Five Weeks by Shruti Omar (any book recommendations .txt) 📕

Clenching her jaw, she dialed his number again and as he picked up, she lashed on him. “Who the fuck do you think of yourself to hang up on me? Huh? How dare you just….”

“…because I am tired of listening to this.” He snapped at her, shutting her. “I don’t want to hear about Yuvraaj, Anu. Get a drift.” She was silent as he chided, gruffly. “I thought we will talk about us. It has been days since we talked properly but all you have to say is related to Yuvraaj. I am not entertained with this ‘Tom & Jerry’ episodes of you and your fiancé. Got it?”

“I am sorry, Mukund.” She bit her tongue, “it is just I am very stressed these days. I get nightmares of getting married to him. I don’t know what…”

“Can we please, please talk about something else?” He asked, his voice was dangerously calm.

“Okay, but do you know he has threatened me just now.”

“That is your regular ranting,” Mukund huffed, “Can we pause this?”

“Okay fine,” she pouted, finally curbing her desire to complain. “I won’t talk about that asshole. He doesn’t deserve our attention.”

“You are still talking about him.” He thundered, blowing up and she jumped up. Anger sputtered in her at his casual behavior. She wanted to shout and clamor but she knew she had to get a grip on herself. She calmed herself and sighed. “Okay. I am sorry. I just hate him. But, still I won’t talk about him.”

“That is good,” he appreciated, “So, why didn’t you pick up my calls earlier?”

“I was with Yuvraaj’s mother, doing wedding shopping and do you know what he did? He checked my clothes. Isn’t it insulting? Moreover, he called my parents and lied that he was just joking. And, I still can’t believe that they want me to marry him when he treats me like shit.”

“Guess I made a mistake calling you since you have nothing to talk except Yuvraaj.” Anahita curled her palms in fists and took a sharp breath to calm her down, “Fine, what do you want me to say?”

“Great, so now you don’t have anything to talk with me.” He laughed, sarcastically. “You know what Anahita; I was mistaken to feel that you wanted to talk to me. Surely, you’ve got rather interesting stuff to think about. Fine then, I'll leave you to your musing.” His mockery pricked her soul with hundred needles, extracting as much pain as possible. She opened her mouth to cajole him but was greeted with loud, angry beeps of disconnected call. She kept her ear pressed to the phone and sighed, throwing the phone away.

She covered herself with the blanket from head to toe and flicked off the light, staring at the ceiling. “Duffer! He doesn't even want to think being in my shoes. It's all a game for him and I am dying here in anxiety.” She closed her eyes reluctantly and her phone cried at its loudest. She sprang up, picking her phone from the nightstand, gleaming as she noted the caller ID.

“What?” She chewed her inner lip, grinning inwardly as she knew that he would call her again but it was earlier than she expected.

“Let's chuck this Yuvraaj out of our life. Meet me at CCD ten sharp.” Mukund chuckled and she joined him, “I love you, Mukund.”

“I love you too, Anahita. Don't worry! I'll save you from this demon.”

“I've full faith in you.” She breathed out and blushed, “So now, I guess, your anger has dissipated. Then can we talk about us?”

“Definitely.” He sang and the night grew pubescent with their never ending discourse. They forgot about Yuvraaj together and made plans. Chuckles escaped lips, blush colored cheeks and shyness casted a glow in their eyes as they proceeded to envision a future which was beginning to collapse. Perhaps it was not the end, maybe they were meant to have a happy ending.

***

“Are you going somewhere?” Mrs. Maurya asked as Anahita hurriedly climbed down the stairs and jogged to the dining table. She grabbed an apple from the fruit basket and nodded. “I am going to meet a friend.”

“What friend?”

“Archita is going Bangalore tomorrow. So she wants to meet me, I will be back soon.” She wobbled, biting on the apple.

“Okay but have your breakfast at least.”

“Mom, we're meeting for breakfast. Now I will be hurrying up. Bye.” She hugged Mrs. Maurya and dashed out.

“You're late.” Mukund reminded her as she got closer.

“Shut up. I don't want you starting on it.” She hugged him and sat opposite to him. “Now tell me what have you planned?”

“Plan?” Mukund asked, quizzically.

“Yeah. I mean didn't you tell me last night that we are going to chuck Yuvraaj out of my life?” She confirmed and Mukund swallowed in discomfort.

“Yeah. I...I did but…” He cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact. “I don't have any plan. I mean I have a suggestion for you.”

Anahita grew alert, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “And what is this suggestion?”

“I was thinking that let's… Let's talk to Yuvraaj and try to explain him our situation.” Mukund proposed, shifting closer and Anahita nodded him to go on. “That way we don't have to do anything in haste and he will be out of our way.”

“If it had been so simple, I would have done that ‘ages’ ago.” Anahita pressed a tight smile. “The moment I will tell him about us, my dad will disown me. Yuvraaj and his family will cut all the ties with my family and dad would never forgive me for that. I don't want to ruin anything.”

“But,” Mukund fondled her hand. “Anahita, we are doing this for us and why do you care what will happen to Yuvraaj and his family. They are nothing to us.”

Anahita redeemed her hand as if scalded, “Have you lost it? He may not be anything to me but Aai Baba is precious to me as much as my parents. I can't hurt them. Why do you think I never hinted them about us? When no one cared for me, Aai supported me. Baba loves me more than his own daughter and you want me to hurt them. You are crazy.”