I whistled as I bought the groceries Abeer had listed down for lunch. He was going to cook for me today. It was a wonderful day. My parents had decided they weren't exhausted from yesterday's excursions, and wanted to watch a movie, roam the malls, and have a perfectly young day. My father had, yet again tried to wheedle out of this particular request of my mother's, but was forced to give up his ideal Sunday and loiter about Delhi. I, for one, was extremely happy with this arrangement.

They would be gone for a better half of the day, giving me plenty of time to spend with Abeer. I could finally have him back in my apartment. Sure, we could always meet up at his shared place with Ajay, but it somehow reeked of bachelorhood to me. Something I wasn't particularly thrilled about.

I was quite practiced at sneaking around, but that didn't mean I was a fan of it. I didn't particularly cherish playing hide and seek almost every other day. I would love us to simply go back to how we were, lounging peacefully on my couch, discussing nothing in particular. I checked my watch, it was almost half past ten in the morning. The movie started at eleven. I was positive they must have left by now.

Yesterday had been a wake up call for me, that I had to untangle the mess I had unknowingly created. I had to face my fears. Only then I would be in complete peace. Because even if I got around to rejecting Dhruv, my parents weren't going to stop at that. They would bring more Dhruvs in my life, trying to set me up with at least one of them.

This wouldn't stop until they knew about Abeer. I was half wishing they would stumble upon us in the house, together, if they decided to show up at an unknown hour. It would make things much, much easier. I shook my head and headed down to the billing line. I had promised myself that I would solve things today. I would talk to Abeer today. I would talk to my parents tonight. And then, I would apologize to Dhruv. Profusely. He and his family were unnecessarily dragged into my shit. That wouldn't do.

I paid the bill and strutted out of the local grocery store to my house. I was looking forward for today. It was a happy day, and the last day of my secrets. Tomorrow, everything will be fine.

I checked my watch again as I rummaged for the house key in my bag. It was almost eleven, I noted happily. I had called him at eleven thirty. He would be here in no time. Positively beaming, I unlocked the door to be met with the most bizarre sight of my life. There they were, my parents, all dressed to leave, sitting and happily chatting with all the Jains. I felt dizzy at the sight before me. I looked at the tea table in front of the couch to see it decorated with myriad snacks and drinks. I didn't even know we had all that food in the house.

I looked up again, to find five pairs of eyes staring at me with glimmering eyes. I instantly sensed something very wrong was going on in there.

My throat felt awfully dry. I gulped but coughed violently, the saliva catching in my throat. Dhruv's mother walked up to me with a worried look on her face and a glass of water in her hands. I walked back inside the house, finding a chair to sit down.

"Thank you," I said hoarsely, to which she flashed me a affectionate smile.

"Are you okay, beta?" My mother asked, worriedly. I nodded slowly. "You had gone to the grocery store, beta? We had so much food at home already!" She said and smiled benignly. I did not reply to her, simply stared at the scene before me.

"What is happening here?" I chuckled nervously, running a speculative eye around the living room. Dhruv smiled at me in the weirdest way possible. The pit in my stomach grew.

I finally looked at my parents to find my father staring at me with a paternal emotion I couldn't place my finger on, and my mother...

Oh, my mother was glowing with happiness. Her lips stretched in the widest smile I had ever seen gracing her face, she quickly got up from her seat and stuffed a ladoo in my mouth. When I looked at her with questioning eyes, she finally burst out with the news. "Beta congratulations, Dhruv has also agreed for the marriage! We were so eagerly waiting for you to come home and start the discussion about the wedding," she gave me a quick hug and hurried back to her place, loudly discussing the details of my supposed wedding with Mrs. Jain.

I was stumped. In all my plans, all my imagination, I had never thought this issue would escalate to this measure. There were dates being discussed, menus being decided, destinations being talked of, while I was sitting there, numb, unable to register if all this was truly happening.

But it was happening, the commotion around me was testament enough. I glanced towards my parents; I had never seen true, unadulterated joy on my father's face in all these years. He was a serious man, you see, but today he looked joyful. As if he hadn't wanted anything else in life other than this day. This moment.

My chest hurt. I could feel my eyes well up, but I gulped down a glass of water from the dining table. When had I ever agreed to marry Dhruv? When had they asked me? I was angry at them, positively livid that they couldn't once give up their communication issues and talk to me about this before agreeing to the alliance. If we only had talked about this, I wouldn't have had to witness this day... this joy on their faces which was sure to melt into anger, disappointment, and sadness. And I would be the cause of it all.

I stared at the ceiling, counting backwards to ten in order to buy me time and courage to do what I was going to do. But just as I begun to collect my composure, the bell rang. Panic written all over my face, I made a motion to reach for the door, but my mother beat me to it, swinging the wooden door open to reveal Abeer, with an innocent smile on his face. His face mirrored my panic when he saw my mother on the door, but he quickly masked it and let out a tentative smile. My stomach dropped.

"You're Aashi's colleague, right Aashi?" My father got up from his seat, recognition in his eyes. I nodded mutely, unable to decide how to tread in this situation without making it worse. Because everything I had done in all these days had just messed up the situation. I didn't trust my judgement at the moment. "I had met him on Aashi's birthday, when I had gone to get the groceries," he explained to my mother. "I didn't catch your name last time, beta," my father said kindly.

"Abeer, sir," he replied respectfully. My heart was beating loudly against my chest.

"How did you come up just like that? The receptionist called the telecom when we came," Dhruv's father asked, bewildered.

"I informed the receptionist to let him in when I came up," I came up with a lie, despite the befuddled state I was in.

"Yes, I just wanted to hand over a file," Abeer said and procured a random file from his bag. I noticed it was his office bag that he had brought, and I was glad for it. But only for a moment, before it was taken over by apprehension about what was going to happen subsequently.

"You have come for the first time to our house, isn't it? " My mother asked. "Yes," I replied before he could - first time this month at least. Multiple times otherwise which is why the receptionist just let him in without calling.

"Then you must have something, come sit here, have this ladoo," mom tried to usher him in, which he politely refused. When he kept declining my mother's invitation, my father strode up to him with a ladoo in his hand and gave it to him. My heart stopped. Ladoo. Never before would I have considered the innocent sweet ominous. But it was, and the sweet in Abeer's hand screamed my doom.

"Have this ladoo. It is after all, a day to celebrate. Our Aashi is going to tie the knot with Dhruv Jain right here," he said happily, motioning towards Dhruv, who smiled up at him. I closed my eyes, willing to die at that moment. Why wasn't the earth splitting up to engulf me?

An incredulous look tainted his face, he didn't try to mask his shock.

"What... what knot?" Abeer managed to stutter out, his eyes desperately seeking mine. But I refused to look at him, aware of what I would find in his mesmerizing brown eyes.

"Marriage knot, what else?" My father laughed again and patted his back.

I couldn't help but look up at him. And then I wished I wouldn't have. Or died before I could've seen that look in his eyes. Haunted, hurt, and crestfallen. My heart cried at the sight of him. It wasn't supposed to happen like this, no.

"Thank you, I need to leave now," he said with a blank face, and left before everyone could mumble their goodbyes. But he didn't leave before whispering a quiet, resolute goodbye to me. It was the kind of goodbye you never wish to hear from your loved ones. I was surprised as to why I hadn't cried till then. Broken down on the floor, sobbing my heart out.

My mother shut the door behind him but not before I saw through the gap, his hand crushing the ladoo as he was entering the lift. My heart felt the same way. Crushed.

My mother came and sat down. The room turned livelier with happy chit-chat, unaware of what had transpired around them just now.

I wanted to run behind him and tell him that I hadn't said yes. That this was just a big misunderstanding.

Soon Dhruv's parents got up to leave, saying they had to be in some other place. Dhruv's mother walked up to me and engulfed me in an affectionate embrace, Dhruv's father patting my head, blessing me a lifetime of happiness. How he didn't know that my happiness had just walked away from me, probably to never come back to me. Oddly enough, Dhruv did not say anything to me, regarding me with a indecipherable expression, but I couldn't focus on anything but the image of Abeer's crestfallen face.

As soon as the door closed behind the Jains, I burst out.

"What the hell, what the actual hell did just happen!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, unable to contain my emotions anymore.

"Mind your langua- " my mother began contemptuously, but I cut her short.

"No, why don't you mind your own business for once! What had you said mom, 'we will not do anything without your consent'. And you, papa? 'We only wish your happiness. We won't force anything on you.' Then what was all this about? Why did you say yes to them? Had I ever said I agreed to this marriage?" I was panting by the end of it.

"You think we don't know you spend the night with Dhruv?" My mother said straightforwardly. I was thrown aback by her statement.

"Which night? What night? How - what?" I questioned, wondering how they had come up with that conclusion.

"The day it was raining. You lied about going to Taira's house. I called her driver and he said he never picked you up. His phone number was in the emergency numbers you gave us when we came to Delhi," I slapped my head in exasperation. "The way you were anxiously talking on the phone. You think I don't understand? I know everything, it's good you both are getting married," she said with finality, crossing her arms.

"Ridiculous! I was alone in a hotel. Go ask him if you don't believe your daughter," I bit out, my heart clenching with guilt at the lie. I was tired of the lies, but I couldn't help myself with the truth.

"Then why didn't you simply say so?" She shouted, angry tears bubbling in her eyes.

"Because I knew you would get worried unnecessarily, and shout, and - "

"It is our right to care about the wellbeing of our only daughter," she said, her voice laced with hurt. This was the day I crowned myself the worst sort of woman in the world. I had broken so many hearts, hurt so many people. I let out an involuntary sob.

"Forget all this. You even called him to that book talk thing you love so much. Papa was acting weird because he knew you had spend the night with him."

"I didn't do both of it! Meeting in the cafe was a coincidence - "

"And you are always smiling coyly looking in your phone and talking and giggling for hours on call in your room since you've met Dhruv. You think we don't know what's going on?"

I pulled my hair in frustration. This was getting out of hand.

"God, no! Dhruv and I haven't talked at all, and you went ahead and fixed the marriage! Why didn't you ask me?"

"We know you are an extrovert but when it comes to marriage and all this you are shy. So we thought we will make your job easy by agreeing to the marriage on your behalf. You are a good girl, you never had a boyfriend or a love interest, thus the confusion. I think you love Dhruv," my mother said quietly, making me groan aloud. I wasn't a good girl. And she wasn't the right judge of my feelings.

"Love? What are you even talking about? It has just been two weeks since I met him. I don't even know him yet!"

My father, who had been silent throughout this ordeal, spoke calmly. "What is wrong with Dhruv, though? He fulfills all criteria of a potentially good husband."

"Yes Papa, you will know all about that with the way you have taunted mom throughout your life for being a housewife," I bit out cruelly, having had enough of everything.

"AASHI!" Both of them screamed together.

"You don't have the right to say all that," my mother warned angrily.

"Yes sure, but you have the right to do whatever you want with my life," I talked back, not backing down. They both stood there, surprised at what had transpired, shocked at how their prodigal daughter had behaved with them. I was the most terrible person alive, yes, but I had had my fill of their interference as well.

I wore my sandals and wiped the tears that had started flowing down my cheeks in haste.

"I am not getting married to him, never," I bit out ominously. "If you are not progressive, at least don't pretend to be otherwise. You never talked to me about this and that was wrong, horribly wrong. You don't have the right to interpret my feelings," I banged the door as hard as I could and took the stairs, not caring to take the lift. I had to find Abeer, right away.

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