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But the car began to move.
I banged on the screen between the driver’s seat and the passenger seat.
“Hey! Stop the car!”
“Call your mother. Where is she?” asked Yash, looking as irritated as I felt.
I was steaming right and proper as I rage-dialled my mother.
“Ma! Where are you? What the hell is Yash doing here?”
“Don’t bark at me, Jayshree. Something came up, so I’m sending Yash in my stead,” she said, coolly.
Ooh, the nerve of this woman!
“Then, I’m not going,” I declared.
“Jayshree Singh, I invited Yash to be our guest at the movie. You will not embarrass our family by acting like a brat.”
“Guess what, Ma? Your family is already embarrassed, and so is your guest! Why are you doing this?”
“Because I want my daughter to go out and have a nice time with a decent man for a change. Not the Neanderthal that you picked last time. If you really are in the market for an arranged marriage, Yash would make such a good husband. The silly boy doesn’t realise it yet, but he’s a wonderful man under that playboy exterior, and all he needs is a good woman.”
“Ugh! These are our lives, Ma, not season one of Little Women! You don’t get to mess with people’s lives like this,” I yelled.
“Jayshree, do you have a valid reason for not watching a movie with a man who is a good friend to our family? After all, you were willing enough to stow away on his boat,” she said drily.
“That was years ago. It’s different now!”
“What is different?”
I opened my mouth to tell her about Aryan, but realised that I couldn’t do that without discussing it with him first. There was no way out of this. I was stuck.
“Nothing. But I’m extremely unhappy about this,” I said sullenly.
“Duly noted,” said Ma, far too happily.
I hung up and turned to Yash.
“Hey, I’m sorry, but…”
He made a face.
“I heard. I’m going to be honest with you, Jess. You’re a great girl, but I don’t want to marry you.”
“Likewise, buddy. Likewise,” I said, with a sigh.
“Listen, it’s just a movie, not a date. And we’re just two friends watching a movie together.”
I agreed, and the rest of the evening went surprisingly smoothly. Besides, I knew that by hook or by crook, I was going to meet Aryan the next day. Even if I had to kidnap him from the hospital.
I went to bed in a happy frame of mind and woke up convinced that it was a magical morning - a feeling that only lasted until I opened the newspaper, and saw my photograph in there. Holding hands with Yash.
* * *
ARYAN
He stared at the photograph in shock. How was this possible? How could Jessie go from sleeping with him to going out on a date with another man in the space of just twenty-four hours?
