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Rajiv stood at the side, observing the celebration around him. Sheena and he had gotten married in a perfect ceremony held at the beach earlier in the day. As promised, Sheena had opted for a small but loud celebration that had taken place over the last three days at The Sehgal Plaza in Goa. There had been so many functions that he had lost count. But they had been fun, and he had most definitely enjoyed his own wedding. However, now he was ready for all the celebrations to end and begin his life with Sheena.
He sipped his champagne, waiting for his reception to wind up. Sheena and he had hardly spent any time alone in all these days. In fact, as soon as their families had settled on the wedding date and venue, Sheena’s mom and aunt had whisked her to London for shopping. His mom and sisters had joined her there.
The rest of the time had flown by in the wedding preparations. Sheena had come to Dubai only once on a weekend, and whenever he’d managed to come to Mumbai, he’d been mostly busy with the preparations. With the exception of a rare night or so, Sheena and he hadn’t had too much time alone together. However, tonight, once this reception was over, she was going to be all his.
His eyes swept over the vast banquet hall. Blue, white, and gold were the themes for the décor. A deejay was belting out the latest in Bollywood music, and the dance floor was crowded with people. But his eyes were fixed on his bride as she swayed alongside his three sisters. Ananya, Navya, Reina, and Sheena all danced together arm-in-arm in a tight little circle. Navya said something, and the other three laughed. Happiness unfurled inside him on seeing the four of them together. He was still awed by how Sheena had fit in so perfectly with his family. Truly, she was meant to be by his side.
His eyes swept past her and landed on his parents, who were chatting with Sheena’s mom and aunt. His father raised his glass in a toast to Rajiv. Rajiv gave him a slight nod.
The last three days had been blissfully perfect. The only thing missing were his three closest friends. However, the Rajpoot siblings were waiting to celebrate with them. He and Sheena were stopping in Dubai first before heading to their honeymoon. They had a little celebration awaiting them when they reached Dubai. He couldn’t wait to share his joy with his friends.
A shout from the dance floor caught his attention. Sheena’s cousin Rishi was now twirling her in his arms. Kabier was dancing with Sheena’s friend Keya, and Raashi was dancing with Keya’s younger brother Akash, who had flown in that morning from London to attend their wedding.
Over the last two months, he had gotten to know Sheena’s family and friends quite closely. Kabier and he had resolved all their differences, and now he happily considered Kabier to be an integral part of his life. Sheena’s brother was a decent man, and Rajiv understood that he was protective of his sister. Sheena’s cousins had also welcomed him into their midst. And Raashi, Keya, and he had become friends instantly. His group of trusted ones was growing, and he had a feeling his visits to Mumbai would be more frequent now.
“Why are you not dancing with my Sheena?”
Rajiv turned and faced Sheena’s grandfather, Janak Sehgal. The older man had been very warm and affectionate toward Rajiv. Rajiv genuinely liked and respected him.
“She’s happy dancing with Rishi,” Rajiv told him. “And I needed a break to take everything in.”
“It’s been a busy three days,” Janak Sehgal said. “I can’t wait to return home and sleep. At my age, consecutive late nights aren’t good for my sleep routine.”
Rajiv laughed. “You look fine to me.”
“That I do. My old bones, however, are not so fine.”
They continued to watch the dance floor.
“You know,” Janak began. “I sent Sheena to Dubai because of you.”
Rajiv blinked. “What?”
“Yes,” the older man sipped from his whiskey glass, “That night when she’d met you at her mom’s party—it was the first time I had seen her get so flustered over a man, over you. I knew then and there that she was attracted to you, and she didn’t even realize it. I suggested she go to Dubai to do her PhD. I even convinced her mother that you could be right for Sheena. That’s why she forced Sheena to attend your mom’s party in Dubai.”
Rajiv’s eyes rounded. “Did you ask Professor Shetty to insist that she come to work for him in Poseidon? Is that why he was so keen on it?”
“Hmm. That was my doing, I accept. I believe you two kept meeting again and again post that. My plan worked beautifully, don’t you agree?”
“Why?” Rajiv queried. “Not that I’m not complaining. But you didn’t know me enough to decide I could be the one for her.”
Janak smiled, patting his arm. “I know that you are responsible and caring. You come from a good family, and you’re a sharp and successful businessman. Besides, your parents dote on you. So do your sisters, as your parents have always said. Sara and Anvay have always spoken highly of you whenever I’ve met them. All of that meant that you could be good for my Sheena. I simply gave her a push in your direction. What happened between you two was all your own doing.” When Rajiv opened his mouth to say something, the older gent held a hand out. “Yes, you could always argue that the media painted a very different image of you. But I am the last one to judge someone based off news articles. I trusted your parents’ opinion more, and I was proved right. What you did for Sheena, the way you saved her that night from Karan, reinforced my belief in you. You will be good for her, I am certain.”
Shock rendered him mute for a moment.
“Wait,” Rajiv said, a second later. “Does Sheena know that you played cupid?”
“No. I haven’t had a chance to tell her that,” Janak said. “For too long, Sheena was not herself. That scandal changed her. I knew that living in Mumbai was suffocating her, especially with all that useless gossip that still followed her. Here, she only had her family and Keya and Raashi to count on. She had never shown interest in any man, and then one chance meeting with you, and she was different. I had a feeling Dubai could be good for her. I had a feeling you may just be the one who’d get her to come out of her shell and will her to live her life again. And she did find her purpose in life, thanks to you and Poseidon. I took a chance on that feeling, and so, here we are.”
“Here we are, indeed.” Rajiv shook his head, reeling in all that he’d heard. He didn’t even know how to respond to what Sheena’s grandfather was telling him.
“Sheena loves working there,” her grandfather said.
“Yes, she’s been working online for a long time now,” Rajiv said. Sheena was taking her role in Poseidon very seriously. She’d continued to work online and study for her PhD even while she’d been in Mumbai and then in London. She was slowly finding her feet in her professional life, and he couldn’t be prouder.
“I can’t wait for the day when she feels confident enough to lead the HR team at Poseidon on her own,” he told her grandfather.
“Perhaps, one day, she will,” Janak said.
