Unexpected Love - an intercultural Love Story

The start of something and the comforting warmth of a sibling

my lovely readers,

i am so sorry for the late update. I hope that you will all enjoy this chapter. the picture shows Kiran, jasmeets cousin.

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Enzo's POV:

"Did you even listen to me, man?" the voice of Aiden pulled me out of my deep thoughts, startling me with his deep masculine voice and reminding me where I was currently, and looked at me in a curious and slightly unnerved manner. After the small fight with Jasmeet, I felt bad and also sorry because I had to accept that my girlfriend was not like other british girls with whom I could go out or hang out at any hour. However, this was not so easy for me, as I did not anticipate her to be so conservative in some matters. Her traditional upbringing prevented her from acting like any normal female teenager would do, which proved itself by the early hour I had to take her home each and every time we hung out or had a date.

I had never regarded it as something which annoyed me, just with this small confrontation with her, it suddenly hit me like a car. I could not expect her to act like any other girl I dated, I had to be considerate about her cultural upbringing. But to my dismay, my small frustrations turned into a bigger thing, almost similar to anger and exasperation, and I felt the need to do something about it as it was becoming something big, putting my relationship with this wonderful girl in peril.

It was also not as if I loved going out, I just felt the desire to go clubbing again, because, as soon the real stress would start and I would not have any time left to blow off some steam by dancing the night away, having to study very hard for the upcoming finals. I replied to him, sounding annoyed that he disturbed my thoughts: "No, sorry, I spaced out. Jasmeet is mad at me. But i would love to go out with her and be with her like with any other British girl! It is somehow hard for me to accept the fact that she is so different from me!"

Aiden glanced at me in a shocked manner and I just shrugged it off, ignoring the stare on my friend's face. We were still standing in the parking lot, which Jasmeet just left with her best friend after planting a soft and chaste kiss on my cheek, and I let the moment replay, remembering the way Jasmeet's eyes were filled with anger and annoyance when I asked her to go out with me. Maybe I did something really inconsiderate and insulted her culture? Maybe I had to try to be more considerate and understanding?

Aiden's response surprised me, pulling me out my thoughts: "Enzo, she is Indian, not British. Her passport may be British but she is in her heart Indian. When you asked her to be your girlfriend, you did not think about these things?This surprises me, although it is said that love can make you blind!" His words made me halt in my movements and I put my hand behind my head, scratching it, and trying to remember if this thought ever crossed my mind. However, the search for the answer soon proved to be false as I never paid any heed to our cultural differences.

With one last thought, I answered him: "Actually, I never thought about this. I just fell for her and did not regarded this fact, that we stem from different cultural backgrounds!" On Aiden's gaze a frown appeared and he opened his mouth to speak something, but closed it then, not uttering a single word. It seemed as if he was deep in thoughts and I let my mind wander back once more to the words I had exchanged with my girlfriend, an image of her glinting and sparkling eyes which portrayed her apparent aggravation, imprinting itself in my head.

"Well, maybe you need to learn that some things you can do together and some you cannot! You do not need to go out with your girlfriend, you can also do something with your male friends, for example, me!" he said, while pointing with his thumb on himself. He made a valid point, why did I have to go clubbing with my girlfriend, I could also hang out with my friends and in this way Jasmeet would not feel pressured to do something which her culture forbade.