The Boxes We Are Put In

Chapter 15

I longingly stared at my phone as I sat leaning against the wall of Adwaith's house's terrace. The guys were busy making drinks. "Nikhil, stop staring at your phone and come have a drink, man," Sharan told me.

"She is not picking up her phone, da," I said.

"Don't worry, it will be fine," Adi said, extending me a drink.

"Well, we can't be sure. We live in a country where youngsters are burned to death as a punishment for love" Sharan added. I almost kicked Sharan. I was reminded of a classmate who was beaten up by her family just because she had a relationship with a guy. I was so worried about Arya.

"Well, someday, her parents have to know." Adi told me, "and if you are determined to pursue this relationship to the end, you need to mentally prepare yourself to face all this."

"Yes, if you are planning to marry her, you should be prepared to elope," Sharan added. I scowled at him. "What? We will all help you with that, da!"

"What 'elope' and 'marriage'?" I asked, "I turned 21 today."

I drank down the drink offered to me and dialled Arya's number again. "Hey, stop it, da... Her phone must have been confiscated or something. Don't keep trying." Sharan said. "What if her dad picks up?"

"Is it confiscated?" I asked myself. Worried.

"What if they don't let her come back to college?" Asif asked, "Usually, that is the process in extreme cases. First, beat her, then her phone confiscated, and then house arrest."

"Hey, her parents did not seem that bad," I said. Or are they??

"Well, we can't say. A girl near my house got married off within a few months after her parents found out that she has a boyfriend." Asif added.

"Hey, don't make him worry more." Adi said, "Nik, relax... We all are here for you. If there is anything wrong, we will try to help. And Arya will be okay. We don't know if she is in a bad situation or not. Let's wait till tomorrow and see. I am sure she will be in college tomorrow." He patted my shoulder.

I nodded, a bit reassured. I sipped my drink.

I had a dream. I was walking on a beach. Alone. I was happy. The sun was nice and warm, and the seawater was sparkling blue. Seabirds chirped and flew around. There was no one else on the beach other than me. Just me all alone. But I felt perfectly happy. It was so peaceful. I did not know if I have ever felt that calm and content before. I breathed the salty air in and smiled, and the wind blew on my hair

I did not want to wake up from that dream. But something woke me up. Some voices outside on the road. I sat up. It was past midnight. I felt thirsty. I went to the kitchen and drank some water. Amma and Achan had already slept. I stood in front of Arjun's room for a minute, and then I came back to my room and changed into a pyjama. I noticed my phone ringing only then. It was on silent mode. I had turned it to silent when my sleep got disturbed by the buzzing from Nikhil's calls and messages. It was him again... I almost did not pick up.

Because of the dream, I understood what was wrong with my life and this situation. To save myself from an unwanted marriage, I thought I will find myself a guy. Someone my parents can't find faults in and someone I am comfortable with.

But the truth was that that was not what I wanted. I did not want this. Another guy, however nice he is, was not the right choice. What I actually wanted was to be free. Be able to walk down a foreign country beach and not be disturbed. Not be pulled back with strings attached to any forced responsibilities or anyone.