Meenakshi watched as Sanjana hurried past her. She turned back to look at Rohit. 

            “Was it something I said?” Meenakshi asked, confused. 

            “No, it was me.” Rohit replied, sadly. 

            Meenakshi invited Rohit inside to talk about what happened.  In fact, she demanded that he explain immediately.  Rohit told her about getting ice cream and his gift to Sanjana. 

            “You’re so sweet!  But why is Sanjana acting that way?  I don’t see anything wrong.”  Meenakshi commented once Rohit finished explaining. 

            “Well…” Rohit started, getting increasingly more nervous. “I kissed her.” He admitted

            “Oh,” was all Meenakshi said.           

            There was a brief awkward pause before Meenakshi spoke again. 

            “And she just let you?” Meenakshi asked casually. 

            “No, I kissed her on the forehead.  I didn’t mean for it to be an intimate gesture though.  It just happened.”  Rohit explained. 

            “I don’t see anything wrong with it.  You two are engaged.  You should be able to show each other that you care about each other, but I’m not sure what Sanjana is comfortable with and what she isn’t.  That’s a conversation you need to have with her though.  She’s…been through a lot.” Meenakshi said.  She hesitated before completing her last sentence, which threw Rohit’s mind into a frenzy.  Sanjana had been through a lot?  What was that supposed to mean?  Would she tell him if he asked her?

            “Right, Meenakshi Aunty.  I’m sorry.” Rohit apologized.  He decided not to ask to go see Sanjana and apologize to her.  He felt like an idiot and just wanted to leave.  “I’ll see you later.” Rohit said in a defeated tone before leaving. 

            “Bye Rohit!” Meenakshi replied. 

            After closing the door, she marched up the stairs to Sanjana’s room.  She threw open the door and stalked inside without knocking.  Sanjana looked at her aunt as she came barging into her bedroom. 

            “Sanjana Malhotra, the next time you see Rohit, you will apologize to him.  Is that understood?” Meenaksh said with a strict tone. 

            “Bua?” Sanjana questioned, wondering what she had done wrong. 

            “He’s such a nice boy, Sanjana dear, and all he did was kiss you on the forehead, not even the lips!  What are you going to do once you two are married?  He’s going to have expectations, and you, as his wife, are going have to fulfil them,” Meenakshi paced as she fumed at Sanjana. 

            The look of horror on Sanjana’s face made Meenakshi refrain from continuing any further. 

            “Just make sure you’re nicer to him next time.” Meenakshi said, leaving Sanjana’s room. 

            Meenakshi walked back downstairs.  All she could think about was how Sanjana would adjust with Rohit after they got married.  Maybe she was wrong to rush them into marriage, but nothing could be done now.  The two were already engaged and preparations for their wedding were in full swing.  Sanjana was her niece and, after everything she’d been through, it would make more sense for Meenakshi to worry about her, but it was actually Rohit she was more worried about.  He was such a great person, who had been unlucky in love.  She wasn’t sure that he’d be able to handle like with Sanjana.  Sanjana wasn’t a difficult person to get along with; she was just difficult to understand. 

            After what had happened the night of their engagement, Rohit kept his distance from Sanjana, barely meeting her.  They only met twice so far and that too with his father and Meenakshi. 

            “So, are you excited?” Sheila asked.  She and Rohit were grabbing a quick lunch before starting their shifts in the hospital. 

            “About what?” Rohit asked, not really paying attention. 

            “Your wedding! It’s less than two months away, right?” Sheila replied, taking a bit of her sandwich. 

            “More nervous than excited, I guess.” Rohit said. 

            “Look at you! You’re down in the dumps! Aren’t you supposed to be happier?” Sheila asked. 

            “I’m not sure.” Rohit said. 

            “Rohit…what happened?  A couple weeks ago, you were so in love with the idea of getting married to Sanjana. But now….” Sheila said skeptically.

            “Now…I’m not so sure.” Rohit finished Sheila’s thought. 

            “Do you still want to marry her?  Honestly, tell me.” Sheila said, placing her hand over his. 

            “I do. There’s just something about her I can’t explain.” Rohit said.  A small smile appeared on his face. 

            “What are you going to do if she doesn’t improve after marriage?” Sheila asked. 

            “What do you mean?” Rohit replied. 

            “I mean she doesn’t talk to you.  She doesn’t want you to kiss her.  What if she’s the same way after you get married?  Wouldn’t it drive you crazy?” Sheila said, sipping her drinking. 

            “I…don’t know.  I think she just needs to become more comfortable around me.  She’s shy, that’s all.  I don’t think it’ll be a problem.  I hope it’s not a problem.” Rohit said a little unsurely. 

            Sheila looked at Rohit without saying anything. 

            “Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked. 

            “You’re kidding, right?” Sheila replied. 

            “No.” Rohit said, confused by what Sheila meant. 

            “Radhika was so outgoing!  I mean she sure wasn’t shy!  And she sure as hell didn’t shy away from kissing you.  Sanjana isn’t your type of girl.” Sheila said. 

            “Sheila, we’ve already talked about this.  You know what Radhika did to me.  I don’t want to be with someone like her.” Rohit said firmly. 

            “How do you know you want to be with someone like Sanjana?  She’s completely Radhika’s opposite.” Sheila defended. 

            “I’ll take that chance.  I just need to settle down.  What Radhika did was unforgivable.  She broke my heart, Sheila, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get over that.”  Rohit explained. 

            “I’m one of your best friends, Rohit, so I’ll support you in any decision you make.  I just want to make sure you don’t end up regretting this decision.” Sheila replied. 

            “There’s no turning back now.  We’re already engaged.” Rohit chuckled. 

            “How many days are left anyways?  There’s about two and a half months left, right?” Sheila asked. 

            “Yeah,” Rohit confirmed. 

            “Are you going to meet with Sanjana between now and your wedding?” Sheila asked. 

            “I’ve seen her since the engagement, but I haven’t been alone with her, but yeah I’ll probably meet with her before the wedding.  Why?” Rohit replied. 

            “I think you should take her out on a real date, like a romantic one.  Tell her to get all dressed up and take her somewhere nice.  You know, get a little romantic with her to show her what life after marriage will be like.” Sheila suggested. 

            “I like the idea, Sheila, I really do, but I don’t think Sanjana will go for that.” Rohit said. 

            “After you’re married, she’ll have to go for it.” Sheila countered. 

            “You think she’ll actually let me take her out on a romantic date after we’re married?” Rohit asked with a chuckle.

            “No chance!” Sheila replied. 

            “Thanks for the encouragement,” Rohit said sarcastically. 

            “Sanjana!” Meenakshi shouted, “Sanjana dear! I’m heading to the office!”

            Sanjana appeared at the top of the stairs. 

            “There you are! I’m going to work now.  I’m just doing a half a day today.  I’ll be back a little past five.  Call me if you need anything.” Meenakshi said quickly, rushing out the door. 

            Sanjana went downstairs to get something to eat.  Sanjana started to examine the bowl of fruit.  She’d decided she wanted an apple when her eye landed on a stack of pamphlets that were sitting on the table.  She started flipping through them.  They looked like pamphlets for types of college courses.  There were a few for science classes and history classes.  There were some for different language classes.  Sanjana’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  There was such an assortment of courses.  There were even a few cooking and sewing classes included in the pamphlets.  Sanjana wondered if her aunt was looking for a class to take.  But why would she be looking for classes to take?  She’s already busy enough with work and planning Sanjana’s wedding.  Sanjana saw a pamphlet that peaked her interest.  It was for a creative writing course that lasted ten weeks. 

            Sanjana thought back to Rohit’s words.  He told her he wanted her to continue with her education, to take advantage of the vast opportunities that were now available to her.  She’d told him that she didn’t want to be in school after they got married.  She looked through the pamphlet.  She found the dates when the course was offered.  She realized she could finish this course before her wedding.  Sanjana had always loved to write.  She’d started writing diaries because she couldn’t contain her passion for writing.  This creative writing course was perfect!  She turned to the back of the pamphlet and suddenly paused.  Written on the back was the price of the course.  Sanjana quickly found a calculator and converted the dollar amount to Indian rupees, so she could understand the price better.  Sanjana gasped.  The course cost tens of thousands of rupees!  In her village, having this much money would make a person very wealthy.  She looked around.  Meenakshi’s house was enormous.  She undoubtedly was wealthy, but Sanjana couldn’t ask her to pay for her writing course.  It was too much to ask for.  She was doing Sanjana a huge favor by allowing her to live with her and taking on the responsibility and cost of her wedding.  To ask for anything more from her aunt would be extremely selfish. 

            Sanjana sighed.  She picked up an apple from the bowl of fruit and made her ways back to her room, leaving the pamphlet of the writing course on the table.  She searched for her diary and sat down in the cocoon chair her aunt had bought for her.  She decided she’d pass the time by writing in her diary.  Her thoughts floated to Rohit.  She tried focusing on other things but found herself writing about him.  The night he’d kissed her on her forehead, she cried.  She didn’t know why, but she did.  Her aunt had come to her and told her that Rohit would have certain expectations from her…the same expectations Arjun had had despite the fact that they hadn’t been married.  Sanjana wrote about her fears about getting married.  She poured her heart out in her diary.   She had been writing for what seemed like hours. 

            “Sanjana, could you come down here for a minute?” Sanjana paused when she heard her aunt’s voice.  She looked at the clock.  It was half past five.  She really had been writing for hours.  She put her diary behind one of the cushions in her cocoon chair and hurried downstairs to her aunt. 

            “Sanjana dear, I want you to have a look at these pamphlets.” Meenakshi said, gesturing to the pamphlets that were laid out on the table.  They were the same pamphlets that Sanjana had looked through earlier. 

            “Let me know if any of these courses interests you.” Meenakshi continued. 

            “Why, Bua?” Sanjana asked. 

            “I want you to take a course in something.  It’s a good way to spend your time, instead of being bored in the house all day.  You’ll get out and you can meet new people and learn something new all at the same time.” Meenakshi explained. 

            Sanjana looked down at the pamphlets strewn across the table.  She picked up the pamphlet about the creative writing course and looked up at her aunt. 

            “Do you like writing?” Meenakshi asked. 

            Sanjana nodded, giving her aunt a small smile. 

            Meenakshi took the pamphlet and looked through it. 

            “Oh! The class starts an hour after I need to be at work. I can drop you off when I go to work.  This university is near the downtown area where I work.  You can hang out in my office and do homework after class and we can go home together.  You could even hand around the campus for a few hours and then come by my office.  Sanjana! You could even go see Rohit if you wanted to.  The hospital he works at is really close to this university.” Meenakshi was becoming increasingly excited. 

            “It’s perfect!” Meenakshi concluded. 

            “Bua,” Sanjana said quietly. “It’s expensive.”

            “Sanjana dear, it’s only a matter of a few hundred dollars.  It’s fine!  Education is important.” Meenakshi smiled. 

            “But Bua,” Sanjana protested. 

            “Sanjana,” Meenakshi interrupted, “You’ll love the schools in America.  They’re the best!  Rohit would want you to do this.” She smiled.

            Sanjana’s heart started beating faster at the mention of Rohit’s name.  She too had thought about how Rohit wanted her to further her education in America. 

            “We’ll have you enrolled tomorrow itself!” Meenakshi exclaimed. 

            The next day Meenakshi took Sanjana downtown to enroll her in the creative writing class. 

            “Wait here for a second, dear.” Meenakshi said.  She disappeared into a building.  Sanjana sat down on a bench outside and waited for her aunt to return.  She was careful not to wander off, afraid she’d get lost like last time. 

            “Hi Sanjana!” Sanjana stood up, surprised to see Rohit standing before her. 

            Sanjana looked at Rohit questioningly. 

            “Meenakshi Aunty told me all about your creative writing course.  I’m really happy for you! You’re going to love it.” Rohit said.  “Let’s get you enrolled!”

            They walked over to the university together.  Getting enrolled in the creative writing class was easy.  After they got Sanjana enrolled, Rohit suggested that they get lunch together. 

            “Sanjana, I just wanted to apologize…for…umm…kissing you the night of our engagement.  You obviously were offended.  I didn’t mean to be so forward.” Rohit said as they sat down at a restaurant. 

            “It’s okay.” Sanjana said. 

            Rohit was surprised to hear her say anything, let alone that it was okay that he’d kissed her on the forehead.

            The rest of their lunch was spent cordially.  Rohit was glad that things were no longer awkward between them.  He noticed that Sanjana was a lot happier than she normally was.  She was still as quiet as always, but happy.  He thought it was because she was excited about the creative writing course, but he didn’t ask.  After lunch, he walked her back to Meenakshi’s office. 

            “Sanjana, if you need anything while you’re taking your course, then just call me.  If anyone bothers you or even if you get lost, just let me know and I’ll help you.  I’ll always be there for you.” Rohit smiled. 

            It was sweet of him to say that to her.  She smiled at him.  Rohit had made the decision to have absolutely no physical contact with Sanjana until after they got married.  He had no idea what would offend Sanjana and what was okay, so he decided he wouldn’t do anything until he was officially her husband. 

            “Bye Sanjana,” Rohit said, turning to leave.

            He felt a tug on his hand and paused.  Sanjana had grabbed his hand, stopping him.  He was surprised that she was willingly touching him.  The night they’d gone out for a drive, however, she’d touched his hand in a similar manner. 

            “Thank you.” Sanjana said to him.  She let go of his hand and went inside the building where her aunt’s office was. 

            Rohit sighed as he watched her leave.  A simple touch had affected him so much.  There was just something about Sanjana that drove him crazy!

Sorry for such a late update!! It’s beyond late! OMG I’m the worst! Last semester though was awful! There was so much going on in my life, so much drama that I couldn’t even function properly let alone write.  Hopefully, 2015 will be a lot better in terms of writing hahaa

I want Rohit and Sanjana to be married soooo badly!  It’s taking forever!! Anyways, Sanjana’s writing course is so random I know! But it’s gonna be more significant later on in the story! I have it all planned out! Don’t worry!!!  Also, sorry about barely any Sanjana-Rohit moments.  I wasn’t sure what to write…

Anyways, I’m hoping to update soon. 

Please do let me know what you thought! I need to know that there’s still an interest in this story. 

COMMENT AND VOTE!!