The Spouse

Chapter 3 - The Husband

Arjun

"you're kidding me!" I glared incredulously into my laptop screen. Basically at Sam.

"no, Ash wanted it this way. " Sam shrugged.

"don't lie. She has no clue about it, does she?" I asked suspicious.

She shrugged. "if you think so"

"Sam, this isn't going to work. She already hates me enough to cut my balls and feed them to me." I grunted.

"my friend isn't half bad as you picture her to be. Both of you will work together at some point. So, Ash thought it was better you start off with a meeting, so that both of you grow on each other."

"this is not a good idea, I'm warning you. This thing can be a complete disaster. We may not even be sane enough till we reach the venue. "
I muttered as I saw her typing off something into her phone.
"Sam," I groaned to get her attention.

She tsked. "you sure are a big crybaby for a CFO, you know?"

"I'm not going!!"

Her phone chimed and she smirked at whatever it was.

"Ash says no weekend dinner if you don't go to the meeting with her."

I groaned. I hated it when they blackmailed me into doing something.

"Fine! But you both suck."

"chill dear brother in-law, you've got five full days before the meeting. Spend the time to know her better." she winked. "I'm going to Ash's."

I groaned at the screen as she cut the call.

I had to talk about this with Ash.

After a quick shower, I ran out of my room dressed and then out of the house. Soon I was knocking the door of my sister's house. I shivered as cold air brushed past me and shirt was too thin a layer for a weather like this. I rubbed my hands together to keep warm.

Sam opened the door for me, greeting me with a hug. We walked inside once she closed the door behind me.

"Sam's idiot." I heard my sister shout and wondered what it was this time that my dear brother did to rail her up.

"for the umpteenth time I'm telling you, it's not me. I didn't eat any Doritos or Cheetos. " he said flailing his arms.

"are you sure?" she asked as she brought the fork closer to his neck, her eyes accusing him.

I'm gone. That was the only thing that ran in my head at the sight in front of me.

"sis, seriously. I didn't even know what was in there until you started shouting about it. I swear to god I didn't eat them. "

I tried to put on an innocent face as four pairs of eyes darted towards me. I smiled at them sheepishly before I started to turn to my side.

I smiled at them and strode towards door.

The second my hand reached for the door I was tackled to the ground and my brother sat on my abdomen. I winced. Wow! He was heavy.

Soon my sister sat above my head. The fork that was at Neil's neck before, was now near my eyes.

"why did you do it?" she shreiked as that shit in her hand neared my eyes.

"Ash, calm down. It's just Doritos." Gautam tried, but the smirk told me that he was enjoying this.

"Ash, I'll get them for you from the store when I come back from work."
I said hoping she'd take that shit off my face. She'd pop my eyes out for Doritos. Yeah, she can lose shit sometimes. She'd once pierced my palm for stealing pop tarts from her.

"you're grounded." is all she said before getting up from her place.

Neil punched me so hard, before he got up, that I couldn't move a muscle for a second or ten.

Wincing, I got up to walk to the kitchen where all the four of them stood sipping on their coffee.

"you can't ground a 26 year old man." I said as I reached for a glass from the wooden cabinet.

"says who?" she asks, her bow raised.

I smiled at her before reaching her for a kiss on the head.

"says me!!!"

"grounded or you can go shopping with Sam."

"no," I shook my head before Sam batted her lashes at me.

"please, Arjun. We can go shopping and then buy loads of food. We don't have to ask them to cook for us today. " she said, shaking her head in disgust at them.

I chuckled as their eyes went wide.

"Okay, Sammy. We'll buy loads of food." I said as I winked at her while the other three had their jaw dropped.

"we'll get you tomorrow." Neil said, nodding.

We laughed as I poured my coffee.

"so, Arjun, what are you doing here, this early? " Ash asked as I took a sip.

I sighed.

"you know I don't want to go to that meeting with Radhika. We can't stand each other. No, scratch it. She can't stand me. I love spending time with her and that's different. How can you say that there will be no difference of opinion and we don't end up being a joke in front of the clients. I don't want to go this, Ash." I tell her hoping she'd understand.

"you love spending time with her? The fact that you let her be on her own at 2 in the morning with her bags tells me otherwise." Gautam stated plainly.

"Is that all you got from what I said? Anyway, I just left her in the foyer. I didn't stop the car half way and asked her to walk." I shrugged. I could see Sam fuming from my peripheral vision.

"you didn't do that!" she yelled and I shrugged.

"guys, calm down will you?" Ash cut them and turned to me. "Arjun Mehra, it's not the way you treat a woman. I thought you were taught better than to disrespect your wife." she scolded. Sometimes I forgot she was the youngest of us as she was more mature than any of us.
"And by the way there will be no difference of opinion as such. She'll only be accompanying you. You'll do all the stuff. She needs to get used to being around us and specially you. You need to do this for your position in the company. You know Bonnie isn't as capable as your father thinks her to be. We'll lose everything to her if you're not careful with your decisions. And none of us want her to get into the good books of your mother."

I sighed.

That was the major headache. If not for my father blackmailing me to get married soon and finish a set of things that were presently my targets, my marriage life with Radhika would have been much better. The fact that my dad thinks that Bonnie was more capable than any of his own kids angered me. But there wasn't much we could do about it.

*****

Do like share and vote.