Chapter 11

Welcome dear reader! When we last left our characters, Isha and Cooper had spent a weekend away in the Blue Mountains, where boundaries didn’t matter anymore. Isha had told Cooper that she’ll be marrying Ankit, but also said that she didn’t regret the time she had with Cooper. Ankit was a triumphant hero, having won his gaming tournament. Let’s jump now ... back to the present ... back to where we started this story in Chapter 1...

~BhagiRath

PRESENT DAY

Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

The photographer raised his camera. “Madam, if you could...”

Isha felt something familiar, something she hadn’t felt in over a month. Cooper’s hand on her ass.

Not resting there. Not a casual brush. His fingers dug into the curve of her behind, through the heavy silk of her lehenga, pressing into the flesh. Grabbing her ass, like her body belonged to him. Exactly the way she wanted him to.

Isha didn’t flinch, didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned into it. Her back arched slightly,

“I’m ready,” Isha said to the photographer.

The flash went off.

After the photo, Cooper turned to Isha.

“I should find my seat,” he said.

“Thank you for coming,” Ankit said. “Really.”

“Of course.” Cooper looked back at Isha. “I’ll see you later. Congratulations, again.”

Cooper walked off the dais.

Dhriti was asking her something, but Isha couldn’t focus. The next set of guests had already started lining up for photos on the dais.

Isha’s eyes searched for Cooper amongst the guests. She couldn’t see him.

Where did he run off to?

Will he stay longer? Will I seem him again?

Isha looked over at Ankit. He was looking at her. His expression unreadable.

She gave him a faint smile. He smiled back.

The events after the reception were a rush. Dinner and drinks, followed by a lot of singing and dancing. Isha moved through it all as if she was watching someone else live her life.

But her eyes kept scanning the crowd, looking for a tall head of sun-bleached blonde hair.

Isha saw Cooper maybe twice again, both times from far away. Dhriti was hovering around him in both instances, trying to talk to him. And while he did talk to Dhriti, leaning down to hear her over the music, Cooper’s eyes were always on Isha.

She didn’t go to him. He didn’t come to her.

Isha and Ankit’s families had booked several rooms in the hotel for the wedding. One of them was the penthouse honeymoon suite for their wedding night. The connecting room to the left of the honeymoon suite was turned into the bridal chambers, where Dhriti had spent most of her day getting ready. To the other side of the honeymoon suite was the groom’s quarters where Ankit was.

After the celebrations were completed, Isha was rushed to the bridal chambers where she changed into another elaborate outfit, this time for the wedding night.

As was customary in their family, the female relatives on both sides poured into the bridal suite to send-off Isha to her wedding night with blessings.

They brought with them the traditional glass of warm milk with saffron, that she was supposed to take to Ankit in the honeymoon suite, to mark the consummation of their marriage.

One of Ankit’s aunts commented that the milk was for the “groom’s strength and vitality for the important night.” They all giggled.

Another aunt added, “You modern girls like to take your own sweet time ... but we want our Ankit to become a father soon. Theek hai Isha beti?”

Isha smiled politely. Dhriti rolled her eyes.

The aunties finally left, one by one, kissing Isha’s forehead, blessing her with long lives and many children. They kept pressing money into her hand - hundreds, thousands - she’d lost count.

Dhriti was the last one around.

“So ... this is awkward,” Dhriti said, a naughty grin on her face. “Do you need any tips for tonight, didi? I’m pretty good at this stuff”

“Shut up,” Isha laughed. “You’re so shameless.”

“Not everyone can be a goody-two-shoes like you, didi.”

Isha smiled.

Dhriti came closer and hugged her. “Call me tomorrow,” she said, squeezing her. “Or tonight, if you need to.”

“I’ll be fine, Dee.”

Dhriti pulled back from the hug, looked into Isha’s eyes for a moment.

Then she left.

For a moment, Isha stood there motionless, alone in the bridal chambers, looking all the flowers, gifts, discarded outfits spread across the room. She took in a big breath, as if getting ready to go to war.

Isha picked up the warm glass of milk and headed to the honeymoon suite.

Isha walked into the suite and looked around.

The suite was decorated beautifully for their wedding night. Regal furniture, a four-post bed, flower garlands adorned the walls and the bed posts. Rose petals strewn across the bed.

Ankit stood in the corner, still wearing his pearl white sherwani. He’d taken his turban off. It seemed like he was waiting for her.

“Hi,” Ankit’s voice was somber.

“Hey,” Isha said, walking towards him. “Your aunts insisted on the milk. I told them you were lactose intolerant, but they said it was tradition, so...”

She put the glass down on the side table.

An awkward silence.

“You looked beautiful today,” Ankit said, finally breaking the silence.

“Thanks,” she replied. “You looked quite handsome, too.”

Another silence.

“I don’t know why this feels so weird,” he said quietly. “We’ve known each other our whole lives.”

Isha just looked at him, didn’t say anything.

“Let’s sit.” Ankit sat down on the bed, and patted next to him.

Isha sat down, staring at her hands on her lap. The heavy jewelry clinked as she moved.

“Isha,” he said. “Do you remember twelfth grade calculus ... Mrs. Kamble’s class?”

She nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

“You were having a panic attack the night before the exam. Convinced you were going to fail, and that your parents would disown you.”

“I remember.”

“I came to your house. Climbed through your window like I always did. And I sat on the bedroom floor and held you ... for forty-five minutes, until your hands had stopped shaking.”

A faint smile appeared on Isha’s face. Reminiscing.

“Afterward, you looked at me and said ‘Don’t ever leave me, Ankit.’ And I said ‘I won’t. I never will.”

The milk was growing cold on the nightstand.

Isha reached for his hand. Her henna-covered hand found his, her bridal bangles clinking - red and white, symbol of their bond.

She leaned forward and kissed him. A gentle kiss on his lips. Reminiscent of their first kiss, soft and filled with care for each other. Two people remembering who they used to be.

They pulled apart. Ankit looked at her.

“So. Cooper came all the way, huh?” Ankit asked, surprising Isha. “Were you surprised to see him or...”

“Of course I was.”

“Ahh ... I thought, maybe you called him...”

“I haven’t spoken to him since ... since we left Sydney.”

“Okay.”

Ankit looked away, staring at the walls.

A few more seconds of silence.

“Ankit,” Isha said, her voice sounding concerned. “Are you still okay with ... with the ... uh...”

“The system?”

“Y ... yes, the system,” she said. “Because if you’re not, we can absolutely go back to the way things...”

“I’m fine, Isha,” Ankit said, interrupting her. “Don’t worry about it. As I said ... it’s best thing for us. We’ll both be happy. And isn’t that we want out of life ... to be happy?”

Isha looked at his face, still concerned.

She smiled a weak smile at him. “Okay.”

Ankit smiled back.

Isha suddenly stood up.

“Speaking of happy.” Isha walked over to her suitcase in the corner, the hotel staff had moved it into the suite earlier. “I got something for you. A gift.”

She came back to him with a small wrapped box in her hand. She held it out to him.

Ankit looked at her. Then at the box.

“I ... I didn’t get you anything.”

“You don’t need to get me anything else,” she said. “Open it.”

Ankit took the box, pulled the ribbon. Lifted the lid.

A flash of surprise came over his face, replacing the emptiness. Isha was glad to see a flicker of the old Ankit. The boy who used to get excited about things.

“Is this...?”

“Realms of Ruin II. Early access pass.”

“Early access doesn’t start for another three months,” Ankit said, his voice slightly different now. “How did you ... the waitlist is insane. People have been on it for...”

“I have my ways.” Isha smiled at him.

Ankit turned it over in his hands like something precious.

“By the way,” she added. “This pass allows you to invite one more player.”

Ankit looked up at her, his eyes wide.

“You could play with one of your friends ... maybe Hex?”

Ankit was silent for a second.

“Isha ... this is...” He looked up at her, and for a moment ... just for a moment, he looked happy. The boy she’d fallen in love with. “This is ... incredible.”

“I know how much it means to you,” she said, smiling warmly. “Besides, you’ll want to defend your title next year ... champion.”

“You’re ... you’re amazing, Isha.” Ankit hugged her, and she hugged back.

For a moment, they were just them. The boy and girl who’d found each other and never let go.

Then Ankit pulled back. Looked at the pass again.

“I can’t believe you got this for me,” he murmured. “The new map alone is supposed to be three times the size of the first game. And the character classes ... they completely revamped the...”

He stopped. His enthusiasm fading as reality crept back in.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I get so excited about this stuff. I was almost tempted to say ‘Let me try this out on the X-Box they setup for me in the groom’s quarters ... can you imagine...”

“You should try it out,” Isha said.

Ankit looked surprised. “What?”

“The pass. You should try it out. See what’s new.” She paused. “You seemed excited.”

“Isha, it’s our wedding night. I’m not going to...”

“Ankit.” Her voice was gentle. “It’s okay. Besides, it’s morning in Sydney ... Hex might be up. Don’t you want to show this to her?”

“But I don’t want to leave you alone on our wedding nigh...”

He stopped mid-sentence. Realization dawned upon him.

“Oh,” Ankit said, finally getting it. “Right.”

“You know ... you and Hex can play,” she said, trying to sound casual. “And I ... I could catch up with Coop. He came all the way from Sydney, to see me.”

The silence that followed was heavy. Ankit looked at the pass in his hands.

“I haven’t spoken to him in five weeks,” Isha continued, carefully. “Maybe I can ... you know, while you play...”

She paused. And looked at Ankit’s expressions.

Ankit looked at the pass in his hands, turning it over. The gift she’d given him. The escape she was offering.

“Yeah,” he said finally. “I’ll try out the new game. I’ll probably play till late, so it’s better I sleep in the groom’s quarters tonight.” Ankit gestured over to the connecting door - the room next door to the suite was the groom’s quarters.

“You know you don’t have to...”

“It’s fine,” Ankit’s voice was higher than normal. “I get it, you haven’t seen him in a while.”

“Ankit, you’re still okay with this, right?” Isha asked, carefully. “Because if you’re not...”

“I’m okay,” Ankit stood up, straightened his sherwani. “And even if I’m not right now ... I’ll get there.”

“Ankit.”

“You ... you should catch up with Cooper. I’ll start exploring the game,” Ankit said, waving the pass in his hand. “Maybe Hex is up already. I ... I’ll see you later.”

He paused at the door, hand on the handle.

“Goodnight, Isha.”

“Goodnight, Anki...”

The door clicked behind him before she could finish.

Ankit was gone.

Isha sat there, on the edge of the bed, staring at the connecting door through which Ankit just disappeared.

She didn’t move for a few seconds. Just saw there, thinking about how she and Ankit had reached this point in their lives.

She then picked up her phone and typed something, a somewhat long message. The swoosh sound of the sent message was loud in the silent room. Isha put the phone on the nightstand and waited. Within a few seconds, a beep told her she’d received a reply. She read it, and smiled to herself. She put the phone back on the nightstand.

She started thinking again. About Ankit. About how he just stood up and left.

‘The system’ he’d called it. He was the one who came up with it. To rescue their relationship, their marriage.

Because four days ago, Isha wasn’t even sure she was going to get married. In fact she was convinced she’d destroyed everything.

Her mind went back in time. Back to when she’d just returned from the Blue Mountains.

FIVE WEEKS AGO

After Isha and Cooper returned from the Blue Mountains, they didn’t have much time to process what was said in the car. A lot was left unsaid. Or perhaps nothing else was left to say.

But they didn’t get a chance to speak again in private. Ankit and Isha were supposed to leave for India in a day-and-a-half. Between the packing and the logistics, all she was able to give Cooper was an awkward hug goodbye, before boarding the plane to India.

On the flight she’d promised herself a new chapter. One in which Ankit was her only focus now. She wouldn’t think of Cooper anymore, she promised herself.

The first week was manageable - jetlag, shopping, relatives, Dhritis shenanigans. No time to think.

She did think of Cooper once - when she saw a 50-foot billboard of some foreigner with a six-pack wearing tiny briefs, while walking down a crowded market street.

By the second week, her hand kept drifting to the phone, checking for messages. Nothing from him.

Isha and Ankit’s families lived two streets apart. She saw Ankit plenty. Inviting close family personally and visits to temples turned into short road trips. Without gaming to distract him, Ankit was more present than he’d been in months.

Ankit took her to their old haunts ... their school, the banyan tree where he used to wait for her after basketball. Isha loved reliving those memories.