Poles Apart

Chapter Three

Two days later, my mother tells me about a party they're hosting tonight to announce the engagement. When I ask why she hadn't told me before, she says it slipped her mind. That wasn't very hard to believe because she always seems stressed lately.

"Like engagement or pre-wedding party?" I ask my mother, as I relish the heavenly taste of the coffee.

She shakes her head, without looking up from her phone. She was doing something on her phone since the last hour. "Like a business party," she says. I can't quite tell if she's being sarcastic or if she's being genuine, but I don't ask.

Is there going to be a difference between the two anyway?

~.~.~.~.~

My mother forgot to tell me about the party, but she didn't forget to tell the designer to prepare a dress for me. I was starting to think the dress wouldn't fit me because of all the food my grandmother had been stuffing into my mouth since the day I'd come back, also considering I'd sent my measurements over a month ago, but the dress did fit me. In fact, it fits beautifully like a glove.

After some tiring introductions and re-introductions to my father's friends and business colleagues and my mother's friends. I slip away from my parents' sight, trying to look for my brothers and sister or my friends, but I don't find any of them.

I walk to the bar and make myself comfortable after ordering a Coke. While I swipe through my phone, the waiter places my drink in front of me.

I look up from my phone and smile at him. "Thank you." He nods with a smile and goes about, serving drinks to the other people. The people either don't recognise me or choose to ignore me. Either way, I'm thankful for the lack of social interaction.

I sip my drink slowly, swiping through my Instagram. A half-hour later, Instagram bores me and I sulk at the bar like the loner that I am.

Perhaps, taking pity of my plight, Karthik makes his way over to me. "What are you drinking?" he asks curiously, looking at the glass of coke in front of me.

The ice melted into the coke, diluting its taste and colour. The fizz has also obviously dissipated over the past half hour.

I roll my eyes at Karthik's question. "Rum," I answer sardonically.

He narrows his eyes at me, forcing me to tell him the truth. "It's coke, Karthik. And I'm not drinking it," I tell him. "It's diluted because of the ice."

He nods in relief. "If you're done sulking, do you want to come to meet my friends?" he offers.

"Your friends?" I ask, contemplating the offer.

Karthik nods encouragingly. "It's not like you're doing anything here, anyway," he points out. That is true. I choose to trust Karthik and slide off the barstool and walk alongside him to his friends.

"Karthik Anna, I've been waiting to meet your bride." He said he would introduce me to her and that's the only reason I haven't asked my mother about her.

Beside me, Karthik stiffens slightly. I turn to look at him as we walk along. His forehead is shining with sweat. He looks stupidly cute when he's nervous. "I promise not to bite your fiancée," I offer to him kindly, nudging his stomach.

"You promise?" he asks for reassurance.

I slap his arm. "What do you take me for? I don't bite!"

"Are you sure?" he asks teasingly, "Let's see the teeth, first," he prods. "Come on, Arvi, say ahhh." He opens his mouth widely.

I pinch his forearm, making him wince. "Don't try that with me," I tell him. I know exactly what he's doing. He's trying to divert the topic. I am the master of that art.