Chapter 321

On a Friday evening driving over to Manhattan is a nightmare no matter what. The TGIF crowd is always out there partying as the weekend starts quiet early there. The Broadway shows, the theaters, the malls and the night clubs, people are everywhere. Many prefer to extend the day into a late evening at the bar before heading home or some even prefer to have a day out with the family as it is a Friday. The traffic is an icing on the cake, no matter which direction you are in. You either drive at five miles per hour or there is some construction going on and you are trying to follow the detour or try to squeeze through a single lane road to get to your destination. Fridays can either be fun depending on where you are going or be a pain if you are stuck in the nowhere. All you want is to get home on time; Manhattan traffic may not be very friendly especially if you are driving. For some reason the peak hour starts right after lunch. That day was no other exception but Diya didn’t feel that way; instead it felt like they were driving at eighty miles per hour and she felt like all the drivers out there were very nice and didn't hear a single honk on the road. They were having some interesting conversations the traffic didn't seem to matter. Both of them didn't realize that they had grown much closer to each other than they had though in the past few days rather than months. They were very comfortable with each other and could almost discuss anything, argue on anything and agree to disagree on certain things and yet they learned many things from each other. He admired her for her approach and her determination and her intelligence which provoked him to engage in various topics of discussion. On the other hand she was very pleased with him by his politeness and for being a gentle man and the capacity and the avid knowledge he had on various subjects which encouraged her to keep the conversation going.

And before they knew it they had arrived at the hotel. As he was driving, he got down and walked over to her side and opened her door and helped her get out then turned around and handed over the keys for valet parking. As soon as they walked into the luxurious hotel, there was someone at the reception to direct them to the ballroom where the reception was being held. The decorations on the top around the hall were Indian and the lighting were Itallian, more typically Tuscan style. She didn't really notice any details about the wedding earlier, but that is when it occurred to her that the groom was Italian, but she still couldn't remember his name. The setting was exquisite. The appetizers looked fabulous. She was not sure if it was going to be a memorable reception for the bride and the groom, but it was going to be for her. She knew she will remember that it was going to be a joyous and memorable experience that she will treasure. When they passed by she noticed that there were two different sections for the starters. The first table had some chat, some samosas, doakla, bajias and chicken tikka masala. The table next to it had some Crab Cakes, Calamata Artichoke Tart with Sun Dried Tomatoes, tiny stuffed Portobello Mushroom caps, Guinness Battered Shrimp with Fines Herb Sauce with some Italian bread and olive oil. There was some space between both the tables for easy access. It was very obvious for the two settings as most of the Indians preferred the first table.