She pulled out the phone Ethan had given her, scrolled to the audio file she needed and played the recording she’d made in LA.
“What’s this nonsense?” her mother exclaimed.
“This is my music. Songs I wrote and recorded.”
“It’s really good,” Sameer chimed in. “Who knew you had this kind of talent, sis. You should audition for American Idol, yaar.”
“Oh yeah, or that new Indian reality show about rich kids who give up their parents’ wealth to pursue their dreams,” Naina hollered, clapping her hands.
“Shut up.” Arjun glared at Sameer and Naina. “This is why you ran away?”
Divya waved the phone. “I left to explore a dream you would never support. Now I know this is what I want to do with my life. I want to work on my music, be a singer. I never wanted to marry Vivek, and if you guys had listened when I tried to tell you before, I wouldn’t have had to run away.”
Silence settled over the room, broken only by Simmi’s fussing. Rani took the baby and went upstairs, sending a sympathetic look at Divya.
“What is wrong with you, Divya? You are going to throw your life away to become a cheap bar girl?” Her mother’s voice was full of fury.
“Being a musician is not like being a bar girl. Look at Lata Mangeshkar.”
“Girls from our family don’t engage in such professions. You don’t want to marry Vivek, fine. We’ll find you another boy to your liking,” her father said. “Is this the reason you shamed us all by running away from the wedding mandap? Do you know all the horrible news stories that circulated about you?”
“I don’t want to get married,” she yelled, then took a breath. “I want to be independent. I want to make my own decisions, about who I marry, about what I do. I love all of you, but I feel smothered. I can’t breathe. I had to run away because none of you would listen to me when I tried to tell you I didn’t want to marry Vivek. You forced me into a choice I did not want to make. Now I am telling you what I want, what I need.”
“And do your new needs include that gora?” her mother asked, her voice dripping with disdain.
No, no, no, this is not the time to talk about Ethan. She didn’t want the focus to be on their relationship right now. She wanted to establish her independence with her parents and let them get to know Ethan before bringing him into the picture.
“Divya, it’s best to tell them the truth.” Divya looked at Arjun. He’d had a similar conversation with his parents when he’d fallen in love with Rani, and she knew he’d struggled with choosing between his family and the love of his life. He nodded encouragingly.
She took a breath. “Yes, Ethan and I are in love and I’m going to keep dating him.”
Clank! Her mother set her teacup down with extreme force on the coffee table, cracking the saucer. “This girl has gone mad. Mad, I tell you! You have known that boy for, what, five, six days, and you think you are in love with him?”
Divya looked to Arjun. “How long did it take you to realize you were in love with Rani?”
Arjun looked toward his parents and then at Divya. She silently pleaded with him to help. He’d always been her ally with her parents.
“Americans are not like us, Divya. An Indian boy understands that when he dates a respectable girl, it’s with an eye toward marriage. American men date for sex. You will not cheapen yourself like that,” her mother said matter-of-factly.
She wanted to tell her parents that their views of Indian men were antiquated, and the realities of modern Indian dating were that men and women pretended chastity in front of their parents and enjoyed themselves behind closed doors.
“How about we invite the dude to dinner and find out what he’s thinking? We all know Divya’s a little...” Sameer circled his finger near his head and whistled. “Maybe he finds her just as annoying as we do.”
Divya gave Sameer a grateful smile. Ethan would follow the plan she’d laid out and show her parents that he was serious and respectable.
“I don’t think we should encourage the boy any more than you already have,” her father said coldly.
Divya shot Arjun a desperate look, silently pleading with him. Arjun met her gaze and sighed. “I think we should invite the man to dinner, get a feel for him and sort things out.”
Her mother looked like she was going to explode, but Arjun stood and put his hand on her shoulder. Divya knew that Arjun would talk to their mother and calm her down before dinner.
Divya stood. “I’ll go invite Ethan.”
“You just got here,” her father said quietly. He stood and stepped up to Divya, holding his arms out.
She got up and collapsed into his arms, hugging him tightly. The tears she’d been holding back flowed down her cheeks.
“Please, don’t leave again, beti. Each day you were gone felt like years to me. Like I was missing a piece of my heart, a chunk of my soul.”
Sobs choked through her as she settled onto her father’s chest and he held her tight, running his hand over her head, like he used to do when she was a little girl and had fallen on the playground. All of the emotions, the pent-up stress, bubbled over, and she felt unable to hold herself up. Sameer wrapped his arms around her from behind, and Arjun, Karishma and Naina joined in. They all held each other for a long time, crying. Divya soaked in their love. How did I ever think I could live without them?
When they finally untangled, Divya looked at her mother, who was still seated, drinking her chai. “You must be tired, Divya. Go rest. We will talk tonight at dinner.” The firm set of her mother’s jaw told her that the night wasn’t going to be easy.
“I’m going to go talk to Ethan and let him know about the plans for dinner.”
“No need. Arjun will call him and personally invite him. Your sisters have been crying themselves to sleep, missing you. You can wait a few hours to see your aashiq.” Her mother almost spat out the Hindi word for lover.
“But Ma...”
Her mother held up her hand and cut her eyes to Karishma, who gently took Divya’s arm and led her upstairs. Divya’s feet moved of their own volition, her eyes glued to the look of anger and disappointment on her mother’s face.
They went to the room she’d be sharing with Karishma, who talked nonstop and insisted on getting all the details. Five hundred rooms in this hotel and we all have to stay in the same apartment. But there was an advantage to sharing with Karishma: she could sneak off to go spend the night with Ethan and Karishma would cover for her.
Naina and Sameer joined them, and her siblings filled her in on everything that had happened immediately following her wedding escape.
“I swear, Divya, I thought Dad would have a heart attack when Arjun and Sameer returned without you after you ran out of the hotel gardens,” Naina said. Divya’s stomach soured. “But that was nothing compared to what happened after the social media posts started and they found out who Ethan was. I love that BrideSnatcher hashtag.”
Sameer chimed in. “There were all kinds of conspiracy theories. Somehow the Indian media latched on to the idea that you and Ethan were planning a secret takeover of our family business to overthrow Arjun.”
Divya gasped. Such a thing was unfathomable, but she could see how the media could get out of control. Family feuds were the bedrock of Bollywood movies.
“Arjun and Dad had to fly overnight to India to calm the shareholders,” Sameer said, his voice suddenly quiet.
Divya’s head hurt. How could she have been so irresponsible? If she’d stopped to think about her actions, she would’ve seen all this happening. Arjun hadn’t gone to India for Karishma’s college graduation because he didn’t want to leave Simmi, yet he’d had to leave his wife and baby because of her. Her chest was uncomfortably tight. She barely heard everything else her siblings had to say.
“I should check my email,” Divya said weakly.
Sam
eer nodded. “That would be good. We’ve had some problems with the contracts for the new hotel in Washington. I could use your help.”
Knowing that she had a lot to catch up on, her siblings left as soon as she opened her laptop. She turned on her regular phone, which Karishma had thoughtfully plugged in. There was no way she could possibly get through all of the text messages, but she sent replies to Hema and her close friends, letting them know that she was okay and promising to talk to them soon.
As she immersed herself in her work email, she didn’t notice the buzzing of the phone Ethan had given her. She’d discovered that Sameer had downplayed the disaster he and Arjun had to deal with. Investors were threatening to pull out of their new project in DC, and several urgent contracts that she had prepared before the wedding remained unsigned. Sameer had been worried about her and hadn’t been able to focus on the work. She’d seen this pattern before: first his work suffered, then the pressure of catching up got to him. If she didn’t take over now, he would spiral, and once that happened, recovery took months. She had to stop it before it got worse.
I’ve only been thinking about myself.
Karishma reappeared, holding a tray of tea and snacks. “We’d better start getting ready for dinner.”
Divya gasped as she realized that hours had gone by. She guiltily grabbed Ethan’s phone to see several missed messages from him. “I need to go see him,” she said to Karishma.
“Div, dinner is only an hour away. You can wait that long, can’t you? Or are you all hot for him?” She hugged herself and made kissy faces.
“Stop! I need to talk to him before he comes over here. Cover for me.” With that, she stepped outside to the balcony and looked down at the great room to make sure the coast was clear. Ethan had texted her his room number and she went straight down. Arjun had given him one of the best suites in the hotel.
As soon as she arrived, Ethan pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “I was afraid you’d forgotten about me already.”
Tears stung her eyes. “We need to talk.”
Eighteen
Ethan didn’t need her to spell it out for him. He saw it all over her face. She’d been sucked back into the family fold.
“I love you.” It’s all he had left to say to her.
She sniffed. “And I love you. Change of plans.”
“We’re switching from a Bollywood plot to a Hollywood one?”
She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “I need to prep you for dinner with my parents. They know we’re involved. They are going to grill you about—”
He kissed her. “Divya, I got this.”
She stared at him. “You don’t understand. Things have to be...”
He looked into her deep dark eyes, trying to tell her without words that he’d do anything for her, that he finally understood what it meant to love someone. She had shown him how real relationships worked. She’d brought him closer to his family; now it was time for him to do the same for her.
She looked at him uncertainly. He cupped her face, then bent his head and pressed his lips softly to hers. “I’m ready.”
One thing was clear: if Divya was going to be happy with him, her family had to accept him.
* * *
Divya put on a conservative black dress, did her makeup and added the right amount of jewelry. When she went downstairs, it was clear that her mother approved. She was the last one to arrive. Everyone was dressed somewhat formally. Even Simmi was wearing a cute red dress and had a little bow in the few wisps of hair on her head.
Divya’s stomach churned. She’d forgotten to tell Ethan to dress up. His standard-issue jeans and polo would not go over well. She rubbed her temples. This is going to be a disaster.
The table was set for dinner, and waiters stood in the corner ready with a tray of samosas and pakoras. She looked at the time and cringed. Ethan was a minute late.
The bell rang and she rushed to answer it, but one of the staff beat her to it. Her heart stopped when she saw him. He was wearing a perfectly fitted black suit with a French-cuffed shirt. Wow. Even though she’d just seen him a half hour ago, she needed to touch him. To make sure he knew that she loved him.
Arjun stepped forward to greet Ethan, and her heart swelled at the sight of her brother shaking Ethan’s hand and slapping him on the arm. Her parents were standing by the living room couches, and Arjun escorted Ethan to them. “I don’t think we formally introduced everyone,” Arjun said good-naturedly. Divya guessed that Rani had talked to Arjun, perhaps reminded him how difficult it was for them when they first announced their love.
Ethan stepped to her parents and bent down and touched their feet. Divya gasped. She hadn’t briefed him on pairi pauna, an Indian tradition where you touched the feet of your elders as a show of respect and to get their blessings. She’d never expected Ethan to understand an archaic custom like that, nor had she felt comfortable asking him to do it. Rani had told her all about the first time she’d met Divya’s parents. Arjun had asked her to do pairi pauna and Rani had felt disrespected. Being Indian, she didn’t agree with the custom. Divya never expected Ethan to understand.
She leaned against the wall to steady herself, her knees suddenly weak. A hushed silence fell in the room. Her mother’s hand instinctively touched Ethan’s head in blessing, just like it would when Arjun or Sameer touched their feet. Divya could almost see her mother’s heart melting.
“What would you like to drink, Ethan?” Sameer broke the stunned silence.
“A beer would be great.” Divya did a mental face palm. She’d forgotten to tell him about the family drink.
“I’m sure room service has some,” Sameer said easily.
“Whatever you’re having is fine,” Ethan amended.
Sameer handed Ethan a tumbler of whiskey. Ethan gallantly took a sip and tried not to grimace as he swallowed. Divya noticed Sameer also had a tumbler in his hand and she frowned. He wasn’t supposed to be drinking. While he was addicted to painkillers, his therapist had warned her that any substance use could cause a relapse.
The waiters circulated with the appetizers, but no one seemed hungry.
“He’s really hot, especially in a suit. I hope you’ve seen him without all those clothes?” Karishma whispered. Divya shushed her before their mother’s owl ears caught wind of their conversation. Her parents still thought she was a virgin. It had always galled her that they never had that expectation of her brothers, but now was not the time to dwell on the gender hypocrisy in her family.
“Tell us, Ethan, how is it that five days ago, you professed your love in front of all of us, thinking Divya was another woman, and now you’re here to convince us that we should trust our daughter to you?” Apparently her mother wasn’t going to give Ethan a chance to settle in.
Divya silently pleaded with Ethan to go with the story she’d concocted: that Pooja was his best friend and had asked him to save her from the wedding. Ethan was facing enough judgment just being American.
“There’s this notion of love at first sight. It seems irrational to believe in something like that. It feels like it only happens in films. I was indeed trying to break up my ex-girlfriend’s wedding, but that’s because I’d talked myself into wanting to love her. I’d lost hope that I’d find the kind of love I was looking for. And then I met Divya.”
Divya sighed. She knew Ethan meant well. He was trying to be genuine, but he had no idea what he’d just done.
* * *
“Wah! Karan Johar couldn’t have written a better line.” The sarcastic comment came from Divya’s father. Ethan had no idea who Karan Johar was, but now was not the time to ask.
Divya had warned him to expect her parents to be blunt, and they clearly weren’t wasting time. Not even a minute or two of polite small talk? He didn’t want to play the games Divya had suggested. He wanted to be honest with her parents. If he and D
ivya were going to have a future together, he needed to develop a relationship with her parents too. He’d spent his entire life feeling like an outsider in his family; he would not be the man who created a rift with hers. He would win them over. He had to.
“How do you know this time it’s real, and you’re not mistaken again?”
“Dad,” Divya said pleadingly.
“Why don’t we sit down to dinner?” The soothing compromise was offered by Rani, who was struggling to hold on to her wiggly baby while carrying a bowl of baby food.
Divya took the baby from Rani’s arms, expertly turned Simmi around and settled her on her hip, giving her a kiss on the head, all in one move. The baby giggled and extended her pudgy little hands to touch Divya’s face. Ethan’s chest constricted. Everything he ever wanted was right there next to him. He just had to be strong enough to get it.
Rani took the baby back from Divya and settled her into a high chair. She waved for everyone to take their seats. Divya motioned to Ethan, who took a seat next to her and grabbed her hand under the table. She quickly pulled it out of his grip. All eyes were on them.
“If the whiskey isn’t to your liking, we can order some beer,” Arjun said, nodding towards the still-full tumbler Ethan had set down on the table.
“It’s great,” Ethan responded and lifted the glass to his lips, his stomach curling at the smell of the whiskey. He could almost see his dad sitting at the dining room table, glass in hand, barely looking at him as he signed the papers disowning him. His own father hadn’t wanted him. How did he expect Divya’s family to accept him?
Six waiters appeared, each carrying a different dish. They went from person to person, ladling food onto their plates. Ethan swallowed the bitter-tasting whiskey.
“So, tell me, Ethan. Why do you want to date a girl from India? Surely there are plenty of American women who’d be interested in you. Someone you have more in common with.” Divya’s dad’s tone was friendly but his eyes stared Ethan down.
Running Away with the Bride--An opposites attract romance with a twist Page 14