Rian watched keenly asthe flush on Aditi’s very pretty face bloomed everywhere, her eyes growing round at his admission.
He also knew very well that had Nanamma not been right there, Aditi would have continued this discussion. Her sights flitted between him and his grandmother, shooting him a look that promised retribution somehow. Unapologetic, he tilted his head to the side, smiling insolently as she got into the car with a huff.
Her agitation only served to amuse him. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from snorting at the memory of her concerned rambling. He rather thought if he laughed now, he wouldn’t be able to stop Aditi from attacking him.
He shut the car door once she was settled, sliding his sunglasses on as he directed his driver, Raju, towards the temple.
She was going to chastise him for eavesdropping at the first available opportunity, he was sure. But he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.
Her frustration had been comical, only because it seemed so out of the ordinary for her to be annoyed. In the weeks since his return to India, the only time he had seen Aditi not being her charmingly bubbly self was when she had confronted him about his standoffish behaviour.
Since that flimsy shield of caution had been shed, Rian found that he rather enjoyed her company.
The fact that she had all but announced that she wanted sex had not done any favours to his hyperactive mind, however.
He had no reason to deny that Aditi was an attractive woman. He caught sight of her in the rearview mirror, observing her without her knowledge.
Beautiful thick hair, classically Indian features, large doe eyes that were lined with kohl today, and a pouty mouth that begged to be kissed. With her medium height, honeyed skin, and plentiful curves, she had an inherently sensual image, which contrasted with her sweet and friendly aura.
It was for this reason that Rian often found himself watching her, trying to figure out who she truly was. Because she seemed to change very quickly from goofy to kind to serious to silly once more with almost no effort.
If she was pretending—conscious of being his guest—Rian suspected the act would drop eventually, and her true personality would come through with more frequency. He wondered what that would be, hoping that it wasn’t too different than the Aditi he’d seen so far.
He had not expected to join Nanamma today, but it had been a long time since he’d prayed. She’d caught him on the way out to the gym and had all but demanded his presence at their outing. He didn’t mind. Rian usually made it a point to come visit the templewith his grandmother anyway, but had been relieved of that duty of late. Aditi had been keeping Nanamma company, he’d learned. The more he found out about things that she did to make people around her happy, the more he felt terrible about judging her unnecessarily before.
He climbed the steps of the temple beside his grandmother with a chattering Aditi who was helping her on the other side, and he couldn’t hold back a small smile.It was no wonder that she’d made friends everywhere, he thought, watching her turn to Raju to include him in the conversation. She was almost always happy, exuding a warmth that drew people in.
While the ladies were waiting outside the main entry, Rian approached his usual shop for the prayer plate that he knew Nanamma liked to offer inside the temple. He reached for his wallet, handing over a large orange note to the vendor who set about looking for change. While waiting, he noticed Aditi browsing the flower garlands at the stall nearby where rows upon rows of strung jasmine and crossandra were being displayed.
He saw the female vendor ask her a question, and Aditi shook her head regretfully, gesturing in a manner that indicated that she hadn’t brought her purse. With an apologetic smile, she waved at the seller and walked away, throwing one last glance at the flowers.
“I don’t have the exact change, Saheb.”
Before he could think twice about it, he pointed at the stall next door. “Keep the money. Get me a string of those flowers instead and add it to the prayer plate.”
As Rian approached the two women, he couldn’t help but feel silly. He had no idea what possessed him to purchase these flowers for Aditi. He supposed he wanted to do something nice for someone who was so kind to others.
But Nanamma was there, right next to her.
And there was no way Rian could give Aditi something as simple as a string of jasmine to wear in her hair without Nanamma thinkingthat it was an indication of interest. Knowing his grandmother’s fervent wish for great-grandchildren, she’d probably ask the priest to get them married immediately.
“Ah Rian,kanna,did you find everything?” Chitra asked when he joined them.
“Yes, Nanamma.” He handed the plate to her, unable to tamp down the sliver of disappointment at the thought of having to leave those flowers be. Maybe she had seen his preoccupation with the plate because she exclaimed in surprise, “You got flowers?”
Rian glanced up, startled. “The vendor must have added them by mistake. You can use it for the prayers.”
“These are cut too short for that. But it’s just as well,” Chitra beamed, extending the jasmine to the young woman next to her. “Aditi was just telling me how her grandmother used to make flower garlands for her and her sister to wear for such occasions.”
With a glad grin, Aditi accepted the flowers, promptly pinning them onto her hair in the back. It was such a simple pleasure, but it was clear that it had made her very happy.
“You got your heart’s desire without even asking for it,kanna,” Chitra said, cupping Aditi's face in a loving gesture. “I will pray that all your wishes come true so that you keep smiling, just like this.”
Aditi’s smile widened at that blessing, her sights drawn to the man standing behind Nanamma. Twinkling brown eyes met his, and out of nowhere Rian had the most curious sensation of being pulled towards her by an unseen thread. His heart thumped awkwardly, and his palms got sweaty until he shook it off, spinning around to head inside.
For the next hour, he studiously avoided looking in Aditi’s direction. It wasn’t hard considering the massive crowds leading into the main dais. He had his hands full trying to herd the two women he was with, making sure the throng did not hurt or crush them.
By the time the three stood in front of the altar and handed over their offerings to the head priest, Aditi was exhausted. Hereyes swept the space around her, noting the beautiful carvings on the pillars that stretched to the ceiling. She realised upon closer inspection that they were depictions of different scenes from the mythological stories she’d heard as a child.