"It's payday, gentleman. Line up!"
Naveen practically sprang into his spot in line next to the other street cleaners. He was hardly the only one though. Everyone in line was excited and talked happily about the ways they would spend their money over the next few days while they waited for the boss, Mr. Goldberg to give them their cash. It was a type of camaraderie that Naveen had never felt before, but he found that he liked it. Though this job was far from ideal for the young prince, he was making a lot of new friends. And given their position in life, none of them seemed to care that he had basically disgraced his family and his country and wound up penniless. It was all so refreshing, even if the smells from this job left him feeling anything but.
This job also gave him a great way to explore the city. He'd even managed to track down the band that had played with Louis back during Mardi Gras, though they would need a little more convincing to prove that Louis was hardly dangerous.
Naveen knew they would come around though. Louis was such a wonderful friend, it was impossible not to like him. Hell, even Eudora had come around to the lovable gator. Tiana had told him that Louis was stopping by every morning for breakfast, and Eudora always seemed to give him extra helpings. She was even teaching him how to play cards.
"Alright, Naveen my boy," Mr. Goldberg said, now standing in front of Naveen. "You survived your first week. How was it?"
"Harder than I thought it would be," Naveen replied, but he was laughing. His first day on the job, Naveen had ended up with blisters on his hands. It was a little better now, but still, it made him aware of just how easy he had had it before. He also felt more appreciation for someone like Tiana, who had worked hard her entire life.
But that just made him love her all the more.
"Well, the first week's the hardest, they say," Mr. Goldberg said. "But it's all worth it on payday." He handed Naveen five dollar bills. "Here you go, son. Don't spend it all in one place."
"I won't, sir." Back in Maldonia, Naveen had gotten used to a seemingly unending supply of cash, but holding these five dollars that he had earned himself, he felt like the richest man in the world.
"I am just so proud of you!" Tiana said, for the second time in the last ten minutes. She pressed another hard kiss on Naveen's cheek and then one more on his lips.
He had taken a quick shower (a much needed necessity) and then headed right over to present his earnings to Tiana. Upon seeing the crisp dollar bills presented to her, and Naveen's wide smile, Tiana was filled with such a wave of pride, that she hadn't been able to stop kissing him.
Not that Naveen seemed to mind.
He certainly had come a long way from the frog she had first met.
"I feel like we should celebrate," Tiana said.
"Yes!" Naveen agreed. "Let's go dancing! They have to let us in now!"
"Sounds great," Tiana said enthusiastically, though her stomach jumped with nerves. Her trepidation over dancing in front of other people hadn't changed since last week. Tiana had been hoping to get some practice in before they went again, but Naveen had been so tired after work, he could hardly do more than rest his head in her lap. Two nights ago he had even fallen asleep there. Poor thing.
"You think you'll have enough energy to stay awake on the dance floor?" Tiana teased.
"Ha, ha." Naveen rolled his eyes at her, good naturedly. "I will have you know, that I have the energy of fifty men put together!" He gathered her in his arms and spun them around Tiana's living room. "Tonight we will trip the light fantastic!"
She laughed and let him lead her around the room as her nervousness about the evening few away. Naveen wasn't the only one who had come along way since they met. She knew what she was doing on the dance floor. Sometimes. But no matter how well she danced, they would have a good time, and that's really what counted.
At last, Naveen ended their dance by dipping Tiana low and kissing her softly on the lips. "Will you do something for me, love?"
She laughed, feeling light headed and giddy. "Sure. What?"
Naveen straightened them both up and looked Tiana right in the eyes. "Whatever is left after tonight, will you take it?"
"What are you talking about?" Tiana asked.
"The money," Naveen explained. "I want to give it to you. For your restaurant fund."
"Oh gosh. Oh Naveen." Tiana cupped his cheek warmly as love for him enveloped her. It felt so good to have someone on her side like this, to want to help her with her dream, but at the same time, the guilt she felt over his offer was too strong to fight it. "Thank you, but," she moved her hand to his arm and gave it a slight squeeze. "I can't take your money."
Naveen looked at her questioningly, obviously not expecting this response. "Why not?"
"You worked so hard for it," Tiana replied. "I can't just take it from you."
"But you're not taking it from me," Naveen countered. "It is a gift."
"I really can't accept it," she said. "You should spend it on something you want."
Naveen smirked at her in a challenging way. "What I want," he said, "is to give it to you for your restaurant fund."
Tiana glared at him. Oh so this was how it was going to be, huh? Well, his stubbornness was no match for hers. "This really isn't necessary, Naveen. Please don't feel obligated to do this because we're married."
"Tiana," Naveen had to chuckle softly. "It is because we are married that I want to do this. I married you because I care about you, and loving someone means that you want their dreams to succeed." He cupped her hands in his, warmly. "I promised you I would help you get your dream, and right now, this is all I can do to help. Please let me."
Tiana just stared at their hands. Why was it so hard to accept his help? She knew why, of course. Because there was still a part of her that felt like she needed to get her restaurant all by herself. That getting help from someone made her efforts less somehow. Made her less somehow.
It was all complete nonsense, she knew. This wasn't at all taking the easy way out, or making some sort of backwards deal with someone untrustworthy. This was her husband.
Still. Tiana shifted slightly in her seat. "I can't take all of your money," she said eventually, feeling guilty even at the thought. She rubbed his hands gently, feeling the new blisters on his skin.
Naveen sighed heavily, growing annoyed. "So take some of it."
"But-"
He shushed her gently by placing a single finger over her lips. "Tiana, please. If you say no, you know I am only going to find a different way to give you this money. I will give it to your mother, or I will put it in your coat pockets, or I will find where you have the rest of the restaurant fund and put in in there myself if I have to."
Naveen counted out some of his money and placed it in her hands. "Here," he said. "It isn't all of it. It is about three fourths."
Tiana frowned and handed him some back. "I'll take one fourth."
"Half," Naveen said, firmly placing the money back in her hand.
Their eyes locked, in a stalemate. Until Tiana finally relented. "Fine," she said with a slight sigh. "But no more than that, deal?"
"Deal," he agreed and shook her hand when she offered it.
The front door opened just then, Eudora came inside, her arms full of bags. Naveen immediately got up to help her.
"Hello, Babycakes. Thank you, Naveen," Eudora said as he took her bags. She let out her breath quickly and smiled wearily at her daughter.
"What is all this, Mama?" Tiana asked, giving her mother a quick kiss on the cheek.
"It's all the fabric for the Landry family wedding," Eudora explained. "Besides her wedding dress, she wants a new dress for the rehearsal dinner. Not to mention two dresses for each of the bridesmaids."
"Don't tell me they want rehearsal dinner dresses for them too?" Tiana asked, incredulously.
Eudora nodded with another sigh.
"Poor Mama," Tiana said. She gave her mother's cheek another kiss.
"All this for a wedding?" Naveen asked, eyeing all the bags with disbelief. "They should just have their wedding in the bayou. That's where all the best weddings take place." He winked at Tiana.
Despite everything, she felt the heat rush up to her cheeks. It felt strange hearing him talk so openly about their wedding when they were trying so hard to keep it a secret. But it was also very very nice.
"Nevertheless," Eudora said with a smile, Tiana noticed, "I have a lot of work to do."
"That is a lot of work, Mama," Tiana said, and all at once she realized what she had to do. She glanced at Naveen and caught his eye, but his wide grin faltered slightly when he realized what the look meant. She could see the disappointment in his eyes, and Tiana felt it too. She had wanted to celebrate tonight just as much as him.
After a moment, Naveen nodded slightly. Tiana could kiss him for it, and would when her Mama wasn't in the room.
"Let me help you with everything, Mama," Tiana said. She started to gather up the fabric to fold and sort in neat piles.
"What?" Eudora looked confusedly at her daughter. "I thought you were going to celebrate tonight. Isn't it your first payday, Naveen?"
"Well, yes," Naveen admitted. "But we can always go dancing another time."
"Dancing?" Eudora turned to Tiana. "You were going out dancing? For real this time?"
Out of the corner of Tiana's eye she saw Naveen turn beet red. Of course they had told Eudora of the disastrous attempt at the club last time. She had at least offered sympathy to them, saying that when she had gone dancing with James in her youth the prices hadn't been so outlandish. Even that hadn't erased Naveen's deep embarrassment of the whole thing.
"Yes, we were," Tiana explained. "But-"
Eudora held up a finger, silencing her daughter. "Tiana," she said firmly in a tone that Tiana knew well. Her mother meant business. "You know how long I've been trying to get you to go out dancing, so what makes you think for one second that I am going to keep you here tonight?"
Tiana sighed, and tried again. "Mama-"
"You know I have had bigger orders than this and gotten along just fine." Eudora took the fabric from Tiana. "I know you feel guilty going out and having fun while I'm here, but you know I don't mind the work. I like it as much as you like cooking for people."
And still Tiana wouldn't be put off. "But Mama, this is still a lot. I can help you."
"If you really want to help me you can start by getting out of my hair so I can have some peace and quiet around here," Eudora said with a smirk. She cupped Tiana's cheek. "This is what parents want for their children, Babycakes. Go. Have a good time."
Tiana still looked unsure, and so Eudora sighed. "If you still really want to help me, you can do it tomorrow."
Tiana looked to Naveen again, who had such a hopeful expression on his face that she couldn't disappoint him. It was his night to celebrate after all. She couldn't take that away from him. "I guess I'd better go change," she said and turned to head upstairs.
Once she was gone, Naveen chuckled to himself a little. "I see where she gets it now. Her stubbornness," he explained when Eudora have him a questioning look.
She frowned playfully making Naveen laugh. "I am sorry, I didn't mean any offense."
"None taken," Eudora replied laughing herself. "Has she been causing you trouble then?"
"No," he answered, stroking one of the fabrics between his thumb and forefinger absentmindedly. It was white, so he assumed it was for the bride. Such a shame that his own bride hadn't been able to wear a traditional wedding dress.
"It is only that, just before you came in, Tiana was quite firmly rejecting my offer to take some of my earnings for her restaurant fund," Naveen continued.
"That sounds like Tiana, alright," Eudora said, smiling.
"Though happily, I was able to convince her."
Eudora stopped what she was doing and stared at Naveen. "Really?"
He grinned at her. "Do you doubt the power of my charming personality?"
"After knowing you for these past few weeks? No," she quipped. "Still, it takes someone very special to change Tiana's mind once she's set it on something."
Naveen shared a soft smile with Eudora. They both turned towards the stairs as Tiana reappeared in her dancing dress. "Ready to go, Naveen?" she asked.
"Ready as I will ever be," he answered, holding out his arm for her. Naveen kissed her dimple. "You look beautiful, darling."
"Thanks," Tiana beamed, and turned to Eudora. "Well, we're off, Mama. You sure you haven't changed your mind?"
"Not a chance," Eudora replied, making Naveen laugh again. Eudora was where Tiana got her quick wit as well, he thought. "But before you go, there is something I would like to say to you both."
"Oh?" Tiana said as Naveen felt his stomach drop. In his experience, conversations that started like this never ended well. She squeezed his arm lightly.
"I just want to say," Eudora began, "that even though it's only been a couple of weeks since you came back and that things aren't quite… settled as far as everything goes."
That was an understatement, Naveen thought, but he kept it all to himself. He put his hand over Tiana's and squeezed.
"But," Eudora continued, "I've been watching how you two are together, and I still don't know if I believe how you two found each other, but I am glad you did."
Naveen was afraid to breathe. That doing so would somehow break this illusion they had to be in. This didn't seem like bad news at all, in fact it seemed like it could go in the complete opposite direction, though Naveen was afraid to hope for it.
"These past few weeks, I've seen you two show the strong foundation of a good marriage by building trust and supporting each other," Eudora said with a smile at their gaping faces.
"You make a good team," she continued, "And whatever happens next, I want you to know that I'm on your side."
Tiana blinked a few times before asking, "What exactly are you saying, Mama?"
"I'm giving you my blessing to be married."
"Oh, Mama!" Tiana burst into tears and ran into her mother's arms.
Naveen was too shocked to do much of anything at first, besides grin widely. So when he caught Eudora's eye and she beaconed him into the hug, he eagerly accepted. Squeezing both women tight, they all began to laugh.
"Now this doesn't mean y'all can start going around saying you're married now," Eudora said once they had relinquished the hug.
"Yes, yes, of course," Naveen agreed, handing Tiana his handkerchief to wipe away her tears. His arm automatically went around her waist again, holding her close.
Eudora's eyes were a little glossy too. She took in a deep breath and smiled happily at them. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know."
"Thank you, Mama," Tiana said, her emotions somewhat under control again.
"Yes, thank you," Naveen said. "You have no idea what this means to us."
Eudora gave them a small smile. "I do have some idea."
Tiana hummed a simple tune to herself as she prepped her kitchen for Naveen to stop by. She smiled a little when she started dancing just a little. Last night had been so wonderful, she couldn't stop thinking about it.
Naveen's triumphant grin when he had presented his hard earned cash to the hat check girl at the Paradise had been priceless. Tiana only wished she could have taken a picture of it. One of those moving picture cameras might have been better though. Naveen was always very handsome, but never more than when he was dancing to the beat of a jazz band. It would be impossible to capture that spark with anything that didn't allow movement.
Despite all of her pep talks to herself, Tiana still found herself nervous at the idea of dancing in public. Naveen was a patient teacher with her, though. They started with the slow songs, which Tiana thought might have happened regardless. The adagio tempos gave her a chance to remember all that Naveen had taught her, but it also left plenty of opportunities for knowing glances and sneaking kisses.
And oh how she wanted to kiss him. Every love song that played seemed to be playing just for them. Tiana had rested her head on Naveen's shoulder while they swayed to the music, so happy and so in love, she never wanted the evening to end. Tiana felt like the luckiest woman in the world to be dancing in Naveen's arms that night.
When the music had picked up Naveen shared a wild look with Tiana, and before she knew it she was practically flying across the dance floor. But soon Tiana was laughing and moving her feet like she'd been dancing her whole life. What had she been so nervous about? This was marvelous! Dancing like this with Naveen was a whole other level of joy that Tiana hadn't even known existed.
Song after song they danced together, only taking in each other and the music. But of course eventually they did have to head home. That didn't stop Naveen from twirling Tiana around the empty lantern lit streets.
"Did I really do ok?" Tiana asked, coming back into his arms. Her feet were hurting, and she knew there would be hell to pay tomorrow, but she couldn't stop dancing with him. Her cheeks hurt too, from smiling too much. Neither one of them had stopped grinning all night.
"Oh darling, you were wonderful!" Naveen said, playfully dipping her as they walked on the sidewalk. "Everyone wanted to dance with you."
"That is such a lie," she laughed.
"It is true and you know it," Naveen replied, straightening them both up and giving her a quick kiss. "Will you come out dancing with me again on my next payday?"
"Yes, of course." She couldn't wait, though they would have to. A week had never seemed so long before.
And then before they knew it, they were back in front of Tiana's house. Neither was ready for the evening to end, so they lingered casually on the porch. But it wasn't too long before Tiana was pressed against the wall with Naveen's hands on her waist and his lips pressed against hers.
His tongue teased hers, making her giggle and sigh into his kisses. It all felt so magical. Could it be she was under another spell? Naveen's hands moved cautiously down to her rear, and he squeezed. Tiana gasped softly, and knew that she was under a spell. Whether it was love or lust, it didn't really matter right now, especially when his hands were doing so many interesting things.
From being on her rear, they were now moving upwards. Briefly, so briefly, he brushed them over her breasts.
Tiana gasped, louder this time.
Naveen broke away from their kiss. "Ah, sorry," he grinned sheepishly while trying to catch his breath. "I am getting carried away again."
His hands had moved to the relative safety of her waist, and Tiana longed for his hands to go back where they had just been. She cupped his cheek, breathing hard herself, and said, "I don't mind."
Naveen let out a soft, low, throaty chuckle. It made her insides squirm. "I know, princess," he said, his breath hot on her skin. "But this is hardly the best place for this, no?"
In a million years Tiana never would have guessed that Naveen would be the one using common sense in a situation like this. She wondered if it was because she's never really necked with anyone before. Or maybe it was that she was addicted to his touch, his kisses, his taste. It was that spell she was under, and it was doing strange things to her mind and her body. She liked it.
Tiana took in a deep breath, willing the night air to clear her head, just a little, but Naveen was still pressed against her, so instead she breathed in him. She licked her lips, swollen from his kisses (his lips were swollen too, she was happy to report). Somewhere down the street, one of her neighbors knocked over something with a loud crash. Despite the late hour, it was followed by exclamations and laughter. It was that that finally brought Tiana to her senses.
"Mmm, I suppose there are better places for this than the front porch." At least the porch light was off, but that did little to secure their privacy from anyone who happened to walk by.
"It is getting rather late as well," Naveen said matter of factly. "I don't want you to be too tired tomorrow."
Tired? How many mornings had she woken up exhausted from working the night before? At least in this case, if she were tired tomorrow it would be from a magical evening that she didn't want to end.
Tiana wrapped her arms around his neck, and twirled some of his curls around her finger. "I don't mind that either"
Naveen groaned softly and pressed his forehead against hers. "What have I done to you?" he whispered playfully.
Tiana giggled happily as he kissed her again.
"Unfortunately for you," Naveen said, "I do mind if you are tired tomorrow."
Tiana pouted, and now it was Naveen's turn to laugh. He kissed her once more, lingering just a little longer this time. When they parted, they looked deep into each other's eyes and Naveen gave her a lopsided grin. "Goodnight, mi sitara lu'seinn," he said, stroking her cheek.
"You've called me that before. Mi sitara lu'seinn," Tiana said, repeating the phrase as best as she could, but she didn't have the knack for the pronunciation. "What does it mean?"
"Ah, it is um," Naveen paused for a moment. Was he blushing? It was hard to see in the dark. Bless him if he was. "It is just a Maldonian phrase."
"Well, I gathered that," Tiana said. She pushed back some of his curls. "But what does it mean?"
"Well, roughly translated, it means, um," Naveen laughed softly again. "My shining star."
That was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. "Oh," was all she managed to say. But she dimpled, and so did Naveen.
Their lips met in another kiss, and it was a few more minutes before they were able to say goodnight.
Tiana smiled to herself now, remembering. A pleasant feeling coursed through her stomach as she set out a measuring cup. They were going to have a long overdue cooking lesson, and she couldn't wait to see him again.
A quick spirited knock at the door let her know he had beamed and rushed to the door. Once she opened it, she couldn't help but kiss him, something Naveen happily reciprocated.
"Hello, princess. This is for you," he said, and handed her a small daisy, freshly picked by the looks of it.
Well, Tiana couldn't let that go without another kiss, a quick one this time. After all, they couldn't stand here kissing all day, no matter how much she wanted to.
Taking him by the hand, Tiana led Naveen back to the kitchen.
"Feeling tired today, princess?" he asked, teasingly.
When Tiana turned to glare at him, he winked at her. Damn him. "I've never felt more awake, thank you very much," she replied. Tiana filled a small jar with water for her flower, and placed it on the windowsill. It somehow it made the whole room seem friendlier, happier. But maybe that was in part due to knowing who had given it to her.
"So," she said, turning back to him, "are you ready for your first official cooking lesson?"
"You mean mincing up mushrooms in the bayou doesn't count?" Naveen asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
Tiana rolled her eyes, but smiled. "We will be using actual cookware and a stove today, so I think it's a far improvement than the bayou."
"Alright, chef," Naveen said, surveying all that she had set out on the table for him. "What are we going to be making today?"
"You are going to make jambalaya."
"Jambalaya?" It sounded more like music than food, but then again that's what food was in Tiana's hands. Naveen shifted slightly, growing nervous that he wouldn't meet her expectations. There were a lot of ingredients too. "It sounds complicated."
"It's not," Tiana said. "Trust me."
"I do."
She smiled at him again and helped him tie an apron around his waist after he washed his hands. "Alright, so the first thing we need to do," Tiana said, "is to prep the vegetables. We'll be starting with the holy trinity. Do you remember what that is?"
Naveen pursed his lips in thought. Tiana had briefly explained once that there were three vegetables that made up the base of almost every traditional New Orleans recipe. Everyone called them the holy trinity. "Onions, bell pepper and… celery?"
"That's right." Tiana placed an onion on the cutting board in front of him. "I'm going to guess you've never chopped up an onion before."
"You would be correct." Naveen eyed the onion suspiciously. With it's paper skin it hardly looked appetizing. Though none of the other ingredients laid out looked particularly appealing by themselves.
Before they started Tiana patiently showed him how to hold a knife properly. It felt funny in his hand, big and cumbersome. And sharp. He thought he could feel the scars on his hand throb briefly. But if Tiana said this was the way to do it properly, then this is how he would do it.
Tiana then had him cut the stem off, and then slice the whole onion in half leaving the root intact. He peeled the paper skin off and then made a series of (albeit sloppy) horizontal cuts towards the root. Then, as directed, he then made a few vertical cuts pointing the tip of the knife toward the root, trying to make the cuts as close to the root as possible without cutting through. Finally, he was able to make perpendicular slices.
To Naveen's amazement, diced pieces appeared on the cutting board. "Achidanza!" Naveen exclaimed, grinning widely at Tiana. "Look at that!"
"Great job!" Tiana said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Think you can do the other half by yourself?"
Naveen nodded and blinked hard, fighting back… tears? Was he crying? He laughed a little to himself. Sure it felt great to actually do something productive like this, but he was well beyond the stage where he needed to cry over it.
The more he cut, the worse his tears became. They were stinging now, too. What the hell? Feeling very silly about the whole thing, Naveen quickly wiped his eyes with his hands, not realizing they were covered in the onion juice.
"Fukza!" Naveen screamed. The pain and stinging in his eyes was suddenly unbearable
"Naveen?! What is it?" Tiana exclaimed.
With his eyes shut tight, he couldn't see the deeply concerned look on her face, but he felt her strong hand guide him and lean him over while he shouted in pain. Naveen was positive that he was never going to be able to see again, and that only seemed to make everything worse.
"Relax, Naveen. Everything is going to be fine," Tiana said, her tone lighter than he thought the situation called for. In fact… was she laughing at him? How could she when he had just lost his sight forever? He'd never be able to see her beautiful face again and she was laughing at him?
Naveen felt blissfully cold water splashed over his eyes, and his pain lessened slightly. He finally realized she had him bent over the sink.
"There now," she said calmly, gently splashing more water over his eyes. "You're gonna be just fine." Tiana had a hand cupped around the back of his neck and she was rubbing it slightly.
Naveen was still breathing heavily but the pain was almost gone now. Still, he was afraid to open his eyes. "What-?" he started.
"I'm sorry, I should have warned you," Tiana said. "Onions have a… substance? Or a chemical, I guess, that irritates our eyes and makes us cry. It didn't even cross my mind that you wouldn't know that." He felt her kiss his cheek softly.
There was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it," Tiana said. "Here." She put a wet washcloth in his hands, and kissed him once more. "Cover your eyes with this."
Naveen did as he was told, feeling all kinds of foolish. After a few minutes, he carefully took away the washcloth and opened his eyes. They felt raw and dry, but somehow, miraculously he could see. Tiana had been right. How many different ways could he embarrass himself in front of his wife? Well, here was one more for the list.
He looked at his reflection in one of the spoons laid out, and saw that his eyes were completely bloodshot. Great.
When Tiana came back into the room, Naveen was trying to think of some sort of quip he could say to diffuse his embarrassment, but the look on Tiana's face made him rethink that decision. She didn't seem upset, but focused intently on something she was holding. Definitely not in the mood for a joke.
"Who was at the door?" Naveen asked.
Tiana glanced up at him. "It was the mailman," she answered. "He brought you a letter. I… I think it's from your parents."
Tiana held up the letter in her hands, and even from across the room Naveen recognized Baba's neat and careful handwriting.
His heart rate speed up exponentially, and his stomach dropped. Here was everything they had been waiting for, ever since they had first returned from the bayou. Inside this letter would direct them towards their next steps, and could possibly determine the fate of their entire marriage.
'Stop being so dramatic,' Naveen thought as he took a seat at the kitchen table, the cooking lesson forgotten for now. But no matter what he told himself, that didn't change the fact that his parents held a lot of power over his life and what he wanted to do with it.
As he opened the letter, Tiana found herself start to tremble. Finding this ridiculous, though not being able to stop, Tiana sat down across from him, all the while not taking her eyes off of his face while he read.
Naveen's expression had been apprehensive when he started to read, and as he continued, she watched it change until it finally settled on something she'd never seen on his face before. Tiana couldn't quite place it, but whatever he was feeling right now, it didn't look good.
"What does it say?" Tiana asked, finally, too curious to keep it in any longer, yet at the same time dreading the answer she needed to hear.
Naveen sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It says…" he sighed again. "It doesn't say anything."
Tiana's jaw clenched tight. She couldn't believe this. After all they had been through together he didn't want to tell her what was in the letter? After all they meant to each other, he didn't trust her? "Naveen," Tiana said firmly. "You have to tell me."
"I told you, it doesn't say anything," Naveen replied, trying to fold the letter up again but his hands were shaking too much to stick it back in the envelope. Shaking either from fear or anger, Tiana couldn't tell, and right now she didn't care. "I will take care of it, don't worry."
"Oh so there's something to take care of in there?" Tiana asked. She wanted to grab the letter from his hands and just read it herself, but even sitting across from him she could see that it wasn't written in English. Tiana doubted she could reasonable translate it from Maldonian, given that she only knew a few basic words and pet names.
"Please don't worry about it," Naveen said. "I said I will take care of it."
"Do you not know me at all?" Tiana replied, her temper finally exploding. "You know that I have been thinking about what they would say ever since we turned human again! So you think that, now that you actually know what they said, I'll suddenly forget? That it somehow doesn't matter to me anymore what they think about me or the fact that we're married?"
There was a tightness in Naveen's expression, but he wouldn't meet her eyes.
"God damn it, Naveen!" Tiana continued. "I am your wife! If you can't tell me what it says, then-"
"They want me to go back!" Naveen interrupted, finally looking at her, his eyes were furious. "Are you happy now? Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Tiana could still feel the anger swarming through her, her pulse pounding fast. But his answer left her speechless.
"They think this is all some sort of game," Naveen continued, tossing the letter across the table to her with more force than it needed. Not that she could read it anyway. "They think that I am doing this to get back at them for cutting me off!"
Tiana's thoughts were so jumbled, she didn't know what to think. She could only stare at the letter in front of her, written in a language she had never even heard of a few months ago. How could something so simple as a letter basically destroy everything she had grown to love? "And now they want you to go back."
"They even sent me a ticket." Naveen gestured towards the letter.
Her own hands were shaking now, but Tiana managed to open it to find a first class ticket to the next ocean liner to Maldonia. It was due to leave in a few days. "Oh god," she whispered, almost to herself.
"I'm not going, though," Naveen said.
Tiana blinked, finally coming back to her senses and reality. "You're not?"
"No! Of course not!" Naveen reached over and squeezed Tiana's hand so tight it started to hurt, but she was glad for it and clung to him just as hard. She still hadn't quite comprehended everything, but the thought… just the thought of him leaving was too much to bear.
"I'm never going to leave you. Ever." Naveen then ripped up the ticket into tiny pieces. He gently pulled Tiana to his side of the table and guided her into his lap, where he held her tight.
"What do we do now?" Tiana asked, feeling empty inside.
"I will write them back and explain everything. Better this time." He was stroking her hair now, and his touch made her want to weep. "I will make them understand. And they will. They have to."
"It's hopeless, isn't it?"
"What? You're giving up already?" Naveen was giving her a playful smile, but she could tell that it was forced. "That's not like you, Tiana. Where is that stubborn streak when we actually need it?"
To Tiana's surprise, her lips started to tremble a little, and a soft whimper managed to escape.
"Aw, darling. I'm sorry. Come here." Naveen pulled her in for another tight hug, pressing a kiss to her temple while he rocked her gently.
"They hate me," Tiana cried softly.
"They don't hate you. They haven't even met you."
"That doesn't matter, they hate me all the same." Tiana sniffed. "There's nothing I can do that will make me good enough for you."
"Tiana, no." Naveen gently cupped her face in his hands and gently smoothed back her curls. "I promise you, this has nothing to do with you."
Tiana frowned. "I think it has something to do with me." She was the one he had married after all, how could it not have something to do with her?
Naveen cringed. "That is not what I meant." He tucked a curl behind her ear. "What I mean is, that they are angry with me. At least, that is what it sounds like. I think they would have acted the same no matter who I married. Not that I want to marry anyone else," Naveen added quickly.
Tiana rested her head on his shoulder. She wished that things could go back to how they had been last night, when they had been so happy, and so blissfully unaware that this letter was coming their way. But Tiana knew that you couldn't get anything done by just wishing for it.
Still, she wondered - could they ever get back to that happy place again?
"So you'll write another letter?" Tiana asked, absentmindedly fiddling with his tie.
"Yes." Naveen took a deep breath and sighed. "I don't have the slightest clue of what to say, though."
"I'll help you."
Naveen leaned down and pressed his lips softly against her dimple. "Thank you, love."
Tiana gave him a small smile, it felt like her first smile in ages. "I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier."
Naveen chuckled. "I am sorry too. Let's kiss and make up."
The kiss itself was short, but it did make Tiana feel a lot better.
She sighed, and reluctantly stood. "I'll get some paper and a pencil. We might as well start on that letter now."
"What? Now?" Naveen asked. "What about the jambalaya?"
Tiana placed a hand to her forehead. "Oh gosh, I completely forgot." They had promised Eudora that there would be dinner ready by the time she got home, too. There was still plenty of time, but they couldn't dilly dally.
"Alright, I guess we'll finish with that first, and then we'll start the letter. Luckily it doesn't take too long to get everything in the pot. Unless you want to cry over the other half of that onion?" Tiana tentatively ventured, testing the air between them with a slight tease.
Naveen smirked, and Tiana knew it was alright. "Hey, I didn't know!"
She kissed him softly. "I know. Try this, it should help." Tiana opened the breadbox and took out a slice of bread. She tore off a small piece and handed it to Naveen. "Put this between your front teeth."
Naveen was looking at her like she was crazy, but he took the bread anyway. "This really helps with onions?"
"I know. It's ridiculous, but it really does help. Trust me."
"I do."