A Loveless Arranged Marriage Chapter 6. Arvind and Shahina

  Previously, we saw Rishi and Deepa accidentally kiss each other while cleaning the house. Deepa also admitted the truth about her cooking. The next day, Rishi went to his office, and Deepa attended an interview in Churchgate. After work, Arvind invited Rishi to dinner on Friday night, along with Deepa. The problem was, how would he convince Deepa?

  Rishi arrived home, still preoccupied with how to convince Deepa. When she welcomed him, he noticed she seemed a bit tense. After he freshened up, he asked, “What happened, Deepa? You look a bit stressed.” She replied, “Nothing,” and he continued, “How did the interview go?”

  Deepa said, “It didn’t go well. I didn’t make it past the final phase.” Rishi realized it wasn’t the best time to bring up his plans, so he replied, “Hmm, don’t worry. It’s just an interview.” She managed a smile and then asked, “So, what are we making for dinner tonight?” Rishi replied, “Just rice and sambhar.” She responded, “Okay,” and he added, “I’ll cut the vegetables. You can make the rice.”

  Deepa replied, “Hey, I don’t know how to make rice.” Rishi said, “That’s okay. Just follow my instructions. When will you learn these things?” Deepa said, “Alright, but don’t blame me if it turns out badly.” Rishi smiled and said, “We’ll see how it goes.”

  He guided her through the process of making rice while he cut the vegetables. Once they finished cooking, they sat down for dinner. During the meal, Rishi asked, “Deepa, can I know your educational qualifications?” Deepa replied, “I have a B.A. in Economics. Why do you ask?” Rishi said, “My friends inquired about it after your call. I couldn’t provide the information, so I want to know for future reference.”

  Deepa asked, “What will your friends do with this information?” Rishi replied, “Nothing much, just curiosity.” Deepa inquired, “Just curiosity? Your friends ask about these things for no reason?” Rishi said, “Just leave it; they were curious.” He then added, “By the way, my friend Arvind invited both of us to his place for dinner tomorrow. Will you join me?”

  Deepa hesitated in silence, unable to respond. Rishi noticed her reluctance and said, “Deepa, I understand why you might be hesitant, but Arvind is my best friend and very close to my family. If you don’t join me tomorrow, it might raise doubts about our marriage.”

  Deepa thought about Rishi’s words. Seeing that she was still silent, Rishi assumed he couldn’t persuade her further and said, “Alright, Deepa, I’ll handle it.” But Deepa then spoke up, “No, Rishi, I’m okay with it.” Rishi was surprised and asked, “You are?” She confirmed, “Yes, I agree. It’s better to avoid any doubts about us.” Rishi smiled and said, “Okay, thank you for agreeing.” Deepa responded, “Fine,” and they both finished their dinner.

  Afterward, Rishi settled down to watch a movie in the living room, while Deepa decided to rest in his room. The next day, as Rishi was heading out for the office, he said, “Deepa, please be ready by 7 p.m.; I’ll come to pick you up.”

  Later, when he reached his residential building, he called Deepa to come outside. She emerged wearing a blue churidar and white leggings, standing near a blue car but couldn’t see Rishi. She called out, “Rishi, where are you? I can’t see you here.”

  Rishi responded, “You’re standing next to a blue car, right?” “Yes, but where are you?” she asked. “Open the door of that car,” he instructed. “Are you mad? I don’t even know whose car this is. Why should I open the door?” she replied. Rishi reassured her, “Don’t worry, it’s my car. I’m inside.” Shocked, Deepa walked over to the left-hand front door of the car. Rishi opened the window and waved at her.

  Deepa then asked, “Can you open the rear door?” Rishi complied, and she got into the back seat. As Rishi started driving, Deepa asked, “Rishi, is this your car?” “Yes,” he replied.

  She continued, “You could have waved from the car.” Rishi explained, “I assumed you would recognize my car, so I didn’t wave.” Deepa responded, “Okay. By the way, where does your friend live?” “He lives in Dadar,” Rishi answered. The conversation fell silent as Rishi focused on driving, while Deepa gazed out at the Mumbai cityscape through the closed window.

  After 45 minutes, they arrived at Arvind’s residence. Arvind and his wife, Shahina, welcomed them warmly. They all settled onto the sofas: Arvind and Shahina on one, and Rishi and Deepa on another, with some space between them. Rishi introduced Arvind to Deepa, saying, “Deepa, this is my friend Arvind and his wife, Shahina.” Deepa thought to herself, ‘Wait, Shahina is a Muslim name? I’ll ask Rishi about it later.’

  Arvind and Shahina greeted Deepa with smiles. Arvind then said, “Deepa, I’m sorry we couldn’t attend your wedding due to a last-minute ticket booking issue.” Deepa responded, “No problem.” Shahina added, “We were really disappointed not to be there. Rishi has always been a mediator between us whenever we had conflicts, so it was especially sad not to attend.”

  They engaged in casual conversation before starting dinner. As they ate, Shahina turned to Deepa and said, “Deepa, Arvind mentioned that you were attending interviews. Have you landed any job yet?” Deepa responded, “No, I’m still searching.”

  Shahina continued, “I work as an HR at a call center. If you’re interested, we’re currently hiring for a call center agent position. There’s no pressure; it’s entirely up to you whether you want to consider it."

  Deepa thought for a moment before agreeing to the job offer. Shahina then said, “Great! Please send me your resume and make sure to attend the interview tomorrow at 10:30 a.m.” Deepa nodded, “Okay.” Shahina then addressed Rishi, “Do you know the address of my company?” Rishi replied, “Yes.” Shahina added, “Then you can drop her off tomorrow.” Rishi agreed, “Sure.”

  After dinner, they took some photos and enjoyed more conversation before Rishi and Deepa headed home. During the drive, Deepa asked, “Rishi, is Shahina a Muslim?” Rishi responded, “Yes, she is. Why do you ask?” Deepa explained, “When you introduced them, I was a bit confused because her name is Shahina.”

  Rishi clarified, “Arvind is Hindu, and Shahina is Muslim. They had a love marriage.” Deepa replied, “I see. Shahina mentioned that you were their mediator during their courtship.” Rishi said, “Yes, in the early stages of their relationship, they had a lot of disagreements, often about their debate topics.” Deepa asked, “Debate topics?”

  Rishi explained, “Yes, their first meeting was at an inter-college debate competition. Arvind spoke in favor of communism, and Shahina argued for capitalism.” Deepa remarked, “Communism and capitalism are quite opposite topics.” Rishi agreed, “Exactly. The debate was so intense that the audience was confused about who was right.” Deepa asked, “Who won in the end?”

  Rishi replied, “None other than Arvind’s team. When the judges announced the winner, they said they couldn’t decide after hearing both of their debates.” Deepa asked, “What happened after that?”

  Rishi continued, “After the tournament, they exchanged numbers to participate in future debate tournaments together. They entered several competitions and won some debates. During these discussions, they fell in love. In college, Arvind often praised Shahina for her political knowledge and the solutions she proposed. Later, he admired her looks and character. I even asked him if they were in a relationship, but he denied it. Then, during our second year, on February 14th, he proposed to her.”

  Deepa asked, “Did Shahina accept the proposal?” Rishi replied, “She took her time to decide. After seven days, she accepted, but during those seven days, Arvind was constantly wondering if she would say yes or no.” Deepa commented, “So you used to solve issues when they fought over debate topics.” Rishi nodded, “Yes.” Deepa then asked, “When they decided to get married, did their parents accept their love?”

  Rishi replied, “Not at all; in Arvind’s family, they are very particular about caste, and in Shahina’s family, they are very particular about religion. When their families found out about their love, Arvind’s family tried to manipulate him by saying negative things about Muslims and their girls. In Shahina’s house, her father used emotional blackmail and started arranging her marriage. When Arvind learned about it, he was furious. They made a plan to elope 15 days before her Nikkah, and the plan was successful. When Arvind brought her home, his father didn’t allow them to step into the house. They had a fight, with his family insisting that they would only accept him if he left Shahina and forgot about her. But Arvind was very firm in his decision.”

  Deepa interrupted, “Rishi, can I know where you were during all this?” Rishi replied, “Actually, I was the key to the elopement mission.” Deepa was shocked. “What?” Rishi explained, “I was the one who introduced Shahina to Arvind first; she was my classmate in Chemistry tuition. I knew both of their families well, so it was easy for me to contact Shahina and explain the elopement plan. The elopement mission happened during our office vacation.” Deepa asked, “What happened after that?”

  Rishi continued, “There was a huge fight between Arvind and his family. I was worried that if Shahina’s family got involved, it might turn into a communal fight. So I brought both of them to my house. My mom was initially furious, but after I explained the situation, she calmed down. About 15 minutes later, Shahina’s family showed up at my house. Because of my parents’ reputation, the villagers stood by us. The police inspector also came, and his presence helped diffuse the situation. The next day, my mom advised the three of us to go to Mumbai instead of staying there. So we left for Mumbai, and after six months, Arvind and Shahina got married.”

  Deepa asked, “So how long were they in a relationship?” Rishi replied, “They were in a relationship for seven years, and they’ve been married for two years now.” Deepa remarked, “That’s quite a love story. They are both very determined about their lives.” Rishi nodded, “Yes, they are.”

  After this, Rishi and Deepa reached home, went to their room, and got some sleep. Meanwhile, Shahina lay with her head on Arvind’s lap as they watched a movie on the sofa. Shahina asked, “Arvind, did you notice something about Rishi and Deepa?” Arvind replied, “I didn’t catch it. What do you mean?”

  Shahina explained, “When I looked at the photos we took after dinner, I noticed that in every picture, there’s always a space between them. You even told me that Rishi doesn’t know her educational qualifications, and he hardly spoke to her before marriage. It’s making me doubt their relationship.”

  Arvind reassured her, “Shahina, why are you overthinking this? We know Rishi is introverted and shy. It’s hard for him to connect with people, so it will take time for them to get to know each other. Plus, it’s only been a week since their marriage. They need time. We maintain decency in public, even though some people are more familiar with us. Any more questions?”

  Suddenly, Arvind kissed her on the forehead. Shahina asked, “Why did you kiss me on the forehead?” He replied, “You are thinking too much. So to relax you, I gave you a shock treatment.” She replied, “I don’t think that’s a shock treatment.” He insisted, “Seriously, it is a shock treatment.” She got up and asked, “What if I think after that also?”

  He replied, “Then I will kiss you on the cheek,” and he kissed her on the cheek and said, “Like this.” She then said, “And if I still don’t stop thinking, then what?” He replied, “Then I will kiss you on your lips.” She replied, “And if even that doesn’t work, what will you do then?”

  He replied with a cunning smile, “It’s been two weeks since we had sex, so...” As he was saying this, he moved closer to kiss her, but Shahina pushed him away. She then jumped on him, and they shared a passionate kiss. After the kiss, Arvind said, “Let’s continue this on the bed.” Then they went to the bedroom and made love that night.

  The next day, Deepa and Shahina were having a cup of coffee together. While they were sipping their coffee, Deepa said, “Thanks for suggesting this job.” Shahina replied, “No problem. So, you’ve got a new job and are about to explore a new place. How do you feel now?”

  Deepa responded, “Kind of excited.” Their coffee was served at the table. After finishing their coffee, Shahina said to Deepa, “Okay, Deepa, I need to go now. I’ll see you on Monday.” Deepa replied, “Okay, bye,” and Shahina went to her cabin.

  Deepa then came out of the Deux office. When she saw the time, it was 12:45 p.m. She thought to herself, “It’s only 12:45 p.m., and even if I go directly to the flat, I will be alone there.” She thought for a moment and decided to explore Mumbai. She took out her mobile and searched for a famous place nearby.

  While searching on Google Maps, Deepa discovered that Chowpatty Beach was nearby. She decided to head there. Upon arriving, she found the beach relatively empty. Deepa first washed her feet at the shore and then sat on the sand, watching the sea.

  As she gazed out, she recalled her college days spent with friends at Kayalpattinam Beach and her time with Arul. This made her feel a bit emotional. After a while, she left the beach and went home. Once there, she had lunch and took a quick nap.

  In the evening, Rishi came home and first congratulated Deepa on her new job. They then began preparing dinner together. While cooking, Deepa shared the details of her interview with Rishi. After hearing her stories, Rishi asked, “Did you go to the Gateway of India?” Deepa replied, “No.”

  Rishi said, “You really missed a chance to see the Gateway of India.” Deepa asked, “Is it close to Chowpatty Beach?” Rishi replied, “Not very close, but if you had walked from Chowpatty Beach to the Gateway of India, you would have reached there in about an hour.”

  Deepa was surprised. “Seriously? It takes an hour to walk there?” Rishi nodded, “Yes, but the view at the Gateway of India is worth the time. You’d also get to see some romantic couples along the way. It’s a beautiful experience.” Deepa smiled and said, “Hmm.” They finished cooking and enjoyed their dinner together. Afterward, Rishi settled in to watch a movie.

  Deepa approached Rishi and asked, “Rishi, are you going to watch a movie?” Rishi replied, “Yes.” She then asked, “If you don’t mind, can I watch it with you?” Rishi said, “Sure, why not?” Deepa found a spot to sit and asked, “Which film are you watching?” Rishi replied, “Shyam Singha Roy.”

  Deepa got excited and said, “My favorite Telugu actors are Nani and Allu Arjun. The trailer for this movie looked promising, so I’m looking forward to it.” Rishi started the movie. After 2 hours and 45 minutes, the film ended, and both Rishi and Deepa enjoyed it. They then headed to their room and went to sleep. The next day was Sunday, so Rishi had the day off. Things were pretty normal, and they went about their usual routines. With that, the day came to an end.

  Let’s see in the next chapter how Deepa is doing in her new job. Until then, stay tuned.