"He burned the curtains of vulnerability and draped himself in his soul."
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While stay calm and focus on work was his mantra, it never worked when the conversation revolved around women.
"For goodness sake, stop pestering me! I've told you before—I don't want to get married!" he shouted, motioning for his father to leave.
With a defeated sigh, the old man walked out of the cabin and silently closed the door behind him.
Atharva slumped in his chair, running his fingers through his chestnut brown hair as a frustrated groan escaped his lips. He knew his demeanor towards his father was derogatory, but he could not control it. Hearing the same thing on repeat for five years had worn him down, and he was now filled with nothing but annoyance and fatigue.
Saxena Enterprises was the world's topmost company, widely recognized for its success in various fields. Despite being declared as the 'Ever Sexiest and Most Powerful Bachelor CEO' on every magazine list, his father wanted him to be settled already. No, he wasn't a playboy—he was barely seen with a woman, but the code of conduct of Saxena family was to marry before twenty-six and have children who would be the successors of the family business.
His family valued work-life balance, viewing a life partner as essential for both stability and personal growth.
Bullshit, nothing else. Nothing could compare to work. He had just turned twenty-eight, so he had a long way to go to become more successful and influential. If only his father could leave him in peace.
He always managed to dodge his father's proposal until now. This time, the man was more persistent than he had ever been. He was trying to coax Atharva into getting married in several ways. Photographs of beautiful women, party invitations, blind dates and whatnot, but Atharva never concerned himself with anything other than his business.
His phone buzzed on the desk, the screen lighting up. As he slid it towards him, he saw an incoming call from his father.
Oh god, why can't he just give up?
"Dad, it's not even been five minutes since you left, and you're ready to start another argument," he said through gritted teeth, his irritation evident in his attitude.
"I have sent the picture of the girl I was talking about earlier today. Maria will bring it to you," his dad insisted.
"I don't want to see any girl. I am not getting married. Leave me alone, please?"
There was a moment of silence from the other end before his father asked, "Son, are you gay?" Atharva nearly choked on his saliva. Not getting any answer, his father continued, carefully choosing his words. "I have never seen you with girls, and your mother thought—"
Atharva shivered at his father's words, and his grip around the phone tightened as painful memories rushed to his head, evoking a storm inside him.
"I will call you later," he said with a hitch in his voice.
His shoulders hunched as if the world had given up on him. He took deep breaths to rid himself of the nightmares that plagued him at every moment of his existence.
No, no, no... fear nothing. He chanted in his head, but it did not work.
Everything danced before his eyes, mocking him and pulling him into the abyss of darkness. His jaw clenched, and another violent tremor racked his body. With shaky hands, he opened the drawer and fumbled for his medicine. Finally finding the bottle, he quickly gulped down a pill. Relief flooded through him when the storm hushed to silence.
Having suffered enough, he buried those thoughts deep within himself and focused on his laptop screen to read the presentation emailed by the design team.
A knock on the door made him raise his gaze. The receptionist, the only female in his office, walked in with a polite smile. Maria was a valuable employee in her late forties.
Atharva nodded at her as she placed a brown envelope on his table.
"Mr. Saxena sent this for you." Her voice had a teasing undertone, knowing full well what it contained.
He groaned internally but gave her a gentle smile in return. "Thank you."
"I know you don't want to get married, but what about a girlfriend? You're old enough to be in a relationship." Although he was her boss, Maria did not regard him as such. She loved him dearly and treated him as her child. And he didn't mind—at least there was one person who truly cared for him after his father.
"It's complicated," he answered vaguely.
She nodded and left without asking any more. She should have known better after repeating the same question for several years and getting nothing.
Nobody ever tried to understand him, his reasons. He couldn't open up. It wasn't easy for him, and it tore him apart.
Shaking his head, he glanced at the manila envelope neatly resting on his table. He had never opened any of those and had tucked them inside his drawer. But for how long would he be able to do this?
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