the alliance. There were folks in his family who didn't give her a good vibe, like his Shelly Bua— who had been eyeing her with utmost disappointment since she stepped into their house and then there was his brother. 

At times she wondered if there was some deeper agenda. Why would a man as established as him pursue her? He could get any woman he wanted. Why her? It almost felt like a trap because it was too good to be true.

"What does your family think about me?" She asked breaking out of her thoughts.

Aadarsh blinked as confusion took over. Wasn't she at the topic of Wednesday?  "Uh, what?"

"I mean, you must know, right? I understand that I have just met them. But you must know right, their first impressions or what they think? If I marry you, then I become a part of their life too. They must have some thoughts on that."

"Right. Uh, so, I don't think anyone dislikes you. They'll probably get along with time."

Ruhaani stared at him for a few seconds short of a minute. This man didn't seem to understand the gravity of a marriage or was simply being ignorant to it.

She was an avid reader. Especially of romance and crime fictions. She had read many books, many characters, and knew by second hand knowledge that usually people who were very logical, looked at feelings also as something logical. Maybe Aadarsh was one of those. Very logical minded people were likely less emotionally available, it definitely gave him a negative point. Any sane person would want an emotionally available person in order to build a relationship. 

She wasn't insane. No. Perhaps she believed Aadarsh had an emotionally available side. A person who could deal with kids in the right manner had to have an emotional side. She was not entirely sure if her assumptions were right.

"Ruhaani?" He called her name when she didn't say anything for a long stretch.

Ruhaani slightly shook her head. She looked into his eyes, counting all the good things. Pari would have a father, a family. They both would have all the comforts of life. She wouldn't have to do multiple jobs in order to make ends meet, to pay a part of the expenses of the household to her uncle. She would get more time with her daughter. She wouldn't have to hear her uncle's taunts. She could literally live freely.

She had done this before. She had gone out on a limb and trusted a complete stranger before. Her time with Harsh was quite little but they did make their fair share of good memories. If not as two people who loved each other, but as two people who were befriending each other. 

"What if we don't work out?" She asked softly. That was her deepest fear.

Aadarsh was caught unprepared. He didn't see that coming. He had been ignoring this what if  for too long. Nothing in life was wholly predictable and definite, especially not relationships.

"We'll try our best to make it work." He still chose to ignore the what-if.

"What if we don't?"

Aadarsh didn't have an answer. He was always a realistic person. He'd always see both sides of the weighing scale. He'd generally take into account all the negative scenarios and have a plan B ready , for that matter even plan C. But here he didn't. 

"You tell me. I think I don't see us failing. We're both logical people who are realists. I still think we will make a really good team." He said, not letting the chaos inside him slip on to his face.

Ruhaani shifted back slightly. He made a fair point. She had learned to make the best out of the worst situations. She knew how to deal with people who didn't like her. She had been treated like an outcast at many points in her life. What could possibly stop her from making a relationship work?

"Tell me,"

"You make a fair point. We'll make it work." She said and stopped at that, she didn't want to jinx by saying— or we will get a divorce. 

"Okay," he said relaxing his posture.

"Do you do promises?" She asked as she kept her gaze evenly on him.

He shook his head. "I don't." He said, dropping his gaze from her face. He noticed her feet. She had a black paint on her toe nails. He willed himself to be attentive to random facts. It was something he did when he didn't want to think about something. This time it was promises. He noticed her sandals had a one inch heel.

"Because promises always break?" She asked.

He looked up at her. There was no emotion in his eyes. She passed him a smile that seemed to hide a secret pain. She shifted her chair closer and her hand reached out to his. He gazed at her surprised as she took his right hand in between both her palms. It wasn't that he wasn't used to a woman's touch. But something about the way she held his hand suddenly made him nervous.

"I am going to give this relationship my best shot. I just want you to be a good father to Pari. Someone she looks up to. Someone who cares for her just as much as I do." She said softly.

Aadarsh felt his heart stir at that. The one thing he admired about the woman before his eyes was her love for her daughter. There was nothing I the world that could match a mother's pure love for her child. Ruhaani had that for her daughter. A lump of emotions formed in his throat. He could be a good father, a very good one. Even if it wasn't for his own blood. "I will." He said swallowing the lump in his throat. 

Ruhaani didn't need any more assurance. She saw conviction and promise in his eyes, even if he didn't say as much. She passed him a grateful smile and began loosening her grip on his hand.

He held her hands, her wrists to be specific, in both his hands surprising her. As a consequences of the sudden act the chair she was seated on wheeled closer to his. She looked at him and then his hands, flustered. 

"And I want you to give all the attention and care you give to your own daughter to my siblings. I want you to be the mother figure in their lives. Someone they look up to when they need their mother."

Her eyes intently looked into his dark ones. His hold was unintentionally quite firm on her hands. She could feel the warmth in his breath and hear it quite clearly. He was honest. That's something she really liked about him. He didn't wear a layer to cover himself up. He was what he was. There seemed to be no drape to hide him or a part of him.

She thought over his words. She already liked his younger siblings. She could relate to them. Growing up without parents was hard. She felt happy that they had someone to care for them in the absence of their parents. "I will." She said looking right back into his eyes. Making a promise to herself to honor her word.

Words ceased. They looked into each other's eyes trying to search for assurance. Their faces were aligned, their bodies leaning slightly forward, her wrists still in his grip. 

She was the first to flutter her eyelashes. She had never felt the way she felt in that moment with a man's unsolicited touch and nearness. She absolutely disliked when people invaded her personal space. But somehow here she was confused about how she felt. 

Was she attracted to him?

She gazed at his face. Up close, his face wasn't as handsome as it appeared from a distance. One could make out the tiny little bumps, the tiny facial hair, the pores of the skin. Yet, she found herself staring at it. 

She gulped and tried to pull herself away, attempting at withdrawing her hands from his hold. But it backfired and her chair only moved closer to his, taking her still more closer to him. She momentarily squeezed her eyes and opened them to look at him. His scent hit her nostrils. It wasn't the usual strong cologne smell. It was something else, something pleasing. Something she couldn't quite put a finger on.

"My hands," she had no clue why it came out like a whisper.

Aadarsh blinked coming out of his trance immediately releasing his grip on her hands. Pulling his hands back, he rolled his chair away from hers. He had no clue what had happened in those few moments. It freaked him out. He looked up at her and she passed a polite smile before turning her head to look around the room. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

He quickly composed himself. Why had he been staring at her eyes? Why had he been holding her hands? 

"Do you want to talk about anything else?" He asked. The room was suddenly very uncomfortable with the silence.

"Yes, your Bua wanted to have a Roka, I believe."  She spoke up after taking a few seconds to think.

"Yes, that's apparently the tradition. On the day of the Roka they decide the dates for the marriage and stuff."

"Right." She nodded. 

"I am going to tell them to keep it as simple as possible...everything from Roka to the marriage ceremony... I hope that's not a problem."

"Not at all. In fact,  I was going to say the same thing. Marriage functions are exhausting."

"Shall we head downstairs then? I believe the dinner is waiting." He spoke up. 

She nodded getting up. That sounded way too formal. Did he always talk like that? She pushed the chair back towards the desk. Noticing her, he did the same with his chair that he had simply pushed behind a bit.

"So, Aadi is your nickname?" She asked to kill the silence that was falling between them again.

"No. Who told you that?" He asked frowning. He didn't really like people calling him that. Something Shelly Bua never understood. It was only his mother who could call him that. 

Ruhaani looked at him perplexed. "She said, I mean Pari said you asked her to call him that."

"Oh, that... she couldn't say my name correctly. She was missing the 'D' sound, so it was coming out as Aarsh."

"Oh," Ruhaani felt embarrassed. "Don't worry, I will teach her how to say it rightly. She has made this habit of mispronouncing on purpose as she has now realized that the other person makes her say it right and she continues to giggle and not say it correctly getting a kick out of the other person's desperation." She smiled.

"She won't have to call me by my name, right?" He said nonchalantly.

"Yes, but she has to know how to say your name correctly." Ruhaani said as he extended his arm to block the open lift doors waiting for her to get in first and then stepped in. 

"The sensors need to be replaced." He explained his act, noticing her observe his action. He stood beside her as the lift doors closed. He blinked as the soft fabric of her dupatta caressed his hand. 

"Your nickname is Ruhi?" He asked. He had heard her uncle used that once or twice.

"Yeah, but people usually call me by my official name." She answered. Her grandmother used to call her Ruhi. Presently not many people called her that except her uncle when he was in public to show off how much he loved her. 

They stood beside each other not exchanging a word. Ruhaani bit on her lower lip wondering how her life after marriage would be. The problem was no matter how hard she tried she couldn't imagine. She didn't know if it was a good thing or otherwise.

As soon as the lift doors parted, they stepped out to come face to face with a woman. She smiled warmly at Ruhaani, acknowledging her presence with a brief nod. 

"Oh this is Dai Jaan," Aadarsh introduced as the lift doors closed behind him.

"Namaste," Ruhaani greeted folding her hands, bowing forward in respect.

Dai Jaan immediately held her folded hands. "No dear," she said politely.

"Chote Saab, I was just coming to call you for dinner."

"I have heard quite a lot about you from Mukti, DJ." Ruhaani smiled at the woman. However her smile faded as she saw the other two stare at her after exchanging a look between themselves.

"Uh, did I say something wrong?" Ruhaani looked between the two, puzzled. Something wasn't right.

"Call her Dai Jaan, she prefers it to DJ." Aadarsh spoke up.

"Oh, okay. I am sorry, Mukti told me everyone calls you DJ."

The older woman smiled at her brightly, "all four of them do. You can call me DJ too."

Aadarsh turned to Dai Jaan surprised. Practically every morning at the breakfast table, at least once or twice she'd complain about the nickname DJ. It was no secret that she didn't like it. Yet here she was asking Ruhaani to call her DJ.

"The dinner is ready and they are all waiting." Dai Jaan said with a smile.

Ruhaani nodded and walked ahead.

"Call me DJ? Seriously?" Aadarsh whispered turning to Sarla.

"Yeah so?" The woman shrugged. "She said it so sweetly. Couldn't disappoint her in the first meeting. Besides I don't think your sweet siblings are ever going to stop with their— DJ please don't make PJ." Dai Jaan rolled her eyes.

Aadarsh sighed, shaking his head. Dai Jaan could be a real mood sometimes. "What should I focus on for the main course?"

"Methi Mattar. Don't touch the ladies fingers your Badi Bua made it and she was arguing with Shelly Jiji while at it. I won't be surprised if it's as hot as her temper was. Gobi manchurian is your lovely Shelly bua's art so it's a no go with no doubt. Biryani was made by the househelp and is a safe choice too."

"Thanks!" 

"So how was the talk? Is it a yes?" Dai jaan asked as they walked towards the dining table. Her eyes followed Ruhaani as the latter spoke to the kids. She could already picture how Ruhaani would complete the family. There was warmth and humility in her. 

"Yes!" He said quietly.

"Yes!" Dai Jaan exclaimed excitedly, her voice a few decibels higher than usual. They were almost near the table, so that ensured that everyone heard it. Aadarsh turned to her shocked to witness her excitement.

"What's the yes for DJ?" Abhi asked raising his brows as he pulled one chair.

Dai Jaan quietly turned to Aadarsh wearing a sheepishly apologetic smile. Ruhaani and Ashvi had turned to them as well just like his aunts.

Aadarsh's eyes met Ruhaani's, "It's a yes, for the marriage from my side." He spoke looking squarely at her.

Everyone was suddenly quiet and listening carefully, turning their gaze to Ruhaani.

"And it's a yes from me too." Ruhaani said looking at everyone with a smile and then rested her gaze back onto those dark eyes that were still watching her. She blinked and shifted her gaze. 

It was the consent to start a new beginning, a new chapter. It was a yes to the unknown adventure that lay ahead of them. It was a definitive yes!

• — • — •

Hope you liked the chapter. Looking forward to reading your comments and thoughts.

—Anami!♡