Chapter 23

Children? Priya immediately sat up.  Aman followed suit.  Priya didn’t know what to say.  She was so shocked by what Aman had just told her.

“We can’t. We’ve already had this conversation.” Priya said.

“I know we have, but that was when we’d just met each other, and we lived in separate bedrooms.  I thought maybe since we’re actually living like husband and wife, it would make sense to think about children now.” Aman explained.

“I-I’m not ready for children. It’s a big responsibility to have children, and we aren’t in love.  A child needs a loving family.” Priya replied.

“We don’t have to be in love. We can just love our child.” Aman countered.

“No.” Priya said simply.

“Priya, you’re being unreasonable.” Aman stated.  His voice seemed calm with no hint of anger.

“I’m sorry,” Priya apologized.

“Don’t be.  I don’t need you to be sorry. I need you to be my wife.” The desperation was apparent in his voice.  Aman inched closer to Priya.  His hand slowly traced down her arm.  He laid her back down on his bed and hovered over her.

“I don’t…” Priya began.

“Just for tonight.” Aman interrupted.  He kissed Priya’s cheek and began to nuzzle her neck.

Priya’s body stiffened.  She felt Aman kiss down her neck.  She suddenly pushed him off and sat up again.  Aman groaned in frustration.

“Dammit Priya,” Aman said, irritated.

“I’m sorry.” Priya said quickly.  “I really am.”

“Isn’t the point of getting married to have children?  What the hell is the purpose of a marriage with no children?” Aman replied.

“Not all couples have children. They get married because…” Priya stopped.

“because they love each other and want to be together for the rest of their lives.” Aman finished what Priya wanted to say.

Priya looked down uncomfortably.  Aman sat up and looked at Priya.

“Look, every businessman has children so that those children will grow up and take over the company.  It’s why my father, who absolutely loathes children, had me, and it’s why we need to have children.  Now Priya, I’m trying so hard to make you comfortable.  We have to have children sooner or later.  I’m not thrilled about the added responsibility, but our children are the only one who can take over the business.  You understand, right?”  Aman explained. His gazed was so intensely fixed on Priya that she couldn’t bear to meet it.

“I understand.” Priya replied in barely a whisper.

“Good.  You’re right. Now isn’t the time, but one day…”Aman trailed off.

“Of course. One day.” Priya agreed, giving Aman a fake smile.

“Great.  Goodnight Priya.” Aman said.  He laid back down and turned his back to her.

Priya laid down beside him.  Her eyes were fixed to the ceiling.  She sighed knowing she wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight.

Payal sat at the kitchen table with a serious expression on her face.  She clutched her coffee mug tightly as she focused on her thoughts.  When Aman and Priya came downstairs and joined her in the kitchen, she didn’t even notice.

“Payal?” Priya said, trying to get her attention.

Payal didn’t respond.  Instead, she kept looking off into space.

“Payal, are you okay?” Priya tried again.

“Didi! I have to tell you something. Don’t be mad.” Payal said suddenly.

“Why would I be mad?” Priya asked, a little worried.

“Just promise you won’t be.” Payal replied.

“Okay. I promise. What’s wrong?” Priya said.  Aman had overheard their conversation and was just as curious to know what was on Payal’s mind.

“I think I’ve decided on NYU.  I can start in the spring term, in late January.” Payal announced.

“Why so soon?” Aman asked.

“She’s behind.” Priya answered for Payal. “She didn’t start in the Fall term because she was here.”

“Well then starting in Spring is great, Payal! NYU is amazing. You’ll love it. You know, Rajiv also studies there. He did his undergrad there and he’ll be working on his MBA there as well.” Aman said.

“Why would I be mad, Payal?” Priya asked seriously.

“I want to live in the dorms...not here.” Payal admitted.

“You can’t live by yourself! New York City is dangerous!” Priya exclaimed.

“I’ll have a roommate. I won’t be alone. Living in the dorms will let me make friends and meet people and I’ll have more fun.  It’s part of the college experience.” Payal explained.

“I lived at home and went to college. It was just fine.” Priya countered.

“But Didi! This is America! It’s different here.” Payal said in desperation.

“Priya, I think Payal may have a point.  Dorms are safe, and living on campus just completes the college experience here.  I think it’s a good idea for her to live on campus.  NYU isn’t far. You can visit often, and she can come here on the weekends if you want.” Aman argued.

Priya thought about it.  It all made sense, but she couldn’t just let Payal live alone in New York City.

“But…” Priya started.

“Please Didi!” Payal begged.

“Okay, but you’re visiting often. And I’ll visit you whenever I want to. I mean it Payal. Don’t be surprised when I just show up.” Priya warned.  She tried to keep herself from smiling.  Payal’s enormous grin wasn’t helping the situation.

“Yay! I’m not going to back India AND I’m living on campus!” Payal shouted excitedly.  She engulfed Priya in a huge hug.

“Okay okay that’s enough.” Priya said, pulling Payal away from her, “So why NYU? You spent weeks mulling over colleges.  Now you just choose NYU like it was the easiest decision you’ve ever made.”

“Well, Rajiv convinced me.” Payal admitted, blushing.

“Rajiv?” Priya questioned, looking at Aman, who smiled at her.

“Yeah. You know, he goes there.  He went for four whole years like Jija-ji said, so obviously he knows what he’s talking about.” Payal explained.

Aman was ecstatic! He knew Payal and Rajiv would hit it off.  If anyone, Rajiv would be there to look after her once she moved into the dorms on campus.  Even though Rajiv no longer lived on campus, his apartment was close enough.

“I’m going to go call him.” Payal said quickly, as she practically ran upstairs to her room.

“So Payal and Rajiv.” Aman said with a grin once Payal left.

“You were right. They’d be great together.” Priya agreed.  “I just can’t believe she’s leaving.”

“She’ll be right in the city, Priya and she’ll come here during weekends.  Don’t worry.” Aman said sincerely.

“Aman, about last night…” Priya started.

“It’s fine, Priya. Don’t worry about it.” Aman interrupted.  He left to talk  to the chef about what should be prepared for breakfast.

Priya sat down in the living room.  The newly added pressure to have children combined with news of Payal’s upcoming departure didn’t sit well with her.  Priya felt lousy.  Her only sister was leaving, and now Aman was upset with her.  It was a little too much to take in.  She could hear remnants of Payal’s blissful chatter as she animatedly talked to Rajiv on the phone.   A wave of anxiety flooded over Priya.  Aman came into the living room and sat beside her.

“Breakfast will be ready soon.  Tonight, there’s a party.  Hiten is hosting it.  It’s a New Years party.  Be ready at 9pm.  Do you think Payal will want to come?  I know Rajiv will be there. I invited him myself.” Aman casually spoke as if none of last night’s conflict bothered him.

“Sure, she’d love to go.” Priya replied.

“Are you alright?” Aman asked her.

“Of course,” Priya said quickly.

“Priya, don’t worry. Rakesh won’t be there.  Hiten and I have arranged for extra security and we’ve informed them that Rakesh should be nowhere near the premises.” Aman explained.

Priya hadn’t even thought about Rakesh being there! Her thoughts were on the conversation she and Aman had last night and Payal going to NYU.  That last thing she needed was Rakesh to worry about.

“Let’s go have breakfast,” said Priya. She stood up, in a hurry to get into the kitchen away from this conversation.  She took a step and suddenly stopped.  Pain ruptured in her head, and she felt dizzy.  She gripped the sofa to try to balance herself.  She felt a strong pair of arms around her waist, steadying her before darkness consumed her.

Priya woke up a few hours later.  She took in her surroundings.  She was tucked into Aman’s bed.  The lights were off, but sunlight shining through the windows illuminated the room.

“Are you okay?” Aman was sitting on the sofa, getting some work done on his laptop. “You fainted.”

“What?” Priya said, surprised.  “I fainted? Why?” Priya started to get up.

“Don’t.” Aman stopped her.  “I called a doctor.  She said it was because of stress and that you should be fine if you take it easy for the next couple of days.  She presecribed some sleeping pills to make sure you get a good night’s sleep every night.” Aman explained.  He made his way over to the bed.

“What time is it?” Priya asked.

“You were out for a while.  It’s around six now.” Aman answered.

“You didn’t go to work.” Priya noticed.

“Someone had to take care of you.” Aman smiled.

Priya could’ve sworn her heart skipped a beat.

“Didi! What happened? You fainted!” Payal heard Aman and Priya talking and came running into the room, concerned for her sister.

Priya winced at the volume of Payal’s voice.

“I’m fine, really.” Priya tried to convince Payal.

“I don’t believe you.” Payal pouted.

“Payal, I’ll be okay.” Priya tried again.  “The doctor said so.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t go out tonight.” Aman interjected.

“Where were you going?” Payal asked out of curiosity.

“All three of us were going to go to Hiten’s New Years party tonight.” Aman replied.

“Another party!” exclaimed Payal. Priya again winced.  Her head was pounding.  “Sorry Didi,” Payal said a little more quietly.

“No, we should go.” Priya said.

“Didi, you need to rest.” Payal replied.

“Actually Payal, I think you should go...with Rajiv. Neha will also be there and, of course, Hiten will look out for you. You’ll have a great time.” Aman said.

Payal looked unsure.

“But Didi…” She started to say.

“I’ll take care of her. Don’t worry.” Aman interrupted.

Payal looked at Priya for her permission.

“You go have fun.” Priya smiled weakly.

“Thank you Didi! What am I going to wear? Should I call Rajiv? Oh my god!” Payal said excitedly.  She quickly hugged Priya and exited the room.

“You should go too.” Priya told Aman.

“Who will I dance with though?” Aman replied innocently.

Priya blushed. Oh how she enjoyed dancing with Aman!  She felt bad that Aman couldn’t go because of her.

“Payal will be fine. I’ll call Rajiv to come pick her up.” Aman said, leaving Priya by herself.

Priya couldn’t let Aman miss his best friend’s party.  He’d already done so much for her.  The least she could do was manage a little headache for him.  She got up slowly, careful to steady herself once the dizziness set in.  She made her way to the closet and chose a designer anarkali.  It was a deep blue in the upper torso area with red and gold stripes down the skirt part.  There was heavy embroidery throughout, and it was totally appropriate for a late night terrace party.  She decided that the venue allowed for heavier eye makeup and got started with that.  After an hour of grooming, Priya thought she looked quite presentable.  She looked over at the clock. It was almost eight o’clock.  Aman said they’d leave at nine.

“Priya,” Aman’s voice sounded from the bedroom.

Priya emerged from the bathroom.

“You look…patriotic.” Aman commented.

Priya’s face fell.  Patriotic?  What was that supposed to mean?

“You look like the American flag.” Aman said, taking in her appearance.

“You don’t like it?” Priya asked incredulously.  She thought she looked rather okay.

“I love it. You’re beautiful as always.” Aman said with a smile.  “But we’re not going anywhere.”

“Aman, I’m fine, really.” Priya replied.  “You can’t miss your best friend’s party.”

“You aren’t feeling well.  We can’t take the risk.” Aman countered.

“Aman, please.” Priya pleaded.

Aman hesitated. He didn’t want to deny Priya, but he was concerned about her health.  He looked at her again.  She was completely ready to go. She must’ve put in a lot of time and effort into her appearance because she looked beautiful.

“Okay, we’ll go but only because it would be a crime to keep you inside while looking like that.” Aman said with a smirk.

Priya blushed.  She was happy they were going, and she was even happier that Aman kept telling her how great she looked.

“But seriously, Priya, if you feel sick at all, we’re leaving.” Aman said.

“Of course,” Priya agreed.

“Okay I”ll get ready and we’ll go.” Aman said turning towards the bathroom.

“Is Payal ready?” Priya asked, moving towards the door.

“Oh...she already left. Rajiv came and picked her up a few minutes ago, so it’ll just be us.” Aman explained.

“Okay, I’ll be downstairs.” Priya said.  She sent Payal a text message as she descended the stairs, informing her that she and Aman were coming as well.

The chef had prepared dinner.  Aman and Payal had already eaten, but Priya hadn’t had anything all day.  She sat down as one the maids served her.  She was finishing up when Aman came sauntering down the stairs.

“Are you ready?” Aman asked, as Priya hurried to wash her hands and grab a coat.

“Yeah, just about.” Priya replied.

Soon the couple were relaxing in Aman’s expansive black limo on their way to Hiten’s party.  After nearly an hour, thanks to the New York City traffic, they pulled up in front of a ridiculously tall skyscraper.  Large crowds of people packed into Time Square, waiting for the ball to drop and the announcement of the arrival of the new year to sound off.  Priya looked at the skyscraper. It looked plain, and there didn’t seem to be a party going on anywhere in the near vicinity.  Aman led her into the fancy lobby of the skyscraper.  He too her into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.  A security guard welcomed them as soon as the elevator door opened.

“Name.” said the scruffy-looking security guard, who didn’t even offer a smile.

“Aman Verma.” Aman replied.

The security guard searched the list.  His eyes widened slightly when he finally got to Aman’s name.  He started speaking with another security guard.  Then, he turned back to Aman.

“Welcom, sir.  Arty here will take you over to the VIP area.” he said.  This time, he had a wide smile plastered onto this face.

“Thanks.” Aman said a little unsurely before he motioned before he held out a hand to Priya.  She eagerly took it and they followed the other security guard.  They were taken up a flight of stairs onto the roof.

Only the roof didn’t look like a roof. It was completely decorated.  There was a dance floor, fancy lighting, and even a hot tub.  Two grand buffets lined two sides of the roof.  The DJ was blaring this year’s hottest hits as couples danced on the dance floor.  The security guard weaved Aman and Priya through the crowd and up another short flight of stairs. There, they were met with a lounge area with a private buffet and its own wait staff.  The walls were nothing but glass, and the view over Time Square was stunning.

“Aman!” Hiten came out of nowhere and engulfed Aman in a hug.

“It’s nice to see you too.” Aman said, trying to pull away from Hiten.

“Bhabhi! Thank god you came! Aman told me you two were going to miss my party.” Hiten said with a fake hurt expression.

“We’d never miss this, Hiten. It’s stunning.” Priya said, referring to the venue.

“Hiten, do you plan to stay in this glass box all night or are you actually going to mingle with your guests?” Aman asked, noticing that there were only a few people in the room compared to the massive crowd outside.

“I’ll get around to it. I just need some me space, you know.” Hiten said with a goofy smile.  “I can’t wait for this ball to drop.  Let’s which of these lucky ladies will be fortunate enough to kiss these delectable lips.” Hiten said animatedly.

His eyes landed on Priya.

“Don’t even think about it.” Aman said in mock anger.  Hiten grinned innocently.

Eventually everyone left the VIP room and proceeded to mingle with the rest of the crows.  Priya found Payal talking with Rajiv, and she and Aman also met with Nikhil and Neha.

“Didi! You look so beautiful!” commented Payal.

“Thanks Payal.” Priya said.  She sneakily fingered some icing off of the piece of cake Payal was devouring.  Aman smiled at her.

She was looking radiant, and she seemed like she was having a good time.  Aman felt relieved.  He took a seat beside her and started chatting with Rajiv.  His attention was on Priya though.  He couldn’t help himself from stealing glances at her.  She was just so beautiful.  His attention shifted to Hiten, who was trying really hard to flirt with some girls.  Aman knew he’d just invited them because they were attractive.

Finally, midnight was approaching.  Everyone watched the ball.  It’s gorgeous crystals and bright lights demanded everyone’s attention.  Everyone stood up and started cheering as the ball started to drop.

“Ten, nine, eight,” the crowd went wild and started counting down the last ten seconds before the start of the new year.

“Three, two, ONE! Happy New Year!!” The crowd erupted in joy.  Streamers and confetti came bursting out of cannons that were located at each corner of the rooftop.

Couples shared New Years kisses.  Some even dived into a full on make out session right in the middle of the rooftop.  Priya was confused.  Everyone around her was sharing a kiss with their significant others.  She saw Nikhil and Neha share a kiss. Even Hiten had found himself a willing girl.  Priya turned to Payal, expecting to find her just as puzzled as she was but instead saw Rajiv plant a chaste kiss on Payal’s cheek.  Before Priya could say anything, she felt someone pull her away, dragging her from the crowd.

This was a really long chapter! Yay New Years! Happy early New Years everyone!!  I’ll probably update next year just so it makes sense :P  Priya’s gorgeous outfit on the right btw. The whole American flag comment Aman made was because I mistakenly searched for a patirotic Salwar kameez, thinking that they were celebrating the 4th of Juy instead of New Years. My bad haha! Anyways, I hope Priya is okay.  Someone just dragged her away. Who could it be?

Tell me what you thought of the chapter! Were there enough Aman-Priya moments?!

COMMENT AND VOTEE!!!!!