Padmanabh waited patiently in the living room. It's early morning, as Vrishali's parent's flight is at 6:00 am. Vrishali walked into the living room with her hair in a high ponytail. She is wearing skinny jeans, a white T-shirt, and a jacket.
She looked at Padmanabh, whose head was leaning back on the sofa with his eyes closed. There were dark circles, and his face seemed too tired. He got a haircut; it looks neat and good, complimenting his facial features.
He is wearing an ikat straight maroon kurta. Vrishali never saw him wearing t-shirts. He only wore Indian ethnic wear.
Padmanabh suddenly sat up and looked at Vrishali. "We need to leave now. Did you talk to your parents?"
She is wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Knowing she will wear Western clothes sooner or later, he isn't surprised.
"No, I want to surprise them," Vrishali said. Padmanabh nodded his head. Vrishali followed Padmanabh. The Royal guards bowed their heads in respect.
Padmanabh greeted everyone with Good morning, surprising Vrishali. She believed he would ignore or nod his head in return. Vrishali observed every hall and wall as they passed. The interior and architecture of the whole palace are beautiful.
A car is already waiting for them. Vrishali knew the vehicle immediately. It's a Mahindra Alturas G4 SUV. Hardik is obsessed with this car as it is custom-made.
Padmanabh took the keys from the man and walked towards the driver's side. The guard opened the car door for Vrishali. "Thank you," she said softly, smiling.
She put on her seatbelt, sinking into the soft leather seat of the car. She observed the car interior as Padmanabh started driving. It was still dark outside.
As he drove, Vrishali observed the local vendors opening their shops—a passing milkman with his cans on either side of the bike. A smile played on her face as she watched them. They passed an old newspaper stall with the man arranging the daily newspaper.
Padmanabh tilted his head, watching Vrishali, gazing out the window, observing the passersby—the local shopkeepers and vegetable merchants who started their day before sunrise by opening their shops.
Padmanabh pulled over, stopping at a tea stall. "We will have Chai and a butter-brushed bun," he said. Vrishali nodded her head, getting outside and following Padmanabh. She had always wanted to try tea from 'Gulabji Chai Wale', but she couldn't.
The owner of the shop, who is an old man, greeted Padmanabh with a respective bow. Padmanabh greeted back, "Dho(two) Chai and butter buns kaka(uncle)."
Padmanabh sat on the bench. Vrishali was amazed to see how friendly he was with the man. She took a seat beside him. "I sometimes stop here for morning or evening chai."
"Really? Why? Don't you like Palace's Chai?" Vrishali asked with a teasing look. To her great surprise, she saw his lips twitch upside down into a smile—a small one. . . Anyway, he smiled!
"I like the Palace's Chai, but I love his Chai. . ." Padmanabh spoke. The other man placed the steaming tea-filled cups and buns on the table.
"Thank you," Vrishali said, taking the hot beverage. Padmanabh waited for her to taste the first sip.
"Wow," Vrishali let out as she sipped the tea. "I told you," Padmanabh replied, sipping his tea.
"Ugh. . . I'm jealous now. You can have morning and evening tea here, and I can't, not to forget this delicious bun." Vrishali complained. "I don't have the habit of drinking and eating all the time in the palace."
"You can always have your morning and evening tea here with me. As you are joining a college." Vrishali's eyes twinkled with happiness.
"Oh yeah! Then our tea dates are fixed now! No backing out. . ." Vrishali said with a huge grin on her face.
"No backing out. . ." Padmanabh parroted her words back with a teasing look, making her laugh. They drank their tea and ate the bun, watching the workers.
"Why aren't there any customers?" Vrishali asked.
"They open at seven. I can't step out of my car when there is public." Vrishali nodded her head in understatement.
When they were done, she got inside the car. Vrishali buckled her seat belt as Padmanabh paid the bill. She waited and hummed to the song on the tea stall's radio. Padmanabh got inside the car and buckled his seatbelt.
"Can I ask you a question?" she asked, facing Padmanabh. "Yes," he replied, glancing at her before returning to the road.
"Why do you always wear Kurtas? Why not t-shirts and shirts? You don't like western wear or culture?" Vrishali asked.
"I wear shirts and suits. I'm more comfortable in Kurtas than suits. It's not that I dislike Western wear; it's good to see people adopting some useful things from Western countries. You can wear Western clothes and be yourself, but it's not cool and good to forget your own culture in learning and adopting something else." Padmanabh glanced at her to see Vrishali listening to his words.
"I don't have anything against foreign culture. There are some things from other cultures that I really enjoy and even promote here for good reasons. However, I'm not too fond of completely ignoring our products and culture in the name of business. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from." Padmanabh spoke softly, surprised that he was sharing his thoughts about this topic. People had made assumptions about his views on Western culture in the past.
"I understand what you said. Whatever you said is true." Vrishali couldn't stop smiling. He now looked super handsome in her eyes. She always has a spot for intelligent men.
By the time they reached the airport, it was 4:45 am. They both got out of the car and waited for a minute as there was a rush in the parking space. "This way," Vrishali said, following Padmanabh.
They walked into the airport together towards the outdoor waiting area. It didn't take much time for Vrishali to find her parents. Hardik and his parents were present, but her parents had yet to check-in.
She had called them last night, lying that she wouldn't be able to be present for the send-off. Her parents were sad but didn't let that show. Vrishali wondered how she would not go if it were her parents.
Gauravi's eyes widened when she saw Vrishali and Padmanabh. "Hey, mumma!" Vrishali yelled happily, giving her a tight hug.
Padmanabh touched Deepash's and the other two elders' feet, taking their blessings. "God bless you, beta(son)." Deepash blessed his son-in-law with happiness.
"Dad!" Vrishali pulled away from her mom and hugged her father tightly. A few tears started falling as she hugged her parents. As she is busy hugging her dad. Padmanabh touched Gauravi's feet, taking her blessings.
"We missed her so much," Gauravi spoke, holding Padmanabh's hand. "I'm happy that you are here."
"She was missing you two dearly."
"I'm going to miss you two so much! Why don't you guys shift here!" Vrishali spoke, looking at her parents.
"Your dad has the same thoughts. We will be shifting back soon once everything settles down there. We will be coming back soon. Until then, please take care of yourself, and if there's something that's bothering you, don't forget to share it with us or―" Gauravi looked at Padmanabh. "With Padmanabh." Vrishali gave a nod and hugged Gauravi.
"I will miss you, but we will be back soon."
Padmanabh engaged in a conversation with Hardik. Vrishali spoke with her parents, Gagan Taya and Malini Tai. Hardik couldn't contain his shock and surprise as he spoke with Padmanabh.
Deepash and Gauravi hugged their daughter tightly before leaving. Sadly, Hardik and his parents had to leave, too.
"We need to have our breakfast," Padmanabh said, getting into the car. Vrishali removed her jacket as it wasn't cold anymore. The sun is out, making the whole atmosphere warm. She gave him a nod.
As they travelled, the radio played in the background while trees, shops, and people passed by. Eventually, they arrived at a local restaurant, which was not very crowded. Only a few tourists were there, having an early breakfast. Padmanabh wore a mask to avoid drawing attention to himself.
Vrishali followed Padmanabh as he led the way. She observed the pink architecture of the restaurant, which is an old traditional restaurant.
They climbed a staircase that led them to the terrace area. Only two tables were taken, and the rest were empty. They ended up sitting at the faraway table, where it was calm. The waiter handed them the two menus.
Vrishali and Padmanabh ordered their breakfast according to their choice. "When are we going to shift?" Vrishali asked as they waited for the food.
"We will be shifting on Friday. Renovation work is happening, and all the renovations will be done by Wednesday," Padmanabh said.
"So what are we going to do after breakfast?" Vrishali asked, as she hadn't decided on anything.
"I don't know if you want, we can go on your campus tours. I have some work and paper 'signing―"
Are you serious? I want to go sightseeing today. . ." Vrishali cut off Padmanabh. Padmanabh frowned, not because she wanted to go sightseeing but because she spoke in between, not allowing him to finish the sentence.
"Interrupting someone while they are speaking is not a good habit and can be considered rude. It may offend the other person, so it's better to let them finish what they want to say before you speak. You can always express your thoughts and opinions after they have finished speaking," Padmanabh explained gently.
"I'm sorry," Vrishali replied; she always has a habit of talking in between. Padmanabh gave a nod. Their breakfast is brought. They ate in silence, just talking when needed.
Padmanabh noticed a few things: Vrishali is left-hand, a juice person, and she doesn't eat spicy food. She loves sweets and will have a sweet at any time of the day. She doesn't like tomatoes and is picky when it comes to vegetables. "You are a left-hand person?"
Vrishali looked up and nodded. "Yes, I use my right hand for eating, but sometimes, when there's a spoon and fork―I tend to use the left hand." She was separating the vegetables as she spoke.
Amused by her separating the vegetables away from the food, Padmanabh spoke, "I don't want to see curry leaves on your plate. They are good for health; either you eat them, or we are going home." Padmanabh is not looking at her, knowing she will pull some face like his sister.
"You are not serious, right? I don't eat curry leaves." Vrishali looked horrified as she looked at the curry leaves on her plate.
Vrishali slumped down and began stuffing her mouth with curry leaves. She knew that, unlike her parents, Padmanabh would not let her leave any curry leaves on her plate. "Eat them and sip your juice," Padmanabh said. "I will order you another fresh juice, and we can finish eating together."
•
Vrishali frowned her brows again as they were disturbed by the people. "Can't we just enjoy the view? Why is it so crowded here?" Padmanabh turned to Vrishali. She decided to visit the Jal Mahal. They weren't the only people who planned to visit it.
"The holidays are going to end next week. This is the last week before they return to schools, colleges, and hostels," Padmanabh said. Oh, yes."
"This place is so beautiful. I want to visit it again," Vrishali said, craning her neck to see Padmanabh, who was standing too close to her. She was quite short compared to him, which bugged her.
Most people recognised Padmanabh and greeted him respectfully but didn't dare to disturb them. Vrishali believed they feared Padmanabh as he carried this mysterious, dangerous and solemn aura.
"Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber renovated and enlarged the palace and the lake around it in the 18th century. The surface area is about 300 acres." Padmanabh explained as Vrishali clicked pictures. Unknowingly, they were standing so close that their sides touched as they observed the chhatri.
Padmanabh looked to his side and saw Vrishali leaning against him, taking a photo of the Bengal-styled roof. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, catching a whiff of her lavender-scented body or soap.
He took a step back, shaking his head. He didn't want to touch her; even though he had married her, he didn't want to rush. In his eyes, it felt inappropriate to touch her when he knew she was pressured to marry him.
Vrishali felt disappointed when he deliberately stepped away from her, making space between them. She felt warm and fuzzy inside when he was near her, and she could smell his scent.
He smelled a mix of musk, sandalwood and eucalyptus. Their bathroom smells of sandalwood after he baths. She had never known a friend who smelled eucalyptus; it was new. Padmanabh uses a custom-made scent. Strangely, she is addicted to the mix.
"il est chaud(He is hot)" Vrishali immediately turned to see two tourist girls eyeing Padmanabh.
Vrishali narrowed her eyes "Je pense la même chose de mon mari (I think the same about my husband)." The tourist girls slumped their shoulders before walking away.
Padmanabh's eyes widened, but he quickly blinked away the surprise as he coughed. Now it is Vrishali's turn to widen her eyes, she turned to him "You understand French?!"
When he nodded, Vrishali immediately turned around and walked away to another side with red cheeks. She cursed herself for saying that. Now, he knows she has a crush on him. Think of embarrassment. . .
*
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