Page 38 of One Hellish Desire

“I do, but later. Before that, let's eat.”

I'm afraid of what Vikram wants to talk to Shyam about and why. Could it be about Devki Estate? Is he going to ask Shyam directly? No way!

I serve Daadi as usual. I had asked her privately why my favorite dishes were on the menu. Her reply had baffled me.

“It's a tradition, Maahi. Just like a bride accepts and adopts wholeheartedly the culture and lifestyle of the groom's family, even the groom should be judged to see how much he is ready to accept the bride's choices,” she had said.

And I agreed. But I don't know if Shyam will really like my kind of food. I hope he does. We have been on group lunches and dinners before. He always ordered his part and asked me to order mine. He knows what I like, just as I know what he likes, but he never showed any interest in trying my favorite dishes.

“That's very spicy,” Shyam tastes the paneer gravy and quickly drinks water to ease his burning tongue.

“Maahi likes it that way,” Daadi mentions.

“Really? Please don't try that ever again.”

My smile evaporates. I pass him another gravy which is milder than the paneer. I don't want him to stay hungry because of my choices. When I turn to Vikram, I find him eating the same spicy gravy, which obviously is not his choice either. My jaw hits the floor seeing him fondly relishing that dish. Even Daadi is surprised because, staying abroad, Vikram has a mild taste in spices and doesn't enjoy the desi meals that often, but it seems like he liked what was cooked tonight. The dinner continues, and Shyam gives the same treatment to three more dishes. Fortunately, Daadi has specially cooked the same dishes according to his taste too, which fixes his mood. But Prince Pompous is on a roll to eat my favorites. I wonder why and how he is able to sustain so much spice. Then comes the dessert, and Shyam denies the gulab jamuns and picks the rasgulla instead.

“No one eats gulab jamuns at our home. But we like kheer. Maybe you can learn some authentic kheer recipes from Daadi,” Shyam commands.

I give him a blank stare and offer the gulab jamuns to Vikram.

“Maahi, he won't eat gulab jamuns either. You know he's not very fond of sweets either,” Daadi reminds me.

I had almost forgot. I am about to take the plate away when he picks one gulab jamun surprising both me and Daadi.

“I can eat one,” he says, biting it and staring right into my eyes. I'm not sure what to infer from this situation.

The moral of the story is that my fiancé has no regard for my likes, and the man who is so desperate to break my alliance wants to give it a try.

The dinner completes, and we all settle on the couch in the living room. While Daadi is busy talking to Shyam, I use the opportunity to corner Prince Pompous.

“What do you want to talk to Shyam about?”

He smirks. “Nothing you don't know about.”

His confidence scares me.

“Don’t speak in puzzles. Just tell me.”

“Maahi? Come here. What are you doing there?” Shyam calls, interrupting our talk. Reluctantly, I sit next to Shyam while Vikram takes a seat opposite us with Daadi.

“Let’s get to the point,” Vikram remarks. “I called you here for an important discussion.”

“I’m all ears,” Shyam replies.

“You must know about Devki Estate.”

Daadi and I go blank. I knew it. He’s going to talk about that property, but what? Shyam hesitates.

“What about Devki Estate? I mean, of course, I know that land belongs to Maahi now.”

“Right,” Vikram nods. “Daadi made a small mistake, though.”

I watch Vikram with hooded eyes.

“She assigned fifty percent of it to the man who marries Maahi.”

Shyam leans forward, becoming serious.

---