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

It was a dream to everyone to watch her getting married to Yuvraaj and she wasn’t heartless to kill their hopes but….don’t go there, Anahita. Just do not think of it. She reminded herself. But, her heart knew that she couldn’t lose them.

“Anu, what is wrong?” Mrs. Prakash searched her face, detecting hurt hidden deep in her silence. “Are you fine?”

“Yes, Aai!” Anahita kissed her palm, “I am perfectly fine. I was wondering where your Barbie doll is?”

Mrs. Prakash buzzed in laughter, “Yuvraaj will kill you if he finds out you call him Barbie doll.”

“But, that’s true.” Anahita maintained, “Your son shops like a girl.”

“But, he shops for you.” Her mother in law remarked and Anahita zipped her lips. Yuvraaj had a penchant for shopping. He would select proper brands, colors, trends, everything. Since their childhood, he would tastefully pick things and after several trails whereas Anahita would only focus on filling her cart without much hassle. In the end, she would finish buying the clothes Yuvraaj would select for her.

“You are still here, mom. Get done with the shopping soon. I have to drop her home and I have an important meeting tomorrow. I can’t stay here for longer.” Yuvraaj said, approaching them and Anahita grinned at him, high fiving with her mother in law. “Look who is talking!”

Yuvraaj shrugged, moving past them wordlessly and both the women grinned at his retreating form. Anahita clasped his mother’s hand and led her inside, “Let’s go otherwise Barbie doll will throw a fit.”

“Try this,” Mrs. Prakash hurled a peacock green saree at her and nodded at the dressing room. With that, the wedding shopping inaugurated. It took her immense willpower to curb the instinctive choice of running away. She was tired of trying clothes and Mukund with his infinite calls got her mad.

“Aai, I am not getting married tomorrow. Let’s wrap it up now.” She made a face, sitting on the stool languorously and rubbed her shoulders. Mrs. Prakash looked bothered; she had two saree in her hands, “Okay, but try these. Let’s get the clothing done today.”

“Aai, you know my taste better. Please do the rest of shopping and I am sure I will love each one of them.” She insisted, getting up and hugged her, “I am so tired.”

“But, it is your wedding, baby.”

“I know, with your idiot son.” She infused humor but was so much tired. Mrs. Prakash nodded, considerably and asked Yuvraaj to drop her home. Anahita hugged her once again, picking her bags and staggered out with him. She was so tired that she threw the bags on the backseat and sprawled on the passenger seat, closing her eyes.

“You look so tired.” Yuvraaj noted, belting her and keyed in the engine. “You are so stupid to leave all the shopping for my mom only.”

“Spare me today.” Anahita yawned, adjusting on her seat and covered her face with the handkerchief.

“Do you want a cup of coffee?” He asked after a minute. Anahita cracked open one eye and peeked at her. He was staring ahead while driving. She huffed, “Come on, be out with it.”

Yuvraaj casted a suspicious glance at her before swiping his eyes back on road. “What do you mean?”

“You know that very well.”

“I am afraid I do not.” He denied, outright and faked a gasp. “What are your intentions with me, Anahita?”

“Oh, cut the crap short.” She flinched in disgust, “Seldom I utter this phrase and you know what it means. Why do you suddenly offer me coffee? I know you too well.”

Yuvraaj flaunted a cheesy grin, “Don’t you want me to care for you? You will be my wife, after all. I am getting it into habit.”

“You care for me?” She sputtered out, incredulously. “This is so not you.”

He didn’t reply her instead parked the car nearby a coffee shop. “I will be back in a minute.” Anahita watched him leaving, confoundedly. Her sleep flew out of her eyes and tension was also loosening. Yuvraaj was behaving weird. Cyclone of conflicted feelings wallowed in her mind and she found herself tethered within her emotions.

“Here, your favourite.” He came up and passed her a paper bag with caramel crunch coffee. Anahita tentatively took the bag and he seated beside her, locking the door. Anahita was staring at the drink dumbfounded, “You remember?”

“Of course.” He had the same smugness in his voice. Impressed, she finished the coffee and brownies, sharing a little part with him. She wiped her lips clean, refreshed now. “Let’s go.”

“Wait, Show me your bags.” He demanded and she squinted her eyes, “What?”

“Your bags,” he repeated, loud and clear.

“Why?”

“Just show me.” he repeated and she handed him the bags robotically. Pulling out the dresses, he did a close postmortem of them, infuriating her and scrutinized each and every piece with his laser vision. Some curled his lips, some made him frown and few – very a few – managed to scrape through his inspection. He tossed them back in the bags messily.

“What was that?” Anahita greeted her teeth, curling her palms on her sides.

“Tacky as always; I thought that you got a taste but, no…same old tacky Anahita Maurya.” He mocked, tapping at the steering wheel. “Also, left mom to finish the shopping. How will she choose lingerie for you?”

Her anger amalgamated with embarrassment and she widened her eyes. “Why will she choose…”

“You want to wear the old stuff…which I am sure will be just as unentertaining as you.” He went on to demean her and his words somehow managed to unleash the beast in her. Without any beast, she pounced on him and gripped his neck tightly. “I'll kill you today. End of my miseries. No Yuvraaj and definitely no marriage.” She seethed, using every ounce of power in her to strangulate the person beside her. Yuvraaj was taken aback with her and he didn’t anticipate that.

“Anu… leave me! You mad woman!” He gasped, fortifying his grip on her wrists to wrench them away but metal chains of Local Prison was calling Anahita with dedication and she had set her mind firmly upon the notion of sending him to heaven in business class.