Arranged Marriage ✓

Chapter - Twenty-Three.

Four weeks later.

[Nishita]

Nabiha wiped a tear that fell down her cheeks as she heard Major Samar Anand drive his bike away and say,

“Teri aankhon ki namkeen mastiyan,

Teri hansi ki beparwaah gustakhiyaan,

Teri zulfon ki leharaati angdaiyaan,

Nahi bhoolunga main
Jab tak hai jaan, jab tak hai jaan...

Tera haath se haath chhodna,

Tera saayon se rukh modna,

Tera palat ke phir na dekhna,

Nahin maaf karunga main
Jab tak hai jaan, jab tak hai jaan...

Baarishon mein bedhadak tere naachne se,

Baat baat pe bewajah tere roothne se,
Chhoti chhoti teri bachkani badmashiyon se,

Mohabbat karunga main
Jab tak hai jaan, jab tak hai jaan...

Tere jhoothe kasme vaadon se,

Tere jalte sulagte khwabon se,

Teri be-reham duaaon se,

Nafrat karunga main
Jab tak hai jaan, jab tak hai jaan...”

“This movie is certainly something. Gets me crying every time, I watch”, I told her and moved to see Khushi who had fallen in deep slumber. “I know, right?”, came Nabiha’s reply as she shut down the laptop.

“Khush! Get your arse up, I’m leaving,” I said. She woke up in a jolt. “Why so soon, man? Stay a little longer, nah!”, she nagged.

“We just spent our last night together, and in less than five days she gets married to the person who has been our crush since six good years. Is it believable?”, Nabiha scoffed.

Last night, I was supposed to have a night-shift at the hospital but for some reasons they cancelled so we three made up a plan that I would stay at Nabiha and Khushi’s apartment, watch movies and talk.

And now here I was, walking out of my second home single. And the next time I’ll be coming here, I’d be married. Funny, how my parents thought this marriage will actually work. Funny, how this so-called thing called ‘marriage’, is just a deal. A deal with my best friend and her boyfriend who is going to be my soon to be husband.

And within seven months, I would be out of it, this shit. I would probably be left alone... well, I don’t want to think about it as of now. I barely have enough time to spend as I want to and then, I’ll be captive by my very own parents, ha!

“Guys, c’mon! I’m leaving”, I said, fidgeting with my engagement ring. “Yes you are. But not forever, idiot”, Khushi yawned. I broke into a small smile, maybe... maybe not? “Exactly, and you’re acting like that”, Nabiha huffed, “Cut the act”. “Yeah, drop it. You anyways have to come to us, this or that way”, Khushi teased.

“I know, right?”, I said, slipping my both hands on their necks. “Hey, please don’t make me cry. You know, how easily I break down, don’t you?!”, Nabiha forbade and Khushi laughed, “Woman”, and then a sharp breath in, “we’re so gonna miss you”. “So fucking much”, I said.

And that, is where I broke down. “Shh, don’t cry”, Nabiha said, her voice cracking. Khushi rubbed my back. “When your all this shit will be over I, you and Nabi we three will go on a vacation” she said. “Yeah, we indeed need one.”, Nabiha agreed. “Definitely”, I bit my lip.

We parted away and I took my bag and bid bye to them. “You sure, you don’t want us to go down with you, right?”, Nabiha asked. And I shook my head. “Call us, if you need something. And uh, see you on your haldi, baby!”, she teased. I rolled eyes.

The lift from Nabiha and Khushi’s apartment took me to the parking area. I sighed and weakly smiled as my eyes fell on Darshan, who was leaning back against his car and had been waiting for me. “Hey”, I greeted. “You took forever to come”, he said and I grinned, “What took you so long, though?”. “My friends”, I replied. “Oh”.

“Come, let’s go.”, I approached. “Yeah, we should.”, he agreed. I opened the door of his car and sat. He began to drive. “So, this is the last time you meet me and your friends, before we walk down the aisle?”, He asked. “Mhm”, I nodded.

“You cried, right?”, he said, biting his tongue to hide his smile. Okay, I knew this trick. “Yes. Because I’m getting married.”, I said, he nodded. “Any word to Anita?”, I asked. “She’s been avoiding me, lately”, he said. “Me too.”, I agreed.

“Any idea, why?”, I asked. “It’s not exactly rocket science, is it? She’s obviously not liking it. Even though, it was her idea... to get us married”, he replied.

Darshan and I talked literally every day for the last month. We even got to know a lot about each other. In between this, my favourite moment was the our first date after engagement.

“Hey!”, he snapped, “Are you thinking of somethin’?”, he asked. “Uh, no, maybe”, I said. He took my hand from my lap, and gave it a little squeeze. “We’ll be fine”, he murmured. I hoped so. I smiled. Will we ever be fine? Is there even a ‘we’?

“D’ya know why I call you brownie?”, He asked. Definitely, I knew. “Because, I loved and still love brownies”, I casually said. He smiled and said, “No”. What? “I call you brownie because, I love your chocolate brown hair and dark brown eyes”. Hm, smooth. Well, that caused my lips twitch into a smile.

But it faded away soon for the headache I had. I held my head and Darshan saw it. “What happened?”, he asked, concerned. “Nothing, just the headache. Migraine, you know.”, I told him.

“Um, no one’s at home now so shall we go to my place you can have coffee and catch some sleep?”, he offered. “Uh, no. I’m fine”, I said. He gave me a look. “You know, I so will not listen to you”, he said and he drove off to his place, taking a U-turn.