She doesn't know how she was supposed to spend the rest of the night, let alone her whole life. She knew she rushed for this marriage, she hardly knew Hugh but she was way too angry, upset, and needed a home to stay in. She could have found some way but she was losing her will to live anymore and he is the person, even being a stranger who showed a bit of care for her. So, she thought to take her chance with him.
She has no parents, no home. Her boyfriend broke up with her, and she had no idea, in which mind she decided to get married to a stranger. Even if Hugh doesn't come out to be an evil person, she barely knows him. She doesn't know his past, his background, his family, anything. She hoped she didn't marry him to take revenge against Kevin. Whatever next life is going to throw at her won't be worse than it is now, no?
Hugh stopped the cab across from a restaurant, she would be lying if she said she's not famished anymore, the rats in her stomach are dying for food, he helped her get off the car and when she saw the hotel name, her mood of eating here died, 'hotel blue rose'. He held her hand gently, leading her inside. It is an expensive restaurant. She wondered if he had enough money to buy us dinner.
Standing right next to him, she realized his actual height, he must be six-five, six-six, even though she is five-nine, she looked a little shorter than him, her eyes trailing below to his tattoos, skulls, snakes, dragon, every mythological she could find over his body. He wore a see-through shirt under a sleeveless leather jacket, ripped chain jeans, and high mountain boots.
They sat in front of each other, his face now more apparent than it was at the bar and register office. He had a straight rectangle face, his cheeks were slightly fluffed up and draped with his full long beard which was trimmed from the upper corners, there is a long scratch over it too. Yet, it wasn't lessening his handsome features. His hair was in a bun with a few strands resting gracefully on his face. His nose and ears were pierced, and he was wearing many skull-headed rings in his fingers.
He looked up at her while she was busy checking him out, his yellowish-green eyes waiting for her to order something from the menu placed between them. She lifted it near her face, pretending to see food available here.
"Aditi Ma'am! It's surprising to see you here," She glanced at the person who called her. He was someone that she knew for so long and expected to avoid, at all cost, he smiled happily at her.
"Hey, glad to see you again, " She greeted back.
"Are you with your family, Ma'am? I would be delighted to meet Mr. Sethi again," He said, gazing over to the empty chairs.
"No, I am here with my husband, Hugh and you can say he is my only family now," It felt weird when she called him her family but it is true, right? They're couples now and she shouldn't be afraid to make it official for everyone. She caught the stunned look on Hugh's expression, he didn't expect her to say something like this.
The manager glanced over at Hugh, and like the father, his facial features also got awkward. Why are people having a hard time believing that he could be my husband? She questions.
"Is it something written over my face?" Hugh questioned him, obviously catching the awkwardness in this manager's eyes. It was clear how discomforting it is for him if every other person who knows Aditi gives him this sort of look.
"I-I am sorry, Sir, I just didn't expect Aditi Ma'am to get married this soon," He explains, taking a step away from Hugh's direction. The truth was, he didn't expect Aditi to marry an animal looking man.
"It's alright! Honey, I am hungry, let's order something?" She spoke to distract both of them from the tense atmosphere.
"Sure, Baby,"
"Sir, ma'am, have you decided what you are going to order?" The manager asked. She quickly scans through the menu.
"I'll have spaghetti meatballs and steak," He ordered, handing him the menu.
"Chicken macaroni," She said. He bowed to them and left to get their food. Hugh shifted his attention back to her.
"So how does he know you?"
"Umm, this is my brother's restaurant, I used to come here every Friday evening with my family to have quality time until I left my home, and that guy is his manager," She explained to him. He nodded his head in understanding, "Well, Hugh if you don't mind, can I ask you questions, you can ask me too, in this way we could know each other better, "
She is now a little afraid because of getting married to a stranger. She concluded to know him as better as she could in less time. It would be better for both of them.
He puts up his arms on the table and asks in a serious tone, "What do you wanna know about me?"
"Hmm. What do you do for a living?"
"Not planned, anything that pays me better than yesterday,"
She had barely an idea about what to reply, is he jobless? No, Aditi, don't be so quick to judge, you are struggling with money issues anyway when you were living with Kevin so how hard it would be to manage with him. If he cooperates…She says, convincing herself.
"Okay, your turn,"
"Why did you break up with your boyfriend?" He asked, lowering his voice because the waiter got back with a tray of food, placing plates in front of them.
"Uh, we'll serve ourselves, you can leave, thank you," She told the waiter, he just nodded at her and walked away. She veered towards Hugh, telling him everything that took place between that bastard and her, and how it led her here.
The expression on him said he had tons of questions in his mind about it, he probably found it silly, "Did you marry me as a revenge against him?" He raises his brows, guessing the possibility, even she had this question for a while, "If yes, then we should better part our ways from here,"
She immediately shook her head in complete disagreement, "No, I know this is craziness but I want to make this marriage work." She retorted, nervously, digging her spoon into Mac.
"It is foolishness, look Adi, Edi, Editea," He was struggling to pronounce her Indian name.
"Adi, will work,"
"Alright, listen, Adi, I don't have a proper job, a house, nor can I provide you two times meals, I hardly have any clue about what I will do tomorrow, where I will live, in fact, I don't know either if I have enough money to pay our food bill too, so you should choose a different path, you are beautiful, you can probably do better with a guy who is your type, not me, I don't want you to ruin your life with me," He clarified, thinking his lengthy lecture will change her decision.
She twisted her eyes away in boredom. "I appreciate your honesty, darling but my answer is still the same,"
He left a lanky sigh through his mouth, having no reply to her comment, he got speechless. She can easily say he is thinking if she is mad or what, no girl would accept a guy who has nothing but neither does she have choices nor would leaving him will make a change for her. "I did warn you, don't complain later," He says, digging in his food.