“Imagine what the water’s like,” Raj murmured, referring to the underground river they’d seen after they first landed. “We have to try the black water rafting.”
“Did you see some of those photos?” Nayna shuddered. “The roof of the cave was right up against that woman’s face.”
“We’ll work our way up to it,” Raj said, and she heard the anticipation in his voice.
Wonder and hope dawned inside her. Raj, she realized, wouldn’t belittle her need for a life lived beyond the borders of domesticity. He was a man who liked tradition and roots, but for the first time, she began to see that her needs could coexist with his.
“All right, team,” the guide called out, “this is the best part. I want you to come through the small passageway behind me. Be careful, it’s pretty narrow. Lights off soon as you exit the passage.”
Once on the other side, it took a second for Nayna’s eyes to adjust to the absolute blackness you would never find in the civilized world. Down below, far from sunlight, this pitch-darkness was unlike anything she’d ever experienced…
Then stars began to appear against the black. She gasped. “Glowworms.”
The others whispered around her.
Raj slid his fingers through hers.
After a while, everyone went quiet, all of them enchanted by the starlit sky deep within the earth, while their breath fogged the air and their chests squeezed. When Raj touched his fingers to her jaw, she angled her head so their helmets wouldn’t crash, and they shared a soft, sweet kiss under a subterranean sky.
Nayna was sorry to leave. “It was wonderful,” she whispered to Raj, astonished and full of a raw emotion aimed solely at this man who kept surprising her. “Thank you for organizing this.”
“We haven’t finished yet,” he said. “Let’s see if you thank me when we get to the end.”
She realized what he meant when they stood at the foot of a metal ladder that shot up and up and up and up into darkness. That ladder was attached to the wall and was a straight vertical climb. It didn’t look so bad—especially after the guide scrambled up, then called out that he was dropping the safety rope for the next person.
Raj had already volunteered to be the last one to go up, the one who’d be left in absolute quiet and silence. The first to climb was the woman who’d been the most nervous throughout. They all encouraged her with shouted calls as she began to climb. She disappeared into the darkness at a certain point, and they watched and waited for the safety line to be thrown back down.
It took a lot longer than it had with the guide.
By the time it came to her turn, she and Raj were the only two left at the bottom. She hooked herself up, and Raj checked to make sure everything was secure. Then he kissed her, their helmets banging this time, and they laughed before Nayna began the climb up rungs slippery from the boots of those who had gone before.
Her muscles began to quiver halfway up.
Pausing, she glanced down. Raj was just a pinprick of light below her, but he called out, “Go, baby! You’re over halfway up!”
She smiled, feeling young and pretty and Raj’s girlfriend, and carried on. Her helmet hit an edge of rock at one point, and her light went out, pitching her into complete darkness but she didn’t panic. She just wiped one hand against her coveralls and turned on her light. Her muscles were beyond quivering by the time she hauled herself up over the edge to join the others.
“Your boyfriend’s brave,” the Norwegian’s Australian friend said. “It must be creepy as hell down there.”
“He’s amazing,” Nayna said, her attention on the safety rope that was being curled by the guide as Raj climbed. Predictably, he arrived far faster than the rest of them, but for the guide. The other man gave him a fist bump, and then they all took turns getting photos. Raj kissed Nayna in theirs, and it was the best thing.
And that night, as Raj moved in her slow and deep, Nayna had the thought that freedom wasn’t a sensation you could only experience alone. With the right man, it’d be with her all her life. Part of her wanted to blurt out her love for Raj then and there, but more than two decades of watching her mother bow down to her father’s will held her back.
Madhuri’s terrible experiences held her back.
The memory of Anjali Kumar’s bitterness with her squash-playing and unhelpful groom held her back.
Raj was her boyfriend now.
Would it be the same if he was her husband? Would he take her on dates full of adventure and make love to her with naked passion? Or would everything change, the weight of expectation and culture forcing her into a mold she would never fit?
38
Son of an Owl
Most of the next three weeks were swallowed up by the manic preparations for Madhuri’s wedding. The most important of which, of course, was Madhuri’s wedding suit. Her sister drove Nayna crazy waiting for the shipment to arrive—and then it did, and Madhuri organized a viewing party. Her, Nayna, their mom, Aji, and two of Madhuri’s friends.
Anjali was one, Madhuri’s university friend, Jaci, another.
“Can I bring ísa along?” Nayna asked her sister.
“Issie’s welcome anytime!” An ebullient Madhuri wrapped her arms around Nayna and squeezed. “Tell her I expect her to wear a sari to the wedding. I’ll pick one for her!”
The store had closed to the public at four, opened at five for Madhuri’s viewing party. Once inside, they were treated to chai and coffee as well as sweets and savory snacks hot from the oven. “I think my future brother-in-law must’ve dropped a hell of a lot of money,” Nayna murmured to her best friend.
ísa nodded wisely and ate another savory before saying, “How is this going to work anyway? The doc who’s marrying your sister ordered a whole bunch of things. What happens to the rest, the things Madhuri doesn’t want?”
“Well, she’ll probably pick a few outfits today. The wedding’s over several days—and she might decide to keep something back for an anniversary party next year.” Because her sister would be having a big anniversary party, of that Nayna was certain. “The rest, I’m guessing that Sandesh is going to resell to the store, probably at a loss. Which is why we’re all being treated so well.” She didn’t think her brother-in-law had any intention of going into the clothing business himself. This was all for Madhuri’s benefit.
ísa nodded. “I guess it’s not too bad a deal. He gets a happy wife and they get a profit.” She winced. “Oh my God, I just sounded like my mother. Profit and loss, all while I’m about to look at wedding clothes.”
Nayna patted her friend on the back. “Don’t worry, I’ve seen odd flashes of the Dragon in you through the years, but the fire breathing never takes full hold. Read a few romance novels, throw in a lot of poetry, and you’ll come out whole on the other side.”
ísa nodded solemnly at the prescription. The two of them had been swapping novels and poetry books forever. “Did you read that new historical?” ísa began, but then Madhuri squealed and all heads turned toward her.
The store owner had personally wheeled out the first rack of garments. Nayna’s eyes widened at the shimmer and sparkle on display. Each and every one a designer outfit worth thousands upon thousands of dollars. Single pieces of art for Madhuri’s delectation.
Everyone gravitated toward the garments, each of them choosing their favorites for Madhuri to try on. A few pieces, Nayna discarded at once.
“Maddie would never wear this shade of red,” she said to ísa. “Says it makes her look like an old tomato.”
ísa pointed to a dark pink outfit. “Not traditional red, but I think your sister might like it.”