Silver Lining | Grooms #3

I. The Engagement

-A Month Ago-

Esha started to walk out of the party hall dressed in her engagement outfit, turning a deaf ear to everyone who attempted to stop her, to talk to her, to make her understand, to get her to not do this.

The guy she was supposed to get engaged to caught up to her, holding her wrist and cutting her path, forcing her to stop from leaving. "Esha, don't do this. You're overreacting."

She scoffed, jerking her hand out of his hold. "I am overreacting? Himanshu, your mother keeps talking crap about me, about my family, and you're the one just standing there. If you can't be man enough to take a stand for someone you're getting engaged to, then I don't need to be with you. I have enough self-respect to walk away."

The said mother commented from behind them, adding gasoline to the fire, "Lo, what else can we expect? Now a girl wants to pick flaws in my son for being obedient and respectful? Is this the manners your parents have taught you? Not respecting your elders... if my son did not like you...!"

Esha's eyes turned stone-cold, angry as she whipped around to face her. "Listen, Aunty, you are not doing me any favor, alright? I am who I am and I make no apologies for that. And yes, this is what my sister has taught me - to not stand by and let just any wannabe person disrespect me or my family."

Her mother chose that moment to speak up, "Esha, enough now. Quiet. You shouldn't argue with..."

Esha argued, "No, mom. Why should I stay silent? Just because of the whole ladki walon thing and so we should listen to every nonsense they say simply because they are groom's side?" She turned to Himanshu's mother, "And aunty, just because my parents are divorced does not give you the right to judge me or taunt my parents for their upbringing, however it may have been."

Himanshu tried again to get through to her, "Esha, c'mon. You know that's not what mom meant. She was just saying..."

Esha cut him off, "I know exactly what she meant, Ansh. And that's not even the issue. The thing is, there is no way I am going to spend the rest of my life with someone who has a problem with my nature." She pulled her ring off her finger and taking his hand, held it up to place the ring in his palm. "Find someone who'll quietly listen to every taunt your mother will send her way and be the adarsh bahu she wants because that will not be me."

"Esha, I love you. Don't..."

Esha smiled, shaking her head and telling him otherwise. "No, Himanshu. If you loved me... well, let's just say things wouldn't have come to this point in the first place." She pulled her hand back, smiling again but this time genuinely as she was not one to hold malice in her heart for longer than a few seconds, "Good luck and good bye."

She did not mind that this was a break up, on her engagement day. Obviously, she cared about the guy for her to have agreed to get married to him. Else, growing up, she held rigid views about marriage given how her parents relationship was. It was only after her sister's marriage to Arjun that she started warming up to the idea, started to believe that love does exist in this world.

Esha did not stop until she reached the front of the hotel where the ceremony was taking place. All the while, she had heard footsteps behind her and knew there were only three possibilities of who that person could be: her sister Sanam, her brother-in-law Arjun, or her friend whom she met because he was Arjun's best friend, Parth.

Seeing her, a valet guy smiled at her and walked off to fetch her car. As he left, a voice spoke from behind her. "Are you okay?"

Esha placed a smile on her lips and turned to face her elder sister. "I'm fine, sis."