“I didn’t propose to Pooja because I held our relationship to the same standards as my parents’ and my brother’s and it didn’t measure up. Yesterday I realized that I can wait my whole life for something that may never happen or I can seize the little bit of happiness that’s right in front of me. When we got to the wedding, it was clear that Pooja had found with Anil what I’d been seeking with her.” He’d seen the glittering adoration in Pooja’s eyes and the shining smile on her face. She’d never looked that happy with him.
Divya shifted on the sofa, so her body was angled toward him, her knees now touching his. “I have no right casting stones on you. I had plenty of opportunities to stall my wedding. I did not have to do it in quite so dramatic a fashion. I clearly have my demons too.” Her voice was soft and contrite.
“What demons do you have, Divya?”
She shrugged. “You talked about seizing the little bit of happiness that you can. My whole life has been about letting go of the happiness I want, in order to hold on to the joy I have.” She looked away from him, and the shine in her eyes tugged at his heart.
“Aside from singing at Café Underground, what do you want to do? What’s on your bucket list?”
She shrugged. “I’ve never made a bucket list. What’s the point in wanting something you know you can’t have?”
Her words struck a chord in his heart.
“Well, for the next few days, consider me your magical genie. Make a wish and I’ll try to make it happen.” He grinned. Divya was easy to talk to and maybe she could be the distraction he needed.
She smiled. “You’re serious?”
He nodded.
“I guess I could really use a friend right now. Especially one with a private jet.” She held out her hand.
“And I could use a friend who gives it to me straight.” He smiled and took her hand in his. It was meant to be a handshake, but he found himself holding her hand loosely, his thumb moving across the back of her hand, feeling its softness. Divya’s mouth opened and he stilled, summoning every ounce of willpower he had not to lean over and kiss her. Why wasn’t she pulling away? Was it his imagination or was she leaning even closer? Their mouths were inches apart.
He knew he was being impulsive again but he wanted to feel her soft lips on his, to know whether the earlier kiss that had shot zingers through his body had been real or if he’d been high on adrenaline and imagined the whole thing. He leaned forward.
Four
A second before their lips touched, she moved back. What am I doing? She’d almost kissed Ethan. Again. Just a couple of hours ago, she’d been about to take seven sacred circles around the marriage fire with another man. Granted, Vivek wasn’t a man she wanted to marry, but it was a little too soon to get involved with someone like Ethan. Especially Ethan. Divya wasn’t the good Indian girl her parents believed her to be. Without their knowing, she’d dated off the approved list. But Ethan was far beyond the unsuitable category.
Ethan shifted on the sofa so there was more space between them. He turned back to his laptop. An awkward silence settled between them.
He was gora. Not even in her wildest dreams had she thought about dating someone who wasn’t Indian. Her entire identity revolved around her family and culture. What could she possibly have in common with an American? What does it matter? I’m not marrying him. For the first time in her life, she was free of her parents’ watchful eyes. In this moment, she was attracted to him, so what was the harm? There was no chance she’d fall in love with him.
Kathy appeared, saving them from more awkwardness. She asked what they wanted for lunch. Divya suddenly realized she was starving; she hadn’t eaten anything all day. Ethan ordered a burger and she asked for the same.
“You eat beef?” he said, looking surprised, once Kathy had left.
She smiled. “Busted.”
“Pooja didn’t eat beef. She said most Indians, especially Hindus, don’t.”
“That’s true. My parents would die if they knew I’m eating beef. Is it wrong that I love hamburgers? It’s rare to find them in India. McDonald’s serves lamb and chicken burgers.”
He laughed. “I don’t see anything wrong with having your own belief system. I wish Pooja had been more independent. She was always too concerned with pleasing her parents.”
Divya frowned. “What’s wrong with that?”
He held up his hands. “I don’t mean any offense. It’s just that our whole relationship revolved around the fact her parents would never approve of me.”
“Did you try with her parents?”
“She never gave me a chance.”
Divya chewed her lip. This was exactly why she had never fantasized about dating a gora. “I can see where Pooja was coming from. In Indian families, everything revolves around the parents’ expectations. That comes with its bad parts, like having to conform to traditions you may not agree with. But there’s also a lot of good. I’ve always felt loved and secure in my home. I’ve never felt loneliness in my life. When we were all on lockdown, it was the best time of our lives. We enjoyed being together. We stayed up playing games and having deep conversations about the silliest topics. None of us got cabin fever. When the lockdown ended, we were all sad that it couldn’t go on longer.” As she said the words, dread spread through her chest. What if they don’t forgive me? “It’s not about pleasing the family, it’s about respecting who they are. It’s a small price for the love and happiness you get in return.”
He held up his hands. “I value that too. I’m very close with my family, and they’ve always been there for me. But they won’t be dictating who I marry.”
“Won’t they?”
He frowned at her. “I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”
“Did your family want you to marry Pooja?”
He shrugged. “It had less to do with my family than hers. My parents will accept whoever I choose.”
“Would you be happy marrying someone who wouldn’t get along with your family?”
He frowned, then shrugged. “That’s difficult to answer in the hypothetical.”
Bullshit. But she let it be. You could push someone only so hard into seeing what was right in front of them. Plus, she couldn’t risk pissing him off.
She changed the topic. “Thank you for taking me to New York. I can only imagine how busy you must be.” She gestured toward his laptop.
He shrugged. “Not as busy as I’d like. The business is on autopilot. I hired a great executive team, who in turn hired some great people, and as the business has grown, I’ve become more of a figurehead for important decisions. They do the day-to-day.”
“Is it hard for you to give up control over something that you created?”
He gave her a wistful smile. “It should be but it’s not. I like focusing on the big picture. Besides, work can only give you so much satisfaction.” He sighed. “I’d canceled all my meetings and taken ten days off to get married and go on a honeymoon.”
“Sorry about that.”
“No, you’re right. If I really wanted to marry Pooja I would’ve proposed to her when she first threatened to leave.”
Ah, he can admit when he’s wrong.
Kathy returned with their burgers and they dug in with gusto. They chatted about their favorite books, movies and places they’d been. Divya was surprised at how much they had in common: they hated reality TV and loved witty historical dramas and suspenseful thrillers. He didn’t share her obsession with horror movies, but no guy was perfect.
They landed at the private aviation terminal at Teterboro Airport, right outside the city, in New Jersey. Divya knew from traveling with her parents that the main New York City commercial airports were very congested, so private jets used the smaller airports.
A tall older woman dressed in a business suit greeted them as they exited the plane. Ethan introduced her as
his executive assistant Roda. Roda handed Ethan two rollerboard suitcases, a small box and the keys to a Mercedes roadster.
When they were seated in the car, he handed Divya the small box. “That’s for you.”
She opened it to find the latest smartphone and a black American Express card in her name. “Thank you. I promise to pay you back for everything.”
He waved his hand. “Please, don’t worry about it. Like I said, the last thing I need is more money.”
The catch in his voice reverberated through her. She knew well that money couldn’t buy what anyone really wanted, but Ethan seemed to resent his fortune.
The early September air was cool but the temperature was warm. “Do you mind if we go top down?” he asked. She stared at him, open-mouthed, then he pointed toward the top of the car. “It’s a convertible.”
Yet another thing she’d never done in her life: ride in a convertible. “Seems like fun. Let’s do it.”
He grinned. “I’ll warn you, it’ll mess up your hair. Most women hate it.”
She shrugged and twisted her hair into a messy bun. He pressed a button, and she looked up at the beautiful sky and took a deep breath. This is what freedom feels like.
“I have a condo in the city we can stay at,” he said as he put the car in drive.
Um, no. Given what had almost happened on the plane, she didn’t want to stay someplace on his terms.
“My brother is bound to check for us at any properties you own in the city. I can call in a favor.” She made a call on the new phone Ethan had given her, then instructed him to drive to one of the most luxurious hotels in New York.
It took them nearly two hours to navigate city traffic, but Divya barely noticed. She took in the sights and sounds of the chaotic city and savored the feel of the warm sun and cool air over her skin. She had been to New York before, but today she could really taste the smog in the air and feel the rhythm of the cars, people and bicycles.
She sent a WhatsApp message to her contact at Café Underground and crossed her fingers that he still remembered her.
It was night by the time Ethan pulled into the hotel driveway and handed his keys to the valet. Divya strode up to the check-in counter and asked them to call Rajiv Mehra. The clerk eyed her but delivered the message.
They didn’t have to wait long before an Indian man, impeccably dressed in a custom-tailored suit and French-cuffed shirt, appeared. He hugged Divya. “It is so good to see you. I called Gauri as soon as you contacted me. She insisted we have dinner tonight.” Rajiv sounded genuinely pleased to see her. She caught the look of surprise in his eyes at her clothing. “And I insist you buy what you need from the lobby shops and charge it to me.”
Divya hugged him. “You are such a good friend. I owe you big time.” She knew he’d be insulted if she offered to pay him back with money.
Her phone pinged and she looked down to see a message from Café Underground.
“I definitely want to see Gauri and catch up with you two, but could we get together tomorrow? There’s something I must do tonight.”
If Rajiv was annoyed, he was too gracious to show it. “Of course. How about lunch tomorrow?”
“That would be great. Thank you so much for putting us up and keeping it secret. You know how my parents can be.”
“How can I forget? You’re safe here.” He looked over Divya’s shoulder to Ethan. “Is this your friend?” He arched his brows and switched to Hindi. “Now I understand why I wasn’t your type.”
She smiled and shook her head. “It’s not like that.” She quickly explained everything that had happened at the wedding.
Ethan cleared his throat and Divya realized she’d been rude in carrying on in Hindi with Rajiv. She introduced the two men. “Rajiv owns the hotel.”
Ethan was duly impressed and said so without letting on that his own net worth was exponentially bigger than Rajiv’s. Divya liked that Ethan didn’t feel the need to advertise his success. On the plane, he’d changed into faded jeans and a plain T-shirt. No one would guess that he’d just flown in on his own private jet.
Rajiv handed them over to a staff member and invited Ethan to lunch the next day. Then they were led to a suite of rooms that made Ethan whistle.
“I’ve stayed in some pretty fancy hotels, but this is something else.” They entered a great room that included floor-to-ceiling windows with a bird’s-eye view of the city. A baby grand piano sat in the center of the room. There were two different seating areas, a small dining table, a bar and a kitchen. There were two bedrooms, each with its own sumptuous bathroom. It was all done in a warm, modern style with boxy furniture, wood accents and white linens.
“Rajiv is some friend to put you up here.”
Divya nodded distractedly as she responded to a message on her phone.
“Friend of your family?”
She nodded. “Yes, our parents are close. My brother helped him get started with this hotel.”
“And yet he’s doing you a favor.”
“He owes me,” she said, smiling. “I’ll tell you about it later. Right now I need to go down to the shops and buy something to wear.” She grinned. “The stage manager at Café Underground remembers me and said he’d put me on the list to sing tonight.” Her heart raced with excitement.
Ethan grinned and pointed to one of the suitcases they’d brought. “There should be a variety of things in there you can use.”
Her eyes widened.
“My New York assistant, Roda, did some shopping while we were in the air. I guessed your size but hopefully they fit.”
“That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you. I’ll...”
He shook his head. “Please, don’t say you’ll pay me back. We’ve discussed this, haven’t we?”
She sighed. “I know you have lots of money, but I still feel like I’m taking advantage of you. We just met today. Let me at least help you figure out your love life.”
He raised his brows. “You think there’s something to fix?”
You don’t? She stopped herself from saying that out loud. “I’m a great matchmaker. I set up Rajiv and his wife and they’ve been happily married for three years now.”
“He has a wife?”
She tried not a smile at the relief in his voice. Had he been jealous of Rajiv?
“I’ve set up nearly all of my friends and most of the men my parents chose for me.”
His lips twitched. “Was Rajiv one of those men?”
She nodded sheepishly. “He was, until I introduced him to Gauri and he fell madly in love with her.”
“If you’re that good, why didn’t you set up your fiancé?”
She laughed. “I don’t have a lot of friends in the US. Had he been based in India, I would’ve found him a woman who’d make him stop thinking about me.”
“I doubt a man could stop thinking about you.” Ethan’s voice was so low and throaty that her heart stopped. She looked away from his sparkling blue eyes before she lost her mind entirely and decided to add Ethan to her bucket list. “Let’s get dressed and get to Café Underground.”
They each chose a bedroom. Hers had a dark wood platform bed made up in white linens with low-standing side tables and a dresser. Her bathroom was bigger than the bedroom and included white-and-gray marble tile, a tall oval Japanese soaking tub and a glass-enclosed shower. She set the bag Ethan had given her on a luggage rack and surveyed the clothes. There was a deep maroon cocktail dress with a cowl neck that would do for tonight.
The assistant had even included makeup. Unfortunately, the colors were too light for her skin tone, so she just went with mascara and lip gloss. Her hands shook as she applied the mascara, and she had to wash her face and do it twice. She had dreamed of singing in a real club but hadn’t really thought she’d get the chance to make her dream come true. What if she tried to sing and nothing cam
e out? Was her voice hoarse? She practiced a few notes. Was the sound strange or was it the acoustics in the bathroom? She took a deep breath and focused on getting herself ready. Tonight might be the only chance she had. She wasn’t going to waste time.
The shoes included with the dress were too large, but she stuffed some toilet paper in the toe caps. She didn’t want to be late to Café Underground.
When she stepped into the shared common room, Ethan was by the bar. He looked casual but stunning in dark jeans and a fashionably untucked black shirt.
He whistled appreciatively when he saw her. “You look amazing. You’re going to knock it out of the park.”
“I know the expression, but I doubt it applies to me. I’ll be happy if I don’t get booed off the stage. This place is for hard-core artists and music lovers. The audience is serious.”
He walked over to her and gently grasped her shoulders. “You’ll be great, Divya. Just live for yourself tonight.”
She took a breath and mentally repeated his words to herself. Tonight is mine alone.
The club wasn’t far from their hotel, so they took a pedicab. The seat was cozy and she tried not to focus on the feel of Ethan’s thigh against hers or the warmth of his body next to hers. She had a song in mind that she wanted to sing, so she went over the words in her head. It was a favorite of hers and she’d been singing it since she was a girl.
The pedicab driver skirted traffic, and got them to Café Underground in just a few minutes.
“This is where you want to make your debut?”
They were looking at a dark door with the words Café Underground flickering in neon lights above. She nodded reverently. It was exactly as she’d imagined it.
He opened the door and she took a breath as she stepped inside. The club was packed. A stage at one end of the room was empty but held a complement of musical equipment and was lit up with a spotlight. A bar on the other end was standing room only. The center of the room was dark and held high-top tables with barstools. All of the tables were full, and people crowded in between seats. The smell of stale beer hung in the air.
Running Away with the Bride--An opposites attract romance with a twist Page 4
