“Three of my daughters had love matches. I am glad Ayesha’s sensible.” Farzana gave her second-youngest daughter an approving look, which Ayesha returned with a slightly annoyed shake of her head. This clearly wasn’t meant to be dinnertime conversation.
Jia spoke up. “Ayesha isn’t doing it to be a good daughter. It’s what she actually wants.”
He’d quickly picked up on the dynamic between the twins, and as someone who had mostly been an estranged elder child, Dev was fascinated by the way they were interconnected. Jia stood up for Ayesha, often working as hermouthpiece or the distraction. Ayesha sweetly and quietly took the attention off her sister when things got too negative for her.
Farzana waved off Jia’s explanation. “It doesn’t matter why. It is good. We will start meeting boys soon.”
Shweta stroked the stem of her wineglass. “Make sure you look past pretty faces, yes? Because I can assure you, my dear, that fades quickly.”
Ayesha flushed. “Of course.”
Shweta nodded in approval. “Good. Take the physical out of things completely. That is another thing the children these days rush, their physical needs.”
Dev choked on his drink of water. “Aji.” He tipped his head at Luna, who had stopped playing with her food instantly at the wordphysical.“Luna, are you finished eating? Why don’t you go to your room?”
His niece pushed back from the table. “Can I see if Arjun Kaka wants to play video games?”
Mentally, he sighed. He’d be annoyed at his cousin for a while, but Luna did like her uncle. “Yes.”
Shweta looked between him and Jia consideringly as Luna left. “You may have a fourth love marriage on your hands, eh, Farzana?”
Farzana’s laugh was coy. “Oh, if I did, it would be fine. Dev is an accomplished young man.”
“We weren’t thrilled with being caught off guard with the engagement news, but meeting you and Dev has been a relief,” Mohammad added. “We’ll have to start thinking of wedding dates.”
Jia straightened. “We haven’t gotten that far,” she said hastily.
Shweta picked at her cake. “I don’t see why not. That’s your generation’s problem. You date until all the mystery is gone, until you hate each other. Ridiculous. If you meet someone you like, you should marry them and be done with it. Then if you have problems, you have to deal with them and can’t go anywhere.”
“What a lovely description of marriage,” Dev said. “Not prisonlike at all.”
“One of the new movies I am producing is set in a college. Kids these days, younger than these two, they are going around, sleeping together, never seeing each other again after. There is no permanency anymore.”
Farzana gasped. “Jia! Is this right?”
“No!” Jia grimaced. “Uh, we are not... we haven’t...”
“That’s enough, Aji,” he said softly.
“Apologies, Jia. Of course you and my grandson would never be so wild.” Her smirk was more than a little disbelieving. “I am merely saying, best to have the marriage quickly. You two do like each other, yes?”
Dev was caught off guard by how quickly Jia said, “Of course we do.”
He met her eyes. “Very much so.” More than he should. More than he’d planned to.
“Then you should just get married now.”
Jia let out a little laugh. “You mean a trip to Vegas?”
“No need for Las Vegas.” Shweta looked around the home. “We can do it right here. Tomorrow.”
Farzana laughed, then quieted when she saw Shweta was straight-faced. “You can’t be serious.”
“She’s not,” Dev said sharply. What on earth was his grandmother thinking?
“I very much am.” Shweta pressed her hand to her chest. Her dark eyes welled up with tears. “You see, if we don’t do it now, I may never get to see the ceremony.” She paused dramatically, but not long enough for Dev to prepare himself for her next words. “I do not have long to live.”
The indrawn gasp was collective among those at the table, and Shweta nodded, satisfied with that reaction. “Yes.”
