“Hi Ruma.” His sexy baritone sent a shiver down her spine. “Will you have a cup of coffee with me once you’re done here?”
She stared at him, unable to believe her ears. She had given up on meeting him ever again after the day he had walked out of the office with his brother, following the meeting with Abhimanyu. Though, for a few days, she had hoped in vain that he would contact her. And here he was, after so long.
Ruma nodded her head vigorously. “Sure. Do you mind waiting? I can leave at 5.30.”
“Let me do something. I’ll wait for you at the Starbucks outlet nearby.” He looked at her intensely, his black eyes studying her minutely. She looked gorgeous, her coffee brown eyes sparkling, her rosy-red lips free of lipstick.
Ruma nodded again, feeling breathless under his heated scrutiny. It didn’t stop her from returning the compliment as she studied him from behind half-closed eyelids. He was leaner than before, appearing taller than ever. Dark fuzz covered his cheeks, giving him a rakish appearance. And she simply loved his luxuriant moustache. “I’ll see you there in twenty,” she said, crossing her fingers behind the desk. She hoped no one stopped her from leaving.
She watched his long strides towards the lift, her hands trembling with excitement as she began putting her things away. He stopped at the lift to turn and look at her, his hand rising in a wave, bringing colour rushing to her cheeks.
Ruma walked into Starbucks, her eyes darting around to check where Lakshman was, before she caught him standing near a table set next to a luxurious double sofa. Her long legs carried her swiftly in his direction.
“I hope you don’t mind having a mocaccino or a caffè latte. I’ve ordered both.” He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He didn’t want to waste time away from her, picking up stuff from the counter.
“I’m good with either,” said Ruma, settling down on one half of the sofa, tucking her long legs under the table, “as long as it’s hot. It’s so cold outside.”
“Would you like something to eat?” asked Lakshman politely, still standing.
“No, unless you want something,” said Ruma, impatient to know him better.
“Not for me,” said Lakshman, settling down beside her.
They pretended to sip their hot beverages, their eyes devouring each other. Fed up of waiting, Ruma asked him, “So, where’ve you been all this long?”
“I live in Jaipur. You know that, right?”
“Okay. No, I didn’t. I knew you were from outside Delhi, though.”
“Chanda’s my sister,” he declared baldly.
Ruma gave him a startled look, beginning to connect the dots. “Oh my God! You’re my boss’s brother-in-law.”
Lakshman shrugged. “That’s one way of putting it, I suppose.” He placed his half-full cup of coffee down before taking her hand in his. “I’ve been meaning to meet you since so long. But I was caught up in family issues. I…”
Ruma smiled, turning pink again. “I did wonder if I had imagined your interest.”
“You didn’t call me either.”
Her eyes clung to his, even as she felt the gentle brush of his thumb against her palm. “I…I wasn’t sure.”
“Of me or you?” he asked with a smile in his eyes. He lifted her hand to press his lips to the centre of her palm, shaking her to the core. The texture of his moustache against her skin drove her nuts.
“Laki…” she sighed, shaking her head. She didn’t know what to say. She had thought a lot about him over a couple of weeks. But she had pushed those thoughts away when she realised that he wasn’t coming back.
He sat back, still holding her hand between both of his. “I missed you, Ruma.”
She felt choked hearing the emotion in his voice. They had barely exchanged a few words. She pulled her hand out of his hold. While she was attracted to him, it was all happening too fast. “I…umm…” she looked up at him. She wasn’t the dithering type. “Do you think we should get to know each other better first?” she asked firmly.
“Of course. Go on, tell me about yourself.”
She shrugged. “I’m Ruma Malhotra, born and brought up right here in Delhi. My parents are pretty orthodox while my Grandma is a darling. I get my own way mostly because I’m kind of pampered,” she grinned. “My elder sister Saloni is married and lives in California. My brothers Ryan and Shaan are younger to me. Ryan is doing his third year BMM while Shaan is in final year ISC. I’ve done my B.A. and my job at RS Software is my first. I have loads of friends that I hang out with. I love to travel but haven’t had many opportunities. And…what else? Let me see,” she bit on her lower lip. “Oh yeah, I love Facebook and spend a lot of time there. Now, it’s your turn. I know you’re Chanda’s brother. You also have an elder brother who came with you the last time. Who else in your family? And what do you do?”
Lakshman watched her avidly, not missing her pearly white teeth digging into her luscious lip. She was quite the chatterbox. “Ram is the eldest while I’m second. I have twin brothers Bharat and Shatrughan after that. Chanda’s the youngest of us all. My parents are old school but pretty open-minded. And I’m a baker.”
Ruma gave him a startled look. “Baker means?”
Lakshman smiled, his eyes twinkling. “I bake breads and sometimes cakes.”
“You do? You mean you’ve made a profession of it?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Do tell me more. I’ve always been fascinated with baking. What all can you make?”
He shrugged. “The usual—white, brown and multigrain bread, rolls, buns, croissants, puffs and a few types of cakes. I got to know that cakes aren’t really my forte. So, I hired a chef who makes them these days.”
“Hired a chef…how big is your operation?” asked Ruma, catching on that it was no small business he was talking about. She watched in fascination when the handsome dude turned a ruddy colour. “What?”
“Tell you what! Come over to Jaipur and I’ll show you what Laki’s Bakes does.” His voice had gone softer than ever as he gazed at her intently, as if he was willing her to accept his invitation.
“Hmm.” Ruma refused to reply to that one. It required a lot of thinking. They had met for a few seconds a couple of times with hardly any interaction before today. Yeah, they seemed to get along well. But she still needed to get to know him better before she decided to visit him in his hometown. He was a handsome devil and seemed to run his own business too! She couldn’t deny that she found him sexier by the second.
“It started as a fun activity, actually,” he continued, grimacing. “I always loved to play with dough, the different textures. And the varied aromas and tastes got me hooked for life.”
Sensual! Ruma nodded, totally fascinated. “How long do you plan to stay this time?” she asked.
“A couple of days. Do you work on Saturdays?”
“Nope.”
“Any plans for tomorrow?” he asked. She had lots of friends, she said.
“Yeah, there was this vague plan to go out with my gang. Nothing that I…”
“Oh, okay.” He should have called her first. But this was the first weekend he was free since Chanda’s wedding.
“Listen,” she placed a hand on his arm. “It’s nothing I can’t get out of. So what do you want to do?”
He smiled, his coal black eyes glowing with warmth at the touch of her fingers. “What would you like to do? Better yet, are you free to have dinner with me tonight?”
“Yes, of course.”
4
They took a cab to The Vapour Grill in Gurgaon. Ruma recommended it highly. On reaching, Lakshman excused himself for a few minutes to call Ranveer, while she went to study the buffet spread. “Hey man, how are you?”
“Hello Laki, I’m good,” answered Ranveer enthusiastically. He knew Lakshman was Chanda’s favourite brother. “So tell me, what’s up?”
“Would you newlyweds mind if I crash at your home for the weekend?” Lakshman came straight to the point. He wouldn’t have
minded staying at a hotel. But Chanda would probably kill him if he did that.
“Of course yaar. Do you need to ask? When are you coming? Tonight or tomorrow?”
“I’m already here in Delhi, dining with a friend. I…”
“What’s up dude? Want to tell me?” asked Ranveer, a grin in his voice.
“Nothing to tell,” replied Lakshman, dead serious.
Ranveer caught on that he wouldn’t get another word out of his silent brother-in-law. “Here, talk to Chanda.”
“Lakshman,” The family always addressed him by his full name as Mohan didn’t much care for shortened versions. “You’re in Delhi already and are telling us now. And where the hell are you right now?” Chanda was miffed.
“Chanda,” there was a depth of affection in Lakshman’s voice as he addressed his little sister, “you and Ranveer have been married for a little more than a month. I wasn’t keen on disturbing you. But…”
“Lakshman, don’t you dare say that. And why aren’t you here already?” Chanda was turning angry now.
“I just touched down in the evening and I’m meeting someone for dinner. That’s why called…”
“…to find out if you can stay with us. How could you?” her voice began to wobble.
“Chanda, please. You aren’t a kid any more. You’re Ranveer’s wife and I don’t want to butt into your privacy. You surely understand that.”
Ranveer’s phone was on speaker and Chanda turned red to the roots of her hair when her husband laughed. “Smart man, Laki,” said Ranveer, realising that his wife had gone speechless. “But that’s no issue. You please come on over once you’re done with your meeting. Unless you’d like me to pick you up from somewhere?”
“No, no. I can make it on my own. And I may be late. I hope…”
“Take your time. We rarely go to sleep before midnight. And today being Friday, it doesn’t really matter,” said Ranveer.
“Thanks Ranveer, Chanda. I’ll see you both later,” said Lakshman, cutting the call.
He walked back to the booth Ruma had settled in and sat down next to her, apologising, “Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to call my sister to tell her that I’m in town.”
Ruma nodded. “No issues. I just got here myself after checking out the food. Are you vegetarian?” She knew Chanda was.
Lakshman nodded. “Yeah, I’m. You aren’t,” he declared.
She grinned. “No way. I love all of them—poultry, seafood, pork.”
“So, shall we attack the buffet? Or would you like to have a drink first?”
“Let’s grab some food. I’ll have a fresh lime soda along with it.”
“I think I’ll have the same.”
They filled their plates with starters. Ruma got Lebanese Fish, Ajwaini Jhinga and Gosht Sheekh kabab while Lakshman opted for Grilled veggies, Paneer Tikka, Crispy Potato and Cinnamon Pineapple.
“Load up on some extra veggies, okay? I’ll take some from you,” said Ruma.
“I guessed as much,” said Lakshman, showing his overflowing plate to her.
Ruma grinned happily as they went back to their table, asking a waiter to bring them two glasses of fresh lime soda.
“So, do you drink? The hard stuff, I mean,” asked Lakshman, forking a piece of potato into his mouth.
Ruma munched on the jhinga, relishing the taste, her eyes closed, before replying, “Yeah, I do, but not too often. How about you?”
“Beer mostly. But, yes, I do drink sometimes.”
They chatted lazily about their lives, enjoying a leisurely dinner that ran over three hours. They went back a couple of more times to pick up items from the main course and later some desserts.
“You have a sweet tooth,” teased Lakshman, seeing the array of gulab jamoon, jalebi, cheesecake, tarts and ice creams. He had refused the sweets and opted to have a second glass of lemon and soda.
Ruma insisted on feeding him small bites from her plate. “You have to taste this cheesecake, Laki. It’s simply divine,” she said, carrying the scooped spoon to his mouth.
“If you insist,” said Lakshman, holding her hand as he bent down to take the spoon in his mouth. His eyes connected with hers and desire flared instantly. Ruma removed her hand from his in a hurry, leaving the spoon in his mouth, her heart beating rapidly.
She looked down at her plate, her eyelids feeling heavy because of the onslaught of shyness that gripped her at the burning look from his black gaze. It felt as if he was ensnaring her in a cocoon of heat.
Lakshman offered her the spoon just as she was about to pick up a new one. Giving him a corner-eyed brown glance, she took it from him and continued to dig into her dessert plate, refusing to look up at him. Her chatter had vanished as she finished her dessert in silence.
5
They agreed to spend the Saturday at Select CITYWALK, a shopping mall at Saket. “Let me pick you up tomorrow morning. Tell me what time,” said Lakshman, as they rode in the OLA towards Ruma’s home.
“Laki, listen. First of all, you’ll have to leave me a couple of streets away from my building. I don’t want my people to find out that I’ve been spending time with you. And as for tomorrow, I’ll meet you directly at the mall.” She was firm even as she refused to meet his eyes.
Lakshman frowned at her, getting irritated. Was she ashamed of being seen with him or what! He kept quiet, not saying anything.
She turned and looked at him, seeing the scowl on his face. She lifted his left hand that was lying between them on the seat and held it between both of hers. “Please understand that it’s nothing personal and I promise to tell you more tomorrow.” She turned to the driver and said, “Please stop at the side for a minute and I’ll get down.”
Lakshman was reluctant to let her go in the middle of nowhere, so late at night. But she was determined. “Ping me when you reach home,” he insisted.
With one foot outside the door, she turned to him and said, “Laki, I do this all the time. Please don’t worry. Okay, I’ll ping you,” she said, when she saw that he was about to argue. With a smile and a wave, she walked away from him.
Lakshman gave the driver the address to Ranveer’s home and sat back to think of his evening with Ruma, a serene smile on his face. His phone pinged after a few minutes. It was Ruma. “Thanks for the awesome evening. I’ve reached home. Eager to meet you tomorrow. Bye!”
“See you tomorrow, sweetheart,” replied Lakshman, adding a kiss emoticon. What the hell! He was deeply attracted to her and he wanted her to know.
Chanda and Ranveer were waiting for him when Lakshman reached their home. His sister glowed, obviously happy in her marriage. He hugged her, handing her the parcel their parents had sent her, before shaking hands with Ranveer.
They chatted for a while, with Chanda doing most of the talking. “So, who’s this friend who’s so important that you forgot to call me on reaching here?” A small fist attacked his shoulder.
Lakshman gave her a mysterious smile. “Will tell you in good time.”
Ranveer grinned, winking at his brother-in-law. “Chanda, I think you should let him be.”
Colour ran up Lakshman’s lean cheeks when Chanda stared at him accusingly. “Lakshman?”
He shook his head, refusing to utter another word on the subject.
Respecting his reticence, Chanda changed the subject and asked about the rest of the family. It was past one when they all got up to go to bed.
“By the way, I’ll be out the whole day tomorrow,” said Lakshman softly.
Chanda felt torn. While she wanted to spend time with her brother, it seemed he was keen to be elsewhere.
Ranveer offered, “Since you are here on Sunday, why don’t you spend time with your friend here? Chanda and I plan to go out for the day on a picnic with some friends of ours.” He had made the plan on the go, sensing the need for his brother-in-law to spend some private time with his girl.
Lakshman’s face lit up. “Are you sure?”
Ranveer nodded firmly, his hand
holding Chanda’s tightly, not letting her speak. “Absolutely. We’re out by 9.30 in the morning and we’ll probably return past eleven in the night.”
“And you’re welcome to use my car tomorrow, Lakshman. I won’t be needing it,” said Chanda, giving her husband a sideways glance. Ranveer had gifted her a Maruti Swift immediately on their return to Delhi after their wedding.
Lakshman nodded, overwhelmed. “If you guys are sure.” He hugged them both, wishing them goodnight before going into the guest bedroom across theirs.
The moment their bedroom door closed, Chanda turned on Ranveer. “What’s this picnic we are going on Sunday? Shouldn’t we spend time with Lakshman? He’s out the whole day tomorrow as well.” Why didn’t Ranveer ask her before deciding to go out for the day? He always consulted her about the way they spent their weekends. And it was so rude going away when they were having a family member visiting.
Ranveer shook his head, pulling her into his arms. “Sometimes Chanda, you can be such a baby,” he teased. “Can’t you see that Lakshman is a man on a mission? He’s not here to meet us. Don’t you think we should be helpful? I came up with that trip on the spot. He obviously needs to get to know his girl better. They’ll have more privacy here at home.”
Chanda’s eyes went wide as she pressed her hands on her husband’s chest, pushing back to look up at him. “Are you serious? Lakshman has come here to meet some girl?” Her silent brother—was he in love?
Ranveer nodded. “Yeah. So, tell me, what would you like to do on Sunday?”
6
Ruma went to bed with a smile on her face as she thought of her evening with Lakshman. Luckily, all had been asleep or at least in their rooms and she didn’t have to face anyone when she let herself into their home. Her smile disappeared when she thought of her parents. Shyam and Rati Malhotra were keen to get their daughter wedded to a business associate’s son. Ruma had disliked the man on sight. But they didn’t give a damn. Tying the knot with the Vaswanis would strengthen their business ties too. And the boy was well-educated and smart. What more could Ruma want?
Flaming Sun Collection 2: Marriages Made in India (Box Set with 5 novellas) Page 16
