& Then They Wed (Ampersand Love #2)

5. The Temple Visit

5

The Temple Visit

Rian

R ian watched keenly as the flush on Aditi’s very pretty face bloomed everywhere, her eyes growing round at his admission.

He also knew very well that had Nanamma not been right there, Aditi would have continued this discussion. Her sights flitted between him and his grandmother, shooting him a look that promised retribution somehow. Unapologetic, he tilted his head to the side, smiling insolently as she got into the car with a huff.

Her agitation only served to amuse him. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from snorting at the memory of her concerned rambling. He rather thought if he laughed now, he wouldn’t be able to stop Aditi from attacking him.

He shut the car door once she was settled, sliding his sunglasses on as he directed his driver, Raju, towards the temple .

She was going to chastise him for eavesdropping at the first available opportunity, he was sure. But he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.

Her frustration had been comical, only because it seemed so out of the ordinary for her to be annoyed. In the weeks since his return to India, the only time he had seen Aditi not being her charmingly bubbly self was when she had confronted him about his standoffish behaviour.

Since that flimsy shield of caution had been shed, Rian found that he rather enjoyed her company.

The fact that she had all but announced that she wanted sex had not done any favours to his hyperactive mind, however.

He had no reason to deny that Aditi was an attractive woman. He caught sight of her in the rearview mirror, observing her without her knowledge.

Beautiful thick hair, classically Indian features, large doe eyes that were lined with kohl today, and a pouty mouth that begged to be kissed. With her medium height, honeyed skin, and plentiful curves, she had an inherently sensual image, which contrasted with her sweet and friendly aura.

It was for this reason that Rian often found himself watching her, trying to figure out who she truly was. Because she seemed to change very quickly from goofy to kind to serious to silly once more with almost no effort.

If she was pretending—conscious of being his guest—Rian suspected the act would drop eventually, and her true personality would come through with more frequency. He wondered what that would be, hoping that it wasn’t too different than the Aditi he’d seen so far.

He had not expected to join Nanamma today, but it had been a long time since he’d prayed. She’d caught him on the way out to the gym and had all but demanded his presence at their outing. He didn’t mind. Rian usually made it a point to come visit the temple with his grandmother anyway, but had been relieved of that duty of late. Aditi had been keeping Nanamma company, he’d learned. The more he found out about things that she did to make people around her happy, the more he felt terrible about judging her unnecessarily before.

He climbed the steps of the temple beside his grandmother with a chattering Aditi who was helping her on the other side, and he couldn’t hold back a small smile. It was no wonder that she’d made friends everywhere , he thought, watching her turn to Raju to include him in the conversation. She was almost always happy, exuding a warmth that drew people in.

While the ladies were waiting outside the main entry, Rian approached his usual shop for the prayer plate that he knew Nanamma liked to offer inside the temple. He reached for his wallet, handing over a large orange note to the vendor who set about looking for change. While waiting, he noticed Aditi browsing the flower garlands at the stall nearby where rows upon rows of strung jasmine and crossandra were being displayed.

He saw the female vendor ask her a question, and Aditi shook her head regretfully, gesturing in a manner that indicated that she hadn’t brought her purse. With an apologetic smile, she waved at the seller and walked away, throwing one last glance at the flowers.

“I don’t have the exact change, Saheb.”

Before he could think twice about it, he pointed at the stall next door. “Keep the money. Get me a string of those flowers instead and add it to the prayer plate.”

As Rian approached the two women, he couldn’t help but feel silly. He had no idea what possessed him to purchase these flowers for Aditi. He supposed he wanted to do something nice for someone who was so kind to others.

But Nanamma was there, right next to her.

And there was no way Rian could give Aditi something as simple as a string of jasmine to wear in her hair without Nanamma thinking that it was an indication of interest. Knowing his grandmother’s fervent wish for great-grandchildren, she’d probably ask the priest to get them married immediately.

“Ah Rian, kanna, did you find everything?” Chitra asked when he joined them.

“Yes, Nanamma.” He handed the plate to her, unable to tamp down the sliver of disappointment at the thought of having to leave those flowers be. Maybe she had seen his preoccupation with the plate because she exclaimed in surprise, “You got flowers?”

Rian glanced up, startled. “The vendor must have added them by mistake. You can use it for the prayers.”

“These are cut too short for that. But it’s just as well,” Chitra beamed, extending the jasmine to the young woman next to her. “Aditi was just telling me how her grandmother used to make flower garlands for her and her sister to wear for such occasions.”

With a glad grin, Aditi accepted the flowers, promptly pinning them onto her hair in the back. It was such a simple pleasure, but it was clear that it had made her very happy.

“You got your heart’s desire without even asking for it, kanna ,” Chitra said, cupping Aditi's face in a loving gesture. “I will pray that all your wishes come true so that you keep smiling, just like this.”

Aditi’s smile widened at that blessing, her sights drawn to the man standing behind Nanamma. Twinkling brown eyes met his, and out of nowhere Rian had the most curious sensation of being pulled towards her by an unseen thread. His heart thumped awkwardly, and his palms got sweaty until he shook it off, spinning around to head inside.

For the next hour, he studiously avoided looking in Aditi’s direction. It wasn’t hard considering the massive crowds leading into the main dais. He had his hands full trying to herd the two women he was with, making sure the throng did not hurt or crush them.

By the time the three stood in front of the altar and handed over their offerings to the head priest, Aditi was exhausted. Her eyes swept the space around her, noting the beautiful carvings on the pillars that stretched to the ceiling. She realised upon closer inspection that they were depictions of different scenes from the mythological stories she’d heard as a child.

Wanting to share this with someone, she turned back, doing a double take at the sight that greeted her. There was Rian, eyes closed with his palms joined in supplication, a mask of calm upon his handsome face.

As though he felt her staring, his lids cracked open and met her curious gaze. He tipped his chin in question when she didn’t look away.

“You pray?” she asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her tone.

“Occasionally. Why?”

“Didn’t take you for the religious kind.”

“I'm not, but I do enjoy some aspects of it,” Rian explained. “I find it peaceful. Like meditation.” He self-consciously shoved his hands into his pockets as she kept watching him.

“You’re not at all how I thought you would be,” she admitted after a moment.

“How did you think I would be?”

“Cold. Aloof. A jerk.”

Rian's lips thinned at her reply.

“You’re using this as an opportunity to call me names, aren’t you?”

Caught, Aditi grinned unrepentantly, one hand coming up to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “In all seriousness, I think you’re a genuinely nice guy,” she said, trying to placate him. She followed a couple steps behind Nanamma as they performed their customary circumambulations.

“You don’t even know me.”

“Of course I do,” she replied, her voice low so as to not disturb the prayers around them. He kept pace with her, wanting to hear what she had to say .

“You’re Rian Shetty.” She cast him a wink and kept walking. Just when he thought she had been teasing him, she continued, “You’re a man who keeps his promises even if it inconveniences him. You put up with the presence of an unwanted stranger in your house because you’d given word to your grandmother. You apologise quickly when you realise your mistake, granted in a roundabout but charming way. I know that from experience. You're a big softie—a man who has a running tab at the store around the corner to make sure the children from the nearby slums get something to eat everyday. You’re kind to the people around you, but especially to those who work for you. You’re the sort of man who’ll cook and pack meals for his driver all week when he lets it slip that his wife is visiting her hometown and he’s all alone. You are surprised that I know all this, but I promise you, I am not a stalker. Simply observant.”

They came to stop in front of the main dais but instead of looking at the Lord, Rian couldn’t move his sights away from Aditi. Her insight into him felt personal, like she saw more of him in a short time than others had in years.

“You’re also the kind of man who blushes when he gets complimented,” she added with a tiny grin. “How cute.”

Rian felt heat flood his face, completely and utterly silenced by this woman. Horrified, he almost touched a palm to his forehead, feeling faintly feverish.

Upon hearing their names being called, Aditi turned away and Rian finally let out a relieved breath. Never had he been more glad for someone to have interrupted a conversation. He couldn’t remember if anyone had made him feel shy before. He’d been barely able to meet her gaze without feeling like he was stepping onto a hot pan.

Directed by Nanamma, Rian and Aditi received their blessings from the priest, humbly accepting the sugar candy that was being distributed to all devotees as prasad .

“It’s so good to see you bring your young family members,” the priest said, complimenting Nanamma and waving towards them both. “The temple needs the devotees as much as the devotees need the temple.”

Aditi and Rian turned to see each other at once. Her eyes widened and his nostrils flared. Unable to hold back a snort, he raised a fist to cover his unholy grin as his shoulders began to tremble.

Pink and embarrassed, Aditi smacked his bicep as if she had every right over his person. Unthinkingly, she pulled him away from the line, walking towards the exit together. At his continued amusement, she threw him a dark look.

“Behave yourself! You’re in a place of worship!” she hissed, the sheepishness in her tone ruining her effort to sound mad.

He snickered harder, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he gasped for breath. “You’re the one who put the words in my head. Temple, devotees, and you being a lonely goddess.”

“You heard what you weren’t supposed to.”

He spun to face her, walking backwards just so he could tease her. “You were being loud.”

“Was not!” she shot back, swiping some sugar candy from his hands.

When she tried to steal some more, Rian held his closed fist high above his head, wordlessly taunting her for being shorter while she attempted to jump up and pull his arm down.

An almost giddy Nanamma shrewdly observed the natural ease between Rian and Aditi from a distance and smiled to herself. Pretending not to notice their playful flirting was the least she could do, hoping once more that Rian took the opportunity to grab a happiness that was quite literally walking alongside him.

As Rian drove the two women home, he couldn’t help but glance in the rearview mirror once more, the jasmine flowers shining like a delicate crown on Aditi’s bobbing head. She was speaking animatedly, engrossed in the story she was relaying to his entertained grandmother.

He forced his gaze away to focus on the road, but couldn’t stop that small voice in his head from questioning him, daring him to figure out if the peace he felt at that moment was because of his visit to the temple, or because of the unlikely goddess sitting in his back seat.

Like a coward, Rian ignored the voice, unprepared for anything more.

After all, this wasn’t part of his plan.