A GIRL LIKE YOU

16

Ansh stared at my face after my wierd question outburst.
"I know as his best friend I should be helping him run away to be with the love of his life but the truth is that, Meera is not the one. I know he is going to come back heart broken because of her. I would be there for him then. But I refuse to be a part of what he did. He hurt so many people for a girl who doesn't even love him. I know she doesn't. I am sorry Kiara."
"You couldn't talk sense into him. Its not your fault." I said and pulled him up so he settled beside me on the bed still holding my hands.
"It is my fault." He whispered.
"What?"
"I knew you didn't want to get married to him. You asked me to tell you a reason to break it off all those months ago. I should've told you something. God, I should've. This wouldn't be happening."
He is feeling guilty. I want to tell him to not feel responsible for what happened. I want to hug him and tell him that I am not heart broken (I'm relieved), just worried about my parents and their reactions. But before I could say anything the door of my room swung open loudly.
Aaliyah came running inside. She shouldn't be running. I stood up and so did Ansh.
"Oh my god Kiara. I am so sorry. Is it true? Aarav left. What happened?" She blabbered on looking at me and Ansh.
"Its chaos down there. I think your dad is sick. He fainted when someone told him."
I couldn't hear anything else. The blood rushed to my ears. I ran out the door as fast as I could. I need to see dad. I need to. God, this can't be happening. Not because of a stupid asshole like Aarav. I felt Ansh and Aaliyah ran behind me as I made my way out in the open.
"Dad!" I called out as soon as I rounded the corner and saw my dad on a bench in the lawn, surrounded by a few relatives and mom, drinking water. Thank god he is okay.
As soon as everybody spotted me, the murmuring began. I'm the bride. I'm not supposed be out in the open. Well shit, because I don't give a flying fuck anymore. I ignored the voices.
I reached my dad and crouched down on my knees which was so difficult with my dress, but I did it anyway.
"Are you okay?" I asked looking up at him. My heartbeat slowed down a little when someone from the crowd behind me said, "He is now."
That's when I noticed that my dad is not looking at me. He is looking any where but at me. He came to my room earlier when I was getting ready and said all the nice things and hugged me. And I even shed a tear or two, because I love him to bits and I'll miss him. But right now, he is avoiding me and that hurts. I could think that he is just feeling sorry for me or guilty for choosing a guy like Aarav. But I know that expression on his face. I fucking know it. I've seen it so many times. He is disappointed in me. But why? What did I do?
Before I could say anything, I felt hands on my arms lifting me up. I looked over my shoulder to find mom. She is angry. Every facial feature of hers is shouting rage. But why is it directed towards me and not Aarav's parents?
"Come with me." She seethed and tugged on my arm forcefully as she forced me to follow her out of the lawn and the first room in the hall.
"What are you doing?!" She shouted as she released my hand and I rubbed the spot.
"What?" I whispered.
"Why were you out there? Are you stupid?"
"I was there because of dad."
"Now everybody knows. Everybody knows that you just got stood up at your wedding."
"So what? It's the truth. Am I supposed to be ashamed of it?"
"We would've found Aarav."
"And what do you think mom, I'll marry him after what he did."
"You could at least show some emotions, some hurt."
"I'm not hurt mom. I'm just pissed off. I don't give a crap about Aarav. I only care about you."
"Oh, do you?"
My mouth hung open. I can't believe we are having this conversation right know. I can't believe my mom is taking out her frustration at me. I can't believe it.
"What do you mean?" I croaked. I am on the verge of spilling the tears in my eyes. I'm on the verge of shouting and slapping my mom. I'm on the verge of fucking killing someone, literally.

"I am sure it's your doing. Look at you. You can't even pretend to be sad that you just became a joke in front of everybody. You can't pretend because I'm sure you did it. You made him run away. You must've said something that run him off. You must've told him about your wild past. Is that what your plan was all along?"
She is blaming me. I could pin all of it on the fact that she is angry and she is upset. But the big part of me knows, it's not just about that. It's about the trust I lost 6 years ago. She would never trust me again. And this realisation hit me so hard that I couldn't form words as the tears ran freely down my cheeks and I stared at my mom.
"You must be thinking that we'll pity you and let you do whatever you want to do after this. Because of course, who would marry you after this?"
She thinks I'm capable of such thinking. She continued, "But no, Kiara, we know your games. Your inability to show any remorse tells me that you did this. You are a little bitch who always mess things up. But I want to know what you did this time? Tell me. What did you do?"
A sob broke out and I couldn't control it. I couldn't breath. I wanted to sink down and cry my eyes out. My mom and dad still don't trust me. And here I was thinking that marrying a guy like Aarav, or pretending to be a good girl for all these years would tell them that how much I love them. That how much I regret doing what I did years ago. How much I want them to accept me, love me, and forgive me and trust me again.
I felt rough hands on my forearms. I looked up from the ground to my mom's venomous eyes.
"Don't show me your fucking tears. Just tell me what did you do? How did you make him run off." She shook me hard and I cried a little harder because I don't know what to say. How to make her believe that it's really not my fault this time. She would never trust me. Never.
"What did you do?!" She shouted again.

...