Silently Falling in Love: Race - #Wattys2017

Chapter 27 - March 1995

Hi everyone - Happy Valentines Day!!! I hope you're all having a wonderful day.  This is my Valentine's day gift to all of you! I worked on finishing this chapter rather than hanging out with my husband.  The heat is turning up and I'm sure this is not what you want on V-Day, but...just stick with me.

As usual please leave me comments and vote I'm on a roll and I think that maybe I can finish this baby in a short amount of time!!! I'm motivated and the story is coming along well.  The scenes are just floating through me faster than I can capture them.

______________________________________________________________________________

Anjali

I see Alex at a booth waving to me. I walk quickly over to our booth happy to see him after a stressful day.

"Hey," I say as I slide off my coat and throw it towards the end of the booth.

Alex gets out of his seat and greets me with a kiss.

"Hey there. I hope you don't mind, I ordered a Cosmo for you."

"Mind, I could kiss you for that. After the day I've had only a Cosmo could make it better."

"Work that busy?"

"I'm so sorry about canceling our lunch today, I had to help finish a proposal so I don't spend the weekend working. I decided skipping lunch would be better than coming in on a Saturday."

"Did you get the proposal done?" Alex asked sincerely.

"Most of it, but I'll have to go in sometime this weekend. I don't think it's where I want it to be. It sill needs some work."

"Did you have short notice to put the proposal together?"

"The timing wasn't bad, I've just had a hard time concentrating."

"Why, what's wrong?" Alex said leaning over his drink closer to me and bunching up his brows.

"What usually ties me up in knots?"

"I don't know what ties you up in knots?"

"Karthik," I laugh sarcastically.

"Oh," Alex says and takes a sip of his draft beer.

Finally Alex speaks, "Aren't you going to Boston this weekend to see him?"

I bitterly laugh, "I was going, but that plan has been canceled."

Alex doesn't say anything just looks at me questioningly.

"Karthik's parents are coming to visit him in Boston this weekend. The plan was that I would go to Boston to meet them, but they don't want to meet me. They told Karthik what's the point of meeting me since he can't marry me."

I take a deep breath. I am not going to cry again and that too in front of Alex.

"That's ridiculous. What is their objection against you?"

"I'm not their choice. I'm not South Indian. No one in their family has had a love marriage."

"Why don't you go to Boston anyway and make Karthik introduce you? I'm sure once they actually meet you they'll change their mind."

"Karthik thinks it's best to give them more time," I say as I look into my pink colored cosmo.

"You know I really don't understand this Anjali; you're both Indian, you're both Hindu the only difference is where your parents are from regionally in India. If my parents who are two different religions, two different cultures could make it work over thirty years ago, why is Karthik not acting on this now? My dad told his parents where they could go if they didn't accept my mom. Why isn't Karthik standing up for you? Why is he being such a coward and why are you letting him get away with such cowardly behavior?"