Chapter 24

“Where are you taking me?” Priya asked, surprised.  She was taken away from the crowd and pulled toward the VIP lounge.

“Come here.” Aman said pulling her into the empty VIP lounge.

“What are we doing here?” Priya asked, amused.

Aman didn’t answer her.  He simply watched her, admiring her beauty.  He took a deep breath and walked closer to her.  He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.  Priya’s eyes widened in surprise.  She tried to move away from him, but his hold on her tightened.   She instinctively looked down.  Aman’s face inched closer to hers.  He searched her eyes for any sign of resistance, but she refused to meet his gaze.  He gently moved her chin up with his fingertips, forcing her to look at him.  He moved closer until they were barely inches apart.

Aman kissed Priya.

Their lips met, and passion erupted between them.  Priya felt an unfamiliar charge build up inside of her.  Her senses fogged up and she couldn’t think straight.  Her hands rested on Aman’s chest.  One of his hands cupped her cheek as the other arm stayed firmly around her waist.  The kiss was gentle, but passionate.  Suddenly, fireworks beamed over the New York City skyline, as if a celebration of Aman and Priya’s union had commenced.

Aman gently pulled away, breaking the kiss.  Priya was left breathless.  Colorful lights from the fireworks flooded the room.  Aman smiled at her.

“Happy New Year, Priya.” he whispered, pressing his lips to her cheek.  Priya blushed.

“It’s so beautiful here.” Priya said, turning around to watch the fireworks.

Aman wrapped his arms around Priya, hugging her from behind.  He rested his chin on her shoulder and proceeded to watch the fireworks with her in his arms.

“To the New Year! Wishing everyone a prosperous year. Let’s hope this year brings more parties, more money, and more love!” Hiten raised a toast, welcoming the new year.

The crowd raised their glasses and cheered.  Rajiv, who doesn’t drink, and Payal raised their glasses of juice.  After she and Aman rejoined the crowd, Priya quickly raised a glass of water Aman handed her, while he himself took a glass of vodka from the bar.  Hiten raised another toast and wished then announced that the party will go on all night long.

“You’re going to have a huge hangover tomorrow.” Aman commented as Hiten downed a shot of tequila.

“Whatever. Tonight is my night! Party on!” Hiten slurred carelessly.

“Didi! Where’d you go? You missed the fireworks.” Payal came running up to Priya.

“I saw them.  They were wonderful!” Priya answered.  She eyed Aman as he talked with Hiten.  “By the way, don’t think I didn’t see what happened between you and Rajiv.” Priya said mischieviously

The color from Payal’s face drained instantly.  A blush crept onto her cheeks.

“Didi, I…” she tried to say, “It’s how they celebrate the New Year here.”

“Save it, Payal.” Priya said seriously.

“But Didi, it won’t happen again. I promise. Rajiv is sweet.  I told him he could.” Payal was nearly in tears.

“Payal! I was just kidding.”  Priya said quickly, hiding a smile.

Payal looked at her suspiciously.

“Really, Payal. I like Rajiv.  Just don’t let things go too far.  You aren’t married yet.” Priya warned.

“I almost had a heart attack!” Payal exclaimed.  “Do you really like him?”

“Yep. I do. You two are cute.” Priya admitted.

“I like him too.” Payal said quietly.

Priya laughed and Payal joined in.

The rest of the night passed in exuberance.   Everyone was in a fantastic mood, and the party continued on for hours after midnight.  When Aman decided to leave, the party was still going strong.

“Hiten, I think we’re going to call it a night.” Aman told his best friend.

“What? No! The night’s still young.” Hiten pouted.

“We should go.  Payal looks like she’s about to pass out in exhaustion.”  Aman mused.

“Are you sure you can’t stay?” Hiten asked sadly.

“I’m sure, but this was one hell of a party, man!” Aman replied.

“Yeah I know! I’m so glad you ended up coming. It would’ve been so boring without you.” Hiten said excitedly.

“Really?” Aman asked, unconvinced.

“No! I would’ve had fun either way, but they party was even better with my best friend here.” Hiten laughed.

Aman, Payal, and Priya said goodbye to Hiten and all their friends.  Payal didn’t have a chance to say bye to Rajiv.  She was too afraid Priya would see them again, so she settled for a distant wave goodbye.  Payal was asleep as soon as she settled into the limo.  Aman looked a Priya.  He was glad he’d finally kissed his wife.  He enjoyed it, and he hoped Priya did too.  She hadn’t said anything about the kiss, but she reacted positively.  Aman took that as a good sign.

“Are we there yet?” Payal said groggily, waking from her brief slumber.

“Almost.” Priya answered.

“Wake me up when we get there.” Payal said with a yawn.

Priya rolled her eyes as Payal settled her head onto Priya’s lap.  Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Aman’s mansion.  Priya gently shook Payal awake as the limo came to a stop.  All three of them were tired.  Aman jumped in the shower, while Priya made sure Payal got to bed alright.  She could barely keep her eyes open.  Aman was still taking a shower when Priya went back to his room.  She quickly changed into something more comfortable, and she took off her makeup.  Only then did her thoughts go to the kiss she and Aman shared.

She wondered if people in America celebrated the new year with a kiss at midnight or if Aman really meant it.  She smiled to herself as she thought about how great his lips felt on hers.  After somewhat of an internal conflict, Priya decided that if Aman kissed her goodnight, then he meant the kiss and their relationship would move closer to that of a normal husband and wife. And if he doesn’t, then maybe it was just the heat of the moment that possessed him to kiss her.  Priya wasn’t sure if she wanted Aman to kiss her again, she knew she wouldn’t refuse him.

She sat at the edge of the bed, trying not to look as tired as she felt.  Aman’s phone started ringing.  Priya hesitated.  She wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to answer his phone.  She picked it up and looked at the caller ID.  Hiten was calling.  Priya answered it.

“Hello?” Priya said unsurely.

“Aman? Why do you sound like a woman?” Hite slurred.  He hiccupped and continued, “Are you cheating on Bhabhi?” He asked in a loud whisper.

Priya smiled and shook her head at Hiten’s intoxicated state.  He wasn’t thinking straight.

“Hiten,” Priya said, trying to get him to quiet down.

“Aman!  I need you to come back! Everyone left me.” Hiten shouted into the phone.

“Hiten, calm down.” Priya said.

“I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeddd a woman in my life!” Hiten said in a singsong voice.  He was beyond drunk.  Priya was unsure what to say.  She wished Aman would hurry up so that he could talk to his best friend.

“I hate that you left.  You should’ve stayed. It sucks that you’re married now.  We could have gone to the bars and hit up some hot women.” Hiten said, still believing he was speaking to Aman.  Priya let out an involuntary gasp.  What kind of trouble did these two get into before she and Aman got married?

“Hiten, Aman is…” Priya started to say.

“Aman! He’s my best friend!” Hiten interrupted.  He was so drunk, he couldn’t even keep up with the conversation.

Aman emerged from the bathroom.  Priya immediately held the phone out to him.

“It’s Hiten. He’s really out of it.” She said.

Aman took the phone from her.

“Hiten?” He said, concerned.  “What are you talking about?”

Aman looked pensive as he listened to Hiten talk.

“Don’t you dare get in a car.  You’re in no shape to drive.” Aman chided.  “Okay, I’m coming. Just don’t move.”

“Priya,” Aman turned to Priya.  “Hiten is being an idiot. I have to make sure he’s okay.”

“Okay, sure.” Priya replied.

Aman left, still talking to Hiten on the phone.  Priya worried about Hiten.  He sounded so drunk.  He was completely out of his senses.  Hopefully, Aman could handle him.  She felt too tired to stay awake and wait for Aman to return.  All she could think about was the goodnight kiss that never happened.

When Priya woke up the next morning, Aman still wasn’t home.  He’d probably spent the night at Hiten’s house.  She looked at her phone.  There weren’t any missed calls or messages from Aman.  Priya checked on Payal, who was still asleep.  She must’ve been really tired, so Priya thought she should let her sleep in.  She made her way downstairs in search of some breakfast.

A loud gasp escaped her as she was met with a figure sitting at the table.  She wasn’t expecting to see Aman.  Aman looked at Priya, surprised.

“Are you okay?” he asked unsurely.

“I...Did you come home last night?” Priya asked.

“Yeah I did.” Aman replied.

“I….didn’t hear you.” she said.

“You must’ve been too tired to notice.” Aman replied with a chuckle.

“Is Hiten okay?” Priya asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah.  He was as drunk as he’s ever been, but he passed out soon after I got there.  He’ll be fine though.” Aman answered.

“I’m sorry I answered your phone. I had no right to.” Priya said quietly.

“It’s okay. I don’t care. I have nothing  to hide.” Aman smiled.

Aman wondered if Priya would say anything about the kiss they shared last night.  He wanted to talk to her about it, but Hiten needed him.  He didn’t want to upset Priya by talking about it, so he thought it best just to leave the matter alone.  He would’ve done just that, but every bone in his body was telling him that he should kiss her again.  He needed to kiss her again.

Priya went into the kitchen to see what else had been prepared for breakfast.  Aman followed her.

“Priya, I…” He started to say.  He heard footsteps approaching the kitchen, and suddenly a brilliant idea came to mind.

He grabbed Priya by the waist.  She looked at him, shocked.  Aman pulled her close and kissed her.  He immediately felt relieved.  He’d been wanting to kiss Priya again since last night.  Aman hands stayed firmly around Priya as he pulled her closer.  Priya felt herself being pushed up against the counter.  Aman’s lips were still on hers.  Aman heard a gasp followed by hurried footsteps.  He smiled against Priya’s lips.  Slowly, he broke the kiss.

“Aman,” Priya said, surprised.

“I think it worked.” Aman said, peering out of the kitchen.

“What worked?” Priya asked.

“Payal saw us.” He answered, nonchalantly.

“She what?” Priya’s eyes went wide.

“She saw us...kissing.” Aman repeated.

“You kissed me...so she would see?” Priya asked incredulously.

“Priya, husbands kiss their wives.  Payal has barely seen us touch each other.  We need to be more believable.  Don’t you think?” Aman said with a smirk.

“That’s the only reason why you…” Priya trailed off.  She was a little heartbroken that Aman didn’t kiss her because he wanted to.

“Yeah, sorry if I..” Aman started.

“No, don’t be sorry.” Priya interrupted.  She went to go see where Payal went.

“Payal, are you up here?” Priya called as she ascended the stairs.  She walked into Payal’s room.

“Didi,” Payal was blushing. “Sorry I walked in on you and Jija-ji…”

“It’s okay.” Priya said quickly, a blush creeping onto her own cheeks.

“I’ve never really seen anyone I know kissing like that.  Ma and Baba never even held hands in front of me.” Payal giggled.

“We didn’t mean for you to see us.” Priya blushed even deeper.

“Didi, do you love Jija-ji?” Payal asked all of a sudden.

Priya hesitated.  She wasn’t expecting Payal to ask her something like that.

“Not yet, but I’m starting to.  Soon, I’ll learn to love him.” Priya couldn’t stop herself from blushing.  She looked down.

Payal smiled widely.

“It must be so great to be falling in love. I’m so jealous.” Payal admitted.

“When you get married, you’ll fall in love too.” Priya said, hopefully.

“Do I have to have an arranged marriage?” Payal whined.  “A love marriage seems so much more romantic, you know.  And Rajiv…”

“Rajiv?” Priya interrupted with a smiled.

“Well, he’s around, and he’s nice.” Payal tried to cover.

“Sure, Payal, whatever you say.” Priya grinned.  She knew that Payal didn’t know about the plans Aman had of fixing her marriage with Rajiv once he’s settled a little more.  Payal would no doubt be ecstatic.  Priya could tell Payal had some sort of crush on Rajiv.

Aman paced nervously in the kitchen.  He felt extremely anxious.  The physical attraction between him and Priya had reached a whole new level ever since he kissed her.  It was getting increasingly difficult to be civil around her.  He had remained celibate since they got married, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stay that way for much longer.  He hoped that all that talk of children would convince her to give in and finally consummate their marriage, but that’s not what happened.  He decided that the best plan of action would be to just leave.  He couldn’t deal with this right now.  Besides, he needed to check on Hiten to see if he was alright.

Aman knocked on Hiten’s apartment door after he’d driven into the city.  No one answered.  Aman, being Aman, took the spare key that was hidden in Hiten’s secret spot and let himself in.

“Hiten!” Aman called as he entered.

He went straight to the bedroom, knowing the Hiten would still be asleep.  He definitely was not a morning person.

“Wake up!” Aman shouted.

Hiten mumbled something inaudible.

“Come on Hiten. I need some advice.  Come get drinks with me.” Aman hit him hard with a pillow.

Hiten popped up and looked over at the clock.

“No more drinking.” he said, pouting.  Last night’s hangover had taken a toll on him.

“Okay then, coffee.  Come on. Get dressed.” Aman countered.

Once Hiten was fully awake, Aman made himself comfortable on the sofa and turned on Hiten’s massive plasma screen TV.  He mindlessly watched whatever was on til Hiten came out, ready to leave.

“Let’s go.” Hiten dragged his feet to the door.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Aman asked, amused.

Hiten sat in the passenger seat of Aman’s sports car, sulking.

“Nothing. Girl trouble, man.” he admitted.

“Wanna talk about it?” Aman asked.

“No.” Hiten pouted.

Aman gave him a look as he pulled up to their favorite cafe.

“Yes.” Hiten gave in.

They exited the car and walked in.  The hostess perked up upon seeing them.

“Well hey there, just two?” she asked, giving Aman her best ‘I’m sexy’ look.

“Yeah, just two.” Aman confirmed.

They followed her to the back of the cafe.  She took their drink orders and gave Aman wink as she walked away.

“How the hell do you always get all the women? You weren’t even trying!” Hiten complained.

“Oh please. Stop being a baby.” Aman replied.  “What’s your problem? Did you meet a girl last night?”

“Several.” Hiten smirked.

Aman rolled his eyes.

“And?” he prompted.

“Nothing.  None of them were interested.  One even asked me to set her up with my ‘hot friend.’ That bitch!” Hiten said with irritation.

“Damn, it must suck to be the friend of such an amazingly attractive guy.” Aman joked.

Hiten pouted even more.

“Maybe I should just get married.” He said quietly.

“Why do you say that?” Aman asked, knowing Hiten wasn’t the type to settle down.

“Guaranteed action every night.” Hiten answered.

Aman nearly choked on his coffee.  He looked at Hiten incredulously.  This was the last thing he needed to be talking about right now.

YAY!!!! AMAN AND PRIYA FINALLY KISSED!!! TWICE!!!  Poor Aman. He’s starting to become restless haha.  Aman and Hiten are going to have a seriously enlightening conversation. I just didn’t want the chapter to go on forever.  Some drama to come! Also, no cliffhanger this time!

Tell me your reaction to Aman and Priya’s kiss!! I’m anxious to know how incredibly excited you all are now that they’ve kissed.

COMMENT AND VOTE more than ever!