His To Keep

Chapter 3

*AKRITI*

"Wake up Akriti" Arni said shaking her sister. It was 10 A.M. and she never slept this late, not even on weekends.

"Can I just call in sick for the day?" Akriti said rubbing her eyes open.

"You don't have to." informed her sister. "We are in London, remember?"

"Then what if I don't go back ever?" she randomly said the first thing that came into her mind. "I don't think anyone will notice that I'm gone."

"Stop talking rubbish." ordered her sister giving her the don't-talk-rubbish look.

"You know just like Mamta Maasi did." she said recalling the face of the aunt they once knew. "Marry a total stranger and settle in the land of unknowns. God I can live with an accent like theirs forever."

"Akriti Verma! What did you drink last night?" she asked her sister putting both her hands on her waist.

"I am hung-over without drinking." she said trying to recall. "My head hurts."

"No wonder you don't ever get drunk." she rolled her eyes.

"Hey stop rolling eyes at me. I can't help it." she shrugged.

"Are you going to invite her to the wedding?" Akriti asked after a while to the bride to be.

"Who?" asked Arnika.

"Mamta Maasi." she said biting her lip in nervousness, knowing how much she hated her.

"We're better off without her." snapped her sister. "And please don't mention her ever again. I don't want to even think about her."

"She'll feel bad if she finds out from a total stranger." Akriti tried convincing her sister.

"Should have thought that when she abandoned two little girls who happened to be her nieces and an elderly mother of hers for a total stranger and settle in Australia. I think she quiet deserves it." she said. She didn't want to see her face ever again. After what she had done, who would?

"I know what she did was wrong but maybe..." Akriti stopped looking at her sister's expressions.

"You're just so gullible." her sister said shaking her head. She knew Akriti has always been the over trusting kind of person who wanted to see the best in everyone. "I don't want a selfish, self-absorbed, uncaring woman on the day which is supposed to be the best day of my life. Is that okay for you?"

"Yeah I guess." she smiled. Akriti knew how important the day was to her sister and wouldn't want to mess it up for her.

"Good." her sister smiled.

"I dreamt about him again you know." she informed Arnika. It had been two days since the day she got dumped and the night she started dreaming about Rahul. It didn't make any sense. One thing that she was sure about was that she couldn't hold on to him now but her heart said otherwise.

"Wow that really is something." her sister said in astonishment.

"What am I supposed to do?" she sighed.

"Do you want to see someone about it?" her sister asked. She was worried about her sister going back into the state of trauma and she couldn't let that happen.