Page 139 of One Indian Girl
‘What?’ Neel said.
‘I allowed myself to get involved with a married man. Not just a one-night stand. A long and full-blown affair. Hell, I allowed myself to fall in love with you. When there is no future.’
‘I have no plans to leave you.’
‘But do you have any plans to change anything?’
‘Why do we have to change? What we have is perfect.’
‘What if Kusum finds out?’
‘She won’t.’
‘What if she does?’
‘Don’t be paranoid. You are being over-anxious these days. Is it that time of the month?’
He tried to put his arms around me.
‘Shut up, Neel,’ I said, extracting myself from his grip. ‘Don’t trivialize it.’
‘Your weekend trip to Delhi and talking to your mother has really shaken you up.’
‘Maybe I needed to be shaken up. To really think about what I want.’
Neel sat up in bed.
‘Sorry to say this, but you aren’t thinking clearly. If I go by what you said in Dragon-I,’ Neel said.
‘I said I want to have a family. Have kids. Be a good mother and look after them well. That’s not thinking clearly?’
‘You are a star at work. What is all this mundane stuff you are talking about? Any woman can do all this.’
‘But I can’t?’
‘I didn’t say that.’
‘So?’
‘I see you as someone exceptional. And special. You could be an MD, a partner.’
‘Yeah, I will be. I like my work too.’
‘But you said you want marriage, IKEA, bunch of kids. Baking cookies, really?’
‘Yes, I want all that too.’
‘Radhika, you are getting carried away. You saw Kusum the other day and you are getting competitive over me.’
I too sat up in bed, almost panting in anger.
‘It’s not always about you, MrNeel Gupta. I am talking about myself.Myneeds. Do you get it, MrI-am-so-smart Goldman Sachs partner?’
‘It’s just that...’ He turned silent.
‘What?’ I said. He did not respond.
‘Say what you wanted to say, Neel.’
