Betrothed

8 \ News?

"I have news." Karan announced looking at Diya with a smile.

She looked on curiously, what was it that he wanted to say. Oh, was he going to announce THAT? Had he finally plucked the courage to do it?

"I asked Nalini to marry me." he announced ready to plug his fingers into his ears well aware of the incoming scream.

"You what? Oh my God!" Diya sprang to her feet to tower over a seated Karan and pulled him into a hug making him chuckle.

A few minutes of gushing and excited squealing later, Diya dropped to her seat next to Vikram. She could not be happier. Her heart felt full. Nalini and Karan had been dating for over four years now. It only seemed natural to progress on to getting married.

She still remembered how excited Karan had been after returning from the first date. He had animatedly told her how she had had fries with chocolate sauce. She was a wonderful girl. 

"So, when is the wedding?" she asked.

"There's time for that. Both sets of parents are in a hurry to get us married but we will need to make time to come to India and arrange everything. So, at least a year."

"Ayee that is very far away. Get married quickly, please." 

Vikram looked on surprised at the 360 degree change in his wife's behaviour. She had always been prim and proper, very princess-like all this while. But right now, what he saw was a completely different woman. The ease, the camaraderie that the two friends shared was surely special.

.

Diya had been in a great mood ever since they returned from meeting Karan. The two friends had caught up on a lot of recent happenings in each other's lives. Whatever little doubt he had had about the relationship that Diya and Karan shared had disappeared by now. 

Those two shared a rock solid friendship. 

He shut the door of their bedroom behind him. He was back after a walk with Kabir. Lately, his brother had been going through a lot of stress. He wanted to be there for Kabir, to make sure he was okay. So, these night walks had become a routine for them.

He saw Divya sitting on the bed holding her phone, lost in thought. Deciding to take a long shower and change for the night, he walked into his closet room.

Divya sat staring at the text she had received from Liam, one of her many flings during post graduation in London. He had dropped a hey, it's been a while. Want to catch up? out of nowhere.

It was on days like this that she wanted to leave this life and go back to her carefree one in London. She still remembered Liam. They had met at a house party and had ended up talking quite a lot. Once the clock struck 2 at night, they ditched the party and went to his place. The passion which he had shown her that night was something unreal. It easily went down as one of her best nights.

The click of the knob snapped her out of her reverie. Vikram walked in wearing sweats and a T-shirt. Keeping the phone on the night stand, he settled on the bed.

Diya had not felt this vulnerable in a very long time. The added celibacy was getting to her. There was so much love in Karan's eyes today. It reminded her of what she did not have. The message from Liam accelerated it further.

Beside her was a man looking absolutely gorgeous but they weren't in love. She put her phone away and laid down, pulling the comforter up. She squeezed her legs together. tucking the fabric on her sides, hoping that the hem of her slip dress did not ride up in the morning.