“I know.”
“Why have you been nervous to tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want you to be disappointed? It means I’m leaving India and our family.”
He sighs and gets to his feet. Dad moves around the big desk to stand in front of me. He grips my head with both his hands, boxing me in his warmth, and kisses my forehead. My entire body sags in relief.
“I am not disappointed,” he says quietly, and it feels as if my heart takes a breath. “I’m very proud of you. I want your happiness, Arush. If this is what you want, I will support you. But on one condition.” I look up to meet his eyes. “The next time you come home to me, you will be bringing your husband. If that isn’t the case, you agree to this arrangement. I know for certain you and Shivansh will share a happy life.”
I’m not as convinced, but I nod. The entire premise of a mail-order spouse is the spouse part, right? “Okay. Deal.”
Dad smiles. “You’ve left us no time for a proper sendoff. I assume you have to finish packing?”
“Yes,” I say as he takes a step back.
“Then go. We will celebrate your impending nuptials tonight. Which, by the way, when there’s a break in this hockey job, you will come home and celebrate with us as well. Correct?”
I grin, loving that he pretends to give me a choice. “Yes, Dad.”
“Very well. Go. I’ll talk to your mother and we’ll arrange a feast tonight.”
I’m feeling much better as I get to my feet and head for my room. That is an enormous weight off my shoulders. I hadn’t necessarily realized that I thought he’d be disappointed in me. Those words surprised me when they first came out. I was more startled when I realized they were true.
I have three enormous suitcases, a carry-on, and my backpack. Most of which are packed, but I keep shuffling things around, unsure what to leave behind. I’ve pared down my toy collection because it just seemed excessive to take everything. America has sex toys, right?
As I’m rearranging for maybe the tenth time today, my phone rings again. This ring is distinct. A video call. The only people who would be video calling me are my closest friends. I glance at my door, making sure it’s closed, before I answer.
Twin faces appear as Alok and Anil stare at me from one screen. They’re brothers, two years apart in age, but they could pass for twins. Easily. There are days I can’t tell them apart unless they’re standing upright because there’s a three-inch height difference between them.
A second later, the screen rearranges to allow a third to appear as Jash joins us.
“Did you tell him yet?” Jash asks.
I sigh. “Yeah.”
“And?” Anil prompts.
“Well, besides the fact that he was calling me in to present me with my arranged marriage… It went well.”
“Wait, what?” Jash asked, looking confused.
I nod. “Yep, that was my reaction.”
“But how—?” Anil begins.
“That’s not legal,” Alok interrupts.
Laughter bubbles out of me. “I know. That’s what I said. He wasn’t concerned with the law recognizing our marriage. It would be between our families and gods.”
“I really love that,” Jash says, a soft smile forming on his mouth.
Jash had been my first boyfriend when we were teenagers. We shared literally all our firsts together. It was our relationship that made me realize I don’t like being touched in some ways by other people.
Just after school, his parents started talking about his marriage to his now wife, Chaaya. He wasn’t at all upset about his parents presenting him with a wife, and he truly loves Chaaya.
I think I was more upset because I just lost my boyfriend. It made it very difficult to warm up to Chaaya, but in reality, she’s great. I adore her. She’s also incredibly smart, a great mother, and keeps Jash in line, which was something literally nobody else was able to do.
Part of me wonders if Jash’s parents began the match so early to break us up. They seemed to really like me at the time. They never made any remarks about my relationship with Jash, which we never hid.
