EDITED.

Chapter 7

One Month Later

Life couldn't be more perfect these days.

I was on the verge of submitting my set of designs for the season's collection at my company Agni.

Bhavna was going to begin her second trimester and was invited by my clan to spend the rest of her pregnancy with us. Adi was invited too, of course.

Shruthi, Dhyaan, Ishaan and Aanya had moved back to Bangalore after a two year stay in Mumbai. Rutu and Naina were overjoyed because they could spoil and pamper Baby Aanya to their heart's content.

Sid was well, being Sid, I guess. Ridiculously funny, sometimes over smart and was fully determined over the last few weeks to set me up with Vihaan.

I for one, was used to his antics, so I happily ignored them.

Speaking of Vihaan, both of us had become very close in the past few days. He had opened up to me about his life and helped me through some really bad days. He always made me smile.

At a time like this, I was so glad to have a friend like him.

Life had pretty much gone back to normal. I was finally healing from my break up and set everything right. I was embracing the single life with open arms.

On a lazy Sunday like today, I was happily listening to music and wasting time, when I received a message.

Aarav: Are you home?

Me: Yes.

Aarav: Your family?

Me: Them too.

Aarav: Great. Open the door.

This was the first time I had spoken to him after the break up.

What?! He had come home? I hurried downstairs and swung the door open to see Aarav standing just inches away from me.

"Hi!" He said with a bright smile.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, panicking.

"I told you I'd be ready one day, didn't I? Today is that day."

It was too big of a surprise for me to even react.

"Avnu, who is it?" Ma asked as she approached the door.

"Hi Aunty. I'm Aarav, a friend of Avni's." Aarav said politely and held out his hand.

"Hi! Please come in." Ma replied.

Aarav yanked at my immobile hand and dragged me into our living room. The rest of the family were all there, spending their evening together. They didn't seem interested by the fact that an unknown man had waltzed into their home, uninvited.

"You need to be here when I speak to them, okay?" he whispered.

"What are you going to say?" I asked, getting a little anxious.

"The truth."

"Who is this young man, Asha?" Dad asked, finally noticing the extra person in the room.

"Hi Uncle, my name is Aarav Singhal. I'm Avni's boyfriend. And I have come here today to ask for your permission to marry her." He said confidently.

My dad quickly stole a look at me through the corner of his eyes. Ajji however looked completely unconvinced.

"Is it true?" Dad asked me.

Without finding the right words to say, I nodded.

"Uh, Aarav, I really appreciate you coming here and telling us this. But as you know, these kinds of things cannot be decided in just a minute. Please give us time." Dad said very diplomatically.

"What were you thinking?" I asked him as I walked him out.

"What do you mean? You want this, don't you?"

"We are over, Aarav! Did you not get the memo?"

"Come on, Avni. I love you! And I am sure you love me too! Are you willing to let our entire relationship go for a stupid fight?"

"Stupid fight? You have been lying to me for God knows how long and you call it a stupid fight?" Gosh, I was so angry, I was ready to rip his head off.

"Avni, I am ready to change for you." Aarav pleaded.

"Change? I don't even know you anymore. And how dare you walk into my house and saying all those things without telling me?" I demanded.

"Would you have allowed me if I had warned you?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Still. You have no right saying those things! We are done. Do you understand me? I don't love you anymore and I never will."

"Listen, Avni. I know you don't mean these things, and you're saying it just because you're angry. But call me, okay? I'll be waiting for your family's approval." He said as though he knew for sure that my family would go weak in the knees for his very existence.

But knowing my family, even if they do so much as consider him, Aarav had a long way to go for their approval. And I don't see them even considering Aarav, honestly.

"You can keep waiting, then." I said. Sassy Avni never makes an appearance, but when she does, she is sassy as hell. "Has it ever crossed your mind that there might be a chance that they will never accept us? With this stunt, it doesn't look impossible."

"Then we'll think of another way. You're mine. Only mine. Remember that." He said and walked away.

*

When I got back inside, my parents were at the dining table, evidently waiting for me. They had a grim look on their faces.

"Avnu, sit down." Dad said.

"So we did a lot of thinking and we have come to a decision."

"And...?" I asked, even though I knew what their answers might be.

"We don't want you to get married to him." Ma said, very blatantly.

"Singhal? He isn't Brahmin is he?" Ma asked.

"No. Listen, it's high time you know about us." I said and began our story. Now that everything was over,and I was finally seeing straight for the first time in two years, I had decided to do the right thing.

"I thought that once he was okay with telling you'll about us, I'd sit you guys down and explain that I didn't care about caste and he makes me happy and that we were in love." I finished.

"It matters to us Avni. This love isn't enough to sustain a relationship." Ma said.

"Were in love, Dolu. Why were?"

"I broke up with him recently. Turns out, he is not the same guy I first fell in love with."

"What did he do?" Dad asked.

"He wasn't the same guy anymore, Pa. He was slacking, being very shady and he had this whole other life that I had no idea about."

"Avni, he sounds very fickle minded." Ma said.

"What Ma is trying to say is," Ajji said throwing Mum a dirty look, "Do you see yourself happily married to him in 20 years?"

"Ajji, you don't have to ask that. I see things much more clearly now. He is not the one for me."

"Avni, you can be honest, you know? If you still want to get married to him, we can't force you not to. We can't force you to do what we like. You can get married to him. But just don't expect us to be very happy about it." Ma said.

"Ma, don't say that. You know I want you guys to be happy." I whispered.

"So tell me, Avni. What do you say? Do you want to marry Aarav?" Dad asked.

"No, I don't." I whispered.

"Then you have to do the right thing, and end it with him. For good this time. Make sure he knows what you're saying." Dad said.

*

Half an hour later, I dialled Aarav's number and waited, hoping he wouldn't pick up.

"Hello?" I heard him say a few rings later.

"I spoke to my parents." I said.

"And? What did they say?"

I told him the entire conversation and throughout, he didn't say a thing.

"Aarav, speak! Did you understand what I just said?"

"We get married anyway." He said.

"Aarav, no way! Plus, I don't want to be with you either." I said, totally shocked.

"They said they'd be okay with it right? So why don't we just go ahead? How long will they be upset about it?" He sounded so nonchalant about it all.

"Aarav, no. We will do this the right way, or we won't do it at all." I said.

"See you in half an hour." He said before I could finish and immediately hung up.

Exactly thirty minutes later, Aarav came in front of my house and began honking excessively. It was pretty late in the evening and I ran to him, hoping the neighbours or my parents wouldn't notice.

"What the hell is the matter with you? Why are you honking like that?" I cried.

"Get in." He said, without looking at me.

"No! What the hell are you doing here?" I asked.

"I SAID GET IN THE CAR AVNI!" He yelled.

Puzzled by how he was acting and scared of what he might do if I don't listen, I got into the car.

I immediately regretted it.

"Where are we going?" I asked. Within a second of me shutting the door, he lurched the car forward and sped off.

"We will stay the night in my friend's house and tomorrow, we get married." He said. He had a dazed expression on his face and his breath smelt like booze.

"Have you been drinking?" I asked.

"Just a few shots. Chill, babe." He said.

"Aarav, stop the car right now!" I screamed.

"Don't worry, Avni. I have it all under control."

"We can get killed! Stop it right now!"

"Will you please calm down? I told you I have it all under control right? Just trust me." He said.

He pulled up in front of a small apartment complex and got me out of the car. I didn't want to mess with him because drunk-Aarav gets angry way too easily and things would not be good for me if he did.

Once we were in the room, Aarav drank the rest of the booze and jumped onto the bed.

Frankly, I was too scared to even react, so I kept to myself without saying a word.

At this point, I kept thinking of how right my parents were about him. All that was running in my head was who I should call if anything happens to me tonight. I could only think of one person. Vihaan.

"Come here, Avni." Aarav's voice interrupted my stream of thoughts.

I slowly walked up to him, holding my phone tightly in my hand.

"You won't need that anymore." He said and tossed it across the room. "Come close to me." He said and gripped my wrist hard as he pulled me to him.

"Aarav, you're hurting me." I said, trying to pull away from him.

"I want you, baby. Why are you fighting with me?" He said as he tried pulling on my shirt. His hands were on my chest touching me in ways that made me want to scream in pain and agony.

"Aarav, don't. You're drunk. Please go to sleep." I said, trying my best to negotiate.

I think I might have pissed him off. He grabbed my hand even tighter and slammed me on to the bed.

"I'm not drunk. Stop talking or I'll have to forcibly stop you." He said and tried to remove my clothes again.

I tried my best to push him away, but I couldn't. He was too strong. I felt something hard next to me on the bed, which turned out to be his flask.

I gripped it and with all my strength, I flung it in such a way that it hit his head with full force.

With a loud cry, his head fell on to the bed and I he passed out for just a few moments. I grabbed whatever was mine and darted out of the room, locking him from outside.

I dialed Vihaan's number as I ran out.

"Hello?" I heard him say. At that second, I haven't been more thankful for anyone in my whole life, as much as I was for him.

"Vihaan, please save me! I was almost attacked by Aarav. I am just a little outside the city on the Mysore highway. Please come fast!" I cried.

"I'm on my way. Just hang in there." He said and hung up.

I found my way to the nearest petrol bunk and hid in the office, locking the door behind me. I think I was too in shock to process whatever was happening.

I rested my head on the wall and waited, my eyes not blinking at all.

After what felt like forty minutes, I felt my phone vibrate in my bag.

"Where are you?" Vihaan asked.

"I'm in the petrol bunk off the highway. Please come and get me, Vihaan." I said. My emotions finally took over and I began sobbing really hard.

After what must have been twenty minutes, I heard someone bang on the door.

"Avni! Open up! It's me!"

"Vihaan?" I yelled, crying harder.

"Yes, it'a Vihaan! Can you please open the door?" He yelled back frantically.

As soon as I opened the door, I flung my arms around him and held on to him as hard as I could. I had never felt safer in anybody's arms like I did with him. As I sobbed into his shoulder, he held on to me tighter, whispering that it was going to be okay.

"I'm here Avni. I got you." He whispered and helped me on my feet.

He took my face in his palms, looked at me with worry filled in his eyes and kissed my forehead, both my cheeks and then enveloped me in his arms.

"I'm so glad you're okay." He whispered. "I'm never going to let anything happen to you again."

Without thinking, without even wondering what would would happen if I did it, I held on to the collar of his shirt and kissed him. It was short and it took him fully by surprise, but it was something I just had to do.

With a dazed expression, he led me out and never left me till we got into his car.

"Where is he?" Vihaan asked.

"He's in the apartment. I locked him." I said.

He whipped out his phone and said, "Yeah Sid, it's me. He's in the apartment, I believe. Yeah I got her. She's safe."