MY AVERAGE LIFE

Part 59

Shivani Pov:

 We reached and somehow I again convinced Sharath to let me go for two days,  as he was sulking a bit from the morning, and I couldn't help but feel a little guilty. But I knew this was something I had to do alone. Still, I promised him I'd be back in exactly two days, and honestly, it hurt me to see him so bothered about it.

"Two days, Sharath," I repeated softly, trying to reassure him. He just gave me this look, one that was half-annoyed and half-concerned. It made me want to drop the whole plan and just take him with me, but I knew I couldn't. Not this time.

He let out a deep sigh, his expression still unreadable. "You better be back in two days, Shivani. Not a minute later," he said, trying to sound serious, but I could hear the worry in his voice.

I smiled a little, trying to lighten the mood. "I will. I'm not going anywhere forever. It's just two days, Sharath," I said again, this time reaching out to hold his hand.

He squeezed my hand gently but didn't say anything for a few seconds. I could tell he was thinking about a million things, probably worrying more than he needed to. Typical Sharath. Always overthink when it comes to me.

"You don't trust me?" I asked playfully, trying to ease the tension.

He shook his head quickly. "It's not that. I trust you. I just don't like you being away from me. I can't help it, Shivani."

That hit me right in the heart, and I couldn't help but smile again. "I know," I said softly. "But this is something I need to do, and I promise, when I come back, I'll explain everything."

He nodded, but the sulking didn't stop. I could tell he was trying to be supportive, but at the same time, he was not happy about the situation. It was kind of cute, honestly. Here he was, this serious, strong guy, but when it came to me leaving for even a couple of days, he was like a grumpy child.

"Don't look at me like that," I teased, lightly poking his arm. "You're gonna make me feel even worse."

He raised an eyebrow. "Good. Maybe then you won't leave."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "You know I have to."

"Yeah, yeah. I know," he mumbled, still pouting a little.

I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be back before you know it. Promise."

He finally let out a small smile, though I could tell he was still sulking. "You better. Or I'll come find you," he threatened jokingly, but I knew he meant it in some way.

I laughed. "Okay, deal. If I'm not back in exactly two days, you have permission to hunt me down."

He rolled his eyes but smiled more genuinely this time. "I will."

Satisfied that I'd managed to calm him down, at least a little, I stood up, giving his hand one last squeeze. "Now, go finish your work. I'll start packing."

He watched me for a moment, still looking like he wasn't entirely happy with the situation. "Don't pack too much," he said, his voice soft but teasing. "It's only two days, remember?"

I laughed again. "Yes, sir."

As I walked out of his office room, I glanced back to see him watching me with that same worried expression. I knew this wasn't easy for him, and honestly, it wasn't easy for me either. But I had to go. I had to face my parents and get everything sorted out. For us.

Two days. I could handle two days, right? I just hoped Sharath could too.

Going to my parents' house was tough, but I knew I had to. When I finally told them about Sharath, it went exactly as I had feared. They didn't take it well at all. Immediately, they started pushing their own choices on me, urging me to marry someone they picked. I was so frustrated. I'd always been open to their opinions, ready to accept whoever they thought was good for me. But now that I had found someone I truly wanted, they weren't even trying to understand.

"Why can't you at least try to understand me for once?" I snapped, the frustration bubbling over.

But instead of listening, they shifted the blame onto Sharath. They said he was the one causing the distance between us, that he was making me change. At that moment, I was so relieved I didn't bring Sharath with me. They would've blamed him for everything, and I couldn't stand the thought of him being dragged into this mess.

That entire day was one exhausting argument after another. We went in circles, getting nowhere. The next day was no better—just the same heated conversations with no resolution in sight. I couldn't take it anymore. And the whole time, they never even asked who I was with. It was like they didn't care enough to find out.

By the afternoon, I had reached my breaking point. I had stayed quiet long enough.

" "At least you could ask with whom I am in a relationship. If I wanted to marry him this badly, there must be a reason for it. Ask me about that, but you won't. I was ready to marry whoever you say, but why can't you even try to know with whom I am in a relationship? That's it, I am done. I will not say anything anymore. And yeah, his name is Sharath Raav."i " I finally said, my voice firm. "You can Google him if you want or else leave it. But I'm only going to marry him otherwi-"

They just stared at me, shocked. I could feel another argument brewing. In my frustration, I almost said that if they didn't accept him, I'd never get married. But then, I thought about Sharath. How much he wanted to marry me, how important it was to him. I couldn't say something like that.

"There's no 'otherwise,'" I corrected myself, taking a deep breath. "Sharath is going to be my husband. I just want you to accept him."

With that, I left. I had nothing more to say. It hurt to walk away from my parents, but they didn't even care enough to know the man I wanted to marry. It made me feel awful. I never wanted to go against them, but I couldn't stay and keep fighting like this.

I had planned to stay the night and leave the next morning, but I couldn't wait anymore. All I wanted was to be back with Sharath, to just be in his arms and forget about everything else. So, I packed up my things and left that afternoon. By the time I got home, it was already around 8 p.m.

I thought I'd surprise Sharath by coming home early. But when I opened the door with my keys, I wasn't expecting to see Madhav sitting there with him. The second Sharath saw me, though, his face changed completely. He got up from the couch so fast and pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly. He buried his face in my neck, and I could feel the relief in the way he held me, like he'd been waiting for me this whole time.

I melted into him, feeling the tension from the last two days slip away.

Madhav, who had been sitting quietly, sighed loudly and stood up. "Thank God," he muttered under his breath, clearly relieved to see Sharath in a better mood.

Without another word, he quickly made his exit, leaving us alone in the apartment.

Sharath didn't say anything, and neither did I. We didn't need to. He just held me close, and I knew in that moment that no matter what happened with my parents, I was exactly where I belonged—right there in his arms.