‘I can send you a list of shows to watch, if you want. Should we exchange numbers?’ Akshay asked.
We exchanged numbers. Oddly enough, I was fine with him texting me.
‘Nowadays, work has been taking up so much of my time, that I don’t get the opportunity to do most of the things I like. I used to love playing squash, but can’t…no free time,’ Akshay said.
‘What exactly do you do?’ I asked.
‘I’ve joined Dad’s company as was expected. I look after the sales and marketing aspect of our products,’ he sighed.
I was sensing there was an undertone to his explanation. ‘Did you always want to join your father’s business?’
Akshay sighed again and answered, ‘Did I always want to enter textiles? No, I didn’t. But, do I want to earn money and establish myself? Yes, I do. Everyone does, I guess. But, I’m not sure if I want to do it just for the sake of doing it. Till I don’t find what I’m looking for, I guess textiles and Dad’s business it is.’
I smiled at him. Akshay was a genuine and real person. I couldn’t sense any of the Delhi pretentiousness that I’d heard of.
‘I’m sorry if I’m boring you with my sad stories about life,’ he said quickly.
‘No, not at all! I’m a big believer of following your dreams and all that crap. I hope you find what you’re looking for,’ I assured him.
‘Thanks, Naina.’
We then decided to head back as the stipulated twenty minutes ‘alone time’ was over.
On our ride back in the elevator, Akshay said, ‘I enjoyed talking with you, Naina. Arranged marriage meetings are not as awkward as they say they are.’
I couldn’t help but agree with him. This had gone better than expected.
Hmm.
Maybe, this wouldn’t be as bad as I thought it would.
Chapter 15
It was time for Boy Number 2.
Mr Rohan Agarwal.
This time around, I wasn’t as uncomfortable. Maybe, because I knew what to expect after the first meeting.
I was once again seated in my grandparents’ suite on the top floor of the Leela. It was exactly the same setting, the only difference being the boy and his family. Oh, my outfit was different too. I was in the red sharara that Mom had liked.
I had not been given the liberty of wearing what I wanted to, on both days. In my opinion, I resembled a red tomato. My face was a bit more made up than the previous night.
I had a bad headache. I had danced till the wee hours of the morning in last night’s sangeet function. Subha hone na de was playing on a loop in my head.
I discreetly checked my phone. It was 2 pm, and Sunaina must be on her way to the hotel from the airport. I couldn’t wait to see her.
The conversation this time around was a lot more animated than the previous night.
‘Uncle, I look after the expansion side of the business. Acquiring new projects…the legal part of land deals…’ Rohan was describing his work schedule to Dad. ‘I have single-handedly acquired a hundred crore worth of real estate myself in the past one year.’
Wow, this guy surely knows how to boast.
Dad seemed highly impressed. ‘Wow, beta, that’s wonderful. Doing so much at such a young age.’
Rohan’s father spoke up, ‘Well, he has expensive tastes. To drive around in an Audi R8, as Rohan does, you have to work hard.’
‘Please, Dad. You know it comes naturally to me. Also, the R8 is old news now. I think I’m buying the Lamborghini soon,’ Rohan announced.
Both Rohan’s mother and mine seemed to have hit it off.
‘Oh, you have to attend Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla’s fashion show tomorrow, Sapna. Their new collection is to die for. I’m sure you don’t get to shop much in Indore. I’m on their VIP guest list for tomorrow’s show. If you want, I can arrange a seat for you as well,’ Rohan’s mother said.
Mom seemed smitten by this lady. It’s like she had been given her favourite candy and she couldn’t get enough of it.
However, Avishi and Yohaan seemed to have trouble getting along with Rohan’s sister, Shreya.
She looked like a typical rich Delhi-ite who seemed least interested in what was happening around her. Shreya was mostly on her phone, busy texting. When Avishi tried to offer her something to eat, she shrieked, ‘No way! I have to look good for tonight’s party!’
Okay, then.
All of a sudden, Rohan’s mother looked at me. ‘Naina, beta, what’s your favourite brand?’
I seemed at a loss of words. Are these people for real?
Naina, speak! Form words!
‘Uh…I don’t know, Aunty. But, I think, Zara?’
Her face fell. My answer was obviously not up to the mark.
I could see Yohaan and Avishi trying to stifle their laughter.
Mom quickly tried to salvage the situation. ‘No, that’s not true. She’s just being modest and is feeling shy of speaking in front of everyone. She’s obsessed with Hermes and Christian Dior! ’
Mom, what are you saying? I love Zara!
‘Oh yes, I love those brands.’ Rohan’s mother nodded in agreement.
‘Emporio needs to get better brands now. Shopping in Delhi has become so boring,’ Shreya sighed.
‘Shreya, beta, it’s okay. You’re going to London to shop soon, anyway.’ Rohan’s father tried to soothe his daughter’s dilemma.
‘I think it’s time we let Naina and Rohan get acquainted with each other. They should go spend some time alone. Go and enjoy, kids!’ Nana announced abruptly.
I sighed. Nana’s level of excitement was incredibly irritating at times.
I followed Rohan out of the hotel room. Tall and good-looking, Rohan was the complete opposite of Akshay.
‘So, should we go sit by the pool?’ Rohan asked.
‘Sure, let’s go,’ I said.
We took the elevator to the poolside.
As soon as we were settled in our poolside lounging wooden chairs, Rohan lit a cigarette.
Hmm. That’s why he wanted to sit here in the open.
‘Sorry for this. I needed a smoke so badly,’ he confessed.
‘No worries.’
Well, at least he was honest that he smoked. I wasn’t a big fan of smoking, though. A smoke once in a while at a party was fine. Smoking every day was an issue.
‘How often do you smoke?’ I asked him. ‘If you don’t mind me asking.’
‘Seven to eight cigarettes a day, I guess. Is that a problem?’ Rohan asked me.
‘No, not at all,’ I lied.
Rohan finished his cigarette and crushed the butt in the ashtray.
‘So, how’s Indore?’ Rohan inquired.
I might be mistaken, but I sensed a derogatory tone when he mentioned my hometown.
‘Indore is great. Very different from Delhi,’ I answered.
‘Would you mind living in a place like Delhi?’
‘I’ve not given a lot of thought to it. Delhi is an amazing place, no doubt about that. It’s just something I’m not used to.’
My answer was extremely genuine, inner voice; please give me points for that.
Well done, Naina. You happy?
Yes.
‘I love Delhi. All the other cities of India are shit compared to it. We have the best restaurants, the best shopping and the best nightclubs. I can’t imagine living in any place other than here. You should see our house. It’s a huge sprawling property on Aurangzeb Road. The landscaping is phenomenal,’ Rohan described.
I don’t care about your big phenomenal house on Aurangzeb Road.
‘The best part is that there’s a golf course nearby. I love playing that sport. I can go to the range whenever I want,’ Rohan continued.
He lit another cigarette.
‘That’s nice. That you can golf whenever you want, I mean,’ I said. I decided I should say a few words here or there.
‘Uh-huh,’ Rohan said.
He took a long drag of his cigarette. ‘I really mis
s London. Been three years already since graduation. Apart from Delhi, I think London is the place I would call home as well.’
‘Oh, do you go there often?’ I asked.
‘Dude, if I could, I would go to London once a month. But, work has been taking up a lot of my time. But, I make sure I spend at least three months in a year there. I think I’m going to buy an apartment there,’ Rohan mused.
Oh, how good for you, you jet-setter.
Naina, let’s not be condescending.
‘Should we head back up?’ Rohan asked.
YES!
As we entered the hotel room again, both the fathers were in deep discussion about the real-estate business.
‘Rohan is doing an incredible job on our township that’s coming up near Gurgaon. It’s huge,’ Rohan’s father exclaimed.
‘I’m sure it is, Sanjayji,’ Dad said excitedly.
‘Suchitaji, I will surely take you up on the offer of the Abu Sandeep fashion show. I’m most excited now,’ Mom was animatedly talking to Rohan’s mother.
Rohan wasn’t the least bit concerned that he was reeking of smoke and settled himself between his mother and sister again.
I saw Rohan whisper something to his mother and she smiled happily.
What the hell was happening?
She turned to my parents. ‘Should we send the kids out to dinner, tonight? Rohan would love to spend some more time with Naina!’
‘Yes, that sounds perfect! Naina would love that as well,’ Mom and Dad shouted together.
Chapter 16
Walking in four-inch-high heels is never a good idea. Wearing them to an extremely casual club is an even worse idea. Sure, they were a treat to look at, but wearing them was another story altogether. It’s a mystery to me how women can wear extremely high heels and run in them, all the while making it look incredibly easy.
Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City!
Yes, inner voice, she is our idol.
I got off the elevator on the eleventh floor where my room was and yawned. It had been a long day.
Thank God I was going back home tomorrow.
There had been no way of getting out of going to dinner with Rohan. While I had thrown a crying jag and several temper tantrums, it had fallen on deaf ears.
‘We have committed to them, Naina. You are going for dinner. End of story,’ Dad had said with no expression on his face.
Would have been nice if you’d asked me once before committing to them, Dad.
Dinner had been no less than an ordeal, to say the least.
It was 2 am. No wonder I was tired.
I swiped my key card against the room door and opened it. Sunaina and Avishi were waiting for me.
Sunaina had reached the hotel earlier this evening, but because I had to meet Rohan, I hadn’t had a chance to spend time with her.
‘Welcome back, Naina! Spill everything,’ Sunaina said excitedly.
‘How was it, didi?’ Avishi asked.
My answer was to fall facedown on the bed and groan with relief. These shoes really were a bitch to walk in.
‘Can I please change into comfortable attire before I begin?’ I begged.
I got out of my extremely formal dress, and changed into pajamas.
I was ready to rant.
‘I only have one word to describe that meeting. Pathetic. Rohan is the most annoying person I’ve ever met. He’s another breed altogether,’ I said.
‘First off, weren’t we supposed to go to a formal place for dinner? As had been decided? When we were about to reach La Piazza, he changed his mind and decided that we’re going to Socialite. Socialite, guys! Did I look like I was dressed for Socialite?’ My voice gained volume.
‘What’s Socialite?’ Avishi looked confused.
‘Socialite’s a café/bar, where mostly college crowd prefers to hang out. It’s an informal place. Definitely not for highheeled shoes,’ Sunaina explained.
‘Besides, we didn’t even end up having dinner alone. A friend of his joined us. Some guy named Vidur.’
‘What? That’s so weird. The entire point was for the both of you to get to know each other better,’ Sunaina said, shocked.
‘Exactly. I mean, I’m not complaining. I don’t really care if we had dinner alone or not. I didn’t even want to go in the first place, remember?’ I said.
Avishi and Sunaina nodded.
‘But, what I am irritated about is that I wasted four hours of my precious time with that idiot. I could have easily spent time with you guys,’ I sighed.
‘It’s okay, Naina. Don’t be upset about that. But, you do know that you have to describe your night in more detail, right?’ Sunaina said. ‘This is not enough.’
‘Okay, so we’re seated in one of the booths at Socialite, when out of the blue, Rohan takes out a packet from his pocket. And then he starts rolling a joint. Out in the open. With no worries whatsoever. This guy literally behaves as if he owns everything around him.’
Avishi and Sunaina’s mouths fell open in shock.
‘I had the same reaction. When I commented that he should do this in the bathroom, he laughed at me, saying, ‘Don’t worry. I know the owner. No one can do anything to me here.’ I didn’t say anything after that, of course.’
The entire restaurant staff had pretended not to see anything.
‘May I add that he didn’t ask a single thing about me? Vidur and I were just bystanders in the conversation. It was mostly Rohan talking to himself, about his own life. Not talking, to be precise. Bragging. He was describing how he’s bored of partying in places, such as New York and London. He wants to go to places, such as Ibiza and St. Tropez now. New York, London, Delhi…These places are too commonplace now. Oh, and he wants to buy a house in the Bahamas. Apparently, that’s the “in” thing to do. I’m not exaggerating, okay.’
Sunaina and Avishi seemed more shocked by each passing statement.
‘I get that we’re all from privileged backgrounds. I’m the last one to ever say something like this; in fact, I hate people who act entitled. But, this guy, takes it to a whole new level. I’m sure he has a shitload of money lying around, but he doesn’t have to throw the info in everyone’s face,’ I continued, venting.
‘Can you believe he had the audacity to comment upon my watch? He said I needed an upgrade. Like, what the fuck? I’m twenty-two years old. I’m extremely happy with the current watch I have. He was, of course, wearing an ostentatious gold watch with diamonds on it. It was so blingy that it hurt my eyes.’
It’s not like I wasn’t wearing a good watch; it was a basic everyday Cartier model. But, apparently, that wasn’t good enough for Mr Money Bags.
‘Good lord! That is the most ridiculous story ever. I didn’t know Delhi boys were so stuck-up,’ Sunaina commented.
I replied, ‘I don’t think all of them are stuck up. Rohan is definitely an exception. Out of everyone we know, I think he must be the most brand-obsessed person. He was dressed from head to toe in high-end designer shit! However, as high-end as they may be, they were tacky as hell. His shirt print was loud and showy. His jeans looked like they had been plastered on him. I don’t know how he was even breathing. If I wore such tight clothes, I’d pass out, man.’
I took a deep breath and continued, ‘Since he showed no interest in having a conversation with me, I entertained myself by checking out all these weird things about him. So, I checked out how his hair was immaculately shaped and cut! How perfectly manicured his nails were! Everything was really prim and proper about him. I felt like a slob compared to him. Come closer and see my eyebrows? It’s a jungle up here.’
Avishi and Sunaina had a good laugh at my last comment. Especially cause it was true.
‘But…what really got my goat was his comment, and I quote, “I don’t get this new trend of parents sending their daughters abroad…alone. Too much freedom and liberty is being given to them, in my opinion.” It shocked me and I realized that this guy is stark, raving crazy.’
; I stared at Sunaina and Avishi.
Yes, that conversation had happened.
‘Guys, according to Rohan, women should not be allowed to work. Their place is only at home, or shopping, or attending kitty parties,’ I finished.
Both of them got up and gave me a hug. ‘Hey, so sorry that you had to go through this BS, Naina. This boy is really a nutcase,’ Sunaina said.
‘He is an absolute MCP.’ I said.
‘What’s that?’ Avishi asked.
‘You know. Male Chauvinist Pig. I wonder if he’ll have an objection to his sister studying outside India and working?’
He might not. Men had double standards when it came to their own families.
I shuddered. I couldn’t believe people like Rohan even existed.
Ssshh, it’s okay. It’s over now. At least, you respected your parents’ wishes.
Whatever, inner voice. This was not worth respecting their wishes.
‘Oh, wait!’ Another detail of the horrendous night came to my mind. ‘You know how, whenever I go out, I like to have an Old Fashioned?’ I asked.
Sunaina nodded. She was accustomed to my drinking tastes.
Avishi, however, shook her head.
‘It’s basically a whisky cocktail. So, I ordered one at Socialite, but Rohan raised an objection to that. He suggested that I have a glass of red wine instead. And…I was too shocked to disagree. Damn, why did I listen to him?’
I was really pissed off with myself for agreeing with him. On principle.
‘So, according to him, whiskey isn’t a “lady-appropriate” drink, right? Wine, on the other hand, is a suitable choice,’ said Avishi, curling her lips in a sneer.
I nodded in agreement.
‘Okay, shake it off. What should we do?’ Sunaina sprang up from her seat.
I shrugged. I wasn’t in the mood for anything. I’d even missed the wedding function so that I could meet this idiot.
‘Let’s order champagne! And an Old Fashioned for didi! We can listen to cheap Bollywood music and have our own little party!’ Avishi announced.
‘Yes, let’s do that!’ Sunaina got on the phone and ordered a bottle of Moet, along with my cocktail.
Wake up, girl! Page 8