Chapter 21
Veer drove back from the hospital in complete silence. She sat in the passenger seat without panicking as she did on their way to the hospital. He pulled his car into his assigned parking spot and walked around to open the door for her.
He bent down to click open the seat belt and scooped her into his arms. She wound her weak arms around his neck resting her head on his chest. He carried her into the elevator holding her like a delicate doll.
“I need you to eat something before you go to bed,” he said, his voice soft.
She didn’t respond, and instead, tightened her hold on him to bury her face into his neck. He stepped out of the elevator and set her on the chair in the dining room.
“Don’t leave me,” she pleaded when he was about to step away.
He squatted next to her. “I’m right here, love. I am going to fix you something to eat, really quick.”
Ariya’s mind whirled with her childhood memories of her father. The man who was everything to her abandoned her mother and her for another woman. She hated him for what he put the family through, but she could not figure out why her heart writhed when she saw him in the hospital. She couldn’t explain the tears or the urge to put her arms around the man.
Veer made her a loaded omelet and sat with her while she absentmindedly chewed on her food. He let her take her time to eat how much she wanted and took her to the bathroom. He ran the shower and gave her a quick wash and washed himself before helping her get into her night clothes.
He pulled on a pair of lounge pants and a t-shirt and led her to the bed. He pulled the big clip he had used to keep her hair dry in the shower and slowly ran his fingers through her thick, dark hair.
“I want you to sleep, Ariya. Get some rest.”
“Sleep with me, don’t leave me.” She hugged him.
“Sweetheart, I’m right here.” He pulled the sheets back and helped her get into bed. He dimmed the lights and slid into bed next to her.
Ariya turned to her side pulling his arm around her body. He pulled her back into his chest and hoped she could get some sleep after an emotionally draining few hours. She held onto him in silence, but he could tell she was not asleep. He had a lot of questions for her, but he knew it would only make her feel worse that night if he asked.
“I should have told you…” she whispered.
He hushed her and hoped she would go to sleep, but she turned in his arms to face him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you about me. It wasn’t because I didn’t want you to know. I don’t consider my father a part of my life, my aunt is my mom and my cousin, Siri, is my sister.”
“We don’t need to talk about it now.” He kissed her cheek.
“Veer, I hate that man so much. I don’t know why I felt so sad when my mom told me he was in the hospital.”
“Hate is a very strong word.”
“No, you don’t understand. This man cheated on my mom with that woman, and my mom was in so much distress, we had that accident, and she died in vain… she died with so much sadness in her heart, Veer.” She sobbed.
“Baby, please.”
“What he did to my mom scarred me for life to the point where I couldn’t let any man close to me… and when I did, that asshole did exactly what my father did with my mother. Veer, whatever you do… please don’t cheat on me.”
“Sweetheart, I will die before I cheat on you.” She swallowed his words into her mouth when she brought her lips to his.
“I love you, Veer, don’t break my heart.”
“Baby, please… I won’t…” he whispered against his lips.
She pulled back to look at him, tears brimming in her eyes. “I know you respect him for what he accomplished, and you don’t need to know what he did in his personal life.”
“I only care about you. We don’t need to talk about anything that makes you sad,” he whispered.
“I want you to know. I want to tell you what happened.” She let out a deep sigh.
“I’m here if you want to talk.”
She took a deep breath and looked up at him. “Where do I start?”
“I realized today that your fear of riding in a car has something to do with your father.” His tone was cautious.
She nodded. “Yeah. The accident I told you about… my mother and I were in the car, and she had a huge argument with my father. She was so distracted, she rammed the car into a pillar and… we were fine, but my mom called the ambulance, and they took us to the hospital. I don’t know how my mom had such a bad injury… she didn’t make it.”
“I’m sorry, baby.”
“She loved him so much, Veer. My mom kicked him out of the house when she found out he was cheating on her with that woman… the woman who is now his wife. He kept telling my mother he wasn’t cheating on her, and that she was his colleague. My mother was heartbroken because she still loved him but that man… he threatened my mother that he was going to go to court and get full custody of me. My mother was so upset that she told me not to go to my father and that I should stay with my aunt, no matter what happened.” She sniffled.
“Is that why you stayed with your aunt?” He pushed a strand of hair off her cheek.
“Yes, my aunt and uncle adopted me after my mom passed away because I refused to live with my father.”
“Your mom was okay with you staying with your aunt even though she is your father’s sister?” Veer sounded surprised.
“My mom and aunt were best friends. They knew each other since elementary school. My aunt introduced my mom and father, and they fell in love.” Her breath hissed.
“Your aunt… doesn’t she talk to her brother?”
“Well, she does because she is forgiving, but she doesn’t mention him to Siri or me. Siri told my mom she doesn’t want him at her wedding,” Ariya growled.
“That’s sad… must be tough for your aunt… not having her brother around to help with her daughter’s wedding.”
“She knows what he did, and that’s why she made him sign the adoption papers, so she could take me as hers, legally.”
“So, when you told me your father passed away, that was your uncle you lost when you were twelve?” His voice was soft.
“Yes, he was such a good man.”
“You are blessed with good people in your life.” Veer smiled.
“Including you.” She kissed his chin making his smile widen.
“I know bad things happened in the past and your father… you don’t hate him. I saw the tears, and they were tears for him.”
She looked at him for a moment and nodded. “I don’t know why, but I couldn’t hate him when I saw him.”
“Did you have good memories with him?”
She nodded, fighting back the tears, and she bit her lip to stop the sobs.
“If your mother and father had issues with their relationship, it doesn’t mean you need to hate him, and that he doesn’t love you.”
She went silent on him for a few moments like he hit the nail on the head. “He was a good father and a husband, too… I don’t know what went wrong.”
“Things happen, and it always takes two hands to clap.”
“My mother, now that I think back, was very insecure because my father was in the broadcasting business and was always surrounded by beautiful women.”
“Your father may have signed the adoption papers, but it looks like you are very much a part of his life… Aryan seemed happy to see you.”
“I… I felt that affinity, too, what I feel for Siri or even more. I cannot be angry with that kid, it’s not his fault.” She sniffled, and he wiped the moisture from the edge of her eye.
Veer took a deep breath. “I’ve always wanted to have a sibling, but my mom had health issues when I was a child, and they decided not to have another child.”
“You can adopt Siri as your sibling.” She smiled.
“I’d rather have Aryan. He is the little brother I’ve always wanted,” he teased.
“Sure… and… I love you so much for being there for me. If I were there with my mom or Siri, they would have forced me to go talk to him, and I know I would have hated myself for doing that…”
“I would never want you to do something you don’t want to,” he said softly.
“I feel so much better after talking to you. It was too much to keep in and not talk about.”
He patted her softly for a few minutes. “Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah,” she said, looking at him.
“Was it your father who took you to all your favorite places or was it your uncle?”
“My father… and after my mom passed away, I didn’t want to go anywhere near them until I was in college. I went back because I wanted the memories even if I didn’t have those people in my life.” She smiled, her eyes rolling shut.
“I’m sure they are beautiful memories… sleep tight, love.”
“Yes, they are.” She shut her eyes and hugged him as she succumbed into a blissful state as he enveloped her with his warmth.
*****
Ariya woke up alone in bed the next morning. She looked at her phone, and it was 7:30 a.m., and she had a message from Veer telling her he was out for a run. She rolled in bed looking out of the window at the beautiful view of the San Francisco Bay.
She was drained physically and emotionally from the previous night, but she felt relieved—relieved that she shared everything with Veer and nothing about her was an unknown to him. She pulled a robe around her and walked into the kitchen craving coffee.
She made coffee and sat at the dining table enjoying every sip she took. Her mom and sister were still away, and she didn’t call them back after returning from the hospital. She smiled as she dialed her mom’s phone number.
“Hi, Ma,” she said, cheerfully.
“Hi, sweetie. How are you doing? Jai was very happy to see you.”
“I’m good, Ma. I was sad when I saw him,” she confessed.
“I’m glad Jai is feeling better, he gave me such a scare.”
“Yes.”
“You should have talked to him, it would have…”
“Ma, you know how I feel about him.” She snarled.
“I know, but he is your father and my brother.”
“Why are you suddenly reminding me about our relationship with him?”
“Life is too short, sweetie. I was so guilty I kept you away from him, you know how much he thinks about you.”
“Ma, I am not having this conversation after all these years. He betrayed my mother, and I can never forgive him for that.”
“Sweetie…”
“Ma, Please. Not now.”
“Okay… I know Siri doesn’t want to invite her uncle to her wedding, but when I am the one paying for it all, I’m thinking I should invite my brother.” Her mom sounded adamant.
“I don’t need this now.”
“Think about…”
“I need to go, Ma. Bye.” She hung up without another word and threw the phone on the table.
She picked up her phone when her phone beeped a message.
Siri: I heard everything. If that man is attending my wedding, I am eloping, and I’m taking you with me.
Ariya: I love you!
Siri: Anytime, sista!
She had a wide grin on her face when the elevator doors opened, and Veer walked in, his t-shirt drenched in his sweat and his skin glistening.
“Morning, sunshine.” He walked over to where she sat and pulled her into his arms.
She laughed when he rubbed his sweaty face against the fabric on her chest. “You badly need a shower.”
“I need you to shower with me.” He pulled her to him.
She slowly took her lips to his chest to suck away the bead of sweat that rolled over his hot body. “You’ll need to make love to me before I shower with you.”
He growled in response, and she felt his fingers dig into her flesh, making her blood course through her veins to meet the fast-beating heart.