Chapter 12: Meet the Mittals part1

As Kabir's car pulled into the steep winding driveway that led to Kabir's father's house, Pooja's annoyance completely vanished, being replaced fluttering nerves in her stomach. It didn't do anything to ease it, as she got her first glimpse of the grand imposing red bricked house which represented a modern mansion

"God! I only see places like this on television shows, or in those magazines about the rich and famous people," Pooja exclaimed in awe as Kabir brought the car to a halt at the end of the driveway in front of the house

"Don't let the surroundings intimidate you," Kabir, replied as he glanced round at her, seeing her expression.

"That's easy for you to say," she dragged her eyes from the house in front of her to look at him, "I mean you were brought up in these kind of surroundings and you are used to them, I'm not. You seen the area where I live, it's on the outskirts of a grotty council estate: that's the kind of surroundings I am used to"

"Well, 'Cinderella,' now you are going to have to get used to this," Kabir motioned with a casual wave of his hand towards the house.

"I don't think I can," Pooja confessed with a worried frown. She reluctantly undid her seatbelt, and turned to him again, "Really Kabir, I don't think I can do this!"

"Of course you can," Kabir replied, at first he decided to dismiss her anxiety, but then noticed the open panic in her hazel eyes as she stared out the windscreen at the house; she seemed frozen in fear.

He reached out with his hand, now grasping her chin with his thumb and forefinger, then with gentle firmness, he forced her to look round into his brown eyes, "It is going to be alright, don't worry... just let me do most of the talking You don't have to do or say much, just smile and look pretty; ok?" He told her in a slow deliberate manner as if he was talking to a small child

Pooja swallowed hard, and managed a small nod

"Good girl, now all you have to remember is that we are madly in love," he then reminded her

"Right; we are madly in love," Pooja echoed as if to commit it to her memory, so she could concentrate on it.

She was so occupied trying to keep it on the forefront of her mind, that it took her completely off guard when she felt Kabir's mouth clamp over hers in a rather demanding kiss, that left her lips warm and tingling when he finally released her..

She just stared at him dazedly

"I decided we should put in some practice, thought it might help" Kabir told her straight faced, but she could see a devilish twinkle in his brown eyes

"I see," Pooja replied her voice sounding fainter than usual, but she discovered it seemed to have worked, because it had distracted her temporarily from her nerves as they got out of the car.

Pooja wasn't overly surprised to find door was opened by an elderly housekeeper, a plump woman, with permed grey hair, who beamed warmly at Kabir as soon as her grey blue eyes caught sight of him, and whom Kabir referred to as Ellie.

Those same grey blue eyes turned on Pooja and looked her up and down with open curiosity, as she let them enter into the long hallway.

Pooja found herself having to resist the urge to grab Kabir's hand as he led her up the unfamiliar surroundings of the long hallway, then he finally opened one of the many doors leading of from it

Her first impression of the room as she stepped into it, was its great size and light stylish décor. The floor below her feet was polished oak floorboards, with beige patterned rugs covering certain area's. Across the room there was a huge fireplace with a log fire burning brightly in the grate giving it a sense of extra sense of warmth

She was aware of the two large brown leather sofa's flanking each side of the fire, and didn't really notice much else as her attention was taken by the fact both sofa's were occupied.

Two women sat together on one sofa, and in the other sofa two men. But all eyes turned on Pooja and Kabir as they entered further into the room

Pooja had assumed it would be just Kabir's father, P K Mittal she would be meeting. But it seemed the whole clan had gathered. She turned to look up at Kabir, who seemed a surprised as she was by the gathering. In fact he looked far from happy, and she felt his body tense as he stood next to her.

"Well, I wasn't expecting such a big welcoming party," he remarked dryly

One of the women rose from the sofa, laughing a little light heartedly as she approached them, "Oh please Kabir; when your father by chance, happened mentioned you had

suddenly become engaged, and that you were bringing your fiancé to meet him, naturally we were all more than a little curious, and wanted to meet her as well. Surely you didn't want to deprive us from the opportunity" she finished silkily

Judging from the fact that the tall slim woman looked a little older than Kabir, maybe in her late forties, it didn't take long for Pooja to figure out that this had to be his infamous stepmother Suman. She felt the older woman's cool blue gaze now boldly sweep over her, as if sizing her up.

Pooja hoped she looked more composed than she felt, in front of the perfectly made up, elegant Suman Mittal; remembering what Kabir had told her about the woman.

Goaded by Suman Maxell's obvious attempt to make things awkward for herself and Kabir in his family's presence, Pooja found she was able to put on a smile, and grasped Kabir's hand, not wanting to give the woman the pleasure in seeing them uncomfortable.

"I am sure Kabir would have made sure we were introduced sooner or later, but perhaps it's better this way.. You must be Kabir's step mother Suman, he told me all about you," she spoke up, meeting Suman's blue eyes straight on whilst holding out her hand in greeting

"Really?" Suman's eyes narrowed speculatively, then found herself briefly shaking hands with Pooja, "Well, you have the advantage my dear, because he has told us nothing about you"

"How naughty of him, still I am sure you will find out all you want to know about me tonight, that's what it all about after all," Pooja said pleasantly ,

Then looking past Suman, she noticed the rest had stood up to greet her. Releasing her hold on Kabir's hand, Pooja made a beeline for the elderly man with a mop of white hair, and whose features, although aged, still resembled Kabir

"You must be Kabir's father, it's nice to finally meet you Mr Mittal," she said with a touch more warmth, as she once more held out her hand, and found it in his firm bony grip

"Yes, and you must be Pooja It came as quite a shock the other day when Kabir informed me he had got engaged, and was planning on marrying again, I had no idea he was even going with a woman never mind thinking of wedding one"

"Well I guess it has all been a bit of a whirlwind kind of thing, I still can't take it in myself," Pooja replied truthfully with a small laugh

"Here my dear let me introduce you to the rest of the family," P K Mittal then said turning to the fair-haired man standing next to him, "This is my step son Vyom"

Pooja now found herself smiling and shaking hands with him. Vyom wasn't that much older than Kabir from what Pooja could tell, but where Kabir was tall and lean Vyom was shorter and heavier built, with the same blue eyes as his mother, only not as sharp and as calculating, as they gave Pooja the once over, his smile seemed a little more genuine too

"And finally this is his wife, Kavya," P K Mittal indicated with a nod of his head to the woman, with long sleek dark hair, who was as immaculately and dressed and made up as Suman, and also very pretty that she could be a glamour model. But she didn't share her same cool composure.

Her green eyes boring into Pooja with open curiosity, and with just the faintest hint of a smile. Her hand shake was even briefer than Suman's as she just gave a curt nod of acknowledgment before speaking,

"Nice to meet you, I am sure." her tone was polished and refined, telling Pooja that she came from a more high class background. This was once been the woman Kabir had been married too, which made her a little more intriguing in Pooja's eyes

"It's nice to meet you too Kavya," Pooja replied

"And has Kabir told you all about me too?" Kavya then enquired with a slightly mocking smile, shooting a glance in Kabir's direction

"If you mean the fact that you are his ex wife as well as his sister in law, then yes," Pooja answered looking completely unfazed, "Actually there is nothing he doesn't tell me. We have no secrets from each other" she added meaningfully, and had great pleasure in seeing Kavya look a little discomforted by her statement

"How novel," Kavya then remarked forcing herself to also smile again.

"Well now the introductions come over, come and sit next to me and get Vyom to pour us all a drink" Kabir's father spoke up indicating for Pooja to sit on the sofa next to him

"That would be lovely, a mineral water will do me fine. I am afraid I don't touch alcohol" Pooja replied as she moved to sit down

This caused raised eyebrows around the room as they exchanged looks with each other. With the exception of Kabir, who was smiling as he strolled over and sat next to Pooja on the sofa

"Yes its true I am afraid, she won't let the stuff pass her lips, but she doesn't stop me from enjoying my whiskey. So I will have my usual," he turned his attention to Vyom, which motivated his stepbrother into action, and stroll over to the drinks cabinets to do his duty

Suman and Kavya had also sat down again in the sofa opposite Pooja, and now Suman's blue eyes rested on her, as she addressed her again,

"So, you must tell us how you and Kabir got together, we are all so interested in how it all happened"

"Well, uh-" Pooja started now a little flustered as she recalled her first encounter with Kabir, remembering it was far from romantic. She looked around at him questioningly now, and felt him take her hand in his, as he smiled at her, "Perhaps I had better start to tell the story, you don't seem to know where to begin," he chuckled

"Yes" Pooja shot him a grateful smile, "That sound's like a good idea"

"Actually, I met Pooja when she approached me about with the charity organisation she was involved with, it seemed it was in dire need of my help" Kabir started to explain

"That's right," Pooja nodded, just happy Kabir was able to stick close to the truth and taking the lead from him, she continued in what she hoped sounded her natural voice, "Of course at that time, I never realised how involved we would become"

"So you are a 'teetotaller' and a patron of a charity.. My you are turning out a perfect paragon of virtue," Suman drawled with a too sweetening smile, "So unlike anyone I expected Kabir to settle down with" she was eyeing them thoughtfully again

Pooja was glad Vyom had chosen that moment to bring her water over to her, she suddenly felt very dry from all this effort, and she happily took a sip, trying hard not to be intimidated by Suman Mittal, she could see the woman's mind was working overtime trying to figure out what was going on between herself and Kabir.

She had a feeling it was going to be a long night...

Chapter 13: Meet the Mittals pt2

So do tell us about this charity you are involved in, and why you ended up needing Kabir's help?" Suman then enquired

"Well it's a refuge for battered and homeless women," Pooja replied, once again glancing at Kabir uncertainly; needing to find out if it was ok for her to continue.

"Yes," Kabir joined in, "Unfortunately the premises was situated in the area which my company had just bought up, so it meant it was going to be flattened. It was during our meetings and discussions over how I could help solve the problem, and finally find a new place for the Refuge; that we became closer. Then I realised Pooja was the girl for me"

"How sweet," Suman replied drolly, "I take the feelings were reciprocated?" she turned her attention on Pooja again "You must be something special to weave your spell over Kabir. It's not like him to act so impulsively, wanting to rush into marriage this way, in fact it's the last thing I thought he would ever do"

"Well I am not getting any younger, so why waste time," Kabir replied easily. He slipped his arm around Pooja and pulling her close, she forced herself to try and relax against him as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and found it was easier than she thought.

"I know what I wanted, and I got it" he then stated

"And what do your parents think of your sudden engagement ?" it was Kabir's father who addressed her now

"Well," Pooja shifted uneasily, hoping she didn't have to go into too much detail "I haven't seen father since I was about four and my mother died quite a while back ago when I was young"

"Oh I am sorry to hear that," P K Mittal replied, "I guess that is one thing you have in common with Kabir though, he lost his mother when he was young as well" he then pointed out

"True," Pooja glanced up at Kabir realising his father was right, it was not something she had thought about before.

"Then there was the loss of his brother Jay and his family recently.. just too much tragedy lately" P K Mittal frowned

"Yes Kabir told me about the awful accident. It must have been very hard for you." It was Pooja's turn to sound sympathetic

"Its been hard on all of us," P K Mittal nodded and Pooja could see a weariness in his eyes, she then recalled Kabir's concern about his father's health since his brothers death

But then P K Mittal perked up a little as the uneasy silence grew.

Shaking of his maudlin thoughts, he turned to her again, "But let us not ruin the night thinking about the sad things that has happened. This is a night for happier news, Kabir getting engaged and planning on getting married, we should be celebrating, not mourning," and with that, he lifted up his glass as if toasting it to them, "To happier times," he announced before knocking back the contents

Pooja manage to smile, she liked Kabir's father so far, and felt a little uneasy that in a small way, they were deceiving him.

"Oh and of course Kabir, lets hope this marriage works better than your last one," Kavya spoke up shooting him a sly smile, before addressing Pooja,

"I just hope you know what you are letting yourself in for my dear. I hope you are prepared to be second best to his precious business. Kabir is an absolute workaholic, you are going to have to have some special tricks up your sleeve once the novelty of his devotion for you, wears off.. I discovered that for myself.. So much so, his own step brother ended up snatching me from him from right under his nose, because he wasn't paying enough attention"

"Yes," Vyom, who had stood by the hearth next to the sofa where Kavya and Suman sat, spoke up, looking a little smugly over at Kabir, "You don't want to go making that blunder again"

There was a small uncomfortable silence, P K Mittal frowned at his step son slightly in disapproval at the turn of the conversation.

"Don't worry I won't. That is one thing about me, I learn from my mistakes," Kabir finally spoke up tersely.

Pooja noticed how his had jaw line hardened. She was appalled, finding it was quite inappropriate of them to cast up the past like that, and even reveal in Kabir's discomfort.. What kind of family where they? If that was how the rich behaved, she suddenly understood why he had decided to come to her to help him out

"And I will take note of your warning," Pooja replied with a small smile. She decided she was not going to let Kavya rile her up, by trying to make Kabir look bad, intent on stirring trouble between them,

"But don't worry, unlike you, I am not that insecure," she added pointedly, and watched Kavya's face darken. at the little jibe "I appreciate that Kabir's business is important to him and I don't mind of he spends long hours taking care of it. Besides, I will not be sitting around twiddling my thumbs waiting for him to come home, and pining away for him I will too be busy getting on with other things,"

"Yes, Pooja is a very independent young lady. That is another reason why I think she is so special." Kabir said, "And why I have to snap her up as quick as possible, before some other man gets the chance," his brown eyes were filled with such open affection as he looked at her.

He almost had Pooja convinced he meant it. She felt her face glow pink.

"Well it seems you have it all worked out," Suman spoke up, "And from what you have said, I take it you must have your own fulfilling career as well. So what exactly is it that you do?" She stared at Pooja enquiringly.

Pooja had always been grateful for her job in the supermarket, but suddenly she found herself unable to admit to being a mere check out girl, she knew Kavya and Suman would probably find this very amusing.

Not that Pooja was ashamed of her job, but right now it didn't seem appropriate under the circumstances. She floundered, realising she could hardly lie about some classy career that didn't exist, they would soon discover her for a fake, and that wouldn't do

"Don't be shy Pooja," Kabir urged her, once more coming to her rescue, "Why don't you tell them your plans, about going to college and getting a degree in sociology, and your future career as a counsellor and social worker, that's going to be keeping you busy"

He squeezed her to him, smiling as he addressed the others, "She is very modest, and doesn't like boasting about how she wants to spend her life helping those less fortunate"

"Well I think that is a very noble career," P K Mittal nodded in approval

Pooja just smiled, unable to speak.

It wasn't that Kabir had actually lied. After all she had hoped that one day she could indeed attend college and become a counsellor, but it had all seemed in the far distant future, something she had been striving towards when she could eventually afford it.

But to hear Kabir talk about it openly, as if it were fact, brought it home to her. Now it finally sank into her brain that there was nothing to stopping her. She didn't have to be content with her supermarket job and scraping by. She could do what she really wanted. The opportunity was opened to her, just waiting for her to grasp it, and finally make it a reality.

Having had to struggle hard for everything in her life, it was odd to have something she really yearned for so easily It also felt suddenly overwhelming, but she realised she had Kabir to thank for it.

"You know, I am still finding it difficult to figure out what an caring little angel like yourself, can possibly see in a man like my step son," Suman remarked, "He isn't exactly known for his charitable acts, quite the opposite in fact"

"Well I haven't found that so," Pooja replied, getting tired of Suman and her little innuendo's, "In fact I have found him to be more than generous, and very thoughtful and kind when he chooses to be. Maybe it just depends on the company he is in," she added, smiling sweetly at his stepmother.

The older woman's eyes narrowed. She was starting to realise that she would have to watch her step, Pooja was letting her know she was firmly on Kabir's side. Suman was starting to discover that perhaps his little fiancé wasn't quite so angelic and innocent after all.

"Perhaps," She then shrugged, as if losing interest in subject, "Well I hope you will be very happy together," she added with a tight smile which told Pooja she didn't really mean it.

"Thank you," Pooja managed to reply graciously, resisting the urge she felt, to throw the remainder of her water over Suman Mittal and hopefully get Kavya as well.

"Your step mother is a witch and your ex wife is a bitch! And as for your step brother, he is a spineless toad," Pooja exclaimed later as she got into the car with Kabir.

She was finally able to let off steam now she was safely away from their eyes and ears.

She had forced herself to continue to be civil to them for Kabir's father's sake, and so she wouldn't let Kabir down. But she was glad when Kabir had finally announced they had to go.

"I thought it was just going to be the two of us and your father... Why didn't you tell me they were going to be there? I would have liked to have been warned before getting threw into the 'lions den' like that"

"Because I didn't know they were going to be there," Kabir replied grimly as he started up the car, "I was as surprised as you were. I had even picked tonight because I thought they were both at some film premiere they were invited to. I guess when they got wind from my father of what was happening, they changed their minds Deciding trying to humiliate me in front of you would be more entertaining"

"I guess it's just as well, I wasn't completely clueless about the sort of them," Pooja then said in afterthought

"You handled them really well. I knew you would, I said that you could do it" Kabir reminded her with a grin

Pooja gave a small embarrassed laugh, " Actually, I really was a nervous wreck when I first went in tonight," she admitted, " But mostly because I was worrying about making the right impression on your father, and I so was scared I would say something stupid."

She frowned as she continued, "But when I saw the rest of them there, and I realised they were up to no good.. I don't know what happened, something inside me just snapped. I knew they were not going to make me look or feel foolish, and I was going to give them back, as good as I got

"Well you certainly done that," Kabir chuckled

"Still, I am glad it is all over with" Pooja said in relief as she slouch in her seat

"So now you know what you are getting into," Kabir told her dryly, "But I don't plan on socialising with my precious step mother or Kavya very much, so you should be alright," he readily assured her

"Yes, lets keep a nice distance," Pooja agreed, "Or I might just end up doing one of them serious damage"

"I am glad you know how I feel," Kabir replied chuckling again, "At least one good thing has come out of it. You might feel a little more sympathetic towards me now," he eyed her hopefully

"Oh yes, you have my full sympathy," Pooja grinned, " But I did like your father though," she finished on a more serious note

"I think he liked you too," Kabir said, "All in all, the night didn't go in too bad," he decided with a satisfied smile.

They finally arrived outside Pooja's block of flats.

"Well here you are, home sweet home," Kabir announced, sounding a little regretful that it meant they would have to part company

"Yes," Pooja replied, she was almost tempted to invite Kabir up for a coffee. But after being in his father's grand house, then comparing it to her own small abode, decided it was a stupid idea. She wasn't sure he would feel comfortable in her meagre surroundings where most of her furniture was second hand.

It brought back to her their different station in life, the earlier ease she felt around him evaporated, and she lapsed into an awkward silence as she undid her seatbelt, suddenly not sure what to say or do.

"Thank you," he then said quietly, turning to her, "I know tonight wasn't easy, having to listen, and take all that crap from my family. But I felt so proud of the way you handled them. It reinforced my faith in you, and that I have made the right choice."

Kabir's hand reached out to caress her face. The warmth of his touch against the cool skin of her cheek, send a fluttering reaction somewhere deep in Pooja's stomach. His brown eyes had a new intensity as the bore into her, drawing her into their depths, mesmerising her in a way she found she was almost holding her breath.

Without consciously realising it, she lightly let her cheek rub against the open palm of his hand, savouring the texture and feel of his touch. Becoming overwhelmed once more by the feelings he was able to arouse in her.

He moved in closer to her now, and she could feel his warm breath on her face, "I think we need a bit more practice," he then told her huskily

And this time when he kissed her, her arms slid around his neck and she responded only too willingly.