“No,” she clasped her hands together, “We can go for a walk if you like on the pier. I know the historical museum. The lighthouse—”
A deep chuckle erupted from Leon’s chest. “Sounds like you have a definite place in mind. Away from here.”
“I’m just looking forward to spending out and about.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.”
Looking at him anew, she found his rugged handsomeness appealing. His evenly trimmed beard, thick mane of red-gold hair combed, his masculine scent giving her a break from Govind’s cloying nausea inducing—
“Oh my gosh!” She completely forgotten about her father and Govind.
Whirling around she found two pairs of furious, dark eyes locked onto her. Both of them full of censure. How in the world was she going to get out of this?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The silence in the cab of the car throbbed with friction. Next to him, Gargi rode in silence. Her profile revealed the countenance of a woman lost in thought. Long lashes draped over her eyes. Full lips pursed in contemplation of a difficult problem.
Was he the difficult problem?
“Gargi?” The sound of her name cracked like whip in the strained atmosphere of the car.
In a deliberate motion of movement, she inclined her head. “Yes, laal sher?”
Why did her voice have such a levelled quality to it? Had the confrontation—what else could it be called—with her father robbed her of vitality? “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Talk about what?”
Leon sneaked a peek at his passenger. Careful. She looked very careful. Eyes focused directly on but revealing nothing of her inwards thoughts. “About what happened back at the house.”
Her eyes scurried away. “There’s nothing we really need to say about it.”
He returned his attention back to the road. “It’s on your mind. Might as well get it out in the open.”
When she continued to sit there in silence, he gripped the steering wheel harder. “Was you father upset because I was there?”
A pregnant pause heavy with indecision. “You can say that.” She answered.
Leon grimaced. “Tell me about it, Bugsy.”
Another hush settled in the car. From his peripheral, he noted the way her fingers clutched the strap of the seatbelt. Her knuckles nearly white with restraint. His teeth ground against each other. If he and Gargi were ever going to go anywhere, he wanted it all. The good. The bad. The ugly.
Low spoken words shattered the encroaching tension. “Did you see the man standing next to my father?”
An image of an oil-slick Indian man with a bad attitude came to mind. “Yeah. Who was that?”
A hint of bitterness tinged her words. “My father’s attempt at matchmaking.”
Leon’s brow pleated. “I don’t understand.”
Her long slender fingers dallied with the edge of her shirt. “My father has been trying to arrange my marriage.”
His gut caved in as if struck by an invisible fist. “I didn’t know people still do arranged marriages,” he spoke when he trusted himself to speak without letting on the depth of his devastation.
She let loose a pensive sigh. “In my culture, it’s still prevalent but due to western influence and other things, it’s dying out.”
But not soon enough.
They lapsed into another heavy silence. Leon focused on the road but inside his thoughts churned.
Would Gargi marry a man her father chose? If so, what would it mean for his own pursuit of her?
It was hard to see himself in Gargi’s shoes. How could he pledge to honor a woman his parents picked? What that what she wanted?
“How do you feel about your father doing this?”
Gargi twisted a long lock of hair around her finger. “I always knew my husband would be selected by my father. I was fine with it the first time.”
Leon’s foot slammed on the brake. Tires squealed behind them but he didn’t care. A quick glance showed they were at a stoplight anyway.
“Laal sher, what’s wrong? You scared the daylights out of me!” A little pulse leapt at the base of her neck.
“You’ve been married before?”
Her dark chocolate eyes widened. “No, I haven’t been married before. I said my father chose my husband for me the first time. We were engaged for almost a year.”
“Why didn’t you tie the knot?” Not that he was complaining.
A sorrowful laugh came from her. “What a question!”
“What do you mean?”
A horn honked. Leon glanced up to see the light had turned green. Frustrated, he drove on, his eyes scanning the surroundings. He finally spotted a sign for Dewey Durant Memorial Park and eased his vehicle into the first available spot. Turning off the car, he twisted in his seat.
“You want to go for a walk?”
They alighted out of the car and headed over the pavement and onto the manicured, wet turf from the earlier rains. Weak sunlight peeked out from cracks in the clouds and muggy air soon plastered their clothes to their skin.
“Tell me about it, Gargi.”
She stuffed her hands in her pockets. Leon was once again reminded of her small stature and the heavy burdens placed on those tiny shoulders.
“Rahul was the son of one of the biggest tech companies in India. His father relocated to Michigan because of some affiliations with the automobile industry here.”
“How did you meet?”
“Through one of Dev’s company parties. We were starting to grow by then. My brother was spreading his net out to catch bigger fish as he said. Bigger fish meant more revenue and profit for our company.”
“So that’s how you and this Rahoo had met?”
She giggled. “Rahul,” she enunciated.
He could be called ‘yahoo’ for all he cared.
“My brother had invited the Khatris’ because he was interested in providing investment securities for Mr. Khatri’s company. They had intended on establishing retirement plans for their employees.”
A faraway look entered her eyes as they walked on the soft grass. In the background, he heard the sound of children playing. “I still remember the day I saw Rahul. He was standing at the sweets table, eying a tray of gulab jamun—”
“Jalopy what?”
She waved her hand in dismissal. “They’re like little fried round donut holes soaked in sugar syrup. Very sweet. Anyway, he was standing next to the sweets table. I walked over there because my brother told me to make sure I keep my eyes on him. When he turned and looked at me, I fell in love.”
They came to a covered pavilion with a group of people enjoying the amenities. Pausing by mutual consent, Gargi’s gaze rested on the gathering but he knew she was elsewhere entirely.
“It wasn’t just his handsome looks. Rahul was a nice man as I learned that night. We ended up talking for hours. We had a lot of the same interests and thoughts. It was magical.”
A child’s high shrill punctuated the air. Around the tables, two little kids, a boy and a girl chased each other in happy abandonment.
“It was an instant connection. My father and my brother took note of it. During this time, my father had arranged several meetings with different prospects. I enjoyed meeting them but I didn’t connect with any of the men. Except Rahul.”
Leon wanted to punch the perfect Rahul in his face. But something nagged him. “I don’t understand. How can you base a decision off what your family decides? You’re the one who’s going to have to marry and be with that person.”
“Well, why is it that so many marriages based in love end in divorce?”
His mouth opened and closed. “You got a point there.”
“I remember one man my cousin Shruti told me about. He was in his early sixties and had been married five times. He still couldn’t find his one true love. Some people think arranged marriages are some sort of bondage. As if these men and women are going to be tied to awful spouses without reprieve.”
“It sounds like it,” he grumbled, digging his booted foot in the soft grass.
The look in her eye was indulgent. Patronizing even but in a nice way.
“This isn’t a Bollywood historical, laal sher. I’m not going to be at the mercy of some cruel husband in order to protect my family’s honor.”
“Then—”
“Much is made about love and romance, Leon,” she interrupted, a thoughtful frown on her face. “It is on the wave of this emotion a couple rides. But they forget the practical aspects of it. Income, beliefs, family dynamics, and other more important factors. How often have you heard of men or women finding out some deep dark secret about their significant other?”
Leon had to concede her point. “True.”
“Back then, although I fell in love with Rahul, I would not have gone against my father’s wishes. It was a good thing my father and my brother both liked Rahul. Eventually when our families met, they also shared in our ideas about each other.”
She gave him a sideways glance. “Arranged marriages generally are forward thinking. It certainly helped I loved him.”
Leon shoved his hand into his pockets. He wished she’d stopped saying how much she loved this guy! “You keep saying you loved him. Did he feel the same way about you?”
His heart stopped beating as he waited for a response. Why this was important he didn’t know.
Gargi’s lips twisted in a wry smile. “I’ve asked myself that question many times over the years. And I have to be honest. I don’t know.”
His breath eased out and his heart sped up. “You don’t know?”
“I know.” Her mouth lifted in rueful way. “A woman caring about a man with no hint of his feelings toward her. Silly, right?” A slight edge entered her voice.
“I don’t think so,” Leon started off slowly, “If you care about someone, and they intend on marrying you, one would hope they have some feeling for you.”
Tension eased from her shoulders. “Rahul, I believe, genuinely enjoyed being with me. We had great conversations, spoke on the phone, went to events together, the whole nine yards. Everyone said we were the perfect couple.”
Her head bowed. After a few seconds, Leon prompted, “But?”
She started walking again and he kept pace. “My brother had been in talks with Rahul’s father about the investment plan for their employee’s retirement accounts. Especially since the announcement for our wedding had already been publicized. My brother thought it was a done deal.”
Gargi pushed away the moist strands of hair stuck to her forehead. “For whatever reason, Rahul’s father, at the last hour, decided to not go with Kapoor Investments.”
Leon’s eyebrow perched into his hairline. “He didn’t?”
“My brother was furious,” she went on, the words rushing out like a geyser. “Even I was perplexed. What had happened that would change his mind like that?”
He didn’t articulate that maybe Rahoo’s father smelled something fishy about her brother. But she was opening up and he didn’t want to derail the conversation.
“When my father tried to talk with him, he refused to speak to him. Dev was so angry. I’d rarely seen him like that. Since we’d hit a brick wall with Rahul’s father, Dev decided to talk with Rahul himself. I never knew what was said between but they almost came to blows over it. My brother made it clear that if Rahul’s family didn’t trust him then he certainly couldn’t trust them with my care.”
“So, then your brother, not your father, opposed the marriage?” He swatted away a cloud of gnats.
She nodded. “Although my father ultimately had the final say, my brother would not stand for our union.”
Agony riddled her face. “Rahul came to me three weeks later. He wanted out marriage but he told me he wouldn’t marry me if I continued to work for my brother.”
Her arms folded again in a protective gesture. “Do you know how difficult it was to choose between my brother and my fiancé? I battled with it for days. Finally, I told my brother about Rahul’s ultimatum.” She gave a little shiver despite the heat of the day. “Dev almost bit my head off. I can still remember his words. ‘How can a man ask you to choose between him and your family? Do you know what he’s doing, chhotee bahan? He’s trying to control you. He’s already sided with his father. It’s not fair or right for him to do this.’ “
“He’s firing on all cylinders in that regard, Bugsy.” Leon found no fault in Kapoor’s logic. It wasn’t fair to Gargi to put her in the middle.
“Looking back, I think my brother’s pride was wounded. Had Rahul’s father’s company cone on board, we would have made millions in the transaction. In the end, I sided with my brother and told Rahul I couldn’t leave Dev.”
Gargi felt the ache her heart ease as she told the story. These were things she’d never told anyone. But with Leon, she felt as if she could tell him anything and he wouldn’t judge her.
“When I said that, Rahul ended our engagement.”
The tame words didn’t begin to describe the day. The day when her heart broke into a million grains of sand like the ones beneath her feet. Rahul had chosen the most beautiful place Michigan to end their engagement—Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Her entire family had gone there for a weekend trip. She’d no idea Rahul had followed them there, not until a tall figure blocked the view of the sun as she stared out at the vastness of Lake Michigan, it’s crystal clear waters soothing the frayed nerves of a troubled mind.
Did she relate to Leon how the waves broke on the shore as Rahul stood over her? How the sunlight outlined the magnificent form of this man who had simply meant the world to her? There was no way she could reveal how she acted when she heard his words. How the strength had seeped out of her legs and she collapsed to the sand.
“Rahul, please don’t do this. I love you. I want to be your wife.”
The wind tossed his inky black hair. He fell to his knees in front of her. “I want you to be my wife, too. But what’s mine is mine’s alone. I won’t share you with another man.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand.” Tears gathered in her eyes and then trickled down her cheeks. She tasted the tang of them on the corners of her mouth.
Rahul gently tugged her windblown hair away from her forehead. His dark eyes filled with sorrow. Even in memory the depth of his pain could still be felt intensely.
“You have such lovely hair.” He’d held a length of it in his hand. “I was looking forward to having this all to myself.”
His fingers had dug into her scalp and she sighed, leaning forward into his sinewy strength to deepen the moment. Her foolish heart leapt in dreadful hope. Maybe this wouldn’t be the end after all.
“Oh Gargi. I won’t share you with your brother. Your father is willing to let you go but your brother is not. Since you won’t leave him, we cannot continue our engagement.”
The gentle press of Rahul’s lips on her forehead had opened the dam within her. She reduced herself to a pathetic, begging creature.
“Rahul, p-please don’t leave me. Please stay. I l-love you.”
He’d released her and stood. “I wish I didn’t have to. You know what your dowry, if I can use the word figuratively, is for us to wed. You’re unwilling to give it to me.”
“Get up, Gargi!”
Her brother’s voice jolted her. She turned to see him angrily stomping down the stretch of the beach, gust of sands whipping into the air at the force of his stride. When she turned back to Rahul, panic surging, she caught a strange peculiar glitter in his eyes.
“Why am I not surprised to see you?” he asked in a dark tone.
Dev’s chestnut brown eyes flared with enough heat to rival the sun. “Don’t shed another tear for him. He does not care about you.”
Rough hands had gripped her under her arms and hefted her to her unsteady feet. “Let’s go chhotee bahan.”
“But Rahul—”
“He not important. Not anymo
re.”
“Gargi.” Rahul’s voice carried over the waves. “Prove there is still a chance for us. Trust me and come to me. You’ll never have to see him again.”
Why was he making her do making her do this? Why couldn’t she love both of these men with equal parts of her heart? Why should one dominate the other?
“I mean it, Gargi.” Rahul clipped out, a line of tension about his shoulders. “Come to me and we’ll be married tomorrow. Here, if you wish.”
“Are you insane?” Dev shouted. “Gargi is not going to listen to you. Not after the way you and your father treated me.”
“My father has his reasons for not going with your company.” Rahul’s jaw clenched.
“Reasons he’s unwilling to share!” Dev shot back. With a vicious shake of his head as if to rid himself of invisible cobwebs, he tightened his arms around her. “Since he cannot share his reasons, then my sister cannot be a part of your family.”
“My father.” Rahul’s gaze burned into hers. “My father and I would be honored to have Gargi as—”
“It’s not happening! She’s staying with me.”
In the wake of Dev’s adamant declaration, seagulls cawed overhead. Waves beat along the shore. All three of them stood still like statues locked in a moment of time. How long had Rahul stared at her, his eyes entreating her to shrug off her brother’s grasp and to come to him? For an eternity. Then his shoulders sagged.
“It’s time to say goodbye then.”
The blood froze in her veins. Despite the blazing sun above them, she felt like an ice sculpture.
“Rahul.”
He turned away, the wind ripping at his shirt the last image she had of him.
“Alvida, Gargi.”
Goodbye.
“Bugsy, snap out of it!”
She started violently, coming out of the second, most painful event of her life.
Leon was there.
“I’m sorry.” She found herself at a small pond. So wrapped up in the episode that the intrusion of the present was like a culture shock.
“It’s okay. I figure it must have been a tough time for you.”
She grunted. “That’s an understatement, laal sher.”
Time to Say Goodbye (Michigan Sweet Romance) Page 16
