THE BLACKMAILED MARRIAGE

She IS GONE?!

"THE GIRL IS GONE! Aadya is gone! THE GIRL RAN AWAY! MAMA! She eloped!"

Nirmal's POV~

The news came, and my response should have been fretful, disheartened, and sad.

But on the contrary, I felt my face being shiny as gold as if fate sided with me a I felt as if I had been given a second chance, to get Anu.

Thank lord. I knew there was nothing but faux feelings between Aadya and me. It was more of self-assurance rather than self-satisfaction when I was with her!

My mind was constantly clouded with debatable arguments, from both sides, 'I love her, forget Anu' vs. 'Fake love! Fake love! Fake love!". Ugh, I don't like BTS much, but because of Anu, I still listen to them. Ahh, the joy she has on her face whenever she listens to them and grooves along with the music, I can look at it forever and listen to those songs, just for her.

The days when we shared the very same earphone and exchanged genuine pleasant times are still imprinted on my mind. I connect to lyrics more when I listen to a song, but if these songs could make me feel as if I was with her, I listened to them on repeat mode since the day I got the news, that she married HIM. Arjun.
I was so mad at them! But today changed everything. My whole belief system, I can surely say that my whole life has been a lie. Literally. I don't know what to feel anything except Meera flirting with me. Wow, till yesterday I had a fake fiancee and no other love life. but now I have a crazy girl behind me and newfound bravery to win the another girl I desire.

But I will still stay friends with Meera. I need someone to appreciate Shinchan as much as I do. At least as friends.
Hearing the loud screeches of my dad, Anu wrapped up everything and unwrapped the ropes, making my Mamu free.

As he heard the news he ran away from the room, followed by Annu.

Mamu. The word that meant the world to me, while other kids scream, "Mummy!" in trouble, the only word that left my mouth, was Mamu. I trusted him more than anything. And now that I found out that I was just a little pawn to him, I just don't know what to feel. I just want a hug. Meera looked at me with pitiful eyes. Well, I would have done that even. She hugged me out of nowhere.
It was as if she read my mind, or was I again saying my thoughts out loud?!

"Nirmal, I know that there are many things on your mind right now, but I just want to say that I will be with you, no matter what. Even if you hate me, I will be there whenever you need a hug. Ok?"

"Yea. I know. You seem like a nice person."

"Seem? I am a Saint!"

" No Saint Meera can't fit in single sentence, more like an oxymoron."

We stared at each other and dissolved into giggles.

This girl makes me laugh out of nowhere. Even in this grave situation, she had managed to keep my spirits up and about.

𝓛ⲟ𝓿ⲉ ⲁ𝓵ⲱⲁⲩ𝛓 ⲙⲁⲕⲉ𝛓 ⲩⲟ𐌵 𝛓ⲧ𝙧ⲟⲛ𝓰
What? My mind is definitely out of its mind!

Anyway, I had to go and see what was the situation. After all, I was the linchpin joining all the components together. As I went out, I heard Anu saying something and as my feet commanded, I went close to hear it.

"Pandit Ji, it seems as if your precious bloodline has proved its worth!" she looked sarcastically at at my mamu. He looked let down, of course, he should be. He did such a thing, that I am even ashamed to say that he was my mamu whom I boasted so much about.

"I guess, Pandit Ji, it's not the blood that matters, but the person who one grows up to be. Let go of these ridiculous 'natural inequalities' and accept that we all are humans, not pawns of some caste system. After all, we all are just parts and parcels of the lord of nature. Even Lord Krsna says that we are just rented bodies on which souls live. Souls are given to us randomly, who knows, your soul may have been in a Dalit's body after all?" She looked questioning him, who surprisingly, nodded. He had tears in his eyes and had somewhat similar expressions to me. Maybe he would have had a teacher who thought him otherwise and made him believe even more in the caste system. Who knows?