Luv (Un)Arranged (Luv Shuv #3)

Aakar

The moment I entered Kriti’s living room, my eyes found Kriti. While her lips were stretched in a polite smile, her eyes glared daggers at me.

With the way that Kriti’s mom welcomed me with a smile and the way Kriti’s dad folded his newspaper and stood to greet me, I knew she hadn’t told them anything.

And didn’t that make me feel even worse of an asshole?

Keeping my stride confident, I touched Kriti’s dad’s feet in respect and shook his hand. Once that was done, I looked at Kriti. She looked about ready to strike me and claw me to shreds. But knowing that she wouldn’t do anything in front of her parents, feigning confidence and keeping my gait natural so as not to alert her parents, I walked to Kriti, my legs quite literally shaking, bent down, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

The moment my lips brushed against her skin and my wife's distinct smell hit me, I finally felt at home. My heart leaped and bounced in my chest with joy, while deep within me, my soul settled.

I took a seat on the sofa right beside Kriti while Kriti’s—and now my—mom and dad took a seat on the sofa right across from us.

Her mom’s face was shining with delight. “So, Aakar Beta, Kriti didn’t tell us you were coming. If I’d known, I would’ve cooked something special for breakfast.”

I told Maa, “It’s no problem, Maa. I didn’t even tell her. It was a surprise.”

“What a wonderful surprise, beta. Right, Kriti?” Maa asked, her eyes glinting with joy.

I looked at Kriti and saw a sort of calm acceptance on her face as she gave her mother a small smile. “Yep. A wonderful surprise, indeed.”

While Maa looked delighted, Dad looked doubtful. I could sense that he felt the tension between Kriti and me.

So when our eyes met, he asked, “So you’ll stay for lunch, right?”

And because I had promised Dad that I’d take care of his daughter and knew I had failed horribly, I quickly gave him a nod. “Definitely, Pappa.”

At that, Kriti jumped out of her seat. “I’ll go pack everything.”

Once she left the living room, Maa went to the kitchen, leaving me with Pappa.

When Pappa didn’t say a word and went back to his newspaper, I quickly opened my phone and went to our group chat.

Me: I’ve arrived and told her I’ve come to take her back home.

Maa: What did she say?

Abhi: And?

Ria: Could you type any slower?

Dad: What are you waiting for? What did she say?

Me: She’s packing right now.

There was a beat of silence for a second before a barrage of texts started flooding the chat.

Abhi: Doesn’t sound right to me. Am I the only one?

Maa: Definitely doesn’t sound right.

Ria: Are you sure you heard correctly?

Ekta Kaki: I thought she would make him grovel.

Radhika Kaki: Doesn’t seem like Kriti.

Abhi: Bhabhi was really mad when I went to get her. Told me she’s not coming back.

Maa: You better not mess it up, Aakar.

Dad: I don’t trust this boy.

Maa: I knew sending him alone was a bad idea. We should’ve gone with him.

Ria: Let’s give him a chance, everyone.

Abhi: I don’t trust bhai. AT ALL!

The sound of a throat clearing had me looking up to find Pappa staring straight at me.

Me: Gtg.

Maa: What?

Ekta Kaki: What does he mean?

Dad: This boy.

Abhi: Maa…He means he’s got to go.

After a tense silence, Pappa spoke up, “Something happened, didn’t it?”

Because I didn’t have the heart to lie to Kriti’s father, I looked down at my feet and nodded.

“You messed up.” His voice was firm yet gentle.

I looked up to meet his eyes and nodded, trying to show him how sorry I was through my eyes.

“You hurt her really bad, Aakar.”

His words squeezed my heart and throat in a vise, choking me with guilt and regret.

“I did, Pappa. I’m trying to make up for it.”

He nodded and folded his hands at his chest. “If she tells me she doesn’t want to go back, I’m not letting you take her.”

I nodded. “I know, Pappa. I’d never force her. I’m here to make up for my mistake.”

He harrumphed. “You better. My daughter hasn’t smiled since she got back.”

Sharp pain akin to a thousand needles pierced my heart, leaving me gasping for my next breath. The guilt was drowning me, and all I wanted to do was make my wife smile at me.

And because I knew Pappa and I both wanted the same thing—Kriti’s smile—I leaned closer to him and asked, “I did hurt her bad, and I’m really here to make up with her. But how come she’s so agreeable? I won’t lie; I expected a little fight.”

That got a smile out of Pappa, albeit reluctantly. “Oh, she will definitely give you a fight.”

With that, he flipped open his newspaper and returned to his reading, leaving me gaping at him.

I spent the rest of the day in blind anxiety. Every time my eyes met Kriti, I worried she would decline to return home with me. Even when Rati and Kartik returned from school, and we all sat to eat together, I feared Kriti would decide to stay after all. And what terrified me the most was how she didn’t glare at me. At all. She was extremely passive, and that in and of itself was downright terrifying.

She did everything that I actually prayed she would do, that was, readily come home with me. But now that she was actually doing that, it didn’t sit right with me.

Me: She’s being too agreeable. I’m scared.

Abhi: As you should be.

Me: Shut up, Abhi.

Maa: Don’t talk to your brother like that, Aakar. This is all your doing.

Fuck.

Me: What do I do?

Dad: What CAN you do?

Maa: Just let it play out.

We said goodbye to her parents and siblings, and I put her bag in the trunk of the car.

Once I started the car and we left her house behind, the resounding silence was nerve-wracking. My throat dried up, and my hands gripped the steering wheel as I thought about how to start apologizing.

But before I could get a word out, Kriti said, “Take me to your village house.”

My heart stopped. Blood rushed to my ears, making them hot. “What? Why?”

I quickly looked at her, but I found her staring out the window. “Because that’s where I’d like to go.”

I gulped. My heart raced as I tried to formulate a response. “But I thought you were coming home with me.”

With not a single inflection in her tone, voice more frigid than ice, she said, “You thought wrong.”

“Kriti…”

“Now.”

One word.

One word as cutting as the sharpest sword.

One word, and I knew how much I hurt her.

One word that shredded my pride.

One word that no matter how much it hurt, I obeyed.

I turned the car around and took her to our ancestral home in the village. I realized her whole charade on our way to the house, which did give me a tiny sliver of hope. She hadn’t told her family about what I did and didn’t want to worry her parents now, which my mind translated to the fact that she didn’t plan to stay with her family.

But Kriti was too mad at me to step foot inside our home, which only left her with our ancestral home.

When I was a kid, my grandmother used to tell me stories about kings and queens. In the stories, the king would often do something stupid, enraging the queen. The queen would have a special palace or a room called kop bhavan, which translated to sulking room, where she would go to brood and sulk until the king groveled to the queen’s satisfaction.

And apparently, our ancestral home would be my queen’s kop bhavan.

Once we reached the house, I quickly got out, hoping to open the car door for her. Of course, she beat me to it and started making her way toward the main door.

I rushed behind her and quickly unlocked the door to our house as she silently waited behind me.

Once unlocked, she went in while I went back to the car to get her suitcase.

Pulling out my phone, I opened the chat. Just the thought of giving the latest update to my family had me breaking out in hives. I ignored the slew of messages that had appeared in my absence.

Me: Umm. We’re at our ancestral home.

Abhi: What are you doing there?

Maa: What happened?

Me: She refused to come back home with me. But she told me to take her to our ancestral home in the village.

Ria: I KNEW it. I knew Kriti wasn’t a pushover.

Me: How long do you think she will want to stay here?

Maa: As long as it takes.

Dad: It’s not like you’ve got anything better to do.

Abhi: I’d be surprised if bhai manages to get bhabhi home.

I waited for Maa to defend me.

Me: Are you not going to say something to him, Maa?

Maa: I’m afraid, beta, I’m with Abhi on this one.

Without replying in the group chat, I closed the app, got her suitcase and mine from the trunk, and went inside the house to face my very angry, very hurt wife.

The moment I stepped inside, I was met with silence. I looked around the living room and the kitchen, the dining and the bedrooms downstairs, but found nothing.

“Kriti?” I called out.

But nothing. Not a peep.

I rushed upstairs and found all the doors to the bedrooms open except for one at the end of the hallway.

I quietly walked toward it, my heart thumping in my chest. I gave a few quick raps of my knuckle on the door. “Kriti?”

A rustle came from inside, and I quickly straightened myself before the door opened, and I was met with my wife, her face devoid of emotion. Like a perfect statue. “Yes?”

The blood in my veins froze at the arctic chill in her voice. Like a fumbling idiot, I completely blanked out on what to say. “Umm. I came here to apologize.”

“Don’t. You’re not forgiven. If there’s nothing else…”

Ouch. I quickly reacted. “Of course there is. Umm. We need to eat dinner.”

“I’m afraid I’ve lost my appetite.”

I pity all the students my wife taught.

At my silence, she cocked her head to the side. “Was there anything else you needed?”

“Umm…Where would I sleep?”

At that, I was met with the slam of the door in my face.

Fuck.

It was going to be a long few days.