Just Roommates

Coffee?

All the faces in the room suddenly lit up as Arjun entered the drawing table. Diya wasn't sure whether it was because her uncle and father were hungry and could finally eat as Arjun was here or just because they were delighted to see him.

Arjun went around as he touched everyone's feet without making any eye contact with Diya even for a second. He finally took a chair and the dinner began.

Diya put a little more of paneer in her plate as she for the nth time heard the mention of the word 'merger', the official launch of the Gupta Goenka merged company was just a few days away. 

"Well I second Goenkaji's opinion of making you the CEO, Arjun beta" Diya's bade papa said taking her by surprise. How was Arjun capable for the position of the CEO, firstly, it barely looked like he cared about the company and secondly Diya felt that her father was more deserving, after all he had spent his entire life working as hard as he could for the company, sometimes neglecting her and her mother.

"Thank you papa, uh-I mean bade papa" he said realizing his folly. He wasn't betrothed to Meeta, he was married to Diya

"But bade papa, shouldn't papa take up the post of the CEO, he has given the company his entire life-" Everyone stopped eating and looked up at Diya, her bade papa gave her a stern look and began eating again as the others followed him.

"Papa is more experience-" Diya said when no one paid heed to her but was interrupted by her uncle as her suddenly raised his hand.

"Diya! How many times have you been told to not speak in between when we discuss business!" Her uncle said rashly.

She hated that her father was undermined by her uncle every now and then maybe it was the cause and result of her not seeing eye to eye with her uncle. And why couldn't she say anything during a business discussion! She had certainly achieved more than her uncle had in that age.

Her father gestured her to stay quiet with his eyes as her mother held her left hand

She dropped the morsel of food in her hand. And rose up, leaving the room, this infuriated her uncle who pretended to be okay in front of the guest. 

Her mother well aware of how undermining her husband often had a direct result on her relation ship and their family of three. She knew there was no pacifying Diya and continued her food. 

Arjun suddenly witnessed something in the house that he had never witnessed during his courtship with Meeta, disunity. 

Nirmala excused herself from the table and carried herself to Diya's room with great difficulty.

"This staying hungry when you're mad, is it a new habit that you have formed?"

"Badi maa, when did you come here? why did you take the pain, you should've called me, I would-"

"I am only a little sick, I haven't become Old!"   

"You didn't ask your Badi Maa why she revealed that thing before the marriage?"

Diya looked away, she had too many questions but no answers.

"I was scared, your bade papa is too ambitious and putting the Goenka's in such a position would ruin his years of planning, I was scared I'd lose him. Remember how the losses a few years ago gave him that attacK?"

Diya began listening more carefully.

"you uncle doesn't undermine your father Diya, he is just inexpressive, and this CEO and all sounds like so much work, your father has already worked so much, He should rest now and now that his son in law will become the CEO, he already has the upper hand on all the operations!" Her badi maa tried to reason, Diya still had nothing to say.

"Diya, apni bade papa ki baaton ka bura na mano, actually you are so much like him, so meticulous, so ambitious and so inexpressive sometimes, that he feels threatened by you" She said with a light chuckle. Diya just smiled to her Badi Maa, as BAdi Maa made it out of the door Diya remembered another one of the moments from her past

"Arrey, Diya, why is my darling Diya crying? Did your mother scold you again?"

"No-oo-ba-badi Ma-ah, my friends, they made fun of me today for being dark and fat!" a little girl said in sobs 

"I have told you a 100 times to use uptan to take bath, it will make you fairer!" Meeta said, sitting on the steps playing with her ribbon, although she didn't have to use uptan, her skin was was so light and beautiful that even lacto calamine would bow before her!

"Meeta, shh, bas itni si baat? apni doston ki baaton ka bura thodi na maante hain! Actually you are so pretty and so smart and so good at everything you do that they feel threatened by you!"

"Sacchi badi maa?"

"yes! and dont you know what color lord Krishna is? the dusky color, same as you"

"you are just like his sister then" Meeta said with a chuckle.

Now when Diya though about it, if she really were like lord krishna's sister, then she'd be like Subhadra who was the wife of Arjun, had destiny really pre decided this stuff? No no she thought to her self, marriage, destiny, universe, fate, love, it wasn't made for girls like her 

She was suddenly brought to reality with a dose of a few knocks on the door, which opened to show her husband Arjun. She didn't want to make eye contact with him after that humiliation.

"It's time for us to leave" Arjun said in a gentler tone than ever. 

-

Arjun stopped at another traffic signal. The city seemed serene, for some the day had finally ended and for some it had just begun. Diya stared out the window, there was too much to process, but mostly she was worried about her parents.

"Did you have to come in your 'deal closing' blazer" Meera said trying to pull Arjun away from her image of humiliation 

"Well it was your 'wifely duty' to set my clothes up, which you didn't do"

"Wifely duty, wifely duty oh give me a break! How old are you? 6?"

"I am older than you for sure, mentally and biologically" Arjun said, now he had a certain hold over Diya that could make them argue with each other for infinitely long, he didnt forgo a single opportunity to rile up Diya and annoy her.

"Ughhhhh, I didn't think you would come in the first place"

"Now that's my husbandly duty and I think I made it clear on the wedding night that you dont have to worry about those"

Diya yawned as Arjun unlocked the door.

"Do you want some coffee?"

Diya was amazed at the sudden change in Arjun's attitude and realized that she was both hungry and tired, she grabbed the opportunity and said, "yes please!"

"Okay cool, make two cups then, I'll see you in the room" Arjun said giving the same smirk that he would give her all the time now as Diya stood there dumbstruck.

Diya walked into the room with a tray in her hand, as she put the coffee mug on the table she noticed that Arjun was asleep, she was furious at him, she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists in the air and then bent her neck behind in exhaustion before going to change for the day. 

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