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

Her grip on the plastic handle fortifies as she looked around to detect the expected person into the crowd of hundreds of strangers. Agitated, she pulled out her phone and punched his number, hitting the call button. Chewing onto her lips and still running her eyes around, she pressed the phone to her ears, listening to the annoying rings that were churning her up.

“Hello? Mukund? Where the fuck are you?” She blasted as soon as the call got received. “I am standing here on the platform waiting for you like an idiot and there is no sign of you. Just tell me, where the hell are you?”

“Anu…baby, listen to me very carefully, okay?” Mukund quaked and her breath elevated. “I am… I am stuck at here. I…I can’t make it.” he finished with a quivering voice and Anahita missed her heartbeat. She experienced the ground shifting beneath her feet and gripped onto the suitcase tightly. “What….what do you mean?”

“I said I can’t make it. I am really sorry for that, baby.” He repeated firmly, his words loud and clear. Anger coursed in her veins and she gritted her teeth. “Are you fucking out of your mind, Mukund? I ran from my house just because you promised me to be here and you are saying that you can’t come. Is it a joke, you motherfucker!” She bellowed, earning several gasps and collective glares from the rushing passengers.

“It is my life, you fucking dog!” She cursed, angrily but her voice cracked and tears pooled in her eyes. Everyone kept ditching her and breaking her trust. She slapped a hand on her mouth to prevent the sobs, “It is my…it is my wedding today, Mukund. How…how could you do this to me?”

“Anu…baby...”

“Don’t baby me, you bastard! Do you think you can play with my life just like that? Listen to me very carefully Mr. Mukund Acharya, if you're so much just as thinking of hoodwinking me, let me make it pretty clear to you that I'll head to the police commissioner and will lodge an FIR against you. Understood?” She snarled, wading through the crowd and walked out, nimbly.

“God damn it! Anahita, will you please listen to me for once?” Mukund yelled back, without giving her a chance to counter. “I was to come to you and trust me, I'd done all the arrangements but suddenly at eleventh hour, my HOD called up a meeting. It was very important and I couldn't say no. I was informed there that I have to go to Bhopal. It was mandatory else I could've lost my job. That's why I couldn't defy, babe."

"Done feeding me lies?" She scoffed, running a hand through her hair. “I don’t believe a word you say now, Mukund! Don’t you fucking lie to me!”

“For God sake, Anu, I love you.” Mukund timidly tried to persuade her. “Why would I feed lie to you? I did this for us; if I had refused I would've lost my job.”

"And you chose that fucking job over me? Over your love even when you know what's happening here?" She retorted.

"Anu...I have not chosen anything over you. Trust me! If I lose this job how would I feed you after our marriage? How would I manage our expenses? How would I make our ends meet?" He argued, trying to sound reasonable.

"Marriage?" She sneered, blinking her tears away. "Forget about marrying me Mukund, you know it in spades that the situation is critical. I wouldn’t have agreed to elope with you, had I had any other option. Now, what? I am done doing my part and you’ve backed off. So, what should I do now?”

“Stop being a cry baby Anahita, you know whatever I'm saying is reasonable. Then why are you behaving immaturely? You can deal with it.” Mukund snapped, irritated with the blames.

"Immaturely? I'm behaving immaturely? So Mr. Mature, will you please enlighten me how should I handle it? Since my whole family would've been well aware that I ran away. What do you expect me to do? Go back to them and apologize?" She squabbled, sitting under the shade of a tree. She glared at the summer sun surreptitiously and wiped the sweat on her forehead.

“Exactly do the same!” Mukund suggested, quickly and she glared at the phone in disbelief. “Mukund, have you banged your head somewhere? What in the earth do you think you are suggesting me?"

"I'm completely in my senses Anu and I know very well what I am saying. You shouldn't stay away from your family and for that you have to go back and apologize to them."

Her forehead throbbed in pain and she closed her eyes to calmly convince him. “Mukund, they will get me married to Yuvraaj right now. If this is what you want, I suggest go and see a doctor.”

“Anahita, listen, I know it sounds hilarious but you have to deal with the situation sincerely.” He tried to sell his thought to her, “For the first thing, tell me do you really want to be with me?”

She rolled her eyes. “No. I'm standing here on the railway station with my luggage leaving everything behind, for President of America; Donald Trump. Of course, for you duffer.” Mukund chuckled at her sarcasm. “Then do as I say.”

He enlightened her of the way out but she just saw red after listening everything. The whole world started dancing before her eyes as the scorching heat of summer and her tiresome body betrayed her. She rubbed her neck and felt her throat parching due to bawling. “This idea is just as shitty as you are. How can you even ask me to do this! Are you fucking mad?”

“Anahita, stop swearing. I believe I'm gonna get deaf today if you keep cursing and yelling on me. And no I'm not mad because I know this is the only way out."

"This is wrong. It will be injustice to everyone and trust me, we'll be stuck. I know Yuvraaj and he is the worst guy of my acquaintance. You've no idea what he can do. Also it will cause serious damage to my dad's reputation. I will tarnish our prestige." She mumbled, staring at her feet. “He is not the best father but he is my father. He may not give my feelings a damn but I care for him. I am already hurting him but I can’t just overdo my sins. He doesn’t deserve this pain, Mukund.”