Thirteen - Payal

Two weeks later...

Payal groaned as she felt another spike of pain shoot through her forehead. She massaged her temples, trying to focus on her laptop screen where her issue list was displayed.

A cup of coffee appeared at her side. She looked up at Rohan, who was frowning at her. "You know you are allowed to take breaks, right?" he asked her skeptically.

"And let go of the flow? It took me three hours and over thirty agreements  to align the issue list. I officially hate this week." Payal complained.

"No. You hate due diligence, Payal." Rohan corrected.

"Stop being logical and get me a painkiller. This headache isn't going to go away by itself." Payal ground out as she felt a new spike of pain.

"Or, I get you a break. Come on, get up. Or I'm calling Vivaan." Rohan threatened.

Payal glared at her best friend. "What has this got to do with Vivaan?"

Rohan showed her his phone in answer, where a message from Vivaan was showing on the screen.

Hey Rohan. Payal hasn't been answering my calls since yesterday. Is everything okay?

"You are calling your fiancé and telling him you're stuck doing due diligence, before I call him and tell him you need to be taken away from work for a while." Rohan said.

"Okay geez." Payal said, checking her phone to see two missed calls from Vivaan.

"Seriously, two missed calls before he texts the best friend? That's creepy possessive." Rohan said.

Payal slapped his arm. "That's two calls since yesterday. When I didn't pick up the first time, then didn't call him back and then refused to pick up the second call, all within a span of 12 hours, that is when he texted you." She clarified.

"Wait, so he only calls you once in the day? And if you miss the call, you miss out on talking to him? Even your clients call you more than that." Rohan said. "Are you sure you guys are engaged?"

"Shut up, Rohan!" Payal said, mock-stern. She had just dialed his number.

"Payal." His voice was filled with relief as he picked up the call. "Where were you? Why weren't you picking up my calls?" he asked.

"Due diligence." Payal answered. "I've been at it since yesterday, and I kind of lost track of time." She was a bit sheepish as she said it.

"So, then you don't miss me." he sounded petulant.

Payal laughed through her headache. "I don't think I can miss anyone while doing due diligence."

"Ouch."

"How are you? How was the first time assisting a surgery?" Payal asked, sipping her coffee.

"Scary. It's one thing to read about it, but totally another to know that one accident can kill your patient." He answered.

"Okay, that is scary." Payal agreed.

"Anyway, I have news." Vivaan said. "We're coming over for dinner today."

Payal choked on her coffee. "We? As in your whole family?" she asked him.

"Yes, although I'm coming from and going back to the hospital instead of going with them." Vivaan said. "Why, is there an issue?"

"Does my family know?" Payal asked weakly. She wouldn't have minded any other time. But today, she didn't have it in her to leave office early and ready a dinner for both families on time. Her mother was too weak to be able to help. Aniket and Rohini, like her, were busy at work.

"Yes, Baba-sa called ahead and asked Papa. He agreed." Vivaan said. Then after a moment, he added, "They're reaching early in the evening. Both families have planned to cook together today."

Payal was surprised, both that Vivaan had once again figured out what bothered her without her saying anything, and the fact that his family had the same kind of foresight.

"How do you do this?" she asked, unable to figure it out. "How do you understand everything without my saying anything?"

"Because I know you, Payal." He said simply. His words reminded her of their first kiss two weeks ago and she blushed, glad that this time, he wouldn't be able to see her.

"I will try to be home early." She told him.

"I will try to leave the hospital early." He said in the same tone, making her laugh.

As she hung up the call, she found Rohan staring at her, as though waiting for her to say something. "What?" she asked.

"Did something happen that I should know about, Payal?" Rohan asked, his tone suggestive.

Payal couldn't help the flush of embarrassment. "Nothing like that. They're coming home for dinner tonight."

"Exactly. That is not something you would be embarrassed to tell me." Rohan pointed out.

"I need to get back to work." Payal tried to digress.

"Not until you tell me what made you blush at my question." Rohan refused to be diverted, a teasing glint in his eyes.

When she didn't say anything, Rohan let out a horrible imitation of a teenage girl. "OMG! You guys finally kissed!"

"Shh!" Payal looked around to see if anyone had heard them. "Announce it to the entire floor, will you?" she said, making sure he caught the sarcasm in her tone.

"Whatever. So how was it?" Rohan asked.

"What do you mean, 'how was it'?" Payal asked, scandalized. "We aren't discussing a new book or new movie here!"

"I know. We are discussing something much more important. My best friend finally got her first kiss after twenty-seven years of wait. This has to be an experience worth listening to." Rohan countered.

"I don't kiss and tell, Rohan." Payal used the same line he had used on her in law school when she asked about his dates.

"Wah! Meri billi mujhi se meow!" he complained, making Payal laugh out loud.

(A/N: for those who didn't understand Rohan's response, this is a Hindi idiom which when literally translated goes something like 'My own cat dares to meow at me'. It's actual meaning, however, is a reference to the mentee teaching the mentor.)

Of course, it had been special. What she liked the most was how natural he had made it seem. She had been a nervous wreck even thinking about it, but for Vivaan, it was completely instinctual. He was very accepting of the mutual attraction between them and at ease with the whole prospect, unlike her.

Payal had read her fair share of romance novels where moments like these were blown out of the proportion with fancy confessions and dreamy descriptions. Having no real experience to compare it to, she had grown to believe that is how it always is. But now, she understood that she had been looking at it the wrong way. It does not matter when, where or how it happens, as long as the person sharing the moment has the same feelings. Not just the first kiss, any moment of intimacy with such a person would be momentous.

Vivaan's outlook was very simple and easy to accept. They liked each other and were attracted to each other, so it was natural to want to be close to each other. And in truth, kissing him had been an out of the world experience. It had made her realize that all her inhibitions didn't really matter, as long as they both wanted the same thing. And so, it didn't matter that her first kiss was in an office cabin, with books and reading material scattered on the very table she was leaning against as her fiancé kissed her. It had still been a wonderful experience in itself.

"Hey!" she jerked out of her trance to see Rohan snapping his fingers in front of her eyes. "Am I going to see you blank out like this frequently?" he teased.

Shaking her head at his antics, she pulled up a fresh folder of documents on her laptop. As she began going over the lease agreements for the various branch offices, she realized her headache had reduced. Just thinking of him had done the trick.

***

"Wow, Bhabhi-sa, that sooji ka halwa smells wonderful!" Mansi said, standing next to Payal as she scattered crushed cardamom seeds over the sweet dish.

"Wait until you taste it, Mansi." Aniket said from the other side of the kitchen, where he was garnishing the curry he and Rohini had made. "Payal is the expert on sweet dishes in our house. No one makes them better than her."

It was almost dinner time. True to their promise, the Mehta family had arrived early in the evening, except for Aryan. Aryan was overseeing the delivery of some goods near Parel, so Vivaan had agreed to pick him up while coming to Payal's house. Payal and her sister-in-law had managed to reach just half an hour after their arrival, much to Dadi-sa's displeasure. Payal kept quiet at the taunts, choosing to focus on greeting the elders and spending some time with them, instead of letting Dadi-sa  rile her.

Avika and Mansi had helped Payal and Rohini to arrange the tea and snacks, while the elders kept each other company. Aniket had arrived soon after and joined them in dinner preparations. Avika and Vivaan's Kaki-sa had prepared the dal and jeera rice while Aniket and Rohini prepared roti-subji. Payal had decided to prepare the sweet dish.

The doorbell rang again, and Mansi moved out to answer the door. As Payal opened an overhead cupboard to get the plates and other cutlery, she heard Aryan and Vivaan's voices greeting everyone. Involuntarily, her heart gave a happy lurch knowing that he was finally here.

"Wow, the kitchen smells heavenly!" Aryan said as he came inside to help with laying the table. "We seem to have a good group of chefs here."

"Wait until you sit to eat, Bhai-sa. Everyone is going lick their plates clean today." Mansi said taking the plates from Payal. Payal accompanied them outside to place the various food items on the table. The dining table was not big enough to accommodate both families, so the dinner was going to be served buffet style.

"Papa, we can start." She called out to her father, just as Vivaan walked out in the hall after freshening up. He smiled at her but stayed near the table, helping Payal's father set up a plate for her mother.

As they ate, Payal learnt that Aryan and Avika's marriage anniversary was coming soon - on the same day as Holika Dahan. "Since it is coinciding with a festival, we would love it if all of you could join us." Said Vivaan's Kako-sa.

"Yes Bhabhi-sa. Please come for this celebration. Aryan and I really want our entire family to be there." Avika insisted.

"And you." Ma-sa twisted Vivaan's ear making him wince. "Iss baar ghar nahi aaye to daant ke saath saath maar bhi padegi." She scolded him. (If you don't come home this time, I will not only scold you but also beat you.)

"Ma-sa, ow! I never said I won't come." Vivaan complained, as everyone laughed. She let go of his ear then, and he grumbled about how much it hurt.

"There is no need to worry Ma-sa. All we need is Payal Bhabhi-sa with us, Bhai-sa will follow." Mansi teased, making everyone laugh while Payal ducked her head in embarrassment.

"I'll go get the dessert." she said, getting up.

"I'll come with." Rohini said, settling her plate aside.

"No Bhabhi." Vivaan stopped her. "I'll go help her."

As Payal laid the tray with the katoris, Vivaan brought the bowl with the sweet dish in it. "Mansi told me you made this. How did you know sooji ka halwa is my favorite?" he asked her.

"I didn't know." Payal said, amused at the coincidence. "I made this because it can be prepared quickly." She said sheepishly.

"And here I was getting so overwhelmed at the sweet gesture." Vivaan's expression was of mock disappointment. "All for nothing." he teased her as she spooned the halwa into the katoris.

Payal laughed. "Do you know what I like?" she asked him.

"Fruit custard." He replied while smiling. "You once said you loved Ma's fruit custard."

Does nothing miss his notice? How does he do this? Payal wondered, staring at him as set the bowls in the tray. He looked at her then. "What?" he asked.

She shook her head, smiling. "Nothing."

"Shall we?" he asked, holding the tray.

She took the tray from him. "Here, let me."

"No need, I can carry the tray." He said.

"I know." Payal said, gently taking it. "But Dadi-sa won't like it. Also, you're a guest here today." She said.

He shook his head, apparently amused that Payal was so accommodating of Dadi-sa's orthodox beliefs. Payal decided to ignore him, and carried the tray outside.

After dinner, it was time to part company.

"That really was an amazing dinner." Said Vivaan's mother as Payal bent to touch her feet. They were leaving now and were just saying the greetings. "Deepa ji, we will await you for the anniversary celebrations, please do come." She said to Payal's mother.

Payal and her father walked the Mehta family downstairs to the parking lot. Vivaan had come separately, so after greeting his family he went toward his car, which was someway away. Payal followed him.

"We barely got to talk today." He said, as they stood beside his car.

"But you got to spend time with our families." Payal countered. "We can always meet some day when we are free. But for both our families to be with us, it's so rare."

He snaked an arm around her waist then, pulling her close. She gasped at the sudden movement, automatically placing her hands on his chest to balance herself. Vivaan leaned in, bringing his forehead to hers. She sighed at the contact, closing her eyes as she attempted to control the chaos in her heart at his proximity.

"Still, we lost out on spending time together today." Vivaan whispered after a moment, not breaking their position.

"Oh? Aren't we together right now?" Payal whispered back. The parking lot around them was deserted. Vivaan's family had left already and Payal's father had gone back upstairs.

"We weren't until about ten seconds ago." Vivaan said. "And now, I have to leave."

She pulled back, staring at his face. He seemed genuinely disheartened to not be able to get alone time. She smiled, leaning up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "With you, even ten seconds can make a memory." She told him, raising a hand and gently righting a few strands of hair that were falling messily on his forehead.

He continued to look at her for a few moments, an unnamed emotion in his eyes. He cupped one side of her face gently. "I wanted to ask you something." He said, after a bit.

Payal treasured the warmth of his caress. "What is it?"

"Next week is Valentines' week. I know we are engaged and technically past the stage of all this, but I still want to court you." Vivaan said, a smile gracing his face as he watched her surprised expression. "We can't celebrate the whole week, but Valentines' Day falls on next Sunday. Will you be my valentine?" he asked, making her heart melt. Despite what he said, what she loved was that there was still a slight uncertainty in his expression, as though he was unsure if she would accept.

"I would love to be your valentine." She accepted, laying her head against his chest and wrapping her arms around him, just as his arms wrapped around her.

"Thank you." He whispered, holding her tight.

***

Payal glanced at the reports, confused at the numbers. Having looked at multiple hemogram reports by now, she could understand that the counts were noticeably skewed, but beyond that she couldn't understand anything.

"We have looked at the sample slides that have been presented to us as well as the other test reports. And I think we know the proper diagnosis now." Said Dr. Phadnis. He was one of the top-tier haemato-oncologists in Mumbai. "Mrs. Shah has  Atypical Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, or aCML."

Atypical CML? Payal didn't know CML also had subtypes. "But didn't we rule out CML earlier?" she asked the doctor. It had been two days since the family dinner and she had come with her parents to visit the doctor's clinic along with the latest reports. All the gene trigger tests that her mother had undergone for further diagnosis in the past two months had come back negative, though her symptoms were similar to those of CML. Payal and Aniket had arranged for another place to conduct the tests to rule out false or inaccurate results, but even the second set of reports had the same results. Finally, Dr. Phadnis had been contacted for a second opinion. He didn't work at Vivaan's hospital, but ran his own clinic and took in referred cases on the side. Payal's mother's doctor on the case – Dr. Maniar had referred the case to Dr. Phadnis.

"We did." Dr Phadnis responded. "CML is characterized by presence of a particular genetic mutation – the BCR-ABL gene. But your mother has tested negative for that mutation, even though the progression of her symptoms is the same as that of CML. So, by process of elimination, we determine the cause to be atypical CML."

"And how is atypical CML different?" Payal's father asked the doctor.

"Fundamentally, the similarities end with the symptoms, Mr. Shah." Dr. Phadnis started. "Atypical CML is unpredictable and at the same time, rare. There is no specific treatment curve for it. It is also more aggressive than CML and can progress to acute myeloid leukemia very quickly."

Payal's heart sank. This was not good news. "What would the prognosis be, then?" she asked.

"We will have to increase the periodicity of blood tests. One test will be done on a weekly basis to keep tabs on the counts. Mrs. Shah, do not downplay any symptom. You will have to be absolutely transparent if we need to stay on top of this." The doctor warned Payal's mother. She nodded in affirmative.

"I'll change some of the medicines. But broadly, the routine remains the same. I will discuss with Dr. Maniar as well." He seemed to guess the dark direction Payal's thoughts had taken. "Don't lose hope. You have to think of this as a long battle. It may take time, but we will try our best to turn it in our favor, especially now that we know the proper diagnosis." He encouraged them to think positively.

Payal tried to tamp down the fear that had suddenly clawed up her throat, threatening to make her sick. Once she had dropped her parents back home, she called Vivaan as she made her way to the train station. He picked up immediately, asking how the consult went.

One of things Payal liked about Vivaan was that he was a good listener. She gradually felt calmer as she poured out what she had understood of the doctor's words. By the time she finished, she had boarded a train, and it was a couple of moments before Vivaan spoke.

"Are you okay?" he asked her gently.

Payal looked at her feet as tears welled up in her eyes. She was not okay. She didn't want to deal with the uncertainty and fear that the diagnosis had brought up. Why did it have to be her mother? And why did it have to be such a rare condition? But that would be unfair to her mother, who was fighting her body to bring it back to normal.

"Payal." The tone of his voice told Payal he had once again understood without her saying anything. "You need to be honest with yourself more than with me. It's okay to not be okay."

"I know." Payal sniffed, blinking the tears back. "But it won't be fair to my mother if I give up."

"I know and I'm proud of you for standing strong during such a crisis. But I want you to know that you don't have to be alone in all this. I promised you I'll stay by your side for as long as needed; and I will, no matter what." He responded.

Payal smiled as she heard his words. "I know. Thank you for being there and for being so understanding."

She could imagine him shaking his head in amusement. "Will you stop thanking me? Its my family too and you don't thank family." He said, mock-stern.

"Okay, okay." Payal said laughing. "I take it back."

When she reached office sometime later, her mood improved further when she saw Rohan standing with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a stoic expression on his face.

"These came in for a Miss Payal Shah." He said in a robotic voice. "From Lover Boy, aka her fiancé."

Payal laughed as she accepted the roses. When she first met him, Payal could never have thought such gestures would be Vivaan's style. But then, he was always surprising her. Smiling, she messaged him a quick "Thank you for the roses" and proceeded to her desk. She had just started to fire up her laptop when her desk phone rang.

"Get Rohan and come to my cabin, now." Said Sherman before she could say a word.

"Hello to you too." She told the receiver once the call was cut. "We need to go to Sherman's cabin. From the sound of it, this seems urgent." She told Rohan.

Whatever the issue was, it had made Sherman edgy, which was a rare occurrence. As Payal and Rohan entered the cabin they could see multiple files strewn across Sherman's desk.

"We have a new client." Said Sherman, by way of preamble. "He's recently started his own garment business and has received a cease and desist for use of another company's trademark."

"Has he used another company's trademark?" Rohan asked.

"No. According to him, the trademark is similar, but there are distinct differences and the businesses are in different fields. There should be no reason to send a cease and desist for this." Sherman said.

"So, he says." Payal said "But we can't agree only on the basis of what we've heard."

"No, which is why we are his legal counsel." Said Sherman. "You and Rohan are managing this client. While you're looking at the law, do a thorough background search on the business and registration as well. If this does turn out to be an infringement, we'll need to figure out a solution so his business doesn't suffer." He instructed.

As Payal and Rohan left the cabin, Payal couldn't help but notice that Sherman was particularly frustrated about something.

"You think his bad mood is because of this client?" she asked Rohan.

He shrugged. "If it is, then that only makes it more interesting." He said, looking at the file. "There is more to this client than we know, that much is certain."

Glossary:

Sooji ka halwa - A sweet dish made using toasted semolina, dry fruits, cardamom and milk or water.

Dal - cooked pulses.

Jeera rice - rice seasoned with cumin seeds.

Roti-Subji - Roti is a type of Indian flatbread; Subji refers to curry.

Katori - Hindi term for a small bowl.

Holika Dahan  -  a festival celebrated in India. 'Holika' was a demoness who was granted a boon that made her immune to fire. She intended to kill Prahlad - a devotee of Lord Vishnu and her brother's son by using this boon and sitting on a blazing pyre with Prahlad in her lap. Prahlad, however, chanted Lord Vishnu's name and prayed to him for safety. As a result, Prahlad escaped unscathed from the fire, whereas Holika perished in the fire. The festival denotes the victory of good over evil and is celebrated by lighting a huge bonfire and gathering around it. It is believed that Holika Dahan eliminates all impurities from one's soul and life. The day after Holika Dahan, people celebrate the festival of Holi - the festival of colors.