Chapter 331

Diya read it over and over again. She then turned to see the front of the card. It was a very simple card with a big flower that was out of focus which was done on purpose to give a misty feel with the words “Happy Birthday” in the center. It was very simple, indeed with strong powerful, meaningful word on the inside. The card was exactly like Pryag. A very simple guy, with so much in his heart just like the words on the card. She starred at the card and realized that he had never forgotten to wish her on her birthday as long as she has known him. She kept the card down and noticed the key. The smile on her face disappeared and the sign of concern shadowed her face as it was accompanied by a letter. That was the key that she had given him long back. She picked up the key and remembered all the times that he had surprised her by coming I before her. She remembered the time once when she was very busy and had no time to out for a dinner on her birthday, Pryag and his family had surprised her by decorating her house with balloons and cake. Pryag’s mom had cooked some nice food and arranged it on the table and all of them had been waiting for her to show up and had yelled surprise. She had remembered another occasion when she had been sick and didn’t return any calls and didn’t even have any energy to get up from bed to do anything, Pryag had come in to check on her and had nursed her. He had even taken her to the doctor. There were other times that he had just picked up her stuff for her and much much more. Now he has retuned the key and she was very concerned if the friendship that had continued between for years was broken just because they broke up.

She immediately picked up the letter and opened it.

"Happy Birth Day! Until today I have never missed your birthday. I was not going to start something new this time by not wishing you. We have been drifted apart over the past few months and things we have become more estranged between the two of us. My heart still aches and my pain hasn't changed my love for you. I realized that it is not a good idea for me to hold on to your keys anymore as we hardly talk to each other. I thought I will come by and wish you and give you the key personally. But I noticed that you had company and I didn't want to intrude. To tell you the truth I didn't really want to know who it was. I am not sure if I have mellowed down over the last few months or I am actually hurting even more. It would be nice at least if we could talk to each other and I am not sure if you would even want to talk to me after all the things I said to you."

Tears rolled down her eyes after reading the letter. A droplet smudged a couple of words on the letter. She knew he loved her very much and much it must hurt him. Even though she never said anything it was not very difficult for him to pick up that they both were not on the same page. She knew he loved her more than she did. She couldn't explain or express a lot of things like he did but what she felt for him unique and he had a special place in her heart. She knew she did hurt him pretty bad; when you love someone so much and hold them close to your heart, it hurts very badly. She felt the pain too. They had exchanged many things in fury. This time she hurt both his heart and his ego by her actions. She started sobbing and said out loud, "I am so sorry I hurt you. You have such a big heart to forgive me and I understand much better how much you love me. You have no idea how much I love you and how much this hurts." Tears rolled down her cheeks and she knew that was not going to end unless she speaks with him. She picked up the phone and dialed his number.

Chapter 330

Diya stood at the door starring at the elevator. She thought to herself, "What does he mean by taking it to the next level. After last night, I hope he didn't what I am thinking right now? Yesterday I already let it go a little further than I had wanted to. I like being in his arms, but maybe I sent him a wrong message cuddling with him, on his chest. Oh my god, I can't think about this right now. This is bothering me too much. Maybe if he had stayed a little longer, we could have sorted this out. Now I have to wait until we meet next time to talk about this. This can't be discussed over the phone. I really wanted to spend this day with him - of all the days today he had to rush out. And why does he have to say something like this and leave my astray. My whole day is going to be ruined. I can't even think about anything else..... What is wrong with me? Why do I like him so much? Why do I care about what he says this much? The more I get to know him the more puzzles I have to solve. Maybe that’s why I like him very much. Will he end this relationship if I tell him I don't want to be intimate with him? Will he even believe me considering how I was almost on top of him with him half naked? Oh my god! What have I done? I have definitely sent him the wrong message. Considering that was actually gentleman of him to say that he wants it to next level. He could have taken it for granted, but he didn't. Maybe he wants to talk about it. He had to rush out today, but I think he will understand if I tell him that I would like to take things very slow..... Will he?" The elevator opened again and someone stepped out and looked at her standing in front of her house with her door half open. She smiled realizing that she had been staying there for quiet a while. She said to herself, "I am not going to think about this anymore. God I really like this wonderful handsome idiot."

When she was just about to close the door she noticed that there was a beautiful bouquet and a small package gift wrapped with a bow on it and a card next to it. Her eyes widened and she picked it up and walked in wondering who it was from. She was very excited to see what was in the package as she couldn't find out anything when she shook it a little. The card said, "To Diya" and had no name indicating whom it was from. She noticed that something moved inside that card and it seemed heavier than usual. She came back and sat on the dining chair and opened the package. It had the finest collection of assorted dark chocolate from Enstrom. When she opened it there was a collection of cream caramels, almond toffee squares, macadamian melt aways, pecan chews and black forest truffles. There was two of each. The wax paper on top boasted "Our fine gourmet chocolates are created from the purest ingredients and expertly crafted to achieve the truest flavors." She picked up one black forest truffle and closed her eyes enjoying when it melted away in her mouth. She kept it aside carefully opened the cover and took out the card. Inside the card was a key that fell onto the dining table. She instantly recognized the key and her face changed and she opened the card in a hurry and there was a paper folded into four. Before she opened the paper she noticed the name at the bottom of the card. It was from Pryag. She gave out a weak smile and read the card.

Though you are not in my arms,
You are in my thoughts,
You are in my dreams
You are in my heart.

I miss you.
Wish you a very happy birthday!

Love
Prayag.

Chapter 329

Diya woke up when she heard a noise. She walked out of her room trying to find out what was happening. She heard the noise in the next bathroom, realizing that it was probably Akshar in there and went back to her room to brush her teeth and wash her face. By the time she stepped out after brushing her teeth and freshen her by washing her face and slightly combing her hair and making a pony she was surprised to see Akshar all dressed up and ready to leave. He already had his shirt and pants on and was gliding his belt on to the appropriate slots on the pant. He looked up and noticed that she was surprised to see him all set he said, “Good Morning. Did I wake you up?” She nodded and said, “No. Leaving? How about breakfast?” He looked at his watch and said, “It is almost ten. And I completely forgot that I promised to baby sit my niece today for my sister today. She just called me asking where I was. I was supposed to take my niece to the Bronx Zoo today. I asked my sister to get me a new pair of cloths to change. I already took a shower and if I leave now, I think I will be able to make it there by elevinish.” Diya said, “Oh!” There was a tint of disappointment in her voice that he sensed. He walked over to her and kissed her on her cheek and said, “I am sorry to leave so soon. But I had a great time yesterday. Maybe we can do something next week. Dinner maybe?” She stood there without saying anything. He took the socks from his shoes and folded his pants a little to make it easier to wear. He looked up and said, “How about you pick the date time and place. Tell me what you want to do and I will be there and I promise I shall keep the whole weekend free for you. Will that make it up to you?”

She smiled and said, “That is really sweet. But my brother and his fiancée are arriving this Sunday. So mostly I might be spending time with them. He will be out of jet lag by then and I think we have a lot of catching up to do.” He was done with his socks and said, “Fair enough. I would like to meet him sometime. I would love to get to know you better and your family. There is a lot we don’t know about each other. You have met my sister; my only close family here. As my parents are no more, her mom, my aunt is quiet old and lives in New Jersey. I know that your parents are no more too. I would like to meet anyone whom you hold in high regard and anyone whom are close enough to be your family. But first I would love to meet your brother.” He kissed her again on her cheek and gave her a hug. She said, “Yes. He would like to meet you too. That is true that we need to get to know each other more. I would like that, especially since you never answered my questioned last night” and smiled. He wore his shoes and said with a question mark in his forehead, “What would that be?” and walked over to the bathroom to wash his hands. She waited for the noise from the faucet to subside and said, “Remember I asked you yesterday. How many girls you have dated so far? They keep springing up where ever we go, so I would definitely like to know something about your past as a caution.” He pulled her over and held her close and said, “I like you. I like you very much. You mean a lot to me. Yes, I have dated so many, and until today I have remained friends with most of them. I even wish most of them on their birthdays. To tell you the truth I don’t how many girls I have dated. I never kept count.” Diya blushed and he kissed her on her lips and said “Bye. I have to go.” He stepped out and pressed the button on the elevator and before it sprang up and came back looked at Diya, who was standing inside the house with a half open door and said, “I would like to take this relationship to the next level.” The elevator door opened and he rushed in and disappeared with it. Diya stood there wondering what it meant.

Chapter 328

A couple of minutes later, he gently pushed her away and said, “I think I should get to bed. So should you. It is pretty late”. She agreed instantly, said their good nights. Diya walked over to her bedroom and closed the door behind her while he walked over to the guest bedroom. Diya jumped onto the bed and cuddled inside the comforter. The last couple of minutes had been a little awkward as Diya had sensed something and that same moment he had said that it was time for bed. She knew what it meant and she knew and could feel how he felt. She liked him even more now for proving to her that he indeed was a gentleman. He had handled it very delicately and very decently. She said to herself, “Really… really wonderful guy. I think I like him very much”. She knew considering his growing up and his background and the surprising number of women that she had seen every time she had been with him, he could have expected more of her. But he respected her, and without event asking her anything he understood her which made her feel very comfortable, so appreciated, for a minute she wanted to go back to his room and kiss him. She knew that would be a stupid thing to do. She turned around and hugged a pillow and kissed it pretending that it was him and closed her eyes. She thought about how it felt when his hands were around his waist and what he said. She blushed without even opening her eyes while her grip on her pillow tightened and it was obvious she was imagining that she was hugging him. She thought about how he looked at the party, how handsome he was. She also thought about being in his arms with his shirt off and how it felt and it was just a matter of few minutes and she was sound asleep.

In the mean time in the other room Akshar was starring at the ceiling. He couldn’t sleep. He rubbed his face with his hands and said to himself. “How could I even think she was ready? That was totally stupid.” He starred at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. He remember how she was lying on his chest, an involuntary smile adorned his lips. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep but he couldn’t sleep. He got up and walked out of the room to get some water. He warmed up some water in the microwave and finished it in a single gulp and walked back to his room and tried to sleep. He turned and went on his stomach and covered the back of this head with a pillow completely isolating himself from the world around him. His eyes were tightly closed allowing no room to open as his face was pressed down on the pillow. Both his hands were on the pillow that was on top of his head making sure that it didn’t move. He thought about so many things. He thought about the time he first met her; He remembered that he had developed an instant liking for her. She was different than others; there was a high level of sophistication and determination in her that attracted him to her the most from the beginning. He had been even more impressed how much she had cared for Prayag when she was with him. Someone who is smart, beautiful and kind hearted; he had wanted to date her from the beginning. He thought about Prayag and wondered what had happened between them. He had never asked her that question. It felt inappropriate. But now he wanted to know. He pondered about it for a few minutes and it was a little disturbing so he changed his thoughts and thought about the pleasant conversations they have had. Before he knew it, he was in deep sleep and had rolled over pushing his pillow away and was sleeping on his back and not on his belly with a pillow between his legs aiding his legs to be in a much elevated position than his rest of the body.

Chapter 327

This was not the first time that Akshar was holding her by her waist. But this was the first time his hands touched her warm skin that had been hidden underneath the cloths until now. Diya felt his firm hands around her waist too. Her hands tightened around his neck and she was standing on her toes as there was a few inches difference in their height now that she was not wearing her heels. This was the first time that she had actually seen him without his shirt on and the fact that she was in his arms, touching them sent a pleasant chill down her spine. His hold on her slowly intensified, gently revealing his passion through his lips. Lost completely in her kiss he almost picked her up. All of a sudden he felt a throbbing pain in his chest. He tried to ignore it but he had to let go of Diya as it was hurting pretty bad. Diya was startled for a minute and looking at his expression on his face and the direction his hand was going, she looked at his chest and almost screamed, "Oh! My god. You are bleeding". She ran over to the kitchen grabbed a couple of paper towels and handed it over to him and said, "Let me go get the first aid box." Her eyes were opened wide; with a shock in her face and a question on her forehead asking how did this happen. She rushed into the linen closet in the bathroom adjacent to her room and picked up the fist aid box. When she closed the door she saw herself in the mirror for a minute and noticed that one of the highly decorative stones on her blouse had partially come off and was dangling. It was black stone which was sharp on the edge that was dangling was now covered with blood. A surge of guilt came over her and she rushed back to attend to him. In the meantime Akshar had washed himself and the bleeding was little under control even though it hadn't stopped completely. He said, "Can you get me some ice?" She nodded and was back in a flash with some ice cubes. She helped apply the ice cubes one after the other as they were melting pretty quickly. Then she cleaned his wound with some cotton followed by the alcohol prep pad from the first aid kit. When she rubbed to clean the surface of the skin, he let out a gentle scream, "Ouch!" She smiled and said, "If you can drink alcohol I think you can handle this" and continued. "Ha ha. Very funny. I am the one in pain and not you." Akshar said sarcastically.


When Diya returned after cleaning any residue on the floor and putting everything back in place she saw him seated on the couch. He extended his hand indicating that she come and sit beside him. Diya smiled and pointed to the stone from her dress and said, "Let me change" and walked into her room. She removed her outfit and hanged it onto a nice suit hanger. She took an antiseptic cloth and wiped of the blood stain from the ornamental stone. She changed into a Capri and grabbed a top to wear. She noticed it had some beads on it. After what had happened she looked through her closet and ended up choosing a ultra soft, v-neck, ribbed puff sleeve top that was very plain. The v-neck was perfect and sat right on her chest. When she came out and sat next to him he said, "That took a while" and interlocked his left hand onto her right. She said, "Well I had to pick something that won't hurt you, no beads, no stones" and pointed to his band aid. He leaned forward and kissed her on her cheek and said, "I guess that was a tit for tat. I got you upset today. So you gave me a scar to remember" and laughed. She starred at him and frowned. He drew her close and kissed her again on her cheek and said, "Come on! That was a joke." She didn't smile with her lips but her eyes did. She grabbed the remote and he reached forward and took it away from her. Before she knew it she was leaning on his chest. He grabbed the throw that was on the couch and covered both of them and eased into the couch almost into a sleeping position. He kissed her on her forehead and said, "Can you move a little. Your elbow is right on my wound." She immediately got up and he pulled her over on top of him and his lips interlocked with hers. When he let go of her, she folded her arms on his chest and rested and elbow on it starring into his eyes and asked him "How many women, I mean how many girlfriends you have had so far?" He ran his fingers on her gently from her forehead to her chin gently pushing her hair back and twirling her strand of hair that fell on her face and said, "Do you really want to know?" and pulled her lower lip gently with his fingers, forcing her to move upwards and grabbed her lower lips with his while his hands gently glided onto her waist tightening his grip. His passion was slowly creeping onto her and she kissed him back not noticing that her top had slipped up a little and now her stomach was in direct contact with his chest sending warmth all over her.

Chapter 326

Diya couldn't help but feel a little upset and as didn't want to say anything that she might regret. And above all she didn't want him to know how she felt. The more she thought about that evening the more upset she got. The evening had started out beautifully until they got to the reception. She felt a little annoyed when she saw him chatting with the lady at the bar as she was not sure if he was flirting. Next his comments which she couldn't really understand that made her happy at first and more confused later. Then one of the waitresses in her tight outfit and long battering eyelashes was hitting on him. She walked over to him many times asking him if he wanted anything even though it was not necessary for her to do so. What bothered her most was Akshar didn't seemed to mind or he didn't really have a clue. To top it all she was very annoyed when she was pulled over by the cop and their conversation in French and her giving him his number which he took it right in front of her and didn't bother to discuss or say anything about her. She was slowly starting to fume inside and her face was turning a little red. She looked at him and he was completely relaxed in his seat, listening to the music with his eyes closed. She took deep breaths and let them out. They seemed to help and pretty soon she was pulling into her drive way and parked the car. She turned the engine off and both of them got down from the car. They didn't really exchange any words but she sensed that he was often looking at her. She didn't really car this time as she had just calmed down. Both of them walked into the house and as soon as she turned on the lights, he said, "Let me go change" She nodded and walked into her room while he walked over to the room next to hers where he had left his cloths. She removed her jewelry first and packed everything into its appropriate jewelry box. She removed her thubatta and was about to change into something casual, just then she heard some loud noise and walked out to see what was going on.

Akshar had taken his shirt off and was looking for his shirt and he rushed out of his room hearing the heavy loud noise. Both of them realized that it was a thunder which was followed by rain. Both walked over to the window from the family room which was facing the nearby parking lot to get a better look. Akshar said, "How am I going to drive home in this rain?" Diya looked at him and said, "I don't think so. You can stay in the guest bed room. You have had your share of alcohol today. Even though it has been a while and it might be okay, it is definitely not a good idea to drive back home in this weather at this hour" and turned around to go to her room. He voice gave away how she felt; she was upset and angry and Akshar immediately sensed it. He said, "I sense that you are not very happy and obviously you are upset about something." She looked at him and it was so evident in her eyes that she was mad at him. Her stare was penetrating and her eyes were wide and her cheek bones had turned a little red. For a minute Akshar got distracted by looking at her wondering how pretty she looked even when she was upset. He was even tempted to kiss her. He extended his hand and took hers and said, "I am sorry if I had done something to upset you. The only thing I can think of is that I was talking to the female cop and she gave me her number and I took it. She is a old friend of mine and I am seeing her after so many years. I didn't even recognize her." He pulled her hand a little closer but she didn't budge but her face was starting to change a little. Akshar continued as she didn't say anything. "If you have something on you mind... Tell me" and he paused for a minute. He walked a little towards her and her face looked much calmer than it did before. He gently wrapped his hands around her waist and took his hand onto her face and held her chin slightly above so that she would look into his eyes. "You would probably meet many women from my life, well from my past. One thing you need to understand. You are my present. You are the only one I am interested in. I promise you that." Diya smiled. He said, "Now that's my girl" and grabbed her close and kissed her.

Chapter 325

After about half an hour of watching the evening go by they both decided to take off and as Akshar was definitely over the limit to drive Diya got behind the wheel. Akshar stretched the passenger seat to a reclining position and stretched back. They hardly exchanged any words but Diya sensed that he was starring at her so she turned to have a glimpse of him. He smiled at her. She smiled back and turned towards the road and continued to drive but her heart was pondering what was on his mind and why was he starring at her. This time it was more of unease than a thought of comfort. In a minute or so he leaned forward and turned on the radio and adjusted the channels to find something he liked. Akshar spoke,” It was quiet an interesting evening. I had a great time. How about you?" He paused for a minute for Diya to answer. As she didn't say anything he continued, "There is absolutely something about you that intrigues me. You are lively, interesting, smart and absolutely charming. I have to say that it is not just today but almost most of the time I have spent with you has been wonderful." She smiled and said "Thank you" and continued to keep her eye on the road. Akshar said, "I haven't had so much fun dating someone in a long time. You, I definitely enjoy being with you. You are not just smart you are beautiful too. And today in this outfit you are quiet breathtaking. When I first saw you earlier today it was really difficult for me not to kiss you. Well! I kind of still feel the same way." Diya's heart was beating a little faster that it did before. She felt some butterflies fluttering in her stomach even though she was not sure if it were the food that she ate earlier or it was because of what Akshar just told her. She didn't say anything as she didn't know what to say and she kept her eye on the road and her leg on the accelerator. She didn't want to read too much into what he said because of the earlier incidents today but she couldn't help feeling happy which she desperately tried to hide from him and tried to keep an expressionless face.

She saw the blinking lights in the rear view mirror and her mood completely changed as it was a cop turning the lights on asking her to pull over. She screamed, "Oh No. Not a cop" and pulled over to the shoulder. She had not realized the speed she had been driving in. She had accelerated a little above the speed limit listening to Akshar. If it were during the day it wouldn't have mattered as almost everyone would have been driving at the same speed, but as it was quiet late at night she fell prey for the cop on night patrol. Akshar straightened his seat and sat straight and both of them had their hands in the front where the cop could see them. To Diya's surprise it was a female cop who pulled her over and she was very good looking with blue eyes which were visible in the dark which she noticed as soon as she rolled down the window. As usual she asked, "Your license and registration please. Mam, Do you know why I pulled you over?" Diya replied with a vague and genuine expression that was evident on her face, "No." The officer said, "You were speeding. You were driving more than 10 miles above the posted speed limit. Can I see your license please?". Diya reached for her license and as she was driving Akshar's car, he reached the dashboard and handed over the license to Diya and she handed it over to the officer. She said, "I will be right back" and turned towards her car. She walked for just about a couple of steps and came back, leaned forward and starred at Akshar. Diya was confused. The cop asked Akshar, "Is this your name that is on the registration?" He sat up straight, worried that it had expired or something and said, "Yes. It is". She smiled and asked him in French, "Vous souvenez-vous de haricot de Vanille?" Akshar sat up in surprise and leaned forward and said, "Madelline! Madelline Teressa Fanning! Is that really you?" The conversation were both in French and in English which was starting to make Diya uncomfortable as she realized that some of them seemed more private. Akshar said, "Pouvez-vous lui permettre s'il vous plaît d'aller avec un avertissement cette fois?" She smiled and said, "Okay." She looked at Diya and said, "I am letting you off with a warning this time. Drive safely." She gave a piece of paper to Akshar which had her number on it and walked away. Diya slowly merged onto the road with a slight anger and Akshar relaxed onto his seat with a smile.

Chapter 324

There were back at their table in less than ten minutes. Akshar had garlic naan, chicken tikka masala, dhal makahni on the main plate and some side salad and raitha on the side. It was quiet obvious it was a little too spicy for him as he had already finished two bottles of beer and his was sweating on his forehead. Diya seemed to enjoy her paalak paneer and malai kofta with her rumali roti and Hydrabadi byrani loaded with cashews and raisins. Diya looked up and noticed that he was having a tough time; she got up and walked over to and came back with a bowl of rasmalai as milk helps ease the spice and help prevent hearburn. She gave it to Akshar and said, "Try this. This might help". A couple of spoonfull did the trick and he was starting to relax and said, "Thank you". Diya suggested, "If it is too much for you, I think you should head to the other section. It looks okay now. Doesn’t seem to have a long line.” Akshar who looked much better and more in control seemed a bit relaxed. Wiping his forehead he said, “I have eaten Indian and Thai food before and this is not my first time, it is just that you can handle it in the beginning and after a while it kind of gets to you. But I actually like the taste. You feel so many flavors that trigger your taste buds…” He paused for a minute and then said, “And then bhoom…. There you go… you are sweating and you really need something to cool down..” He finished the next bottle of beer he had next to him and said, “This sweet you got me is delicious. It just dissolves in my mouth. So soft, light yet creamy and it definitely helped put out the fire. “Diya laughed and said, “It is rasmalai. I am glad you liked it. It is my favorite sweet”. Akshar starred at her for a couple of minutes. Unable to comprehend what it really meant, Diya smiled and felt a little unease and turned in the direction of the bride and the groom secretly hoping that he was still starring at her.

Akshar stood up and asked her, “Would you care for a drink?” She replied, “I would like a coke please. Thank you” and smiled. Akshar said, “My pleasure. Anything for this beautiful lady” and walked over to the bar. She turned over and watched him walk away and then got up to get some dessert for herself. When she got back he was still not there. She looked around but couldn’t spot him. She almost got scared for a moment when he popped out of nowhere and sat next to her. He had a margarita in his hand and he gave her coke and said, “Oh. Now that looks very tempting”. Diya asked, “I can get some dessert for you. Would you like some?” He whispered, “I was not talking about the dessert.” Diya starred at him for a minute and it was very difficult for her look into his eyes as it felt like he was looking deep into her heart. It felt like he could read her thoughts and he knew exactly how he felt about her. She couldn’t eat her dessert as she was very distracted by his comment and she was blushing. Akshar said, “The dessert was good, but this margarita is excellent. I probably will go get another one.” Without lifting her head she noticed that he had already finished his drink. She took a spoonful of her dessert and closed her eyes as if she were enjoying the dessert but secretly hiding the disappointment she felt. Akshar smiled and said, “You know you are a lot like the Indian food. I don’t know if all Indian women are like that or not as I have never dated anyone before.” Diya was puzzled by his comment and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You have so much to interest me in various ways like the different spices. Like the desert you are so gentle and soothing at the same time. With food you know when to stop, as you know when you are full but being with you…. I can never figure out….. I guess I have to get used to Indian food with all these spices now as I am …..” He stopped himself and said, “I am going to get another drink. I think you have to drive.” Diya didn’t know what she should feel. She wondered, “Was he complementing me or was that a sarcastic comment?” She was so confused and a little upset.

Chapter 323

Akshar walked back with their drinks and Diya introduced the man sitting in the table as the bride's uncle. He shook hands with Akshar and said, "I am very impressed with you. My son refused to wear Indian traditional clothing for such a nice occasion. Look how handsome you are. I suppose he has become more Americanized. But you, as you are coming in for a Indian wedding reception, took the interest in wearing something that exhibits our tradition. I feel much honored to meet you. I suppose somewhere there is some Indian in you" and gave out a giggle. Diya smiled at Akshar. Akshar almost blushed and said, "Thank you sir. I am very obliged. As for the outfit..." He paused for a minute, looked at Diya and said, "... the credit goes to her." Then he looked at him and said, "Actually you are very true and only very few people know this. I do have some Indian gene in me from my ancestors." Diya looked surprised, so was the bride's uncle who then asked, "That is very interesting. I am very curious. Would you care to elaborate?" Looking at the curious look on his face and the surprising expression on Diya's, Akshar continued. "As you know, of course by my accent that I am from Britain. So was my great grandfather who was positioned in India with the East Indian Company. I believe he fell in love with one of the local maidens there and married her. I have heard many stories about her bravery which attracted my great grandfather to her but I have never seen her. He lived there for a few years and they had four children, I believe one of them died leaving two boys and a girl. When there was an epidemic, or some outbreak of some sort, he had privileges to all sorts of vaccinations and medicines so he was able to give it to his family and prevent them from dying. By my great grandmother refused to accept as she could get it because he was his wife and not because she was a human being and all the locals couldn't get it. So she passed away with a few days and in order to protect his family he brought his kids back to London with him and, my grandfather was his second son who married my grand mother whose grandfather was again from Kashmir. Well, my father on the other hand married a American of German origin and spent most of his life in Britain working as a Archeologist, well that's how he met my mom. So I grew up mostly in Britain and my mom's family is here in the US but my parents are no more."

Diya was even more amazed to hear his story as he had no feature resemblance or any trait indicating that his ancestors were from India. He was British in every sense of it, especially with his accent. She had always wondered about his name, mainly his first name "Akshar" which obviously was a Sanskrit name. It had always puzzled her and today it all made sense but as none of his parents were from India, she still wondered how he got that name, some how she felt that name was as perfect for him as he had turned so many occasions as new beginnings. Noticing the silence and the surprised look on both their eyes Akshar said, "Wow! You both seemed quiet surprised" and smiled and took a sip from his glass. Diya asked him, "So...." she paused for a minute trying to collect her thoughts. As if he knew what was on her mind Akshar said, "If you are wondering about my name, I was named by mom's sister who by the by is a researcher if ancient languages like Greek, Sanskrit and Latin. Other than that there is not much story in my name". Diya couldn’t help but smile. Someone came over and the bride's uncle excused himself leaving both alone at the table. Someone cordially invited everyone over to the buffet table for dinner. Time had passed by and both of them hadn't had a chance to get their hand on the starters so they were hungry. Diya asked, "Dinner?". Akshar nodded, "Definitely" and both of them walked over to get some food. There was a pasta station that displayed all the items along with their names. Garganelli bolognese with basil with parmesan volute, sautéed broccoli, plum tomatoes and asparagus with fettuccine alfredo, Stuffed shells filled with goat cheese and pears, Lemon Pepper chicken with orzo and all served with fresh grated parmesan cheese, Italian bread and Tarinesi breadsticks. Next to it was a cascading table display with a cornucopia of Whole and Fresh Cut Vegetables, mesquite grilled vegetables, whole and fresh sliced fruits and berries, imported cheeses and English crackers and breads, some dried fruits and deluxe Nutmeats. The line was long as they had to wait to get to the food. They could see the selection of salads and fresh grilled meats next to it but couldn't really ready anything. Diya turned around and noticed that there was relatively a much shorter line on the other side where Indian food was served. They both were very hungry and looked at each other and for a minute both their eyes were locked within each other and there was a tiny spark igniting in the corner.

Chapter 322

The table settings were equally impressive with a beautiful blend of both the cultures. Like a precious goblet of light, there were three floating candlesticks combining an artful mouth-blown glass, made in Italy, with the twinkling light of a floating candle. They were arranged on a silk cloth patterned on peacocks, elephants and tigers with vibrant colors. It was a very unique and utterly exquisite look for the event. Diya was very impressed with the designer as it needed nothing more as it was so beautiful and personalized. They walked over to the bride and the groom and she couldn't recognize anyone there, which was not surprising. In just that moment, her dad's friend walked over and greeted her. He gave her a hug and said, "I am so glad you could make it. It has been so long since I saw you." He turned around and paused at Akshar for a minute. He had not expected a non-Indian to come in to an even in a traditional Indian outfit. He was very pleased. He introduced himself to Akshar and took both of them to see the bride and the groom. The groom was in a beautiful brown wedding suit that has a 3 button style with vented suit jacket with notched lapel, two front flap pockets, besom chest pocket and four-button cuffs. The pants had a French hook-and-bar closure with front quarter-top pockets, back welt pockets with button closure and split-waist construction. With a partially opened jacket, its lining and sophisticated unfinished hems were visible. It was from Milan, Italy true to his origin.

The bride on the other hand was dressed in Crape Tanchoi saree with beautiful work of sequins, beads, motifs in a rich border. Using the basic embroidery colors of red, black, green, yellow, white and orange and rendered with cotton and silk threads, the multicolor bridal saree had elevated the art of embroidery into a whole new level. It had a look of evening glamour and seemed to be custom designed for the bride, with the fact in mind that it can be worn on the most formal occasions too. It had a strong shade of aqua blue at the pallu with sequins and metal work. The blouse was in aqua blue which was a perfect contrast as the pallu alone had the matching blue and it complimented the strong yellow, red and green that flowed through out the rest of the saree having sequins, metal and coins work with a fancy border. The added touch was the light beige shaded fringes with beads hanging from the pallu. Diya handed over the gift and smiled and she hardly paid any attention to everything else as she was quiet fascinated by the colors of the saree. She definitely wouldn't have chosen to wear something like that, nor would have bought something like that, will all those primary colors, but seeing someone wearing it made her rethink as it looked absolutely magnificent. She and Akshar walked towards the table they were escorted to by one of the attendants. Akshar asked her if she wanted anything to drink and walked over to the bar to get some drinks for the both of them. In the meantime, the bride's uncle came and introduced himself to Diya and took a seat next to her.