Preetah
I had never been in a car like this before. It was so spacious inside it looked like one could live in here! The seats were all brown leather and felt smooth to touch. There was even a small screen facing my seat, highlighting the news. Mr Korana and I were sitting at the back. “Do you drink?” He asked me when the car started moving. “Alcohol?” “Yes.” “No, sir.” I shook my head. “Good. Neither do I.” He answered. “People in America drink a lot.” “Oh...” “I don't understand what they like about alcohol. All it does is make you lose yourself and act like a complete fool.” He added. I nodded. For the rest of the way, Mr Korana looked out of the window at the country he had left behind. The country had only gotten worse. There was more litter, the streets got busier and with nepotism, jobs were scarce. As Mr Korana looked upon the transformation of streets he walked and drove in, I thought about Arjun. A smile stole over my face. His long eyelashes, his cute pink lips, and his clean uniform. Was he still as neat as he was in high school? Would he want me to press iron all his work shirts and pants? I looked down at my left hand, at the finger where Arjun would place a ring. I will be the best wife for you, Arjun. The best. The driver stopped in front of our house. I felt ashamed to let Mr Korana into our house after being in their lavish car. “Uh... this is our house, sir. Welcome.” I told him, leading him to the door. “It's not much...” He scoffed and then chuckled. “Are you forgetting I am from here?” His response made me feel a lot more comfortable. I laughed with him as I opened the door. Dad was sleeping in his wheelchair and didn't wake up when we walked in. I went to kneel down next to him, placing my hands on the arm rest of the wheelchair. “Papa... wake up.” I took his hand in mine. “There is someone here for you.” He sat upright in his wheelchair when he woke up. “My child, are you back?” I nodded. “Yes, papa.” “Greetings.” Mr Korana came to offer his hand. My father took it with a frown of confusion. “This is Mr Korana. I went to school with his son Arjun.” I informed father. “Mr Korana has come to see you.” “Greetings.” I could see father analysing Mr Korana. Probably wondering what such a rich man wanted from us. “You can sit.” Father told him. “Thank you.” Mr Korana took a seat on the couch. I too, took a seat. “Is something wrong?” Father asked him. “On the contrary, Mr Arora.” Arjun's father smiled. “My son went to the same school with Preetah, like she just mentioned. Arjun. We left India in 2018; we now live in New York.” I fidgeted with my fingers. I was so nervous. What if father refused? “Arjun is 28 years old. He is a business owner of a company called KE, Korana Enterprises. He has done well for himself but only one thing stays; my son would like to marry. I as his father agree with him. I think that it is time he finds himself a good wife and settle down. So that is the matter at hand.” Father looked from Mr Korana to me. My heart skipped a beat. “Your daughter here, Preetah, topped second after my son on their last year. My son got an average of 98% and she got 93%. She is smart, beautiful and I can see that she has manners. There's no one else I see fit for my son than your daughter.” Mr Korana spoke. “Simply put, Mr Arora, we would like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage.” Father had his hands clasped and he looked thoughtful. He regarded Mr Korana for a while after he finished talking. He then looked at me and reverted to Mr Korana. The silence was loud and killing me. If it was appropriate, I would break the silence, just because it was too long than normal. “If it's your son the one looking for a wife, why is he not here beside you, asking for Preetah's hand in marriage?” Father asked him. Mr Korana looked a little flushed and nervous. I picked it up. Why was father so blunt? What if Mr Korana changed his mind? “Uh...” Mr Korana shifted in his seat uncomfortably and then gained his control. “You have a point Mr Arora. I would have preferred Arjun to be here too, but like I mentioned, he has a whole company to run. Especially that it is month end, there is a lot of paperwork to review and—” “If his business was all he needed, he wouldn't be looking for a wife.” Father went on. “I think it is only appropriate that he is present. How can I make a judgment without seeing the boy whom I am giving my daughter to?” Oh no... why was father saying all these things? I didn't want Mr Korana to reconsider. I wanted to marry Arjun. “You have a point, but our boy is a decent man. He believes in hard work and responsibility. How will he take care of his wife if he doesn't prioritize his only source of income?” Mr Korana pointed out. I nodded because I agreed. I wished father could see it like we did. Mr Korana approached father and showed him his cell phone screen. “Here he is.” I wished I could see the picture but it was too far away. After much silence, father nodded and gave Mr Korana back his cell phone. “We are a decent family, and that's why I came all the way from America just to find a girl here in India. We want a girl with values and morals.” “It seems that your son is a very good man, and you seem like a good man yourself, Mr Korana. I have heard the matter that you have brought to my house today, but I have to ask Preetah's opinion.” I almost died from excitement! Father turned to me. “Preetah, have you heard what Mr Korana has said?” I nodded. “Yes, father.” “Do you know this Arjun Korana?” I nodded, looking down, out of respect. “Yes.” “Would you like to marry this boy?” I smiled, from my heart. I would have leaped up and yelled but of course I couldn’t do that, so I answered, without meeting his eyes, “Yes, papa. I would like to marry him.”Arjun “So, as you all know, it is the last day of the month. I've just reviewed KE's income statement for the month and we had surely made more than we made last month—” I stopped to watch the workers turn to each other, smile and nod encouragingly at one another. I was standing behind my office chair, at the head of the table, facing them. “But...” I placed my hands on the top of the headrest of the chair. “I feel like we could have done better. We only managed to supply to our usual customers and hadn't contracted anyone new. Anyone care to remind us of our monthly goal?” Everyone stared elsewhere, avoiding my eyes. Yeah, they should be feeling bad now. “To sign at least two new companies every month.” Artha raised her pen in the air as she answered. “Exactly. To contract at least two companies every month.” I raised two fingers. “So, if I was one of you, sitting in that chair, I wouldn't be proud of myself. There's nothing to be proud about. The reason you're even sitting in that chair today is because I employed you, and why did I employ you? Because I thought you would make the best brokers for KE. But here we are, zero companies won. And last month? Only one new contract.” “Good Hope would have been contracted if they didn't pull out at the last minute.” Finn said it like he was judging me without making it obvious while still wanting me to pick it up. “Companies get cold feet before contracts, it's no big deal.” I stated. “I think they really wanted to work with us.” Finn continued. “Bernard mentioned that our offer was the best offer he had come across.” “Yeah, I'm going to try to get a meeting with him again. I will try to talk him back in.” I shrugged my hand in the air, dismissing his point. “No big deal.” All five nodded. “Um... I will personally go over to Good Hope today.” Artha said. “At this point I think Barnard will keep dodging us unless we are standing in front of him.” “Good idea, Artha.” I nodded. “You and Dean can get on it now.” “Sure.” She said, getting up and taking her things. When she got up, I frowned at the length of her dress. It was a few inches above her knee, and as she bent, it looked even shorter. Dean got up, and after grabbing his things, came to help carry her bag for her. “Thanks.” She told him, and then they left. I was proud of Artha, she was only 17 but she had such strong leadership skills. She always took initiative, always wanted to be directly involved with the action. Once again, this proves that father was wrong, and I was right. If we had gone with father's wishes of letting her finish high school, she wouldn't be as knowledgeable as she was now. Sure, she still had a lot to learn, but with the help of my best friend, Dean, she was learning fast and doing well. “Uh... for the rest of you, continue playing your role as you should. Let's make March a good month for KE. Let's beat our own records. January and February were nothing.” I finished off. “Elza, see me in my office so we can discuss where our next donation is going to go. The company is currently under bad light, and we need something to change that.” “Okay, sir.” She smiled flirtatiously at me as she picked up her notepad and pen. She followed after me as I led the way to my office. When we got in, I closed the door. “Come here.” I pulled her by her arm towards me. She giggled as she let me pull her in. “The blinds are open.” She said, placing her hands around my neck. “What did you expect after giving me that look?” “After this though, we really have to think about places you can donate to. I don't like them portraying you as the big bad villain.” I shrugged as she ran a pointy fingernail along my tie. “I don't mind being the big bad villain.” “Be my big bad villain then...” She said, then bit my earlobe. “Turn around.” I said and then turned her to the door, pinning her against it. “Are you gonna be my big bad villain?” She asked as I unbuckled my belt. “Any day...” I said, biting my bottom lip as I lifted her dress to her waist. My phone began ringing. “Don't take it...” She urged me, turning back as I took the phone out of my pocket. It was father. Ahg... if only he could just let me breathe for a second. What did he want now? Did he want to remind me that my video was still trending, four days later? “Yes?” I answered, watching Elza go close my blinds. “I've found you a wife!” He sounded ecstatic. “Father, I am at work.” I responded indifferently. “I just wanted to give you the news. She's so beautiful. You will love her.” As he spoke, Elza kissed my neck. “Ok. But I am working right now.” I answered. “I spoke to her father, and he accepted. We will go to the temple tomorrow to get an auspicious date for the wedding. Once we have one—” “Dad, I really have to go.” “Okay, let me not disturb you while—” I hung up the phone before he completed his sentence. He was the one that wanted me to marry so bad. There was no need at all to fill me in on every little detail. I will show up when I'm really needed, for the wedding. The rest doesn't concern me.Artha I got into my car and Dean got in on the other side. I looked over at him, smiled and then started driving. “Once again, Arjun messes up and we have to clean up after him.” Dean said, and then let out a heavy sigh. “It's about to be a long day...” With my smile still in place, I shook my head at his ignorance. Why are men like this? He placed his hand on my thigh, as he often did when I was driving. His hand was warm, and gently slid between my thighs, where it rested. “Why did you offer to go?” He then let out a loud lazy groan. “Do you even know what day it is?” I asked him. “Wednesday.” He responded, casually. “It's the 28th of Feb, babe...” He looked quizzical, I could see him trying to figure it out. I shook my head and laughed. He looked so cute, this confused. His beard was trimmed short, brown. He had brown hair and eyebrows and very fair skin— apparently, he was almost born an albino. With the darker brown freckles on his nose, he looked perfect. Beautiful. “I'm hurt.” I pouted, pretending to be sad. “Oh... Oh!” His face finally lit up. “Oh shit... happy first year anniversary, Artha-bear!” “Ahg.” I groaned, pretending to be mad. He leaned over and began kissing me. “Hm!” I laughed. “I'm driving, D...” I enjoyed the affection and attention Dean gave me, always treating me so delicate. Perhaps it was the age difference, but I loved it. Although we had to act formally at the office, in private, Dean was the sweetest ever, and I treasured every single moment with him. After we broke the kiss, he kissed me on my cheek and then took my free hand in his. “Happy anniversary to us.” “Happy anniversary to us...” I responded. “Are we really spending our anniversary trying to sign that asshole, Barnard?” I shook my head. “Of course not. I just needed an excuse to get us off my brother's radar.” “Nice.” “And we won't have to worry about him calling, because he'll think we're at Good Hope.” I smirked. “Smart girl.” He winked at me. “So, where are we going?” “Your place.” Dean had no clue, but I had given Bianca, my best friend, the extra keys I had to his apartment. And when we would walk in, there would be rose petals from his front door, and it would lead us to his bed; where there would be more rose petals in the shape of a heart, and on the side of his bed, would be an ice bucket with a nice bottle of champaign waiting.Artha I watched Dean's smile fade a little when the rose trail led us to his bedroom. He took in the decoration: red ballons hugging the ceilings, their coiled strings hanging over us. He stepped to his side table and picked up the bottle of champagne, reading the label. “Nice...” He grinned. He picked up the gift bag from the bed and looked back at me, giving me a warm smile. “Can I open it?” I laughed at his politeness. “Yes, you may.” He pulled out the football jersey, smiling ear to ear. “Aw, man.” He walked to me and drew me into his arms. “I love you so much, man.” I just smiled, hugging him back tightly. Nothing brought me more joy than seeing how happy Dean looked at this very moment. I would go out of my way each time if it meant seeing this joy on his face. He kissed my temple and then hugged me again. “I love you, Artha-bear.” He said softly at the side of my face. His warm breath against my ear, made me feel fuzzy inside. He then placed his hands in my hair and mad
10h09Preetah The atmosphere buzzed with laughter, chatter and warmth as the mehndi artist carefully applied the henna to my hands. My cousins and aunts were all around me, talking, making jokes, and often teasing me about becoming married. Although they had all disappeared when father had started falling ill, it was good to have all of them here today. It felt good having so many people that all just wanted to see me happy. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was part of a big happy family again. “Preetah, we heard females in the USA all work and forsake their duties as wives, please don't become like them.” Aisha, my youngest cousin said. She was the most talkative of her siblings, taking after aunt. She was also the most beautiful. She was short and chubby, with long curly hair that fell past her bum. She had a sharp nose and wore a nose ring. “My brother did not raise our Preetah like that, don't worry” Aunt told her. Our big family was all from aunt’s side, I was t
ArthaSince it had been last minute, brother could only get two empty seats next to each other, the other seat was right at the back. The loner seat was mine. “I can't even remember if I locked my door.” Dean was telling Arjun as we walked down the aisle, looking for our seats. “This is a one-way ticket, how long are we gonna stay for?” I was following behind them.“I don't know, D. Indian weddings are so complicated.” “I hope I switched off my stove.” D continued. Arjun groaned. “If you're going to complain all the way then go sit on Artha's seat.” “Or you go sit on Artha's seat.” He responded. “I don't want to have to hear you complain about how much you don't want to get married for 19 hours.” “Oh, my friend, I do want to get married now actually.” He answered as he moved into his seat. “Is that why you sent us last minute invitations?”“Would you have rather not been invited?”“They say that when someone invites you last minute, you shouldn’t accept the invitation because it
Arjun Loud drums pounced the air, accompanied by cheering and singing all the way to the wedding venue. If I had gotten at least 4 hours of sleep last night, all of this going on wouldn't have seemed like a commotion. But right now, I had a major headache, and I was feeling weak. Dean had woken me up so early this morning, passing me Dad's call. We then met up with Dad and shopped for everything we needed and made the arrangements that we did not know we needed to make until this morning. Everything felt so rushed and stressful. I felt like someone out of my own body, just being dragged everywhere and being told what to do and where to stand.As I rode the white horse to the wedding hall, the others followed, walking beside me. It was scorching hot, and I felt like a fish hung to dry up here. When we arrived, I got off the horse and dad and my other uncles prompted me to walk in front of the group. I was to lead when I had no clue what was going on. It was like attending someone else'
Arjun I woke up by the sting of a mosquito. I hissed in pain, watching it fly away. How the hell is there mosquitos in a hotel room? And this is supposed to be a five-star hotel? Unbelievable. I had to squint because of the bright light. I was going to cover my eyes with my hand, but my hand stopped halfway to my face when I realized that I was laying on Preetah's chest. I frowned, did she watch me fall asleep or did she sleep before me? I lifted my body up a little and then looked down at her. She was fast asleep, her hair forming a silky layer over her pillow. Clearly, she was used to mosquitos. I looked from her hair to her inviting lips. I couldn't resist the temptation to kiss them. She stayed asleep after the kiss, just turned her head to the other side, as if disturbed. I stayed looking at the side of her face, but only for a few seconds because she turned her whole body away. I stared at her bare back, which looked smooth and had the colour of caramel. She had a mole on the
ArjunWe arrived in New York around 8 in the morning. It was a chilly morning.“Welcome to America.” I said, as we made our way through the airbridge.Preetah smiled up at me, her eyes widening, showing her excitement.“I think this is better than going to China!” She answered. “I don't think China—” She was stopped short when a lady in a rush bumped into her.“Can you walk?” The lady turned and snarled at her.“Sorry.” Preetah apologised instead of the lady that had come from behind us.“Why are you apologizing to her?” I cut in. “She's the one that...” I trailed off when the lady stopped in front of us to hear what I was about to say. She looked like she was ready for an argument and was just waiting for me to finish my statement.She looked angry but cute. She was wearing very short blue shorts and a black and white vest, exposing her cleavage. Hmm...“Finish your sentence.” Her menacing voice brought me back.“You should apologise to her, not the other way around.” I told her, but
Arjun Preetah looked like she was on the verge of tears. I didn't understand why she would think we would fly her father over – was it because of the court wedding? Court weddings weren't even that serious. And here she was, about to cry as if somebody had just died. “Babuji,” She turned to face dad. “You told me that father would be coming with us.” She then turned to me and that's when tears fell down her cheeks. I turned my heard away. I didn't have the patience for this."Are you really crying?" I asked, ignoring the stares of the other people in the room. Gosh, this was so embarrassing. "Why are you crying?"“Arjun, you said that father would be coming after us, remember? I asked you about it at the hotel and you said that he will be coming with—” “I was talking about my father.” I answered, my voice clear that I wasn't liking this one bit. “Why would your father come here? This is just a court wedding, exchange vows and sign some papers, done.” “Babuji told me that he would b
Dean I felt so weak, exhausted. For the past 3 days, I felt like I've been running on reserve energy. I'm glad Arjun gave me the day off. I was grateful. Especially that I would have never gotten it had it been me asking of my own accord. Arjun was a good friend when it came to other stuff but in business — he didn't know family or friends. Even on my sick days he demanded a sick note from the doctor. Imagine. “Can't believe you really left me here for three days.” Bianca told me, cozing up to me. “You could've taken me with you, you know?” She placed a soft hand on my neck and the other interlocking with my fingers. The thing with Bianca is, she was very physical. Her love language was touch. The only time she wasn't clinging onto me was when Artha was around. I loved it though. I loved her softness and femininity. “I told you; it wasn't my place to invite you.” I answered, leaning towards her instinctively, I don’t know. Everything about her just draws me in, made me feel some k
Preetah Arjun said bye this morning. He told me that we were invited to a show called Trevor's Ark and I had to be ready by 6pm. He said that he would come home, shower and then we would leave. He also told me that I have homework: to stream as many episodes of it as I could to know how it worked and how people behaved there. For that, he showed me how the TV in the room worked. He then left after I gave him his coffee and then I stayed in bed the whole morning, with no motivation to start my day. I only had one thing on my mind. Later I left the room and went back to the laundry basket. I took the white shirt and examined it for more red lipstick marks but there were just the ones on the collar. After looking at it for so long, as if it would answer my questions, I smelt it. It smelt purely of one of Arjun's many expensive colognes. Am I going crazy? Was I over-analyzing this situation? I hated this feeling of fighting myself internally, one part of me saying it could be anyt
Arjun I got off the bed and pulled on my shorts. Preetah was still in the bathroom and had left the door ajar. When I opened the door, she was standing in the bathroom, holding one of my shirts. She looked so sexy standing there barefoot in my t-shirt, with her hair falling over her shoulders. At least she was beautiful. I lifted the toilet seat and began urinating. “What are you doing?” I asked, without really looking back at her. “Nothing.” She responded and then left the bathroom. When I came back from the bathroom, I switched off the lights and snuck under the covers, wishing I could pull her body towards mine, but I didn't want her to think I was needy for affection, so I didn't. After treating her like I didn't like her all week, well I thought I didn't like her, I found myself almost telling her what happened to my mom. I had never even thought about speaking about it before, but I almost did with her. Not that Dean or dad was right, but I couldn't deny the fact th
DeanIt was Steve. His eyes widened just for about 2 seconds before he wiped all the expression from his face. “Uhm... Madam Preetah said that she would leave a plate of food for me in the microwave.” He said nervously, avoiding both our eyes. “Oh.” Both Artha and I said simultaneously and surprisingly almost bumped into each other, trying to go for the microwave.“You can go...” I told her, moving away to let her pass.She took the plate out of the microwave and passed it to Steve. He thanked us awkwardly and then left quickly.Artha and I exchanged looks. I shook my head.“I think this is a sign.” She told me.“What sign?” I frowned. “Don't be sentimental. There is no sign. We are not telling Arjun anything.”She began filling the takeaway with more food from the pot. “It's only a matter of time before Preetah tells Arjun.”
Preetah Arjun came home around 2pm with Dean, I was writing when I heard him and Dean's voice coming from the living room. They were loud and speaking over each other. I frowned, abandoning my book and running out of the room, my heart racing. I stopped at the top of the stairs and looked down, only to see them laughing and then Arjun playfully shoving Dean. Was this really Arjun? Smiling, talking, and having fun like this? I saw Artha come out from her room, tuck her hair behind her ears and approach them both. “Afternoon guys.” She greeted them as they took a seat. She sat on the one end of the same couch as Dean. “Afternoon.” They responded. “So you decided to come visit today?” Artha asked Dean. “This is my house.” Dean answered jovially. “I gave Arjun a one-week break because he had just gotten married. Didn't want to take all the attention from Preetah.” “This guy...” Arjun said and then laughed. “I'm gonna go make me some coffee, this guy doesn't even have coffee in
Arjun“Okay, Angelique, I must leave now. I'm too drunk.” I got up from the table. She got up and placed her hands around my neck. “My name is Kaylene.” She then kissed me. “Okay, that's it.” I said, breaking the kiss. “I need my bed. If I don't leave now, I'll pass out here. And that's not a good image for me.” “Sure, let's go then.” We walked out of the club, and she helped me not fall over all the way to my car. “Thank you for a lit night, Angelique.” I said as I fumbled for my car keys. “You're not gonna drive, are you?” She asked. “Call an Uber, I don't wanna die. I am only 35.” “No, no, honey. You're not gonna die, I am not taking you with—” “Why not?” Her face fell. I unlocked my car and was about to enter but she stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. “Don't be boring, let's go finish off our night, baby.” She pulled me towards her by my shirt and kissed my neck. “Don't you... want... me?” She asked between kisses. “Come on, baby.” “Tempting but...” I pushed her away
Preetah Did I get used to spending my days completely alone in a two-story house? No. Every day was the same and really boring. Eating takeaway food and not doing anything except make our bed. I even gained some weight. My joys came when Arjun would come home, be it at 4.30pm, which was rare, 5pm or 6pm. But even when he came home, the only time he showed interest in me was if he wanted sex. When I would ask him about his day, he would give one-word answers or not answer at all. Maybe he was just not talkative, and I couldn't force him to be. About my father? Babuji always gave me vague answers about how far Arjun was with the process of getting him here. I was afraid to ask Arjun directly because of how he had responded the other day.Ding-dong! That must be the guy that will fix the aircon that Arjun told me would be coming. I looked in the camera and saw the back of the head of a man wearing a green cap. I wondered if he was the one. I took the chance and buzzed him in. I watc
Arjun Artha looked like she was hiding something, and Dean looked like he knew what it was. Dean smiled nervously as the elevator doors began opening. “Well, we're all gonna need a seat for this one—” “Oh, there he is!” A man in a grey suit exalted, upon seeing us. I immediately recognized him. “Trevor Noah!” I reflected his excitement. “Bosses don't need to come early, right?” He chuckled as we shook hands. I shook my head, laughing too. “I don't believe in that. I just had a little emergency at home this morning.” I gestured to my office. “Please and welcome.” “Emergency or your wife kept you busy this morning?” He said and then laughed. I shared in the laugh although I found it a bit creepy that he managed to guess it. “I can see your face saying, 'wait, how did he know, but let me laugh so he doesn't think it’s true'.” He laughed as I closed the door behind him. “Am I right?” “Well...” I kept my grin as I went around my table. “Please have a seat.” “I am a presenter, I c
Preetah I don't know whether it was him standing so close to me, his voice so soft and provocative or his hand lifting my chin to look at him – but I was dying! “Say you want it.” I was so nervous but I build up a little courage. “I want it.” “And what exactly do you want?” He moved his hand back to my neck, which made my womanhood tingle with excitement. “Hmm?” “You...” I responded. His lips curled upward, as if satisfied with my answer. He then began kissing me again. He placed my hands around his neck and reached for my bum. He pinned me against the door as his kisses became more passionate and his breathing got heavier. He then lifted me off the floor and took me to the bed. He sat at the edge of the and I stood in front of him, he pulled down my pants and kissed my thighs in the process. I just had my top now. He stood up and kissed my neck as he pulled down his pants. He ran his fingers over my vagina, a couple of times. “Hmm...” He moaned. “You're so wet.” He sat on
PreetahAfter lunch, which was pizza and cold drinks, both Artha and Babaji went back to their rooms and left me alone in the living room. It was boring without a phone or anyone to talk to. I didn't know how to turn the large flat screen on, it didn't seem to have a remote.After sitting on the couch for too long, I took a walk in the garden, just to have something to do. The house was already spotless, there was nothing to clean. I spent some time outside and then came back to the couch after I had looked at all the different kind of flowers Arjun had in his front yard.I actually missed my class. I am sure they were missing me too. If I was still back there, I would have been giving them back their maths assignments that I had marked and then do revision. It was always beautiful seeing their eyes light up after I explained something.“The kids seem to really like you, not that I care but, the maths pass rates this term for all the classes you teach sky rocketed compared to the term