Silently Falling in Love: Race (THE EDITED VERSION)

Chapter 46 - Confessions

Alex – March 1997

I picked up the phone groggy, it must be one of my family members because they could never calculate the time difference between the US and China.

"Hello," I croaked.

"Amar, I'm so sorry did I wake you up again? Should I call back?" my brother asked.

"No, it's fine, Arjun. How are you?"

"I'm great! How are you? When are you done with your assignment in China?"

"I'm extending it," I stated.

"Why?"

"I like it here," because it's away from Anjali.

"I would never have expected you to like China, I guess there's always surprises in you."

"How is Kavita?" I changed the topic. Because if there was anything I could do to get Arjun off my back, it was to ask about Kavita.

"Kavita's wonderful, but I wanted to call you with wonderful news," Arjun beamed.

"You're proposing to Kavita?" I asked, a little surprised.

"Well, yeah, eventually, but not now. But you know who is engaged?"

"No, who?" I asked bored it was likely someone we had grown up with – someone's daughter or son I barely remembered. Arjun still kept up with all the gossip back home.

"Anjali and Raj. They are officially engaged. It happened last month, and I realized I haven't spoken to you in so long that you probably didn't know. Anyway, they're trying to set a wedding date and I wanted to find out when you'll be back from China. Everyone was asking about you at the engagement and I told them you were on an overseas assignment, but you're expected at the wedding."

"When is it?" I asked so I can figure out an excuse for not going.

"They haven't set a date, the priest is having a hard time getting a date that works with their horoscopes and schedules. I didn't realize how hard setting a wedding date could be."

She was really doing it. I tried to call her bluff, but the joke was on me.

"Tell her and Raj congratulations," I said on autopilot.

"Why don't you call Anjali and tell her yourself?"

"We've been playing phone tag, you know with the time differences and all, so next time you talk to her tell her I wish her and Raj well," I lied.

"When are you coming home next?"

"I don't know yet. When will Anjali have a date?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Wait until Anjali sets a date before you come home to visit. Because if you come for a visit and her wedding is after that, you'll make some excuse you can't get away from work. So good thinking, better to wait until Anjali sets a date," Arjun babbled.

That was so not my intention. Shit!

"Mom and dad will be there at the wedding so you can see them then too. Maybe we can visit you before the wedding."

"You know my place isn't that big. It's small. Did mom and dad go to the engagement?"

"We can stay at a hotel. No mom and dad didn't go to the engagement, it was a small affair between the families."

"Did you go to the engagement?"

"Yes, Kavita and I went."

"How was the engagement?" I asked.