Marigolds!

Just Got Punched!

"What is your secret, Ekant?"

He smirked, but those brown eyes played clueless to that question, while a cool breeze passed through his black hair, which was left uncombed for long.

There was a crowd full of vibrant minds, eagerly lending an ear to his answer. A decade back, he was also like them. Young and passionate, with a love for stories. Now, he was back at his alma mater as a guest.

"What secret? Just hard work!"

But the interviewer, Mira was not done.

"Come on! You have been so consistent for the last 4 years, releasing a book in every half of the year. Not just books but you scripted few movies as well. So, what fuels your consistency?"

It's no secret that the consistent one ends up beating the talented ones, right? There was a journey that missed spotlight. Ekant's journey from self-pity to glory.

"It's simply my fear."

Ekant crossed his legs and wiped a drop of sweat from his chiseled jaw "Now, my books are doing well. There was a time when they didn't and I just don't want to be that man again"

"You had a dream debut, I believe!"

"That's true. I debuted as a writer at the age of 21. It was successful, made me rich and that was the beginning of my doom"

"Doom, as in?"

Ekant smiled at Mira's eagerness.

"I wrote 3 more books and nobody read those. None of my manuscripts were getting picked after that. I don't blame them, as I was simply trying to make a formula or following a cliche. But rejection did not redirect me for good. I started drinking and soon, found myself useless without alcohol. My hands would tremble, lips were always dry and I just couldn't save myself anymore"

"Then how did you overcome it?"

"I broke a bone" All of them laughed at his response.

"Seriously! I really did break my left arm and I was forced into deaddiction therapy after that. Then, things changed for good"

He was honest till the therapy part, but skipped the 'plot-twist.'  Everything changed with her and everything spiraled down with her, again. He surely was not going to tell these eager minds that it wasn't passion or talent that was driving his career as a writer but a broken heart that was still bleeding. 

"Well, I am glad that you were able to find your voice back." Mira was reminded that it was time to wind up the 'meet-the-writer' session.

"Thank you for gracing this occasion, Mr. Ekant Gupta. We are really proud to have you. Also, congratulations on your wedding"

Wedding? That was news to him.

"Ah.. I have no clue about that...." He wasn't playing here.

His manager Adam signaled to just smile and play along but Ekant left the venue, pretty annoyed.

He didn't know whom to get angrier at.

Talia, his actress 'girlfriend' who was dropping hints about a wedding he never thought of or his mother who was paying tabloids to print about them.

Though the world saw them as a 'perfect couple' Ekant and the people around him knew damn very well that they were far from it.

She was his childhood friend who came to him with a broken heart and he wasn't any different either. It was in mutual interest and they used each other, hoping a certain someone would regret letting them go and would come back to him.