Chapter 1 - Kidnapped Wali Girlfriend
Big fat Indian weddings brought families and lovers together.
Shravan Sethi was the least concerned about a big wedding when he landed in Haryana, India. His girlfriend/fiancé, Sanya Agarwal, tiredly walked with her luggage behind him.
"Shray, I can't walk, anymore," said Sanya, taking a seat on her suitcase.
"Arun is on his way," Shravan reassured. He saw Sanya's bright red face from the heat. The model's hair was in imperfect waves down her shoulder. Her dark brown eyes were bloodshot. Sanya always hated traveling but did it for Shravan. A girl brought up in New York wasn't accustomed to India's heat. Realizing that, Shravan said, "Sanya, I'll get us something to drink." He pointed to a small store near the airport. "Just wait here. Arun will be here any second."
She gave him a thumbs up.
Shravan smiled and quickly ran to the store named Lucky Di Hatti. Though raised in New York himself, Shravan understood most of the hindi or punjabi words, but not some of the pure one. Take di hatti, for example. His parents still lived in Haryana, but they sent him to live with his uncle at age six in Albany. He visited his parents once a year, but now, he had come for his wedding.
"Hi," Shravan said to the employee at the register. "Do you guys have any cold drinks?" The young man in front of him nodded and asked him for which kind. Shravan settled with two Pepsis. As the man went to get them from the fridge, Shravan heard loud crying and sobbing.
"My life is ruined! Sasha's getting married to someone else!"
A girl in her early twenties loudly cried. She was seated on one of the tables in the shop. Her long dark hair was braided. She clutched a handkerchief to her face and wiped her tears. Someone else was trying to calm her down.
Girls are dramatic everywhere, thought Shravan.
"Here you go," the employee called Shravan's attention.
Shravan paid for his drinks. As he was almost at the door, he heard the crying girl say, "Every good-looking guy is married or getting married. I'm so fed up!" A small chuckle escaped Shravan's lips.
"Excuse me!" the girl's friend called out to Shravan. She wore a bright red bandana. Shravan stopped and looked at her awkwardly. The girl who was crying met his eyes for a brief second. Shravan was captured by her beautiful hazel eyes but soon recovered when she adjusted glasses on her face to look at him. "Are you married?" the bandana girl asked.
Shravan smiled widely and held the soft drink bottles in his right hand. He was pleased they put him in the every good-looking guy category. He held up his left hand and showed the ring on his left hand. Shravan was unofficially engaged to Sanya. The engagement ceremony with Indian traditions was soon due though.
The girl with the glasses tore off her spectacles and resumed her sobbing.
"Sorry," Shravan said with an apologetic smile and left.
***
Shravan's older brother, Arun Sethi, was already there when Shravan came back. They greeted and hugged each other. Arun was twenty five--a year older than Shravan--and was a lawyer. He was most known for his light green eyes, a trait passed only to Arun from his mother.
"Great choice," Arun whispered to Shravan when they were putting luggage in the trunk. Sanya had taken a seat already inside the car.
Shravan grinned. He was glad his older brother was content with his choice. He respected Arun a lot.
They soon got in the car and drove home.
Shravan's family was extremely excited to have them. His parents had already accepted Shravan's relationship and decision to marry Sanya. Wedding was set for the following month. The couple was told not to meet each other during the time period. However, the two young hearts couldn't keep apart.
The second night, Shravan snuck into Sanya's room.
"What are you doing here?!" she whisper-yelled when she saw her fiancé jump in her room from the window.
"I missed you," he said, pulling her arm. Sanya fell against Shravan's chest. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
"You're going to get us in trouble, Mr. Sethi," she said, jagging her forefinger in his chest.
He played with a loose strand of her hair. "It's okay, soon-to-be Mrs. Sethi."
"Shray," she called him by his popular nickname in America, "leave before someone finds us. I want to follow the traditions and culture, so I can please everyone."
"What about pleasing me?" Shravan said offended.
She pushed him away, trying to keep a stright face but failing. "Leave," she said breaking out in a grin.
"No, we're leaving together," he said. "I want to take you out for ice cream." She narrowed her eyes at him. As a supermodel, she didn't eat foods like ice cream (her favorite). However, whenever she received an opportunity, she didn't drop it. "Just a little bit. Please. Half an hour. That's it."
"Twenty minutes," she said in a finalized tone.
Ten minutes later, Shravan and Sanya were sitting in an ice cream shop, enjoying their dessert.
"Sanya, can I tell you something?" Shravan asked. Sanya nodded. Shravan stopped eating and put a hand over his girlfriend's. "You changed my view on models being snobby witches." Sanya chuckled. "I'm so glad I stole you before someone else could. Frankly speaking, no one--and I mean no one--has ever been so close to me. No one has ever just been there for me like you." Sanya squeezed his hand and kept herself composed. She and Shravan had a shaky beginning but once they got to know each other more closely, they were impossible to pull apart. She was a supermodel for his company. "I--I really can't believe we're getting married. I love you so damn much."
"I love you, too, Shray," she said smiling.
The couple quickly finished their ice creams and hurried to get home. In his rush, Shravan bumped into a little girl. The child's ice-cream spilled on Shravan's hands. Sanya laughed at her fiancé. He stuck his tongue out at Sanya.
"My ice cream," the poor kid cried.
"Sanya, can you go and start the car?" Shravan asked. She gave me a nod. He handed her the keys. Sanya left after giving him a swift kiss on the cheek. "Meanwhile, I'll buy you," Shravan turned to the crying girl, "a new ice cream."
Quickly, Shravan got the girl a new ice cream and cleaned himself with napkins. Sanya was waiting for him, leaning against the car door. Just as Shravan got out of the shop, he received a hard, painful blow to the back of his head.
His vision blurred. Shravan's eyes widened and then slowly shut down. In this, he heard Sanya scream and try to rush towards him. But someone in full black attire and a mask grabbed her and pushed her inside the car.
The kidnapper drove away with Sanya, leaving an unconscious Shravan behind.
***
When Shravan woke up, he felt a throbbing pain in his cranium. He held the side of his head and tried to sit up.
"Careful." Shravan found his brother by his side. Arun helped him sit up.
Shravan took his time and sat up, leaning against a pillow. He wondered if he just woke up from a hangover. Memories of the previous night came flooding in and he realized how bad the "hangover" was.
"Sanya!" Shravan was wide awake. The girl he loved the most had disappeared in front of his eyes. "Oh god, where is she?! She--oh damn! Bhaiya (brother), Sanya! Someone in all black took her! It was in front of my eyes. She's--where is she?! It's--"
"Calm down, Shravan." Arun quickly got up and held his brother's face. "We'll find her."
"She's--she's lost--no . . . she can't be gone!"
Arun held his brother to him. He knew Shravan dearly loved Sanya.
Stress and tension had taken over Shravan. The twenty four year old guy broke down. His Sanya, his beautiful Sanya, was taken away from him, right in front of his eyes. How could he have allowed that to happen? A tear escaped his right eye and rolled down his cheek. Who knew what condition Sanya might be in a foreign nation? It happened all because Shravan took her out against her disapproval.
Once Shravan had recomposed himself, Arun decided to ask: "Did you see the face of the person?"
Shravan shook his head which made the pain worse. "The person wore a mask."
"Damn!" Arun said disappointed. "It's okay. I already told the police to check the security cameras outside the shops in that area. They'll find the criminal and Sanya soon. Don't worry."
Sanya had done nothing. There was no reason for her to be kidnapped. Shravan was confused, angry, heartbroken, and pained. His confusion focused on why he was attacked and torn away from Sanya. His anger rose because he was helpless. He let her down. He shouldn't have taken her out when he wasn't supposed to. Arun saw how heartbroken Shravan was. His younger brother's wedding was supposed to be next month.
"Sanya," Shravan whispered to himself, shutting his eyes.
"Shravan, relax." Arun was worried about his brother's condition. The monitor showed a pacing heartbeat.
"What are we going to tell our parents?"
"The truth," replied Arun. As a lawyer, that answer was expected from him.
Shravan took his brother's hand. "No. Please. Just wait a little bit. We'll find her. Please. Sanya's parents are coming from Albany in two weeks. If we don't find her before then, then we'll spill everything."
"Shravan, lying won't help our case," warned Arun.
"Bhai (bro), please."
"What are we going to tell everyone about the whereabouts of Sanya?" Arun gave in.
"She--she--we'll say she went to see a friend," Shravan said. "She'll come back with her parents. In the meantime, we'll find her."
"What about your head injury?" Arun asked. "What lie to tell with that? I still haven't told anyone you're in the hospital."
"How did you find me?" Shravan wondered.
"The hospital had your cell phone. They called Mom, but thank god, I attended the call for her," Arun said. Shravan was grateful for that, too. His mother would've had a heart attack if she heard her son was in the hospital. "So, what're we telling everyone about your injury?"
"Just say I fell against something," Shravan replied nonchalant. He was more concerned about everyone else than his head. His mind was stuck on finding Sanya as soon as possible. "It's all my fault we got in this situation! Sanya didn't even do anything. I dunno why people kidnapped her! Or targeted us two."
Arun patted his brother's arm. "I've been through some of these cases. It could be for ransom, personal enemity, or whatever. Mostly, people know you're from America and so is she. That, I think, might be a big deal. Foreigners mean money or ticket to another country. But that's just a guess."
Shravan processed his brother's words. He could only nod because he had heard of this before and it sounded legitimate.
This country is cruel, thought Shravan. He wanted to leave, immediately. He was starting to hate India. This country stole the girl he loved. He had come for his wedding and all he attained was a lost bride to-be. Sanya, in no way, could save herself here. She was born and raised in America. Shravan could only pray for her safety. The brothers formed solid excuses and went over what was to happen within the next few weeks.
The doctor and nurse came in and checked Shravan. After receiving discharge papers, Shravan and Arun were ready to leave, preparing for lies that were about come. Their tension was disrupted by a familiar girl. She poked her head in the doorway of their room.
"Mumma, mum--" she stopped when she didn't see the person she was looking for. Shravan scrunitized his eyes at the tear stricken face. He had seen the girl before. Last time, she had been crying too. Hazel eyes, remembered Shravan. The girl looked troubled and her face dropped upon seeing only two gentlemen in the room. "Sorry." She hadn't recognized Shravan.
The stranger put a hand over her mouth, turned around, and left.
Shravan and Arun exchanged a frown.
They had bigger problems than a girl looking for her Mumma.
A/N
How is the idea?
Should I continue the story? The rest of the chapters will be in 1st person POV (either from Shravan or Ahar). Unless the public demands otherwise.
In no way is this a sequel to Dilli Wali Girlfriend. This book is a standalone. What do you think of their names (Shravan, Arun, Sanya, and Ahar)?
I'm still not over Sasha getting married. It'll be explained later.
Please please please please vote, comment, and share!! I would be forever grateful.