Page 34 of Forged By Fate

“I can feel the wheels in your brain turning at warp speed,” he growled into my ear.

Oh, help! Viren had a panty-melting baritone at any given time of the day, but the sound and feel of it rumbling in my ear when he was still groggy from sleep was simply lethal.

He turned me over for a good morning kiss, but I placed a finger over his lips.

“First things first, we need to set some ground rules before we set off a riot downstairs,” I said sternly.

Viren nipped at my finger and then sucked it into his mouth, making me moan.

“Stop distracting me, Mr C,” I scolded, swatting at his shoulder. “I’m serious.”

He shook his head sadly.

“This is the reward I get for making you come three times last night.”

I rolled my eyes and went on.

“We cannot let Sufi and Daima know we’ve had sex. If they ever find out, they’ll up their little matchmaking game, and when things do fall apart, as they will eventually, they will be heartbroken. And I can tell you right now, if they get involved in our business, you can kiss your amicable divorce goodbye.”

Viren’s jaw clenched at the reminder of the end of our relationship, but he could hardly blame me for trying to minimise the damage to everyone who was so invested in our relationship.

“Fine! State your terms,” he said grouchily.

“My terms are very simple. No touching or kissing, except when we are alone in our bedroom.”

“I accept. In return, I have my own terms,” he said. “You will not meet, call, text or even think about that smarmy quack as long as we’re together.”

“For fuck’s sake! Dhruv is neither smarmy nor is he a quack. He’s a very well-qualified neurologist who heads the neuro department at Mumbai’s biggest hospital. And I’m thinking of having him check you out for brain damage,” I snapped.

“I’ll damage every part of his body if he comes anywhere near me,” growled Viren.

“This jealousy is very strange,” I said primly.

“I’m not jealous. I’m merely a good judge of people, and I don’t trust that snake,” he replied, stretching his arms over his head, drawing my attention to his biteable biceps and perfect pecs. Show-off, I thought with an eye roll.

“May I suggest you tend to the wildlife on your side of the family and leave my friends alone? Now, can you show me how to turn on that shower, please? It looks complicated.”

“Sure,” he replied, with a grin that I did not trust. “I’ll show you how to use it.”

I was right in not trusting that grin because Viren’s idea of help was far more hands-on than I had expected. The quick shower I had planned turned into a leisurely exploration of each other’s bodies that ended in frenzied lovemaking. As a result, we were quite late to breakfast, and the whole extended family were already going into the dining room when we went downstairs.

I was convinced our activities of last night and this morning were written all over my face, and I went to extra pains to avoid Viren. He sat at the head of the table, and when Tahira went to sit at his right, he frowned at her.

“That’s my wife’s chair,” he told her point-blank, and she flushed angrily before she flounced over to the chair next to her aunt. I was about to sit in my usual chair between Aisha and Sufi, so I was very surprised to hear that. He gave me a meaningful look, and I realised he wanted us to portray the perfect happy couple in front of Laxmi Aunty, who was watching us like a hawk.

She looked disappointed when I sat down next to Viren. Daya Bua, who sat opposite me, gave me an approving smile, and I tried very hard not to roll my eyes at this drama. I mean, we were pretending to be happily married for half this crowd while also pretending to be completely indifferent to each other forthe other half of the same crowd. I didn’t know if I was skilled enough to pull off such a deception.

Like when Viren got some butter on his chin while eating his paratha, I was tempted to wipe it off because that’s exactly what a loving wife would do. But Daya Bua and Sufi were watching me as closely as Laxmi Aunty and Tahira, and they would know our status quo had changed if I so much as looked at Viren. So, all I could do was nudge him lightly with my knee, and when he looked up, I kept my eyes on my plate as I scratched my chin once to indicate the spot where he had butter. Luckily, he got the hint and wiped it off with his napkin while I smiled at Aisha and coaxed her to eat one more paratha.

Tahira left to attend a meeting immediately after breakfast, and Viren’s aunt took Laxmi Aunty to the club to reminisce about the old days when Deven and Disha were alive. I didn’t know how Viren’s Chachi could even be civil to the woman who was trying to steal her granddaughter away. Did she have no loyalty? Or was her hatred of me greater than her love for Aisha?

I knew she had always wanted Viren to marry Tahira, but he had never shown any interest in her, even before I came into their lives. That had nothing to do with me. The least she could do was be kind to the man who provided for her like a son. Viren did everything that Deven would have done for his parents, even though he and his aunt did not really get along. His uncle was a reserved shadow of a man who had never gotten over his son’s death. He kept to his wing of the house and rarely joined us for meals, preferring to eat in his suite.

The staff cleared the dining table, but Viren, Daya Bua, Sufi, and I sat there to brainstorm the arrangements for the social worker’s home visit. The butler interrupted our plans with a gentle cough.

“Sahab, Sarang Ji and his wife are here to meet you.”

“Please show them in,” said Viren in surprise.

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