Page 63 of Not Your Basic Love Story

“Yes, but there’s no way I’m leaving this apartment.”

“Pizza it is!”

I smooched him and then pried myself away to use the washroom and order food, donning my robe afterward. In the mirror, my reflection was of a woman so completely happy, so beside herself with glee, I wanted to reach through the mirror and hug her. My elation was like a helium balloon in my chest, and the only thing to stop me from floating away was sitting on the floor in the next room.

Looking back out at him, I relished in the image, capturing the moment, bottling it, and saving it forever. That gorgeous, intelligent, caring human being was there, and he was there for me. Forever.

I started the pot on the stove and gathered the ingredients to make chai. “It’s a good thing I cleaned out my closet the other day. There’s actually space in there for you!”

After putting on his sweatpants, Dev came into the kitchen and leaned against the counter behind me. “Actually, that’s something we need to discuss.”

I glanced at him. “My lease will be up in a few months if you want to look at other places. But we should stay in the area for transit. It’s not far from UBC and my work.”

“Well, the thing is, I don’t think we should live together until we’re married.”

I frowned, fishing a spoon out of a drawer. “So, we’re still only going to see each other on weekends for a year plus until we get married?”

“Years? No. We’ll get married in a few months before my program starts.”

The spoon fell out of my hand and clattered to the floor. “A few...months?”

“Like I said, something we need to discuss.”

I grabbed the counter behind me for support. “Dev. This is like, unprecedented. Miranda and Derek dated for two years before getting engaged.Years. We’ve been together like, what, five months? And mostly just on weekends! People usually live together before they get married, test it out, you know?”

He opened his mouth to start talking, but I interrupted.

“I thought we’d move in together first, enjoy being engaged, and then take our time planning the wedding. I mean, I don’t have anything like what Miranda and Derek did in mind. Something small, you know? In the forest, like where you proposed. That was beautiful. But even then, we have to book the photographer, and the person who marries us, I have to get a dress, I have to pick out the bridesmaids’ dresses, and then the reception—”

Dev grabbed my shoulders. “Relax. Breathe. It’s all going to be fine. You don’t have to worry about planning anything. My family’s already gotten started. They’ve contacted our Gurdwara for the ceremony, my cousin's a photographer, and you can rent dresses.”

“You’ve contacted the... what?”

“The temple. For our wedding.”

I raised an eyebrow. “We’re having a... Sikh wedding?”

Dev looked confused. “Of course.”

I broke free of his touch and turned around to remove the boiling pot from the stove. I stared at it, unable to remember the next steps of making chai, my head spinning. After a steadying breath, I said, “Um. You know I’m not religious, right?”

“I gathered that, yes.”

I exhaled, relieved, and turned to face him. “And, just so we’re clear, you fall where, exactly, on that spectrum?”

He smirked. “Well, I’m sure you’ve noticed I trim my hair and don’t wear a turban.”

“I did pick up on that, yes.” I couldn’t help but smile.

“I love my family, and our culture, and our traditions, but to me, it’s not much more than that. I guess you could say I’m an agnostic when it comes to the actual spirituality of it.”

“So then why are we having a religious ceremony?”

“Don’t white people get married in churches even if they don’t go to them on Sundays?”

“I guess that’s true. Sometimes.”

He rubbed my arm. “Part of joining my family is also joining the culture of my family, which means a traditional Sikh wedding. It would mean a lot to me.”

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