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

"Selfish pig!" Anahita groaned, drawing daggers at Yuvraaj who was planted on the couch, engaged in a conference call on his laptop. She whirled back to sea and stifled the urge to strangle him. She was perched upon the deck, mourning as usual. The wooden plank was becoming her partner in the hours of melancholy. She wrapped her hands around her knees, spending hours in pitying herself and cursed her husband.

"It was his tactic and I fell into his trap like always.” She blamed her innocence and pitied herself. She stared down on her feet and moped, “Swine. I was not wrong when I said I hate him. He's a heartless monster."

She retained calling him names. It had been three days and she hadn’t set her foot outside their villa except lunch and lazy wanders in night. She considered Yuvraaj heartless enough to arrange his conference in holidays. He was extremely busy working past two days and that day since she opened her eyes. He was glued to his laptop, already ordered his breakfast and leaving her suffocated within the four walls. Her last trip fascinated her so much that she wanted to enjoy but certainly Yuvraaj didn't want that.

As her calm and collected facade started to peel off, she rose to her feet and strode to him. She stood on his head, aggressively folding her arms. Noticing her, he removed his earphones and paused the conference, conferring her precious attention, “What happened?"

“I think you have no concern for other’s efforts.” She articulated, pretending to sound annoyed.

"What?"

“Aai spent so much for us and you are wasting all the money by sitting here and sticking to this laptop of yours.” She jerked her thumb at the heinous nemesis, “Why don't we go out to explore the city?”

Yuvraaj covered his smirk, wiping a hand down his face and sassed, “If we go outside, we’ll be spending more money. Practically, this is an economically lucrative situation.”

She screwed her face in derision and scoffed, “I never knew you can be so penurious. You shouldn’t have come here if you were afraid to cost a penny. This…”

Yuvraaj intervened her, sticking his index finger out and wore the earphones again, “We’ll have this conversation later.” He resumed the call and she curled her fists, stomping her feet. “Even I am not dying to talk to you later,”

She trolled back to the deck and sprinted down to the beach. Her feet sunk in the glossy sand of the beach and she grinned, making her footprints. She looked around, hugging herself and watched the couples enjoying. She was tired of walking alone and toppled on the dusted ground, watching the waves.

She heaved a long-drawn sigh and rested her hands on the sand, leaning back. She wasn’t a nomadic but rather a limerick. The fact that Yuvraaj had always been indifferent towards her pinched her more this time and she grew nervous. Her growing attachment for him would end up in causing other heartbreak and she wasn’t up for that.

On top of that, Mukund wasn’t leaving her relaxed. The increasing rates of his calls and messages vexed her so much that she blocked him. She couldn’t tolerate jabs on her self-respect and her dignity. She had no idea where her life was leading but she wanted to hold the decision, just like always.

Her phone stole her attention from unsettling thoughts and frown lines deepened on her forehead. She was about to reject the call, pondering it was Mukund but her face lightened up when she noticed it was her mother in-law. She swiped the call to accept and chirped like a morning bird, “Hello, aai! Tu kasa ahes? (How are you?)”

"Me changla aahe. Majhi avadati mulgi kashi aahes? Tumche pati tumla uttam vagdook det aahe ka? Apan anand ghet aahat? (I am completely good. How's my favorite daughter? Is your husband treating you good? Are you guys having fun?)" Mrs. Prakash bombarded her with question and she giggled, carelessly.

"Yes. I am good but your son is not." She complained, pouting like a kid, “he is keeping me captive in the Villa. It has been three days since we have gone out. I am seeing anything else except sea, ceiling, bed, bathroom, wardrobe and that's it."

Unaware of the mortification that she was bringing upon her, Anahita continued, “I asked him to go out and he said, ‘we will spend more money that way, so why don’t we stay in?’” she mimicked him, quoting his words and sighed, “Is this his manners, Aai? What's the use of coming in such beautiful place if he is not planning to see around?"

“I will talk to him,” Mrs. Prakash cosseted her and she nodded, “Exactly, leave him. Tell me how is my Baba and little sister?”

“Everyone is good here. Sushant Bhau (brother) came home two days ago and he was asking about you. Your parents are missing you so much,” Listening to this, her face dropped like a soaked biscuit and the paused dark thoughts rotated around her. She pressed her lips, mumbling, “He came to meet you? He didn’t call me.”

“He wouldn’t have wanted to disturb you. Don’t worry, come back home soon and you can go to your paternal home for few days.” Mrs. Prakash cheered her up, unaware of the internal dispute between them. Anahita didn’t prod and diverted the conversation onto lighter topics. Nonetheless, her heartache that had started to shun away, seeped back with rapid pace.

*****

Keep calm, Anahita! He’s just irking you, she clenched her fists to calm herself and popped her fingers one after another as the Great Yuvraaj Prakash resolved to display his sculpted body on show. Like other days in their adobe, he was roaming half-naked, cinching an undersized towel around his waist while she was just glaring him, perched on the bed and folding her legs. There was just no need to mention about her sour mood.

"You are doing it again, Anahita,” He commented, taking his formals out of the wardrobe and smirked at her, “Why don’t you just admit that you can't resist my body?"