What's In A Name - Short Story - Part Three

Read Part One Here

Read Part Two Here

The next day Simi dragged me along with her to a salon because she wanted a haircut.

“Why do I have to come along? I don’t want a haircut. I want to sleep!”, I complained

“Shut up you lazy ass. You’re coming with me because you’re not being given an option! Come on! Who’s gonna tell me if the haircut suits me or not? I always used to come with you…..”

“Fine! I hate best friends! Bloody blackmailers!!, I gave in. I accompanied her to the salon and sat there reading Bridal magazines! Somehow they brought a smile to my face.

“I’m feeling very bad re. You’re sitting alone…. Why don’t you get a haircut too?”, Simi said while her hair was being shampooed.

“I don’t want a haircut”, I said. “I’m happy with mine and besides Dhru…” I stopped in my tracks before finishing the sentence.

“Besides what…?”

“Besides I haven’t washed my hair”, I lied and tried to control the blush and smile on my face

“Stop blushing!”, she said. I was right, she’s God! She knows everything!

“Nothing yaar”, I said coyly

“Just spit it out”, she said, losing her patience.

“Dhruvesh is not as bad as I presumed him to be. In fact, he’s really nice”, I smiled immersing my face in the magazine I was flipping through.

“Finally!! Thank God! I told you he’s nice!”

“Yeah I know. He said he likes my hair and I shouldn’t cut my hair…. So…”

“Oh my God! I don’t believe this! Trust me! It took just one dinner for this! Shit, someone should’ve recorded the dinner!! Why didn’t I give you a lecture before 

your honeymoon? God, I hate myself!”

“Don’t hate yourself. If I am blushing today, the reason is your lecture”, I said. She got up with lathered hair and hugged me. And then urged me to get a haircut too. Just some layers.

***

“Hey”, Dhruvesh said when he called me while I was still at the salon, getting a haircut

“Hi”, I said.

“I got tickets for Shor in the City… I hope it’s ok with you… it is at 6.30 at Juhu PVR”

“Ok! So, you’re leaving early from office?”, I asked

“Yes. And I have told Mom that my Boss has invited you and me for dinner that’s why we won’t come to Pushpa Aunt’s dinner. Maintain the same story!”

“You lied! That’s bad!!”, I teased him

“Ok, you be the good bahu and go for the dinner. I’ll go for the movie alone”, he teased me in return

“I’ll save you the misery of watching the movie alone…. I’ll come with you!”, I smiled.

“And now people have started talking in hushed voices”, Simi laughed.

***

I met Dhruvesh directly at the theatre. He was 20 minutes late.

“You’re 20 minutes late”, I complained when he came.

“Traffic” and then he gave the classic I’m-late excuse one gives in Mumbai to which there’s just no counter argument!

“I hate waiting!!”, I screamed.

“But you don’t mind making people wait!”, he smiled slyly.

“I… ummm”, I understood what he was referring to. And to that, I didn’t have an answer to.

“I was just joking. You had a haircut?”, he said noticing my haircut

“Yeah… it’s just layers, I didn’t cut the length. Actually, I didn’t want to… but Simi… you know she forced me…. I told her that I don’t ….”

“Payal, it is ok! It looks good on you”, he assured me.

“You told me you didn’t want me to cut my hair… but…I don’t know how I agreed..”, I defended myself.

“It seriously looks good on you.” He said keeping his hand on my head and ruffling my side flicks. He held my hand and guided me to the screen. We held hands even while watching the movie.

“Your hair smells great. “, he said playing with my hair.

“They’re washed like an hour back!”, I said looking into his eyes.

“I know”, he said kissing my forehead.

 I put my hand around his arm and kept my head on his shoulder. He rest his head on my head. We kept on talking in whispers and giggling. The giggling changed to a kiss on my nose and then a kiss on the lips! And I couldn’t believe that my first kiss with my husband happened in a packed movie theatre and not in the privacy of a room in Maldives! And yes, I didn’t know what was going on in the movie after that.

They say everything changes after your first kiss and they are right. I just started liking him yesterday and after the kiss today, I think I’m falling in love with him! So much so that now I can’t take his name not because I don’t like it, but because I just genuinely not able to!

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I know I had promised that this would be a three part series. But due to popular demand, I'm writing more on this story! Hope you'll like it!

P.S : This chapter was dedicated to the movie Socha Na Tha (I was watching it while writing this).... the cutest movie on arranged marriages!