Secret Marriage

newly weds, old friends

"I am her husband. What will you do now?" Mayukh said confidently.

Everyone stood in shock as Nikita looked down, unable to digest her fate.
"You rich spoilt bastard." Her aunt tried to slap him but was stopped as Mayukh held her hand and pushed her away.
"Don't you dare. You heard yourself. Rich and spoilt. Don't make me make life difficult for you."

"You promised the girl to me Meenakshi." The old man said, "Keep your word."
Her aunt, Meenakshi, looked helpless as Nikita now had been adorned by a sindoor from Mayukh, she couldn't do anything.
"I... I can't... He married her."
"Well then forget my investment in your company. Goodbye." The old man said and walked off.

An angry Meenakshi came to Nikita and slapped her again. "You spoilt slut. You saw any man and you ran to him."
"How dare you talk about her like that?! she's your niece." Mayukh said, pulling Nikita towards him.
"She is not my niece, she's a burden on me."
"Why is she with you then?"
"Because her hopeless parents wanted me to take care of her whilst they were on that stupid meditation they do."
"And you decided to sell her off to a man twice her age for an investment."
"You don't need to know this. Take this wreck woman away from me. She's already lost me 4 lakhs." Her aunt said and walked off with her men, leaving Nikita alone with Mayukh.

Mayukh POV:

A huge silence followed. I don't know what I just did and why I did it. I married someone. I am married. All I did was come for a walk. I turned to see Nikita walking away into the darkness. Shocked, I ran behind her and held her hand.

"What are you doing?" I asked with concern, "Where are you going?"
"I don't know, to the station." She replied looking down. It hurt me to see how much she's gone through. Her screams were ringing in my ears.
"In this state?" I asked.
Her saree was a mess, her face was filled with dry and fresh tears. Her lipstick was smudged and her lips had dried blood on the side, her bangles were broken and had scratched her skin, making her skin bleed too. But I could only focus on her sindoor on her head. The sindoor that tied me to her.
"I'll... I'll manage." She said and started to walk away. I pulled her back and took out my phone.
"There's no need to manage. Come with me to my house. Rest there and then go from there." I said, trying to call a cab.
"N...No..." She said and tried to argue, "I've already ruined your life, I don't want to ruin it more."
"Listen, do what I say. Okay don't come home but at least come to the hotel I'm at. I'm staying with my friends, I'll get you a room of your own and some clothes. We'll see what to do from there." I tried to explain. It's not safe for her to just walk away and I couldn't let her leave.

Thankfully she nodded and we started walking to the hotel. I looked at her, she was clearly traumatized. I tried to make conversation and stay close to her so she doesn't get scared.

"How did you end up here?" I asked.
She didn't look at me and answered, "My parents were heading off to a vipsana, a 9 day meditation, and they wanted me to stay with my aunt. My aunt had been cut off from the family but mom never cut her off."
"Oh.... I'll make sure she faces charges. Don't worry." I reassured her.
She nodded and continued walking with me.
"So, you're from Kolkata?"
"No, Indore. I'm Marathi."
"Then how are you here?"
"My aunt married a bengali, she lives here."
"Makes sense.... It might be weird but I feel like I've seen you before."
"I don't know."
"Which school did you study in?"
"DHS, Mumbai."
My eyes shot up! That's Nikita! In school she was one of my closest friends. Her personality had all my friends interested in getting to know her, including me."
You had a thing for her too, Mayukh.
No. I didn't.
Sure.
"Me too! I told you that time that KKR will lift their third cup!" I smiled and looked at her.
She looked up at me and the face to realization was evident on her face.
"Oh my God. You?"
"Yes me!" I smiled slightly, "You look different."
She chuckled slowly.
She wasn't able to laugh...

The rest of the journey was quiet. We reached the hotel and I booked her another room and we went inside.

"Thank you." She said.
By now, the realization had hit me that I unwillingly married someone and I was partially annoyed.
"Umm you want to have dinner?" she asked, putting two plates out.
"I have only put the sindoor in your maang to save you from them. You're not my wife." I said, looking clearly at her.
She looked down and nodded, "I'm sorry. I just thought, to eat."
"I'm not hungry. You eat and sleep and dress your wounds. Goodnight." I said, looked at her and walked out of the room.

I told her to keep my number handy and informed the hotel lady that she had been through something traumatic and to give her extra clothes and take care of her and that I'll be back in the morning.

I reached my room and fell asleep beside my friends, who were unaware of everything that just happened to me.

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