Arranged Marriage ✓

Chapter - Thirty-three.

Nishita.

At 00: 24, I finally wiped my tears and sobbed. I had absolutely no idea from where did the jealousy come. I mean, in my entire life, I had never been jealous of anything. This feeling, it was so new to me.

Within minutes, I received a group video call from Nabiha and Khushi on our WhatsApp group. I answered the call. “Yo, hie!”, Nabiha greeted. “Hey”, Khushi said and I feebly smiled. “Oi! What’s wrong with you?”, Nabiha asked. I nodded my ducked head, “Nothing”. “Tell us!”, Khushi said.

“It’s nothing, guys”, I said. “No, it is”, said Nabiha. “It’s about Darshan, isn’t it?”, asked Khushi. Did I make it that obvious? “No”. “Yes,” Nabiha said, “now tell us!”. “Guys, it’s—”, a tear streamed down before I could complete. Why was I feeling like this?

“Nish”, gasped Khushi, “what– what happened? Did he hurt you?”. “No”, I said. Maybe, he did? “Did he hit you?”, Nabiha asked. I rolled my eyes, “No, idiot”. “Did you both fight?”, Khushi asked. “No”, I shook my head. “Then, what is it?”, they asked in unison.

“He was— He called me and we were talking, and then suddenly someone called him. That someone was Anita and… and they were watching a movie. When I asked him who it was he cut me off and said it was no one. And then, I became anxious and lied that I had some pending work, and cut the call…”, I narrated.

“But you said he was in a concert”, Khushi said, her eyes widened. “I know, he did perform the concert and even posted pictures but he was still with her… what could they be doing?”, I said. “They, as you said, were watching a movie. Did you hear anything from the tv or on whatever device they were watching it?”, Nabiha asked, biting her nail.

“No, he was… he was somewhere far away from her. She had to practically yell at him to call him”, I answered. “They could be watching Fifty Shades, too”, Nabiha joked. A small smile covered the side of my lips, as I broke into a smile. “That too is a point”, I said. “Seriously, Nabi?”, Khushi rolled her eyes. I smiled.

“Do you know where the concert was?”, she asked. “Mahabaleshwar”, I replied. “Fuck, that place is so beautiful and romantic!”, Nabiha exclaimed as she swore. “I know”, I chipped, “What should I do, now?”.

They remained silent. “Do you think they are… they have…”, Nabiha stammered. “Don’t tell me, you’re also thinking of what I am thinking about”, Khushi said. They gave me one final look and Khushi asked, “Have they ever had sex?”. “Yes,” I shut my eyes close. “Holy fuck!”, Nabiha swore, “How do you know?”. “Ani told me”, I replied.

“Nish”, Khushi’s voice rose, “do you— do you like him?”. Do I? Yes, of course. “I— I do agree that I have a crush on him and I do like him”, I said, licking my lips. “Correction: you have a huge crush on him”, Nabiha corrected. “It’s the same, isn’t it?”, Khushi said.

“Do you know if he likes you?”, Nabiha asked. Does he like me? Did he ever? “He doesn’t even bother to look at me”, I said. “Oh dear, if this isn’t why that poor guy goes to that whore”, said Nabiha. “She’s no whore and… and you can’t judge her, Nabi! Even she is or was my friend, just like you”, I rolled my eyes. 

“Shut up, you two!”, Khushi shushed us, “He never showed a sign?”, she asked. And suddenly, I remembered that we kissed, couple of times, cuddled while sleeping, hugged each other and that day when we almost made out, in the bathroom.

I told them about everything and they said nothing. “Does that mean he likes me?”, I asked. “Listen, we are no ‘love experts’, but we are your only friends so I guess…”, Nabiha paused. “He is attracted to you, physically or sexually you name it. But yeah, at least be happy that somehow he is attracted to you”, Khushi completed.

The silence took place, once again.

“So, what do we do now?”, all three of us said, in unison, “Hey, I asked first! And it’s my problem, too!”, I nagged. “Shut up, Nish”, Khushi ordered.

“Seduce him”, out of nowhere — The Nabiha Haroon spoke up. “What the fuck, Nabiha!”, I said. “Never thought I would be saying this, she has, for the first time in her entire life, a good point”, muttered Khushi. “Do you have any idea what you both are saying?”, I spoke, in disbelief.

“Unlike you, we do!”, Nabiha snapped. Ouch, that hurt. “This is the truth, and it must hurt”, Khushi added. “Fuck off, you two! Bye!”, I snapped. “Wait no, Nish!”, they said, “Listen to us!”. “What is it?”, I sternly asked.

“First of all — cut that attitude, we won’t take it. And secondly, do you remember how all the boys at the medical college were crazy about five specific girls?”, Khushi said. “Yes, but, those boys were crazy about every girl, what’s the story behind the ‘five specific girls’?”, I asked.

“Khushi, control me to break her jaw over the phone call, please!”, Nabiha said, “The top five hottest girls of our medical college and you were one of them”. “What?”, I gasped in shock, “For real?”. “For real”, they said. “OK, continue”, I told them.

“Unfortunately, your husband isn’t attracted to you romantically. So the thing is that, you have to make sure that he romanticizes feelings for you”, Nabiha said. “OK, but how will I do that?”, I asked.

“Why is she so dumb?!”, Khushi nagged. Honestly, if you asked me, I wouldn’t be able to answer that, too hehe. “We can’t tell you everything because we don’t know everything!”, Nabiha said.

“Alright, but tell me, why should I seduce him?”, I asked. Khushi had already cut the call and only Nabi and I were online. “Isn’t it too obvious? You love him!”, she said and quickly hung up, leaving me with my eyes widened. I called her and then said,

“What do you mean by I— I love him? I love Darshan? How could I? I can’t!”. “Trust me, you do”, she said. “No”, I said. “This isn’t supposed to be like this. I admit the crush but love… no—Nabi, no. It’s impossible, I can’t! He is not mine!”, I exclaimed. “Why would you want him, if he wasn’t yours and you knew it?”, she asked.

Honestly, I questioned myself the same. “I—I”, I stammered, “I love him?”. “Yes”, she said. “How? I barely know him”, I said. “I don’t know, Nish. Love— love just somehow happens. You don’t know how, you don’t when. It’s like you keep loving the person more and much more”, Nabiha said, “I think you should sleep now, it’s too late. Bye, Nish”.

She cut the call. She was right. They were right, I guess.

I was in love with him.

But was he?

I wanted him.

But did he?

I badly craved for him, knowing him for just two months, only.

Did he ever crave for me?

He was all I could think about; all day and all night, I would think about him.

Did he ever think of me, the way I did? Even if it was for once?

I knew, I was his.

But was he mine?

I knew, she was his.

But was he hers?

It doesn’t really matter, now. I will have to set him free. For him, for his happiness. Because his happiness will consist in being far away from me; free from me and this bond of marriage.

I had made my mind that, I wasn’t going to seduce him. I will just… distant myself from him. I will go away. Far away :)

Darshan’s pov in next chapter,
what say guys? 👀