His Unloved Bride | COMPLETED ✓

✿⁠ TO BE CARED ✿⁠

ALAIA

I nervously tapped my feet under the table when the food arrives. Fork, knife and chopsticks at the table made me anxious to my core.

I don't know anything about table etiquette nor did I know how to use such things to eat food. Agastya was busy discussing something about the project with his business partner; Arnav Khurrana.

I don't want to complain about the present situation since Arnav Khurrana and his wife; Anaya Khurrana are anything but nice. They welcomed me with genuine smile on their face but I'm getting cold feet. I came here at some super fancy restaurant and to be honest, I'm feeling like I don't belong here.

I'm dressed in a cotton saree, my hair tied in braids and head filled with red vermillion. Colour of Henna still fresh on my hands and a fake smile adorning my face. Part of me really want to judge Anaya Khurrana for being so bold and beautiful. She wore shorts and loose Tshirt, her blue hair standing out in the crowd and let's not talk about her arm filled with tattoos. I badly want to think that this isn't how a married woman is supposed to look but who am I lying to? It's not about me wearing a saree or her wearing short clothes, it's all about the confidence that she carries while I clearly lack it.

"Oh, you guys are super boring. Agastya, I wanted to meet your wife not to hear about your projects. Let me borrow her, shall I?" She rolled her eyes.

"Try not to scare her, Anaya." Arnav Khurrana laughed, placing a kiss on her cheeks.

I bit on my lips and hesitantly followed her when she smiled at me and we both sat at the seperate table.

"I'm sorry, I was getting bored there. Plus, I'm sorry for not attending your reception party. Here, I bought something for you." She handed me a small box.

"No, it's okay-"

"It's a wedding gift." She cut me in middle.

"Thank you." I said.

Knots twisted in my stomach realising that I don't fit here. Anaya Khurrana is daughter of one of the famous politician. She had grown up rich unlike me. She most probably have learnt table etiquette at the age of five. She's doing PHD in STEM while I'm technically an illiterate in front of her. I was never good at studies nor did I achieve anything in particular. I graduated from a small college and after that I wasn't allowed to study further.

I wonder what Zoya was like? She might've been interesting person.

"I don't belong here, right?" I don't know what came to my mind that I ended up blurting out something.

Her brows arches up in suprise to my question.

I started playing with my bangles. "I'm sorry- I don't know what came to me that I asked something like that. Please forget about it."

"I don't belong here, too. Are you seeing that lady there? In the corner, the one who wore a beautiful red dress?" She said, pointing to the side.

I turned my head to see and then nodded.

"That's how people are supposed to act in classy restaurant. But I say fuck it and smile." She shrugged.

A small smile crossed my lips. "You're beautiful."

"I know." She winked. "And so are you." She added.

Next, we talked about couple of random things and exchanged our phone numbers. After awhile we came back to our original table. I saw, her husband holding her hands and looking at her as if she's his world. And then my gaze shifted to Agastya who leaned into his chair and asked for the waiter to serve us food.

"I'm not hungry." I whispered to him, my throat drying out in nervousness seeing all the cutlery.

"You didn't have proper meal last night. How come you're not hungry?" He said, gesturing the waiter serve my plate.

"I'm really don't feel like eating anything." I whispered as low as I can.

"Don't you like the food? Shall I order something else?" Arnav Khurrana asked once he saw me not touching my plate.

I chewed at my inner cheeks in embarrassment. I'm going to mess up everything. I know the second, I hold onto knife, everyone will come to know that I don't even know the basic etiquette.

"Agastya, I don't know how to eat using these. I have never - I'm sorry I didn't mean to disappoint you in public. I promise, I'll learn everything." I whispered in a barely audible voice to him.

"Arnav, man, I'm so sorry. I kind of had breakfast in the morning. I'm full." He spoke, his face molding a perfect lie. "But, let me feed my wife." He added.

Through my periphery, I saw him cutting the food into fine pieces and then he bought the fork to my mouth.

I blinked in disbelief because he wasn't smiling. It wasn't simply an act for the public. I ate the food, my eyes scanning his face as both Anaya and Arnav whispered something about us being cute and I don't know, I couldn't listen more, my attention was completely on my husband.

Unknowingly a small blush crept upto my neck and a warm feeling for him started igniting in my heart.

He wants me to eat the food but at the same time he doesn't want me to embarrass myself. No, it wasn't bare minimum for me. Care is never bare minimum.

Once the lunch was over, we bid our goodbyes and when I was about to open the backdoor of the car, he stopped me.

"If you want, you can sit in the front."

"No, I'm good." I replied, and sat inside the car.

He ignited the engine and an uncomfortable silence fell between us. I wanted to talk to him, I don't exactly know about what but I just wanted to talk. I tried to look out of the window to distract myself but every other second the second of him feeding me food popped into my head making me blush profusely.

"Thank you. I swear, I'll learn about everything. The thing is I've never been introduced before to this lavish lifestyle but don't worry, I'll try to get accustomed and never embarrass you in public." I blabbered, my thoughts still running back and forth to what happened before.

"You talk too much when you're nervous, don't you?" He chuckled softly.

"I do?" I asked back, smiling wholeheartedly.