Luv (Un)Arranged (Luv Shuv #3)

Chapter 16

16

Song: Tum Jo Aaye Zindagi Mein

- Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Tulsi Kumar, Pritam

Aakar

T he following evening, I reached Kriti’s place a little—a lot—earlier than dinnertime for two reasons. One, I wanted to see Kriti, talk to her, just be near her. And two, I was really hungry. So when Kriti texted me I’m back from school. What’re you doing?, I quickly replied, Bored and hungry.

Kriti was quick to invite me for a late lunch and an invitation to stay for dinner. I was not going to kick a gift horse in the mouth.

“Aakar Beta, here, take one more roti.” Kriti’s mother put a roti dripping with ghee on my plate.

My eyes met Kriti’s, who sat right across me. Kartik sat beside me and Rati across from him. The three of them had returned from school and decided to wait a little for me to arrive so we could all eat lunch together. Kriti’s father had apparently taken a tiffin with him and didn’t plan to return before the evening.

We were almost done with lunch when Kriti’s mother returned with a big pot and placed it on the table.

Kriti instantly turned beet red.

My eyebrows rose. “What’s in the pot, Auntie?” I turned innocent eyes to Kriti’s mother.

Her mother got a pleased glint in her eyes as she went and stood behind where Kriti sat. “Kriti told me you love gulab jamun. She’s been practicing day and night to perfect them. Right, Kriti?”

With every word that Auntie spoke, Kriti kept turning all red. Without meeting my eyes, she mumbled, “Only when I get some time.”

My heart was beating so loud I was sure Kartik could hear it beside me. She had told me she was going to learn to cook my favorite food. But I had no idea what it would do to me to eat the food she’d prepared for me after practicing it repeatedly. For me.

“Wow. That’s…Thank you.”

I so badly wanted to pull her closer and kiss those hands. Instead, I slid my legs under the table and pulled hers between mine. A small smile came over her lips, something her family would’ve missed. But I only cared for her reaction. So I noticed.

And at her smile, I caressed her leg with mine.

With her face still stretched in a smile, she quickly got up and served me three gulab jamuns. Without any hesitation, I put an entire piece in my mouth.

The sugary sweetness exploded in my mouth, the texture so soft I barely needed to chew it. Before I had even swallowed the first one, I put the second one in my mouth and deliberately moaned loudly, making everyone laugh.

Even Kartik smiled a little as he shook his head. “They’re not that good,” he mumbled.

Kriti glared at her brother. “Why don’t you stop eating them, then?”

His smile widened. “They’re not that bad either.”

Before Kriti could respond, I interrupted, “They’re the best gulab jamun I’ve ever had. Really.”

And they were. I didn't know what Karik was saying. I had never tasted a better gulab jamun in my life.

Kriti instantly softened but didn’t stop from making a face at her brother.

She served me three more before I could even get up. I raised my eyebrows. “If I eat any more, I’m going to crash.”

After lunch, Kriti’s mother went to watch her TV serial in the living room while Kriti and I cleaned up the table, and I helped her do the dishes. It very much reminded me of the day I’d met Kriti, and we’d decided to talk behind our parents’ backs. That one impulsive decision had changed my life forever.

Since it was the weekend, Rati and Kartik seemed to be uninterested in studying. And I had nothing to do except spend time with Kriti. So I asked Kriti if she would like to go to the movies along with her siblings. Before she could respond, Rati and Kartik were up and running to get changed.

Kriti told her Maa that we would be back by dinnertime.

Once inside the theater, Rati, my amazing and favorite new sister, pulled Karik to the farthest end of the seat and sat between him and Kriti, letting me sit on the other end to give us some semblance of privacy. I would really have to gift her something. That girl was a romantic at heart.

During the movie, Kriti and I sneaked in some hand-holding and occasional soft brushes of lips on the cheek. I was desperate to get her all to myself, but even these tiny morsels of her time and her touch were enough to soothe my craving heart.

By the time we reached home, Kriti’s dad was back from work already. So, while Kriti went to help her mom get dinner ready, and Rati and Kartik went upstairs to study, I sat on the sofa across from Kriti's father.

He was a man of few words. In all the times I’ve been here, I haven’t heard him talk a lot. He’s more of an observer. “How was the movie?” he asked.

I smiled at him. “It was pretty good, Uncle. How was your day at work?”

He shrugged. “The usual.”

I nodded, and a few minutes of awkward silence followed where neither of us said anything and kept our eyes fixed on the news.

When the commercial break appeared on the TV, Uncle turned to me. “Everyone at home okay?”

“Yes, everyone is good. Busy with the wedding preparations.”

A smile appeared on his face. “I’m happy you came to see Kriti. I know it made her happy too.”

I couldn’t stop the blood rushing to my cheeks. “It had been a while since we’d seen each other. And with the wedding preparations going on, it is getting more difficult to spend some time together and get to know each other.”

He nodded. “That was thoughtful of you. My daughter has always worked hard to achieve whatever she set her sights on. She’s always dreamed big. Be it her studies or getting a job. Anything she puts her mind to, she gives it her everything. Day and night. She’ll work hard to achieve her dreams.”

I was riveted to every word that Uncle said. I wanted to know everything about Kriti. “That’s very admirable. I know how passionate she is about her work here and fighting for girls’ education.”

A proud smile came over his face. “That she is. She’s so worried about them. She’s afraid that without her, no one would fight for her students. That she is letting them down.”

I never knew she felt that way. When I nodded in acknowledgment, he continued, “That’s why she’s personally involved in interviewing and finding the right teacher to replace her after…uh…after she leaves.”

I could feel the love and pride he had for his daughter. And I never wanted to let him down by not treating Kriti right and not making her happy.

I met his eyes, and with all the truth in my heart, I promised him, “Uncle, I will keep Kriti happy and treat her with all the respect, kindness, and love that she deserves.”

His eyes turned glassy. “My daughter is headstrong and blunt and a little forward minded. She doesn’t shy away from speaking the truth. She likes to talk. She also gets a little shy in front of new people. But if she has to stand up for herself, she will. She always has. If she hadn’t, she would have been married for a long time. But she always stood up to her mother. And believe me, Aakar Beta, it wasn’t easy for her. And she has been fighting her mother about marriage matches for a very long time now.”

I really didn’t like to think about Kriti having to fight her mother or having a hard time in life. “She’d told me about that a little bit.”

He gave me a pleased smile. “I’m glad. So imagine my surprise when she agreed to a second meeting with you. A city boy who lives a few hours away from our home, for whom she would have to uproot her entire life. Believe me, I’m quite pleased with who she chose but know that it wouldn’t have been an easy choice for her.”

I nodded, listening to every word.

“And Aakar Beta, I believe in my daughter’s choices. She hasn’t made a wrong choice in her life. I just pray that you will not make her regret her life choices. Believe me when I say this, beta. I love my daughter more than anything in this world. More than the society. So if you break her heart, if you make her sad, if you make her question her choices and her life, I will take her away from you.”

My heart ached at the thought of someone taking away Kriti from me. But I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief that Kriti had her father watching her back. That unlike a lot of parents, unlike her own mother probably, Kriti’s father cared for her above everything else. She deserved that, and more.

I quickly nodded. “Since the first time I met Kriti, I have admired her. Her sense of self-worth, her ability not to back down from tough conversations, and also how kind she is. She is going to be my wife, but I already consider her a very good friend of mine. She has my highest regard and utmost respect. And I promise to never let her down. And never let you down. I only want to make her happy and be her support and a friend in her life.”

Uncle nodded. Tears shone in his eyes. “Good, good.”

Right on cue, Kriti entered the room. “Dinner’s served.”

Our eyes met, and there was a softness in them. And I knew. I knew she heard our conversation. If not the whole, at least in part.

Once her father walked ahead of us toward the dining area, I gave her the same reassuring smile that I gave her father.

She shook her head but clutched the sleeve of my shirt as she led me to dinner.

Kriti

Time flew by as the wedding got closer. One week to go.

I was done with all the shopping. Pappa and I had gone and booked the wedding party plot, chosen the decorations, all the invitations were sent out, and the menu for all the days of the celebration was set.

I just needed to decide on my official replacement at school.

I walked into the staff room, and before I could escape to my first class, the school principal, Shradda Madam, caught me. Shit .

“Kriti, you do realize I don’t need to wait for you to choose the new teacher, right? But since you’ve had such an impact on the lives of our students, I want to give you the opportunity to choose and train the new teacher.”

My heart pounded at her words. I was terrified to leave the school and my students in the hands of another person. Would they care for their education as much as I did? Would they fight for my girls like I did?

I nodded at the principal. “Yes, ma’am. I really appreciate that I’m involved in the process. I’m just confused between two candidates.”

The principal nodded but gave me a stern look—the look that had our students shaking to their bones. “I need the name of the person you’d like to replace you by the end of the day, or I will choose one myself.”

I clenched my fingers around the books in my hands to hide their tremble. “Yes, ma’am. I will get you the name.”

“See that you do.”

With that, she turned back to her office, and I rushed to my class.

The moment I stepped in, the students burst into loud cheers and hooting. I turned around to see if someone was behind me, but no one was around.

But then the words “happy” and “farewell” rang in my ears, and my heart started to beat faster. My jaw dropped, and my feet stopped moving. I could only just stand at the entrance of my class and stare at the happy, excited smiles on the faces of my students.

Big banners of “We will miss you, Kriti Teacher” hung on the walls of the class, a few students had a bunch of balloons in their hands, and a few students at the back held a “BEST TEACHER” banner.

I blinked my eyes faster not to let the tears stream down my face. The students wouldn’t be able to handle their teacher crying.

My lips stretched into a wide smile, and I made my feet move to the closest bench. I lightly touched Madhvi’s cheek in thanks and messed up Jay’s hair, causing him to whine. The students whooped and clapped.

I stood in front of the class, like always, and took in all of my students. My kids. I wanted to bawl like a baby at having to leave them halfway through the year. I really, really hated Aakar right now for taking me away.

I just wanted to stay and do right by the kids. They deserved the best teacher in the world. A teacher who would not just teach them important subjects but also shape them into good human beings, instill discipline and empathy in them, fight for them, and stand by them.

Before I could get them to quiet down so as not to disturb other classes, five other teachers entered the class with a big cake in their hands. And to my surprise, the principal followed them with a big smile.

This time, a few tears slipped out. I quickly turned toward the blackboard and wiped them off.

The overwhelming love from my kids threatened to buckle my knees in guilt. And when the kids rushed around me, waiting for me to cut the cake, I wanted to pull them all into a hug, squeeze them all into tiny size dolls, and take them with me to Ahmedabad.

I quickly cut the cake, and another round of applause rang in the classroom. I kept cutting small pieces and feeding them to each of my children, thanking them, asking them to work hard, my mind begging them not to forget me.

Once everyone had a cut of the cake, and the teachers had left, the students took their seats, and I stood at my desk, leaning my hip on it.

Each student still had wide smiles etched across their faces. Before I could even say anything, one of my most talkative students, Nidhi, asked, “Teacher, how did you like our surprise?”

And right on cue, the chorus of the same question rang in the class.

I hushed them to get a word in. “Thank you so, so much, kids. How and when did you all plan this? I didn’t even know that you were going to have such an amazing surprise for me.”

Nidhi, like always, took the lead. “We all decided last week. We went to the principal and asked her if we could surprise you.”

My kids were in ninth grade, an age when giving surprises was their only goal in life.

“That is so sweet of you all.”

Before they could get a word in, I asked, “What are we studying today?”

Just like I thought, loud groans of “teacher” echoed in the class, and I burst out laughing. “Okay, okay. No studying today. You can do whatever you want right now except leave the class or make too much noise. Nidhi, please go close the door of the class. We don’t want to disturb other students.”

I rounded the desk and took a seat in my chair. My knees were still shaking from the staggering amount of love I felt today. Just a few minutes passed when a few girls came to me, hands behind their backs.

When I raised my eyebrows, they handed me handmade farewell cards and letters. Some were well designed and some were scribblings. My lips stretched into a wide smile, and I had to blink really hard again not to cry.

“Teacher, these are from all of us. Everyone made a card or a letter, whatever they felt comfortable doing.”

I could only nod and look around the smiling faces of the kids.

“Thank you. Thank you so much. I’ll never lose these. Ever. I promise.”

They whooped and cheered once more. And soon, the bell rang, and I had to leave for the next class.

The moment I got back home, I ran to my room, changed into my pajamas, and read through each letter and card I got today. Halfway through, I could barely make out any words with the big, fat tears rolling down my face.

I kept wiping them off, trying not to let them fall on the card and ruin the beautiful words that my students had written to me, and read through them all.

As soon as I was done, I video called Aakar.

The moment he picked up the call, his eyes widened, and he got right up on the screen. “Kriti, baby, what happened? Why are you crying?”

Baby. He called me baby again. And I couldn’t help but cry harder. “I hate you, Aakar. I hate you so much right now.”

His face looked tortured. I felt bad for dumping this on him, but I just couldn’t help it. His voice was hoarse when he asked, “Kriti, baby, what did I do?”

I sniffled, trying to stop the tears. “You agreed to marry me. That’s what.”

He seemed to be walking back and forth in his office because the movement on the screen had me feeling dizzy. His eyes were scrunched up in confusion. “And that’s a bad thing? You’re scaring me, Kriti.”

I wiped my nose on the long sleeve of my T-shirt, not caring what he thought of me. “Now I have to leave my kids and come live with you. And they will soon forget me. And I won’t have such loving kids again, who would write me such sweet letters and give me these beautiful cards.”

I lifted all the cards and letters up on the screen. “Why did you have to live so far away?”

A soft smile came over his face, which only made me angrier. “Stop smiling,” I wailed.

He instantly stopped, and a pained expression came over his face as he resumed walking back and forth in his office. “And stop walking. You’re making me dizzy.”

“Sorry, sorry.” He quickly sat on his chair and held his phone a little away from him so I could see his chest and shoulders. “I’m so sorry you have to leave your students, baby. Do you want to tell me what happened at the school today?”

And I did. Slowly, between the hiccups and the sobs and snorts and tears.

And he listened, all the while saying, “I’m so sorry I agreed to marry you . ”

I read him a few letters, and I knew I saw his eyes were shining. Or maybe they were my own tears.

Once I was done relaying everything, we sat there silently for a few minutes. “Today is the best and the worst day of my life.”

His eyes turned soft, and I really, really wanted to feel his arms around me. His finger moved across the screen, and I could almost feel his warmth around me.

“Thanks for talking to me,” I said.

“Anytime, Kriti.”

“I need to freshen up now. And get started on packing up my things.”

He nodded, and after a quick goodbye, I cut the call.

My family didn’t disturb me for the rest of the day, giving me soft smiles and wide berths. Even Maa didn’t call me to help with dinner but made my favorite dal makhani and jeera rice. And she even held her tongue when I ate my feelings out.

I was almost done cleaning up the kitchen when Maa called out for me from the living room. I quickly wiped the kitchen countertop and washed my hands before walking out to the living room.

When I came out, she had a small smile on her face. So did Dad when he asked, “Beta, I think I forgot my scooter keys in the scooter itself. Could you please check and get them for me?”

With the day I had, my capacity to argue was at a minimum. I just rolled my eyes, put on my slippers, tugged on my light sweater, and went out.

And there, leaning against my dad’s scooter, stood Aakar. In his perfect beard, his tousled hair, his rumpled shirt, and his tired eyes. He looked so inviting, so warm.

One moment, I was looking at him, and in the next, I was tearing up in his arms. His arms came around me, and he held me like he could carry all my pain. His soft voice cooed in my ears. “Oh, baby, I’m so, so sorry.”

He ran his hands in my scalp and squeezed me closer to him. His wide chest, his soft cotton shirt, and the woodsy, musky scent at his neck lulled me to a soft calm. For a few minutes, he swayed me in his arms, softly running his hands on my back.

I wiped my face on his shirt and smiled when he gave me a mock glare. “I can’t believe you came.”

He looked around for a second and quickly kissed my nose. “C’mon, let’s go.”

A smile came over my face at the way he was being playful with me. “Go where?”

He held my hand and pulled me along to his car right outside the gate of our house. “To get some ice cream.”

“You’re not going to come inside the house?”

He pushed me inside the car. “Nope.” And he shut the door behind me.

He jogged to his side of the car and got in. In the next minute, he had upbeat songs on the playlist and his hand on my thigh as he pulled us out on the road.

I felt warm and cherished and loved .

I looked at his hand on my thigh, his hold firm, occasionally squeezing it. “You okay?”

“Yes.”

Soon, we were parked near the ice cream shop we usually went to when he was here.

“What do you want?” he asked, his hand back to massaging my scalp.

“A chocolate king cone.”

He gave me a wide smile, and before I knew it, he pulled me into him, and his lips were on mine. He held me on the back of my neck, his hold firm, protective. His other hand squeezed my thigh tight as if he was trying not to move it elsewhere.

“Do you know how soft you look right now?” he groaned at my lips. His lips moved against mine, and I melted.

I opened my mouth and took his lips in mine. I pushed myself even closer and clutched his shirt in my fist, pulling him deeper. I needed more of his taste, his tongue moving against mine.

The blood in my veins burned, each nerve ending screaming in desire. My legs clenched together, wanting his hands between my thighs, needing them to move where I needed him the most.

I didn’t know when I’d squirmed and moved my legs, but his hand was now trapped between my thighs. I squeezed them together, feeling his knuckles at my clit, and moaned.

His loud groan reverberated in my mouth. “Kriti, baby.” His desperate plea had me moving against his hand.

“Fuck.” He pulled his hand from between my legs, leaving me moaning and feeling achingly empty.

He quickly pushed himself back in his seat, his chest heaving and his breath panting.

He tightened his fist on his very hard, very aroused cock, almost strangling himself. His head was thrown back in pleasure or agony; I couldn’t tell. “Fuck. Fuck.” He blew out his breath.

My pussy throbbed as I watched him trying to get control over his cock. At the way he held himself. His hand gripping his tented pants. God, what did he look like under there?

“Ice cream,” he growled. “I’m getting you an ice cream, and I really don’t need to be coming in my pants, baby.”

I blew out a breath. My heart rate started to return to normal. “Yes, king cone.”

He chuckled, and his voice was rough and a little hoarse.

He looked down at his now normal condition, and with a quick shake of his head, he untucked his shirt, rearranged his hair, and got out of the car.

Once he was back, he gave me my king cone. He’d gotten the same.

When I smiled at his choice, he simply rolled his eyes and started eating. I followed, and we sat there eating my favorite ice cream with some great music in the background.

And I couldn’t stop smiling.

Aakar looked at my face and shook his head. “You really should stop smiling. It makes me want to kiss you again.”

I very deliberately, very obscenely, licked the ice cream. He groaned. “You look ridiculous.”

And I laughed. I knew he liked it. The evidence was pretty clear when he adjusted his dick.

As I licked the ice cream, I cleared my throat and said, “Um…I was wondering…”

He hummed, his eyes focused on the cone in my hand.

I gave the ice cream another lick and continued, “I know I made the no sex for six months condition.”

His eyes instantly met mine, the hunger in them causing goose bumps to erupt on my skin. “What about it, baby?”

My heart started pounding, and blood rushed to my cheeks as I looked at him. “I put that condition so I could know my future husband better before having sex with him. I don’t need any more time with you. In fact…”

“In fact?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

“You know…”

His lips turned up in a smile. “Say it for me, baby.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him in return. Shaking my head in mock exasperation, I said, “I don’t want to wait six months before we have sex. I love what we’re doing. I love kissing you. I want us to keep doing this and more once we’re married.”

“Fuck, Kriti. Couldn’t you have told me this after we got married? Now I’m going to have to live with the thoughts of a million things I want to do with you and not be able to do a single one.”

I looked at his tortured expression as he licked his ice cream and couldn’t help but say, “I’m really glad you’re marrying me.”

He looked at me and shook his head. He softly ran his hand in my mussed-up hair. “Me too.”

“Are you staying here for the night?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Akira arrives tomorrow morning, so I’ll be heading back after this ice cream.”

I gasped. “That’s tomorrow? Oh god, I’m so sorry you had to come all the way here. How will you get any rest?”

Aakar touched my cheek. “I decided to come to you. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I’m just as excited to see Akira. It’s been months. So I don’t care about resting when two of the most important women in my life need me.”

I simply shook my head and finished my ice cream. Very, very slowly.

I couldn’t wait to marry this man. One week, and he’ll be mine.