Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters from India Box Set (The Malhotra Bride; Meghna; The Runaway Bridegroom)

by Sundari Venkatraman

Things were not going the way she had planned. Her bosom rose and fell in agitation, drawing Akshay’s eyes, adding to her discomfort.

  Fascinated, Akshay stared at the movement of Sunita’s breasts with each rapid breath she took. The sari enhanced her curvaceous figure and made her all the more attractive. Realising that he was not helping the situation, Akshay raised his brown eyes to look at her reddened face.

  It was not easy meeting those bold and knowing eyes. For the first time in her life, Sunita felt tongue-tied.

  Akshay watched the many emotions chasing one another on her face. He waited patiently for her to utter the words that were struggling to get past her vocal chords. Sunita cleared her throat and declared baldly, “I don’t want to get married.”

  “To me or just anyone?” he asked.

  Sunita raised her head to look at him. Akshay drew his breath as he glanced into her lovely eyes at close range. He felt himself drowning in those grey-green pools.

  He caught himself up when he realised that he had missed what she was telling him. “Why don’t you first wash your face, Sunita?”

  She got up immediately to do his bidding as she felt quite silly by now. She washed her face, removing all traces of the bizarre make-up. She placed her tikli in the centre of her forehead, outlined her eyes with a thin line of kohl and went back to sit down in front of him.

  On seeing her, Akshay surprised himself into thinking, ‘I wouldn’t mind getting up next to this face every morning for the rest of my life.’ He looked at Sunita expectantly.

  “I don’t have anything against you, Mr. Malhotra—” Sunita stopped as Akshay raised a hand in protest.

  Then she continued, “Okay, Akshay then. I just don’t want to get married now.’

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean, ‘why’? I don’t want to get married, period. I don’t want to become a bahu so early in life and get stuck in the kitchen. I want to see the world, travel. I want to have a career. I want to become something other than the wife of a businessman and mother to docile children, be a washed-out personality doing nothing other than whatever my husband pleased. Getting married wouldn’t allow me the chance to fulfil my dreams. I hate marriage.” Sunita was quite red in the face by the time she came to the end of that speech.

  “Why not get married and do all that?”

  Sunita looked at Akshay as though he had taken leave of his senses.

  “Akshay”, she smiled with mild sarcasm. Akshay swallowed hard. He was a lost case by now.

  “Hmm— tell me.”

  Sunita wondered why he seemed like a cat that had swallowed the cream. She said, “How’s that possible? Marriage means I’ll spend all the time for my husband and new family; work in the kitchen; serve my parents-in-law—” her slight figure shuddered as she counted on her slender fingers.

  Akshay just about managed to stop himself from grabbing her hand and kissing her fingers one by one as she brought them up for counting.

  “No Sunita, you won’t be bogged down by any of those things. I’ll help you manage—”

  Sunita cut him short in desperation, “No, please, I don’t want to be married.”

  Akshay was surprised at his own behaviour. It was just yesterday that he had protested more than Sunita about getting married to a stranger. And here he was, doing his best to persuade her into wedding him. What had changed? He already knew the answer, of course. He had fallen for this gorgeous young lady. If he read the signs right, she won’t escape marriage. If it wasn’t him, it would be an Akash or Aditya who tied the knot with her. Akshay shuddered at the thought of anyone else being her husband. No way!

  “Sunita, how do you plan to remain unmarried?” asked Akshay.

  “That’s simple! You go down and tell my parents that you don’t like me.”

  “That’s a blatant lie,” said Akshay, fascinated with her line of argument. Sunita made a face at him.

  “Why don’t you tell your parents I’m not good enough for you?” countered Akshay.

  Sunita glared at him. “I’m a mere female. They won’t listen to me,” she said bitterly.

  “Tell me something, Sunita. What happens once I refuse to marry you?”

  Sunita’s face split into a wide grin. Akshay felt the kick directly in his solar plexus. “The wedding will be off.”

  “And later?”

  “I’ll be able to pursue my dreams.”

  Akshay felt quite sorry for her. “If I say ‘no’ to you today, there’ll be other suitors knocking at your door. I don’t think your parents will give up.”

  Sunita stared at him in horror. Of course he was right. No wonder he was so good at business. Akshay had a tough time keeping his arms to himself when all he wanted was to hug and comfort her.

  He jumped from his seat and paced the room, mind racing, trying to find a way to persuade her to marry him.

  “Oh, my God! What do I do?” whispered Sunita pathetically.

  Akshay sat down next to her, enclosing her small, cold hands in his large ones. “I’ve an idea.”

  Hope stirred in Sunita’s eyes as she looked at him expectantly.

  “Marry me and—”

  Sunita pulled her hands out of his grasp and sprang to her feet.

  “I should’ve known—”

  Akshay pulled her back to the sofa. “Hear me out before leaping to conclusions.”

  Sunita nodded her head reluctantly, looking unhappy.

  “Let’s get married now for the sake of our families. You can pursue your career. I promise not to interfere. We’ll go on trips around the globe, places of your choice. I’m too busy with the business to take up much of your time. We’ve servants to take care of the house and kitchen.” Akshay looked at the silent Sunita. Would she agree?

  She was sorely tempted at the picture he painted. Where was the hitch?

  “Are you sure? Your parents might not approve. We’ll be in a joint family.”

  “Do you want to live separately?”

  “Not really, just that I love my freedom.”

  “I can vouch for my parents’ non-interference.”

  “Why do you want to do it?” she asked, taken aback by his persistence.

  He thought quickly. “My parents are also keen that I get married. It’d better be soon if I’m to live in peace,” he said, fingers crossed behind his back.

  Sunita ran out of arguments. It sounded like the only solution but she was afraid of losing her identity. Talk about falling from the frying pan into the fire.

  Sunita stared as his right eyelid dropped down in a wink. He grinned charmingly. “Why not look at it as an adventure, Sunita? If we find that we’re not compatible at the end of three years, we’ll part ways. You’ll be free, a rich woman, with a career all set up. You won’t have to answer to anyone.” He stared at her, looking for signs of capitulation.

  She was still not convinced.

  “Trust me, little one, you’ll get out of this unscathed,” Akshay promised.

  She looked at him warily.

  “Take your time. No hurry,” Akshay smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners, making him handsomer than ever.

  Sunita reined her straying thoughts. She had been sure she was in total control and would send Akshay away. But what was he doing here still, trying his utmost to wed her? His reasoning was perfect. But—

  “So what do you say?” asked Akshay, confident of getting his own way.

  “I don’t know,” Sunita grimaced. “You paint a perfect picture. But marriage is not what I want now.” She shook her head in denial. “Forget it. I’ll face the consequences, whatever. Just now, please say ‘no’ to the proposal.” She wanted out.

  “Why don’t we keep our options open? We’ll wait for a week before giving an answer.” He was confident that she’d agree.

  Sunita was used to dealing with things head on. She didn’t want marriage and she couldn’t think of one reason to keep her answer a secret.

  Akshay looked at her doubtful expression,
wondering how best to handle her resistance. It suddenly dawned on him that the decision to wait or refuse lay totally at his command. A slow smile spread on his face. For the first time in his life Akshay decided to make use of his power over another human being’s life.

  “Well, Sunita,” he said, “we’ll wait, say till next weekend,” his voice brooked no arguments, “and then meet again to take a decision.”

  Sunita gave him a frustrated look as she realised that he had not left her with a choice. Her expression turned mutinous. She raised her chin and gave Akshay a belligerent look and said, “That’s up to you. I’ve made up my mind. And it’s no.” She was firm.

  “Sunita,” Akshay’s voice softened, “is it too much to ask for a week? Don’t be childish. You can always give your ‘no’ after a week.”

  Sunita refused to look at Akshay. His persuasive voice and arguments could put a lawyer to shame. Unable to argue with his logic, she capitulated, saying, “Okay, a week it is.”

  Akshay quickly hid his triumphant smile and put out his hand to Sunita, “Deal?”

  Sunita nodded her head as she placed her hand in his. She wondered for a minute what she was letting herself in for. Mentally shrugging her shoulders, she promised herself that it was for just a week. Neither Akshay nor her parents could force her into a wedding.

  “See you then, Sunita! I’ll be in touch. Bye!” Akshay left, leaving Sunita in a confused state of mind. She left Dadaji’s room for her own and lay down on the bed to take deep breaths, hoping to calm her agitated thoughts.

  It was barely 15 minutes before Leela burst into her room to ask, “What happened, Sunita? What did Akshay say to you? Didn’t you treat him well? The Malhotras just left saying that they’d call us later. Pappa’s worried. Tell me what happened.” Her voice steadily rose with each sentence. She had been sure that Akshay Malhotra would fall for Sunita at one glance and the wedding fixed immediately. She couldn’t believe that the Malhotras were making them wait for an answer. What had this girl done to offend him?

  Sunita looked at her mother steadily and asked, “What’s the panic, Mamma? Let them call when they’re ready.”

  “But why, Sunita?” Leela’s voice rose by a few more decibels.

  “What do you mean why?” Sunita was quick to anger. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask your precious Akshay Malhotra himself? I’m sure he has an answer to everything,” she muttered.

  Gokul Rishi entered the room quietly as she was talking. “Sunita,” his voice sounded like a whiplash and Sunita jumped out of the bed to stand in front of him, her head bent. “What did you say to Akshay Malhotra?”

  “Nothing, Pappa,” Sunita’s voice was small. She reminded herself that her father’s bark was worse than his bite.

  “Why? Did you pretend to be dumb?” Gokul Rishi’s voice thundered.

  “Of course not, Pappa,” Sunita stood her ground.

  “Then what happened?”

  “Akshay Malhotra told me that we’ll wait for a few days before reaching a decision.” Sunita did not quite meet her father’s eyes.

  “Oh!” Gokul Rishi sounded slightly calmer. “What else did he say? I hope you didn’t offend him in some way.”

  What did her father think she was? An automaton without an ability to think, she supposed. Didn’t he credit her with any feelings at all?

  “Of course not, Pappa. I was very polite and answered all his questions,” which was the truth anyway. Her father need not know what the question and answer session had been about.

  “Well then, I suppose we’ll have to wait for them to contact us.” Gokul Rishi sounded disappointed as he might as well be. Akshay Malhotra was the catch of the decade and he had been confident that his daughter’s beauty would definitely clinch the deal. But the young lady’s tongue tended to run away with her. He had been a mite worried on that score. That was not the case, it seemed. He left the room with Leela dragging her feet behind him.

  Sunita vowed then and there that her children would surely have complete freedom. She wondered what kind of a father Akshay would make. Most definitely not like Gokul Rishi. Akshay was much more sensitive than that. He had understood her need for freedom. She pulled herself short. What was happening to her? Akshay was considerate. So what? So were a number of men. Take her Dadaji for instance. He was extremely thoughtful. She wondered how he had fathered a son like Gokul Rishi.

  Sunita turned around as she heard her door open to see her dear Grandpa walk in. She ran to him and dragged him over to the sofa. She sat down at his feet, waiting for him to speak.

  “My dear Sunita, what do you think of Akshay?” It was nice to know that someone wanted her opinion.

  Sunita’s face puckered in concentration. She was close to Grandpa Ratan and he encouraged her to be open with her views. “Dadaji, Akshay seems to be a charming person. Very good-looking, speaks well and—but you know all that,” she ended.

  “Yes. But how did you persuade him to wait?” Sunita raised her shocked gaze to meet her grandfather’s twinkling eyes. “Come on, little one, this is your Dadaji. I’ve known you since the day you were born.” He ran a gentle hand over Sunita’s head and waited patiently.

  Sunita told him what happened after he left her with Akshay. She felt too silly to confess about her bizarre make-up, but the rest of it came tumbling out.

  Grandpa Ratan was a good listener and he had listened to every single story of her life. He sighed. His grandchild had grown into an attractive young woman. She was on the verge of getting married and going to live in her husband’s home, leaving behind her Dadaji with only fond memories to keep him company.

  “So, how do you like the idea of marrying Akshay?” asked Grandpa.

  Sunita wrinkled her nose at him, “I told you, Dadaji, I don’t want to get married.”

  “My dear, Akshay is a gentleman and will make you an excellent husband. Please don’t take any drastic decision. He’s right in persuading you to wait for a week,” said the wise Grandpa.

  “What’s in a week, Dadaji? What difference is it going to make?”

  “Hmm.” That set Grandpa Ratan thinking. She was absolutely correct. Unless something special happened to change her mind, what difference would a week make? He reached a decision and got to his feet after moving Sunita’s head from his lap. “Okay, little one, sleep well. I hope morning throws better light on the situation.” Kissing her forehead, he left for his own quarters.

  Sunita refused to go down for dinner. She did not want to face her parents’ accusing eyes. She went to bed after a warm shower and managed to sleep for a few hours despite all the confusing thoughts.

  Six

  Sunita woke up in the morning and got ready for her class. She usually had a glass of fresh fruit juice for breakfast. But today, she was hungry as she had not had dinner the earlier night. She went into the kitchen to persuade the cook to make her a paratha before turning towards the dining room.

  “I’m worried about this alliance, Gokul. What do you think the Malhotras will say after one week?” That was Leela’s voice, soaked in anxiety.

  Sunita did not mean to eavesdrop. But she couldn’t just walk in on the conversation or walk away from it either.

  “Leela,” Gokul Rishi’s impatient voice answered, “don’t bother your head with this. What will be the worst? They will say ‘no’.”

  Sunita relaxed on hearing that. It looked like there was some hope left for her.

  “But,” panic rose in Leela’s voice, “how can you be so cool about this? What will happen to Sunita if they say ‘no’? How will she get married?” Anyone listening to her could be mistaken into thinking that Sunita was old and ugly without a chance in heaven of catching a reasonably smart groom.

  “Don’t be silly, Leela! What if the Malhotras say ‘no’? Next week, I’ll have a queue of boys outside our house and conduct a swayamwar for our Sunita.” Gokul’s voice gushed with pride and arrogance.

  “Thank God for that, Gokul,” Leela sounded relieved.
“I didn’t sleep the whole of last night worrying about this. I should’ve known that you’ll have an alternate plan.” Her voice was full of admiration for her husband’s strategy.

  Sunita was shocked. Even Akshay Malhotra’s warning had not prepared her for this. ‘Oh, my God!’ she thought to herself, ‘can’t I escape matrimony after all?’ She imagined meeting prospective grooms as her father made them queue up in front of her and lost what little appetite she had. She quietly left the house by the back door without meeting her parents.

  She was distracted in class. She probably should have stayed away. She waited until such time when she was sure that her father would have left for work before returning home.

  Sunita left the institute and walked out of the gate, her head hanging low, deep in thought.

  “I hope I’m not the reason for that heavy scowl on your lovely face.” Only one person she knew had that sexy baritone. Sunita’s head went up with a jerk to see Akshay standing just a few feet away.

  She gave him a pained smile before saying, “Well, not directly.”

  Akshay’s eyebrows went up in query. A deep sigh reverberated through Sunita’s body.

  “You’re looking tired, Sunita. Didn’t you sleep well?” Akshay’s voice was gentle as he tried to befriend her. He couldn’t believe it was the same woman from last evening. The spark was missing.

  Sunita gave him a bitter look, shaking her head. “No sleep, no breakfast! My whole life’s gone topsy-turvy.”

  Placing a gentle hand under her elbow, Akshay firmly led her towards his car. She walked a few steps before realising what he was up to.

  “Hey!” She came to a stop in the middle of the road, making a Maruti screech to a halt, the driver swearing wildly. Akshay dragged her to safety after apologising to him.

  Sunita tried in vain to prise Akshay’s fingers off her elbow. “Just let go of me,” she hissed, shaken by the near accident.

  “Sunita,” said Akshay, “get in the car and let’s go somewhere private.”

  “No, let me go. I’ve to get home.” She was adamant.

  He dragged her to the passenger side of his Audi none too gently, opened the door and pushed her into the seat. Or he tried to! She refused to put her feet in and did her best to get out of the car.