"You shouldn't have done that." Anirudh said for third time. Amar didn't seem to listen. He was lost in thought. Anirudh literally shook him to get his attention. "Are you listening? I said you shouldn't have done that."
"What did you expect me to do? Tie her up and take her to her family? You saw how they treated her. And I can't marry a girl whose heart lies with someone else. I did the right thing." Amar almost yelled.
"Anna, calm down. I pity her too. She didn't deserve to be treated that way. What I meant was that we, of all people, shouldn't have helped her. We should have asked her to hide somewhere else." Anirudh tried to explain.
"It was our duty. Every human being has a right to marry the person he/she likes. We just safeguarded her right as responsible Indian citizens." Amar emphasized the last part.
"How exactly are we going to explain that to Amma? Do you know what happens when she gets to know the truth? She will get us killed." Anirudh pointed out the actual problem.
Amar was startled. "I didn't think about that. What shall we do now?"
Anirudh spoke after thinking for a while."I have an idea. No one knows where we have been to. So let's go back home and act normal. Let's have supper, go to bed and wait for the news to reach our family from Lasya's family. After hearing the news let's pretend to be shocked. Okay?"
"But lying to our family is not done. It doesn't feel right."
"Anna, we are not lying. We are just hiding the truth. She would have run away with or without our help. We just made it easier. That's it." Anirudh concluded.
"I think you are right. None of this is our fault. So, let this be a secret forever." And they left for home.
--***--
Vennela kept looking at a crying Nanditha. She didn't know how to console her. Meenakshi was saying words of comfort to her but she was in no mood to listen to her. Shruthi was trying to contact Lasya's friends to inquire her whereabouts. Ragini, who sat on the floor, seemed restless. It was she who caused a diversion in the living room so that Lasya can escape from backdoor.She closed her eyes and started praying to Lord Hanuman 'Please don't let anyone know that I helped her.'
"Vennela! Come with me." Vidya held her arm and took her out of the room.
"What happened aunty?"
Aunt Vidya didn't answer. She took her to the backyard and asked her, "Where is Lasya?"
"Aunty, what are you saying? How would I know?"
"Don't lie to me. I saw you give her money this afternoon. I would have stopped you if I had known the reason." Vidya sounded angry.
It then occurred to Vennela why Lasya was so particular about money in cash.
"I didn't know what she was up to. She said she was dissatisfied with the hair stylist and wanted to hire another hairdresser who demanded 25K in cash." Vennela struggled to explain.
"Have you lost it Vennela? Who pays 25K to a hairdresser? Didn't you find it suspicious that she asked you when she could have asked her mother." Vidya scolded her.
"She said her mother refused to give her money." Now that she thought over it again, she understood how dumb the reason was.
"What have you done! I know you didn't do it intentionally. But no one will believe you."
"Aunty please don't tell--" Before Vennela could complete the sentence Meenakshi came out of nowhere, grabbed her arm and dragged her inside. "Nanditha vadina, this idiot provided financial assistance to Lasya for running away", she said pointing at Vennela. "She has given her twenty five thousand rupees this afternoon."
YOU ARE READING
The Friendzoned Husband
Romans"Are you trying to tell me that she may never accept you as her husband?" asked a furious Anirudh. Amar chuckled at his cousin's anger and answered "It's not her fault. Your mother, my beloved aunt, forced her into marrying me. Remember?" "Forced we...
