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

by Sundari Venkatraman

  “I’ll come over soon, will surprise you guys.”

  “Can’t wait for that.”

  “Sure Sanjay. Catch you soon, bye.”

  “Bye and take care,” said Sanjay.

  Rahul had a satisfied smile on his face as he got ready to go out.

  Three

  Rahul ordered a cab to pick him up at 8.30 as he planned to get drunk at his own party.

  Some of his friends were already at the pub when he reached there. They waved to him as he walked up to where they were sitting. Three tables had been pulled together to accommodate all of them.

  Rahul could see Rita eyeing him from her corner seat as she patted the empty one next to hers. His honey brown eyes moved away from her, pretending not to see. He walked up to Joe and settled his six feet three inch frame into the seat next to his best friend. Running his fingers through his dark curling hair, he pushed back the strands that had fallen forward on his wide forehead. He smiled at each one of them, greeting everyone exuberantly.

  People shifted around and Rahul found Rita right next to him, with Seema on her other side. He heard Rita whisper “Sexy,” to the other woman but again pretended not to hear. The other men didn’t seem to mind the girls hovering around Rahul like bees to a honey pot.

  He asked Joe, “Where are Sam, Bets and the others, yaar? Are they coming?”

  “Yeah, man. They’re on their way.”

  “Come on, then. Let’s start the fun.”

  They all ordered another round of drinks and starters.

  Rita asked Rahul, “Dance?”

  “Sure, why not?” He went along with her swaying to the music. Rahul loved to dance. It gave him a great sense of freedom gyrating to the pulsating music. The beat got into his blood and he danced away feigning ignorance of his partner’s hungry looks in his direction.

  Rahul was aware of Rita’s attraction to him since the time they met three years ago. He had managed to keep her at arms’ length, treating her exactly as he would Bill or Joe. He ignored the deep sigh that rose from within her and continued to dance.

  He could sense Rita’s excitement when the music slowed down to a waltz. He immediately stopped dancing and insisted on guiding her to the bar, “You must be thirsty after that fast number,” he smiled, refusing to acknowledge her gnashing teeth.

  “Unromantic fool,” she muttered, loud enough for Rahul to hear. Not that he reacted to that either.

  Rahul appeared blissfully unaware of Rita’s irritation as he hummed the tune under his breath. He grabbed hold of two beers and thrusting one into her hand, took a long swig from his.

  “Hah! I needed that after the last two numbers. Enjoying yourself, eh, my Rita?” He gave her a friendly hug much to her annoyance. Rita was quite beautiful, a golden blonde with widely-spaced dark blue eyes. But she seemed not to spark any interest in Rahul, at least not the kind she craved.

  “Hey, Sab, Bets. Glad you made it. Where are the guys?”

  “Parking the cars,” they chorused. Sabrina and Betty were going steady with Sam and Ronnie. Rita did her best to catch Rahul’s eye as the other couples got engrossed kissing each other. But he was too busy getting some drinks for the new guests. Amongst a lot of backslapping and joking, the whole gang moved towards the dance floor.

  They danced the night away and Rita never got another private moment with Rahul, which was not surprising, actually. He made sure that he was never alone with her again that evening.

  It was four in the morning when the party broke up. Rahul dropped Seema on his way and reached his own house at five. He opened the front door and let himself in quietly.

  IT WAS NOON BY THE TIME RAHUL CAME DOWN THE NEXT MORNING. “Good Morning, Rahul,” greeted his mother in a surprisingly cheerful voice.

  Rahul raised his right eyebrow sardonically, “Oh, Morning.”

  “My dear Rahul,” she drawled. He scowled, hearing her saccharine tone. What did she want now? The eyebrow went higher.

  “My darling son,” Rajni continued, undeterred by his expression, “Congratulations!” she gushed.

  “Thanks,” the eyebrow stayed up, waiting for her to get to the point.

  “Darling! I’ve organised a party tonight in your honour.” His lip curled in disgust that Rajni pretended not to notice. “Everybody who is somebody will be coming over. You know how successful my parties are,” she clapped her hands in delight. “Despite the short notice, I’ve managed to invite everyone and organise the caterers, decorators and musicians. Anyway, I don’t want to bother your handsome head with details. They’re my department.” She sighed dramatically, as if she had done the cooking, cleaning and decorating singlehanded. “You just make sure you’re there. My friends can’t wait to meet you. They’re so envious of me. Sheila says, ‘Oh Rajni! You’re so lucky to have such a handsome and intelligent son.’ I can’t wait to catch the envy on their faces when they meet you today.”

  The truth was out, the real reason why his mother had spoken to him for the first time over the past few weeks. Not that they had been fighting or any such thing. She only spoke to someone if she had a personal stake in it.

  “Is Dad coming to the party?”

  Rajni wasn’t keen on her husband’s presence at the get-together as she believed him to be a bore. Looking at her son’s belligerent expression, she changed her mind and decided that Shyam’s attendance was a must.

  “Yeah, of course, dear Rahul,” she drawled. Her voice grated on Rahul’s nerves. He just nodded his head before walking away.

  “And Rahul,” he stopped without turning to look at her. “Be ready by nine; the dress code’s formal.”

  Rahul went into the kitchen to get something to eat. But the sight that met his eyes was startling. There were more than a dozen people working hard in the huge kitchen preparing mountains of food for the evening. Ramsay walked into the kitchen with an empty tray. “Good Afternoon Sir!” he greeted his young master. Grasping the situation in just a couple of seconds, he said, “Where would you like me to serve your breakfast Mr. Rahul?”

  Rahul was relieved to see the Man Friday. “Good Afternoon Ramsay. Can you please serve me in the garden? I’d love to have a typical English breakfast today. I’ll have some hot coffee along with it,” he said before stepping out of the kitchen via the back door. It felt so good to be out in the fresh air and Rahul stretched his arms high before sitting at the table that was set under a colourful umbrella. He opened that day’s newspaper and got engrossed in it before the smell of sausages wafted towards him. His stomach growled hungrily as Ramsay set the tray in front of him. He thanked Ramsay before tucking into the eggs - sunny side up - and sausages with bread and hot coffee, made exactly the way he liked it.

  Four

  As the affluent guests thronged the Sinha residence, Rajni was in her element, resplendent in a sequined sari, turquoise blue in colour. Hired waiters walked around serving the guests with drinks of their choice, fetched from the bar that was at one corner of the living room. A variety of snacks were carried around as everyone exclaimed over the lavish arrangements.

  Rajni proudly introduced her son to all her so-called friends. Rahul put up with this for a short while before moving away towards his father who was talking politics with another unfortunate husband. Shyam held out his hand to him, smiling. The resemblance between father and son was quite striking. They had the same determined chin and hard cheekbones. Only Rahul’s eyes were like his mother’s. Father and son shared a deep bond.

  “Ah, Rahul, come, my dear boy, meet Ramnik Arora.” He turned towards the gentleman next to him, “Ramnik, my son Rahul,” he said.

  Rahul shook hands with Ramnik Arora saying, “Hello, Sir, pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  A vision sailed along catching Rahul’s eye. She had a vivacious personality, with black hair and eyes. She was dressed in a black full-length sleeveless dress. As she moved, the dress parted on the left to show a slit up to mid-thigh. Rahul smiled at her. She walked up to them, slipp
ing her arm through Ramnik’s. At close quarters, her bright red, pouting lips and knowing black eyes turned Rahul’s smile cynical.

  “Shyam, Rahul, meet my only daughter, Aisha.” Ramnik proudly introduced the young lady.

  “Hello, Uncle,” she shook hands with Shyam and turned her flirtatious eyes to Rahul, “Hi, handsome!” and held on to his hand.

  Rahul looked amused as the older men excused themselves and moved on.

  “Hello yourself,” said Rahul.

  “The name’s Aisha.”

  “Hm… mm.”

  “I’m amazed that we’ve never met!” Aisha smiled at him invitingly, placing her right palm on his chest. “I would’ve never forgotten you.”

  Predatory!

  He smiled back at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners, “Well, I wouldn’t have forgotten you either.” And he would run a mile away if he ever caught sight of her first.

  “Let’s celebrate.” She dragged him towards the bar.

  Rahul went along for want of something better to do. He was fed up, not caring much for high society gossip.

  Aisha ordered a gin and tonic for herself while Ramsay passed Rahul his whiskey and soda. She watched Rahul as he looked around the room, his boredom obvious. Her eyes narrowed speculatively. She tapped him on his cheek to get his attention, “What’s up?”

  “Nothing,” said Rahul, shrugging his wide shoulders as he sipped from his glass.

  “I must congratulate you Rahul! Your mother’s so proud of your achievement.”

  “Thanks,” Rahul gave a half-smile, his eyes roaming around the room, looking for a way to escape the clinging Aisha.

  “Darlings,” Rajni descended on the two of them along with some friends.

  Rahul nodded curtly. Aisha gushed, “Rajni aunty, where’ve you been hiding your handsome son? No fair!” She pouted at Rahul’s mother.

  Smiling widely at her young guest, Rajni turned around to the others and asked, “Don’t they look great together?”

  Rahul jerked his head as if someone had chucked a bucket of cold water over him. Aisha smiled widely, smug as a cat. The other women nodded their heads vigorously, adding their own compliments.

  Rahul switched off. He didn’t hear the chatter around him as he turned his head this way and that, rather desperate to get away.

  “Rahul,” Aisha tried to claim his attention.

  “Excuse me! I think Dad’s looking for me. Here, Dad,” he called out loudly before slipping away. He stepped through the French windows into the beautiful garden. A cool wind blew across, ridding him off the cobwebs. He was irritated with his mother for her crude behaviour.

  Rahul shuddered as he recalled the scene he had just left behind. He breathed deeply to control his anger and took a couple of rounds. After calming down, he went to bed without bothering to say ‘goodbye’ to the guests. It was his mother’s party anyway.

  RAHUL WAS UP EARLY IN THE MORNING. After his jog and swim routine, he went for breakfast at 8.30.

  “Good Morning, Dad,” he called out cheerfully when he saw Shyam at the dining table.

  “Good Morning, Son.” Shyam looked up from his newspaper with a smile on his face.

  “Rahul, my darling boy, Good Morning! Where did you disappear to last night?” drawled his mother’s voice.

  Rahul’s eyes widened. That was a first - Rajni up early in the morning, that too, on a Sunday. Her day usually began at noon. He looked at his father enquiringly. Shyam shrugged his shoulders before burying his face in the newspaper.

  Rahul stared at his mother without replying.

  “Aisha was so upset when you didn’t return to the party. Isn’t she a charming girl? I think she’ll make you an excellent wife. I accepted the proposal when her parents put it forward.” She dropped the bombshell with a smug smile.

  Shyam came out of his newspaper once again and looked at his wife as if to check if she was serious. He said nothing. Rahul was big enough to fight his own battles.

  “Do you want my opinion?” Rahul’s voice was dangerously quiet.

  “Oh, come on, Rahul! You must surely agree. The girl’s beautiful and rich. She’s much sought after. You can’t find a better—”

  “How come this paragon’s still single?” asked Rahul, keeping a tight rein on his temper.

  “That’s because she’s chosen to be. But Aisha’s fallen flat for you,” said Rajni triumphantly.

  “No.” Rahul’s voice like a pistol shot.

  “Rahul, listen to me—”

  “No way! You stick to your shopping, friends and your parties. Don’t interfere in my life.” Rahul bit out the words through tightly clenched teeth.

  “How dare you? You’re my son, my only child. Have you forgotten that I’m your mother?” Rajni screamed at the top of her voice.

  “You gave up that right when you left me in Shanta Mausi’s care when I was barely a month old. Don’t you dare try to run my life now, after all these years,” Rahul warned her again, his golden brown eyes matching hers in temper.

  “Shyam,” shrieked Rajni. “Make your son understand that I can’t go back on my word.” She ordered. “You have to make him agree. He always listens to you,” she implored.

  Shyam gave her a benign smile. “In case you haven’t noticed, our son is above six feet tall and all of thirty years. He’s quite capable of finding himself a wife.” He didn’t elaborate further. Rahul finished his meal and gestured to his father before leaving the dining room without uttering another word.

  Rajni ranted and raved about ungrateful husbands and disrespectful sons. It seemed not to disturb Shyam one iota. He calmly read through the paper from one end to the other, sipping his coffee before he finally got up to leave too.

  “Shyam,” Rajni clutched at his arm, her fingers like talons. “You haven’t heard a word I said.”

  “I stopped listening years ago.” He slowly removed her hand from his arm, dusted his shirt sleeve meticulously, shrugged into his coat jacket and walked away.

  Rahul calmed down as he drove to the country club. His lips curved into a smile as he remembered the calm way in which his father had reacted during the drama. Good old Dad!

  His thoughts moved on to his mother. He had no feelings of bitterness towards her. She was what she was. But why this sudden crazy idea of getting him married? He shuddered at the idea of being tied to that man-eater.

  His recalled his last day in Mumbai six years back. He could still feel Meghna in his arms. He had kissed her innocent lips, forgetting that she was barely sixteen.

  Rahul came back to the present as the traffic light changed from red to green. He touched his lips in wonder as he had almost felt Meghna’s lips against his. He shook his head, smiling to himself.

  Now why had he recalled that scene with Meghna at the mention of marriage?

  When his father arrived at the club where the two of them played golf on Sundays, the first thing Rahul said was, “Dad, I’m going to Mumbai.”

  “Are you running away from your mother?” asked Shyam.

  “You’re joking, right? Come on, Dad, you know me better than that.”

  “I just wondered.”

  “Of course not. I was just thinking that I haven’t met Sanjay in a long time. I’ve never seen his kids. I can afford to take a break now, I think.”

  Shyam looked at his son affectionately. “If anybody deserves a break, it’s you Son. Get on with your plans.”

  “Mom—” Rahul hesitated.

  “Allow me to deal with her.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” Rahul hugged his father before continuing the game.

  Five

  Meghna jumped out of her bed as she felt drops of water on her face. “What the fuck—?”

  “Tch…Tch—such language on the dainty lips of a lady and that too first thing in the morning. What’s the world come to?” asked a lazily amused voice from her left.

  Meghna turned her head to look at a giant standing next to her bed. But the voice was human enough.
This man was taller than her brother who was six feet. It couldn’t be Rahul, of course. He wasn’t as broad or muscular as this guy in front of her. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she got up to have a better look and heard him laugh. It was definitely Rahul. He was grinning ear-to-ear, all set to spray her with water once again.

  “Rahul, you devil,” shrieked Meghna as she catapulted into his arms. He caught her in a bear hug.

  “Whoosh,” Rahul pretended to become breathless under the assault of her fists. “I s’pose you weigh a ton. You’ve grown up and how!” He exclaimed, holding her at arms’ length.

  Meghna barely reached his chest during those days. Now she was 5’8” tall with a slim figure and long, long legs. Rahul stared, fascinated. His eyes made a slow study of her, taking their time. “Wow,” the single syllable had more meaning to it than all the poetry in the world. Meghna’s face turned crimson. She moved away and rushed into speech to cover her embarrassment.

  “How’re you? When did you come? How’re your parents? I hope you’ll be here for a while—” she fired away rapidly.

  Rahul grinned at her, his brown eyes glowing. “Hold on. I just came here directly from the airport. Reema Bhabhi’s preparing breakfast. You get ready and let’s talk at the dining table.”

  “Just give me a couple of minutes.” Meghna rushed into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, washed and dried her face. Running a brush through her long silken dark brown hair, she stepped out.

  Rahul was waiting for her in the room checking out the clutter.

  “Same old Meghna. Messy desk,” Rahul wrinkled his nose at her.

  “I work comfortably the way it is,” she answered defiantly.

  “Typical,” said Rahul.

  “Rahul,” Meghna raised her voice warningly.

  Rahul put up both his hands, palms outward, “Peace,” he grinned, his eyes teasing her.

  “Peace, my foot,” said Meghna, her eyes promising murder.

  They walked into the hall where Reema was setting the table for breakfast.

  “Aloo parathas, yummy! Bhabhi, you certainly know the way to a man’s heart,” Rahul gave Reema a wide smile as Sanjay pulled a chair for his friend.

  Reema returned his smile. The four of them sat down to a hot breakfast and filter coffee.