Social Distancing (COMPLETED)

Chapter 3

Alaric’s eyebrows rose as he read the text he got.  She just broke up with her fiancé? And now she was talking to a stranger on tinder?

Are you okay?!

He texted her; what else would he say to a message like that?

I’m perfectly fine.
I’m Happy, even.
I’m just glad that I don’t have to marry him anymore.

He was surprised she replied. He was almost sure she wasn’t going to reply for at least a week. Before he can think of what to reply, he got a text again.

Why am I texting you this?
I don’t even know you.

This made him laugh. She was the one who texted him, yet she was the one that is saying things like this. 

By all means, I’d love to listen more.
Your story definitely seems interesting.
I’m curious, why did you call off the wedding? And why are you happy he is gone?
Don’t you love him?

Nope.
I don’t love him.
It’s arranged marriage.

Arranged marriage? Is that even a thing now a day?

Amulya scoffed as she read that text. Some people just have it easy. They get to choose their life. The colour of walls in their room, the course in college they wanted to study, the person they want to marry and live the rest of their life with. They have it too easy.

You’d be surprised to know how some people live their life.

And then she realised she was being rude. He was just curious, he didn’t know about the situations in other countries. She was jealous. Why couldn’t she live like that? Like without the need to constantly fight her mother for every small decision, she made in life.

I’m sorry, that was rude.

She texted, when she didn’t get a reply. She shouldn’t have been rude.  When her phone remained silent, she put it away, and took out her text book, get get some reading done, before she gets that inevitable call from home, when Keshav called them.

Alaric stared at the blank page on the word document. It was hard to get the words out of his head, and write a story when your mind was occupied by something else. He managed to finish the first chapter on time, but he was struggling to finish the next one.

He still had time, but who knows about writing? He didn’t want his sister stressing about him, again. He knew how their publisher can get when he didn’t submit the writing on time.

Arranged marriage; that is the only thing in his mind right now. He could get this concept into his head. Why would you agree to marry someone you don’t love? Isn’t marriage supposed to be about love?

And suddenly, his mind was blank and his fingers were moving across the keyboard. He has already introduced to main characters in the first chapter of the book. And he was struggling to write the interaction between them. But now he had the perfect idea what they should talk about, sure it’s not normal that potential lovers talk about marriage in their first conversations, but it already happened to him; why not add a bit of fictional magic to it? 

Its okay, you weren’t rude.
If it’s alright with you, may I ask you a question, why did you agree to the marriage in the first place?
Couldn’t you have said no?

Amulya read the texts almost a whole hour after she received them. She didn’t notice the time move and it was already dark outside.

I had no choice.
It was either finish my studies and marry him or,
Marry him and forget about becoming a doctor.

She wasn’t sure why she was telling him this, but she needed to tell someone. She has kept it to herself for too long. And who better than a stranger than to confide in. It’s not like he knew who she was.

I’m sorry it was like that.

It wasn’t your fault.

And it was silent for a while after that. She wanted to talk some more, but she didn’t know what to say. She shook her head and tossed her phone aside. It’s not the time to talk to a stranger over the internet. She wasn’t fourteen years old.
With that thought in her head, she turned off her phone and went to bed. If she knew her parents well, tomorrow is going to be a long day.

Alaric knew he had to put an end to that conversation. He had a feeling she didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

He sighed and closed his laptop before heading to bed. The next day he was going to write the next chapter of the story. Hilary already loved the idea of the story. The part where the female lead is forced into a marriage was what caught her attention.

Morning came soon. The sun has already raised and it was a cold morning. Alaric dressed in his track suit before heading to the gym. He was hoping to find some inspiration there. He was disappointed to wake up with no notifications. He was hoping she would have texted him. But looks like he has to prepare himself for the silence that is to follow the coming weeks.

Two hours of cardio and weights after, he was ready to head home. As he was in the elevator, his phone pinged. It was a text. From her.

What do you do? Other than travelling and replying to strangers on tinder, of course.

He smiled at the text. But before he could reply the elevator doors opened in his floor. He muttered a good morning to his neighbour who was waiting for the lift. She smiled at him and left.

“Hope you are ready to face this side of me, Amy” he whispered to himself as he started to type a reply.

~*~

09.04.20