บท 18: Meeting my friends
"Just a little warning, my friends are weird, no offense but they are currently mad at me." I warned Innaya as we walked downstairs where all of my friends were waiting. We did not realize that we had taken almost an hour to get down. I just hoped they weren't mad.
"Mad at you? Why?" Innaya tilted her head and looked at me with that cute adorable face.
"Because I didn't inform them about our wedding. I know they won't disrespect you or anything but it doesn't hurt to be little careful." I smiled.
"Hmm," Innaya hummed but I could see that her forehead had apprehended in worry line.
"Don't worry. I am there," I assured her as we descended the last flight of steps.
My whole attention was in making her comfortable that I did not see when out of blue, the fist was aimed at me and I staggered back with its impact when it collided with my jaw.
"What the-" the pained whisper left my lips as my hand went to the now stinging place. I steadied myself with the help of railings before I could fall.
Innaya's left hand grabbed the hand that had shot towards me, trapping that hand on her shoulder she twisted her body outside while bringing her right hand on the elbow of trapped hand simultaneously kicking the knee from the back of that person making him fall on the floor, wincing in pain.
Innaya instantly turned towards me while taking my face in her hold, checking me for any injuries.
"Oh God, you are bleeding."
She did not realize pressing her thumb at the corner of my lips to stop the blood, had brought her very close to me. So close that I could feel her breath on my chin, as she had to stand on her toes given credit to her height of 5'2". Her chocolate brown eyes full of worry and concern, focussed on the little wound, had stirred something deep within my heart. Not to mention her long black hair that she had left untied waving freely in between us, carrying the sweet fruity smell of strawberry shampoo she had used earlier.
The slightly damped tendrils stuck to sides of the face and my hands itched to move them away. As if in a trance, my hand rose up to her face, moving away, those locks that were blocking beautiful view.
A throat clearing and the groan of pain brought me back to present, and I turned my attention to the source of both. I mentally face-palmed myself for forgetting that we weren't alone, we had a company.
There stood my four friends, having that idiotic grin and smirk on their faces. Seemed like, Innaya too realized that we had an audience, as she straightened her back and stood beside me taking away her hand from my face. I watched in a fascination, as for how her face turned red in embarrassment, after being caught in the intimate moment.
Wrapping my hand around her shoulder, I pulled her closer to me. My first instinct was to tell them off but then against my better judgment, I stayed holding her.
Sameer was helping the kneeling person who had punched me in the first place. I could see Innaya narrowing her eyes at him while her face was set in distaste.
'Sahil Anand! God! Can this day get any worse?'
"Excuse me? Why would you attack him? Eshan, call the security." My adorable wife ordered while glaring at the reason for her anger.
I felt the happiness bubbling in my chest as I noticed how concerned she was for me. She fought for me, single-handedly taking down my friend she had thought was threat to me. I did not know she could fight.' One more side of my wife that I will have to know better.'
The loud laughter of my friends filled the living room. Innaya's head snapped towards their direction fleetingly before she looked at me questioningly.
"She is something man," Sahil stated while rubbing his elbow where she had applied the force.
"Serves you right." I grinned at him. Well, he deserved it, for punching me.
"Can you please stop all this? I want to meet my sister-in-law officially," Barun intervened as he walked towards us before he stopped in front of Innaya.
"Hello sister-in-law, I am Barun Khandelwal, your secretive husband's friend." He freaking scowled at me before ignoring me and smiling at her.
"Hello," Innaya greeted him while she unconsciously stepped closer to me.
Barun then introduced her with Sameer, Arjun, and Ayush and she greeted all of them back with the smile. When Sahil stepped forward for talking with her, her frown was back on her face.
Sahil apologised to her for his behaviour firstly and later told her that I deserved that punch and it was common in-between us. Innaya just nodded her head without saying anything. I could feel that she was still angry with Sahil.
We all sat down in the living room as all of the guys apart from Ayush, gave me 'your-time-is-over-now-spill' look.
"Care to explain," Sahil shot me an angry glare as he sat directly in front of us.
"non mi permettero di essere in pace (won't let me be in peace)," I muttered to myself as Innaya stared at Sahil and me.
"abbastanza da scappare (enough of running away)," Arjun replied to me and that grabbed Innaya's attention.
"Come se me lo permettessi (as if you will let me)," I mocked, even though when I knew they wouldn't.
"Uh... can you please continue in the understandable language?" Innaya interrupted our heating argument feeling left out. I did not realize that the complete foreign conversation was unsettling for her when some random guy had hit her husband and his friends were glaring at him.
"Oh my! Sister-in-law, aren't you aware of the languages dear to your husband?" Arjun amusedly smirked at her. That monkey, he had the nerve to smirk at my expense.
"They aren't dear to me. This idiot here is the reason I learned Italian as Aunty as in his mother is Italian and for French, Ayush is born and brought up in France as Uncle's business was there. Because of these two, I am well familiar with the languages," I told Innaya the reason behind learning the languages.
"You never told me about them." She referred to the fact that I never talked about my friends.
"Hi-Fi! Same here, he did not tell us too, about you," Sameer sarcastically commented last part looking at me.
I sighed knowing they wouldn't leave it until I tell them everything. "You remember on 22 of March, Mom called me to Delhi urgently and you all had to leave for London regarding the project of Mr. Hunt."
I continued once I saw recognition flashing in their eyes as they nodded, "Well, then Mom informed me regarding her talk with priest regarding my marriage date. We left for Bangalore to fix things in hurry. I thought we had time and the trip was for deciding things but then everything happened in a rush. When we reached there on 23rd of March as per priest, we got engaged on the same day and two weeks later got married. I so wanted to inform all of you but I knew the importance of the project."
"So you decided to hide the facts?" Barun was first to react.
I was about to answer him when Innaya softly asked, "Can I say something?" Once they nodded at her, glancing at me, she continued, "You know Eshan more than me, so I am not taking anyone's side here. As much as you all were not informed, if it helps, I too got to know about everything just before an hour. While he knew, he had to get married to me, until my engagement day I was not aware of any Eshan Sighaniya's existence."
"What the-" shocked at her words I stared at her with my jaw almost dropping to the ground.
"Che diavolo (what the hell)."
"que se passé-t-il (what the hell)."
"Unbelievable."
Apparently, I was not the only one to get shocked at her as simultaneously all of them gaped at her words, surprised. Innaya just shrugged her shoulders in response.
The soft footsteps approaching towards us broke the stunned silence and I saw Amma making her way towards us.
Amma was in her mid-fifties with the little wrinkles on her little dark face. Her brown eyes that had seen many shades of life were full of love and she was kind-hearted soul. I had found her five years ago when her son had left her on streets of Mumbai taking her money after the demise of her husband. I had convinced her to come with me and that was one of the best decisions, I took in my life as I had found another mother in the form of her. "Amma. Thank God! Here you are." I stood up before engulfing Amma in a hug.
"Where were you? Don't you want to meet my bride?" I asked as I pulled away from her. She smilingly shook her head at my complaining tone.
"Innaya, meet Amma. She is like my second mother. She takes care of everything, including me and these monkeys," I introduced both important women in my life to each other.
"Beautiful. May god keep you away from evil eyes." Amma smiled at Innaya while Innaya blushed at the compliment. "Now onwards she will be taking care of you, right Madam?" I frowned when Amma called her Madam and I was about to correct her when Innaya beat me into it. "Innaya, Amma. I hope you don't mind me calling you Amma?"
Innaya touched Amma's feet silently asking me to do the same with her eyes.
"God bless you both!" Amma wished caressing her hand on both of our heads.
"I am famished Amma. Can you please set the table for us?" I declared as my stomach growled in hunger thankfully no one noticed.
"Yeah sure, just give me 5 minutes," Amma answered as she walked away towards the kitchen for arranging our dinner.
"Ok, let's go guys." I turned to others hoping they would follow and they weren't mad at me anymore as I cleared the matter.
"Wait." Arjun stopped me.
"Now what?" I angrily turned towards him while Innaya too stopped beside me.
"Sister-in-law, this is for you, your wedding gift." He came forward while handing the bags.
"This is from me," Sammer said giving her the box wrapped in gift paper.
"This one too," Barun butted in with four bags in his hand.
"Sister-in-law, don't forget mine," Sahil smiled as he held more bags than others did.
"There was no need for this." Overwhelmed Innaya looked towards me for help while struggling to manage all the gifts and not knowing how to reply them.
"Thank you!" She thanked them all while I took bags from her and kept on the sofa beside me.
"Where's my gift?" I questioned once I kept everything away and realized they gave me nothing.
"It's your punishment. We brought gifts for our pretty sister-in-law only." They all answered in unison before walking away to the dining table.
I shook my head in disbelief. Wrapping my hand around my amused wife's back, I reciprocated her smile while I lead her towards the way other went.
*
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง 
Mukta
Mukta Che diavolo (Italian): what the hell
que se passé-t-il (French): what the hell
non mi permettero di essere in pace (won't let me be in peace): Italian
"abbastanza da scappare (enough of running away) : Italian
"Come se me lo permettessi (as if you will let me) : Italian
Thank you for all the votes and comments. I really appreciate your support. I hope the story won't disappoint you and you will love Eshan and Innaya as they move forward in their journey.
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