Professor Astor (Off-Limits)

I’m nervous as I sit in my car parked opposite Leia’s house. She’s at Asha’s house today, which means her parents are home alone.

I breathe in deeply, worried about what they might say if I show up uninvited again, like I did last time. “Mum, Dad,” I whisper. “I never believed in the supernatural and all of that stuff, but Leia does, so I’m giving this a shot. If you’re truly out there, I ask for your blessing tonight. I need them to say yes.”

I run a hand through my hair and shake my head as I get out of the car. I really must have lost my mind.

I hesitate when I reach their front door, second-guessing everything. Maybe I should’ve brought my grandfather with me, the way I did last time. I don’t know what the right thing to do is. All I can do is my very best and hope it’s enough.

I inhale deeply as I press the doorbell, my heart racing as I wait for the door to open. Leia’s mother appears, her surprise evident as she stares at me.

“Adrian.”

“Hi, Mrs. Sital. May I come in?”

She nods and stands aside to let me in, her eyes on me as I take off my shoes in the hallway.

“Did you eat?”

I look up, surprised. “No, ma’am.”

She nods and tips her head toward the dining room. “You can eat with us.”

I nod and follow her, unsure what to do or say. I’ve gone over this visit a dozen times now, trying to find the right words and failing.

Leia’s father stands when I follow his wife in, his expression unreadable. “Mr. Sital,” I say, nodding.

He purses his lips and sits back down, ignoring me.

“Do you like lamb?” she asks, and I nod as she grabs a plate and loads it up before sitting down opposite me.

She watches me as I pick up my spoon. Her gaze is so intense that I’m almost scared to take a bite, but I do it anyway.

My mouth starts to burn almost instantly, but I chew and swallow down the food anyway. I reach for the glass of water she poured me and drain half of it. The food is insanely spicy, but there’s no way I’m saying a word. “It’s really good,” I tell her, grinning.

I hesitate as I lift my spoon back to my lips to take another bite but force my way through it.

“Bechara,” Mr. Sital mutters, shaking his head, and I frown. I’ve heard Leia say that word before. Doesn’t it mean something like that poor thing?

“Here,” he says, pushing a bowl of yoghurt my way. “This makes it better.”

I smile gratefully. He’s right. The yoghurt makes the food so much less spicy, and I manage to actually enjoy the remainder of my meal.

It’s clear that Leia’s mother invited me to sit down for dinner to give me a chance to convince Leia’s dad, but I don’t know how to. Neither of us are speaking, and the silence turns more awkward by the second.

“Why are you here?” he asks eventually.

“For the same reason I was here last time,” I admit.

“No,” he says, shaking his head.

I rise to my feet and start to stack the empty plates, clearing the table. Leia’s mother sighs as she takes the plates from me, disappearing into the kitchen. I wish she’d stayed. Being left alone with Leia’s father makes me oddly nervous.

“You asked me to resolve the issues Leia and I caused by being together when we shouldn’t have been, and I did. Her dissertation defense went smoothly today, and her education is now officially behind her. I resigned as a professor and now work for my grandfather, and not a single rumor has touched Asha’s business. I told you I’d ensure no harm would come to Leia because of our relationship, and I’ve kept my word. Tell me what objections you have, and I’ll do my best to ease your worries.”

He stares at me and inhales deeply. “How will you ensure my daughter doesn’t lose sight of her values and religion?”

“I’m not particularly religious, but just a few weeks ago, the kids and Leia made their own diyas from clay for Diwali. We lit them before she came home for a religious ceremony, but honestly? I’d have been fine with it if she’d wanted to do it at my house. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with believing in more than one God. Ultimately, I think they’re all the same.”

He nods, but his expression tells me that he doesn’t like my answer, and I can’t quite tell why.

“You already have children, but my daughter wants her own. Will you grant her wish?”

I nod. I’d better not tell him that Leia and I are already trying, because I have a feeling that’ll get me thrown out of the house quicker than anything else I might say. “Yes. I’d love to have a child with Leia, provided we’re blessed with one.”

He nods again, his expression worsening.

“If you marry my daughter, I don’t want her to miss out on anything she’d have if she married someone we approved of. It means a big Indian wedding, with several religious ceremonies spanning multiple days. There would be a lot of ceremonies you don’t understand.”

I grin at him. “Leia has already picked out the clothes I’m wearing to all of the occasions. She told me she wants to go to India to buy her own wedding clothes, though.”

He crosses his arms, anger flashing through his eyes.

“You will never be able to put Leia first, because you have children. I don’t want my daughter to be her husband’s second priority.”

I nod and inhale deeply. “I understand that,” I tell him honestly. “Leia and I will be employing a nanny to ensure that we always have enough time for each other. Over the last couple of months, we’ve become a family. There are going to be things we might not be able to do, but it’d be no different if we had children of our own, which I hope we will. Leia and the kids have different places in my life, but they’re on equal footing. I will always make sure that the love I have for my children doesn’t take away from the love I have for Leia. Always.”

“Akshay,” Leia’s mother says. She’s leaning against the doorway, her eyes on us. “That’s enough.”

He looks at his wife and then looks down as she walks into the room.

“You love my daughter, don’t you?” she asks.

I nod. “More than anything.”

“If we don’t give you our blessing, what will you do?”

I hesitate for a split-second before telling them the truth. “I’ll convince her to elope with me, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

She laughs then and shakes her head. “One way or another, you’ll marry my daughter, huh?”

“Yes, ma’am. I can’t see a life without Leia anymore, and I know everything that’s going on is hurting her. She and I are both ready to start the next phase of our lives, but she doesn’t want to do that without your blessing. I’m here today because I want to make Leia happy, and she won’t be if we get married without your consent.”

She nods and glances at her husband. “Will you let your daughter elope, or are you going to give her away the way you always wanted to? Do you want to place her hand in his, or will you watch her walk away from us?”

He stares down at the table and falls silent. My heart races and fear clutches at me as I wait for him to reply to his wife’s question. My heart races, and my palms become clammy as I wait for him to speak.

Eventually, he nods before looking up at me. “I will let you marry my daughter, but don’t doubt that I’ll bring her back home if you ever make her cry.”

Relief spreads from my heart to the rest of my body, and I smile. “Yes, sir. I promise you that I’ll make her happy. I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving to you that you’re making the right choice.”

“You’d better, boy,” he warns, and I chuckle.

I lean back in my seat, my eyes falling closed for a moment. Now all that’s left to do is asking my Princess to become my wife.