How to Woo Your Bride

17| Broken Ties

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."
―Albert Einstein 

Chapter 17: Broken Ties

   Madhan crept into his house at four in the morning. He and Armaan were discussing a lot of things. They were neighbors for two years, but it was only now that Madhan felt he could truly connect with Armaan. It was only now that he trusted and treated Armaan like a brother.

   It was Saturday, and Riya woke up at six. She crept into Madhan's room and into the bathroom to brush her teeth and take a quick shower. Even by the time she came out, he was still sleeping. Riya found that odd as he was always awake when she wakes up.

   Maybe yesterday's fight took a toll on him, she thought, sadly. He didn't deserve all this, but she was glad it was out in the open.

   Now she could be herself totally and Madhan would understand.

   She wore a blue salwar kameez, and kept a bindi on her face. It was time she stepped out of the house today.

   She opened the front door and walked to the postbox room. She checked the postbox to see if she got any mail, and was pleased she found one. Unlocking the box, she took out the manila envelope and locked the box again.

   She was upset when she saw the mail being addressed to Madhan but nevertheless took it inside. Curious about it's contents, she opened it and found a letter. It said,

            Congratulations Mr. Madhan Roy on getting promoted. Looking forward to meeting you on Monday as Assistant Product Manager.

An gasp escaped her lips. That was why he came home early yesterday, she inferred. She didn't give it a thought before that he came earlier than usual.

   Smiling to herself, she felt really proud of Madhan. A man like him definitely deserves that, but she was going to wait for him to tell her the news if he ever was planning to tell her.

   Carefully sticking the envelope back, she kept in on the coffee table and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. When she opened the fridge, she was dismayed to find it empty. The only thing left was milk.

   Taking out a mug, she poured milk into it and took it to the hall. She wanted to talk to her mom since the previous day.

   Riya checked the time and guessed that it would nine in the night at India. She took the landline from the handset and dialed the number.

   "Hello," Mrs. Sharma said, sleepily.

   "Hi Ma," Riya said, in a cheerful voice.

   "Riya! Beta, how are you darling? I was expecting a call yesterday. "

   "Sorry, a lot of things happened yesterday," she sighed. "We fought." Riya braced herself for the next few words.

   "I knew it was going to be hard to handle you. What have I told you about fighting? If you keep fighting like this, you're going to be husband-less. You already know I've warned you about this," she said.

   "Ma, relax. We are okay now."

   "Oh. Okay. Good. What was it about?"

   "Do I have to tell?"

   "Well, you're gonna tell me some time or the other. Why not now?"

   "You're right. He found out about Aakash," Riya said, quietly.