When You LOVED Me...

25.

*Unedited*

I walked down the stairs.

I was clad in a black gown, which is bare on one shoulder, and had round cuts on both side of hips, exposing the skin there. Other than that it was full length and fitted me perfectly. I took slow steps to not trip in 5 inches black pointed heels. Ugh heels again.

If it would be my choice I would never wear something this fashionable inside the house, but Misti the help of the house insisted that 'Sir' means Aaron sent them for me.

I was startled, when I existed the grand bathroom of Aaron's bedroom to find this mysterious 19 year old girl standing in the room, then she introduced herself to me and gave me this clothes. She told me she help her mother sometimes in household chores and the mother Prabha ji was main caretaker of the house when everybody was absent. There were more people but they only come when necessary or told. She told me they live in staff quaters but the mansion remain usually unoccupied because the owners 'Rathores' live in their other house in the centre of the city and only visit this mansion on special vacations.

Aaron had informed me about Prabhaji, but I always woke up so late, that our path never crossed. I thanked the girl, she was lean and tall, skin a shade darker than mine, and not very quiet. She gave me so much information in a minute, I would have acquired in a decade with my non curious nature.

When I reached the last steps, my footsteps startled by seeing a dozen people in the hall. My heartbeat increased, reception was different, but she didn't know how to act between rich-business class people. What if she embarrased Aaron with her awkwardness, what would this people think. They didn't know that she only belonged to lower middle class family, do they?

Arav spotted her first. His cheerful faced eased some of  her worry, but when he started to approach her and all eyes turned on her, her spine was rigid and breathe shallow. Damn her nerves.

"Hello, bhabhi." Arav greeted coming near her and bend down to touch her feet. She jumped a foot back, hurriedly.

"No, no. What are you doing, you are probably older than me." Oh god, what was that. He straightened and grinned.

"I am not older and you are still my bhabhi." His slightly British accent just contradicted what he did. He has some cheerful wibes but this cultural.

"You are looking gorgeous" he complimented her with a playful wink.

"You are not so bad yourself." She found herself saying easily. She smiled.

"Aw, thanks! Let me escort you my lady." He did a little bow and held his hand forward and she went with it. She slipped her hend in his and let him guide her. How he managed to get her comfortable with her in a matter of seconds.

~

"Ladies and Gentleman, this gorgeous lady here on the arm-" he scanned the room and surely every body had his attention-" is Mia Rathore, wife of my beloved brother Aaron, a new addition to our family."

I smiled and everybody returned the smile. I recognised Ethan, Aaron's best friend, but others five men and three women are new to me. Arnav was standing at the back, he regarded me coldly and my smiled faltered. Then my gaze met with Aaron, he scanned me from head to toe and then an appreciative smile adored his features. I felt giddy insides.

"Now, Arav, if you gave me back my wife. I would like to do the honours."

"Why, we are doing fine, bhai, don't we bhabhi" Arav teased and the room burst into laughter and my cheeks flushed. Aaron threw a playful glare at Arav.

"Fine, fine." Arav replied cheekily and left my side. Aaron snaked a arm around my waist and held me closer to him and then guided us towards the centre of the room.

He introduced me to every person present in the room. Ethan, he has blond hair and gray eyes and he too ooze a cheerful personality and his girlfriend, Sally a redhead with sparkling green eyes. Ethan too tried to touch my feet, much to my horror and Sally gave me a brief hug. Then Nolen, Gabriel, Karan and Sanjay was his other business partners and friends.

The other black hair beauty was Manvi, Arav's girlfriend- that was news- she was my height but lean like a model, she wore a green gown with a slit on left leg, she was gorgeous. She too hugged me. The other girl was   Kate, Arnav's girlfriend, and she just glanced at me slightly unbothered, a problem there. She was also very pretty, tall, white pale skin, draped in a red tight fitting off shoulder gown.

This didn't feel like a home meeting- correction- business meeting.

After initial introduction, we settled on the couches and chitchatted over snacks. I think the help was back in the house, Aaron told me to don't bother about refreshments, quietly and he also whispered a husky beautiful in my ear. They didn't ask me questions except some basics which I tried to reply as smoothly as possible. Whenever conversation goes to our marriage, we both tried to dodge the questions.

It was like this, teasing, joking and laughing for some moments. Most of them teased us, while Aaron remain unaffected, I felt uncomfortably hot with embarrassment. I tried to keep myself cool because I had this feeling they might be judging my actions.

After some  time the conversation flowed to business pretty quickly and Aaron suggested to discuss this things in the meeting room upstairs.

Soon everybody left for the meeting room while Arav guiding them and I felt relieved. Aaron was still by my side, I visibly sighed. That was too much.

"You did good." Aaron remarked beside me.

"Why didn't you told me,before." I accused slightly turning towards him. I liked to be prepared for gatherings like this. They are not my domain.

"Ah, Sorry, that was planned last moment, but I think you handled well this time,wife." He pecked my cheek, resolving some of my anxiety.

When did this become so easy, it was not even the act?

"Would you like to join the meeting?"

"Can I ?"

"Since, when you are my wife, you should join the meeting. Although the conversation would be pretty boring for you."

"I don't know."

"Come then, we don't want to keep our guest waiting, do we Mrs. Rathore?"

*****

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