Page 18 of Pillow Talk (Rally Romance #1)

A memory started to play in Sen’s mind. One hot summer’s day when Shona was about nine years old, they were sitting under a tree in his grandfather’s garden eating from bowls of ice cream the housekeeper had given them.

‘I’m going to call my shop The First Look Bridal Shop,’ Shona had announced.

While Sen just groaned, Anni asked Shona why she’d chosen that name.

‘I watched a movie where a bride said the most important look at her wedding was when the groom saw her for the first time, all dressed up as a bride.’

‘That’s dumb’ was Sen’s comment.

‘It’s not dumb! One day I’m going to have a bridal shop in Durban. All the famous people are going to shop there. You’ll be eating your words, Senthil.’ Shona was indignant, her eyes ablaze.

Anni had jumped up to run after a butterfly.

‘I’m serious, Senthil,’ she’d added earnestly.

‘Are you going to talk about wedding dresses all summer?’

‘Maybe.’

‘I should have stayed in school,’ he’d grumbled.

Now, sitting in her kitchen, he could still remember the determination in her voice.

‘Shona, what happened?’

Her lips quivered. At first, she looked away but then faced him directly.

‘The shop happened, Sen. Each day I got closer to my dream, the noose around my neck tightened. For the last few years, I’ve practically been running it on my own.

My mother would go off to do her own thing, my father was there but was completely stuck in the way my grandmother had done things, and Aruna was there in body but not mind.

She didn’t do anything. I was the one doing everything and I was stuck.

I just couldn’t take it anymore. I snapped and walked out. ’

Shona stopped for a few seconds.

‘Sen, it was too much. I tried. I really did. But I can’t,’ she said softly and then stood up to start the stir-fried vegetables to go with the lamb chops.

He watched her and his heart did a flip.

Was that a heart attack? Sitting there in her kitchen, he noticed her beauty.

Shona had always been beautiful – in a bridesmaid dress, in casual or traditional clothes, naked…

but today in her kitchen, with her hair up in a messy bun, her oversized pink tee and grey shorts, she was stunning.

She wore no makeup and her cheeks were flushed, either from her confession or the heat of the stove.

‘What were your parents’ exact words when they told you that you had to work at the shop and not pursue your dream?’

She lifted the wok off the heat and turned to him.

‘What do you mean?’

She fetched two plates and two serving dishes from the cupboard and placed them on the counter.

‘You said you were forced to work at the shop. What did your parents say to you? What did they say would be the consequences if you chose to leave?’

Shona paused for a moment and just looked at him. He could almost see the wheels in her head turning.

The air-fryer timer went off.

She quickly broke eye contact and transferred the lamb chops onto the serving dish. Next was the stir-fry.

Suddenly she stopped.

‘It was an unspoken demand. Every Shah had to work in the shop,’ she said and then removed the rice from the microwave steamer, which he hadn’t even noticed.

‘They said nothing when you told them you wanted to open your own bridal dress shop?’

‘Would you grab something for us to drink from the fridge? I have soda, juice or water,’ she said.

While he did that, she’d already made two trips to the dining room to place the prepared dishes.

She handed him two glasses and she carried the two plates and cutlery.

‘Let’s eat,’ she said.

They sat down and were silent as they dished food onto their plates.

‘They knew I made veils,’ she said and took a bite.

‘So, you actually can cook. Maybe next time it’ll be curry?’

‘How about you invite me over to your place?’

Sen raised an eyebrow.

‘And if I did, you’d accept?’

She nodded.

‘Friday. I’ll pick you up at 6pm?’

It was obvious she didn’t think he would actually ask.

‘I heard that you don’t take anyone back to your apartment,’ she said.

‘You’re not just anyone.’ He held her gaze and watched the emotion on her face. She was fighting something.

‘It’s a date,’ she replied.

He smiled. While he continued to eat, he thought of the gentlest way to make his point to Shona. He was a lawyer and a good one. But he had to tread very carefully.

‘Shona …’

She looked up.

‘Did your parents know you were serious about opening your own bridal dress shop?’

‘Sen, I spoke about it all the time. Even you knew about it.’

Gentle , he warned himself mentally.

‘And when last did you talk about it to them?’

‘When I graduated from college and started working in the shop, I knew my fate so I just stopped talking about it. When I wanted to talk about it, I would to Anni,’ she replied.

He put down his fork.

‘And never Aruna, or your mother or father?’

Shona put down her cutlery too; it was obvious that she was starting to understand where he was going with this line of questioning.

‘Sen, it was expected. I’m expected to work in that shop just like how my dad was and my mom had to give up everything, and Aruna has to work there too. We just have to,’ she said.

‘But no one told you that you have to work there? No one ordered you to work there? No one said you have to give up your dream for the shop?’

He sat back waiting for the assault of words that would be aimed at him. She would probably be furious.

He was surprised when, instead, she whispered, ‘No.’

She pushed the lamb chops to him.

‘Have more,’ she said.

He was afraid of the fragile expression on her face so he did as he was told.

They sat eating silently and when they were done, they automatically started clearing up as if they did it every day together. They worked in sync. Silently.

‘Sen?’

‘Mmm,’ he replied as he put the last glass away.

‘My grandmother was cruel. I watched her order my father around. He didn’t have a voice.

She constantly reminded him that the shop was the family legacy that his father had built, and it was his responsibility to continue the legacy.

She hated that he had daughters. Shah & Sons would not suffer the humiliation of a Shah not having a son.

Nothing was allowed to change. Nothing. The priority was always the shop,’ she said.

He turned to look at her.

Gentle , he reminded himself.

‘But your dad didn’t do that to you?’

‘No, but he also didn’t want things to change,’ she replied.

Sen looked around the kitchen. It was spotless.

‘Let’s talk in the living room,’ he said.

She nodded.

Once they got comfortable on the couch, he turned to her.

‘This could go two ways. I could enjoy you right here on this couch right now, or I could give you advice. While the first option is tempting, I prefer the pillow talk in this situation. What’s it going to be?’

She was about to speak but he cut her off.

‘And I don’t care how complicated or messy it is,’ he added.

Shona’s face crumpled, tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to fall.

‘I’ll take the advice.’

Sen sat forward and took her hands in his. He faced her and gave her a weak smile.

‘Shona, I think you need to speak to your parents. I know it was an unwritten obligation but perhaps you felt a noose around your neck that wasn’t there.

Is that a possibility? I’m not saying it is.

I’m just suggesting that maybe your parents believed you wanted to work there.

That it was your choice and that your veil business was a side hustle. ’

Her tears began to fall. Sen let go of her hands and reached out to wipe them away.

‘Thank you, Senthil,’ she whispered.

Sen drew him to her in a gentle, protective embrace.

Shona relaxed into his arms and rested her head against his chest. She couldn’t understand it.

This man holding her was the boy who’d teased her, hated her bridal talk, and even broken her heart when she was 15.

But tonight he’d given her a perspective that she would never have considered.

For close to ten years, she’d been fighting something that wasn’t actually there. Had she sabotaged her own future? When had her father ever given her an ultimatum? Had he ever told her that she would have to choose?

‘Can I ask you a question?’

Shona nodded, reluctantly pulling away so she could look at Sen.

‘How did you start working at the shop after college?’

She sat in silence beside him for a moment, then stood up and walked to the window overlooking the street. She looked out and remembered it like it was yesterday.

‘I found the apartment in Abbott Street before I came home. Dad was not happy. He didn’t want his daughter living in a rundown building with weirdos.’

She turned back to look to Sen. He was sitting back, relaxed as if listening to her spill her life story and inner feelings was the most natural thing to do.

‘I obviously needed to pay rent so Dad told me to come and work in the shop. I agreed because it was what was expected of me.’

‘If it wasn’t expected of you, would you have agreed?’

She thought about it. ‘I needed the job. I had rent to pay.’

‘And while you were working, did you ever apply for any other jobs or work towards opening your bridal shop?’

She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘I knew I couldn’t work anywhere else because I was obligated to the shop and yes, I did save money to open my bridal dress shop.’

He sat forward as if he wanted her to hear him loud and clear because she was on the other side of the room.

‘But no one told you that you couldn’t apply for a new job or start your own business?’

‘No.’

He stood up, went over to her and gently put his hands on her shoulders.

‘Promise you won’t get upset by my next comment.’

She smiled. ‘Will it be your closing argument?’

He grinned. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘So you didn’t just do the whole lawyer thing just now?’

He held up his hands in defence. ‘Nope. I just did the friend slash lover thing.’

She scrunched up her nose. ‘Ewww don’t say lover. It sounds so…’