Page 71 of One Hellish Desire

She paces in the room like she owns it. I watch her expressions. She’s in a dilemma. I block her way to stop her from pacing.

“Don’t worry, this isn’t going to change anything we’ve decided so far,” I assure her.

“So, the marriage is On?”

There’s hope in her voice. I want to cup her face and kiss her, to assure her I’d miss anything to make that happen.

“We’ll have to prepone it to this week,” I say.

She gives me a long stare, deciding if she really wants this. “Fine.”

Her approval is everything I wanted to hear.

“But I don’t trust your mother. She won’t let us marry.”

I agree. Mom doesn’t like her, but I have a solution I know Maahi will never agree to. I watch her pace in my room again, thinking hard.

“We should be worrying about Daadi too,” I add. “Though it was her dream to see us married, I don’t know if she’ll believe it easily. I want her to think we’re marrying out of love, not to resolve the Devki Estate matter.”

She nods. “Leave it to me. I’ll handle her. Can you tackle your mother?”

I don’t know why, but seeing her so desperate for this marriage makes me grin and also invokes some intense desires from the deep corners of my heart.

“I can tackle her now, but what will you do after marriage? She’ll be full-time with us.”

Maahi looks away, as if hiding something. I hope I’m wrong. A knock on the door scares her, as if she’s afraid to be seen in my room. She scans the room, looking for a place to hide, but I warn her.

“Don’t even think of that.”

She gulps, nodding in agreement. If we’re marrying, it’s high time our family sees us together often. I open the door. It’s Mom. She’s about to say something when she sees Maahi in my room.

“What is she doing here?” Mom asks.

“We were talking about something important.”

Maahi walks to us and smirks at my mother, who looks away. I exhale in a rush. Why is Mom so cold to Maahi? I realize the other day Maahi shouting at Dad has worsened their bond, but I have to fix it. Maahi says goodbye to me and walks out of my room.

“Have you decided when we’re flying back?” Mom asks.

“No. But I spoke to Ajay. He can handle things alone until next week.”

“Next week? I can’t stay here for a day more. Your father is so adamant about leaving.”

“Daadi is still unwell. She has to be fit to travel as well.”

Mom stares at me, as if I’ve said something unimaginable. “You mean she’s coming with us?”

“I can’t leave her alone here. She’s stayed years without us, not anymore. We are her family, Mom. If we don’t welcome her, who will?”

“No, that’s not my point. You think I never invited her to the US? I have, Vikram. But she has always refused.”

“I’ll speak to her this time. She won’t deny me.”

Mom shrugs. I see she’s happy I’ve decided to leave, and even if we take Daadi along, she doesn’t mind.

“Fine. Speak to her.”

She palms my cheek and walks out. What she hasn’t realized is that we’ll take Maahi along too. She’s soon going to be my wife and will stay with me. Damn! I can already see my dreams coming true. A lazy Sunday morning in my penthouse, Maahi waking up in my arms, and me kissing her until she falls back asleep.

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