The Bias

Chapter 13

"Siddharth, don't you have work today? Where are you driving us to ?" , Arya said looking at Siddharth.  They were in a G class Benz, while he drove over the sea link. The world beyond sea link was different.  Not even auto rickshaws were allowed into those locations. But Arya didn't come from those . Surely, she belonged to an upper middle class and a powerfully connected family ,but there were a billion things that her kind of  money couldn't buy.

"We have to talk Arya!", he said getting out of the car, looking at the building that housed his office.

"Yaha pe?", she asked when he held her hand waking her inside.

"In here!", he said pointing to the door.

Arya had been into his office ,before this as well, but this was different.

"Bolo?", she spoke taking a chair opposite to him.

"Arya ", he said taking her hands into his ,hoping that there was a better way to announce it.

She looked up and nodded.,"Siddharth what's wrong ?" She felt his face ,stiffen.  An expression of unease had replaced his normal calmness.Arya could feel the tension build up in the room, just like the birds returning to their homes announced the arrival of night .

" Arya , I know that I agreed to the wedding. And I know that I was the one who said that it was okay ,to not feel love in an instant. I know that I told you that , we may eventually fall in love.  But look at us ! It looks like I eventually lied. I would have been absolutely okay with whatever I had said ,but Aru kal jab tujhe apnr ghar me dekha toh realize Hua that I was being an ass. Yaar tu is rishte me it na effort put kar rahi hai ki its ,totally wrong of me to not do my part. Par mai nahi kar raha ,instead I am constantly lying to you. And the worst part, I am not even bothered about that.But that is not correct. This is not how ,it should be.  I might not be love with you , but I am supposed to be your husband. Therefore the entire weight of the future that we are building lies on both of us. Par dekh na ,kya ho raha hai. Mai kids hu.? I am taking you for granted , or not even bothering about you.....
Arya shaadiaan aise nahi hoti!"

Arya heard his words. Her ears registered, but the head refused. She was sure she had heard him say something else. It had to be. The families were involved, everyone in and around them knew of this. Just yesterday ,she was at his place cooking food.His mother had called her a daughter in law, Siddharth's extended family knew her as a Shukla daughter in law." I am sorry ? I think I heard something wrong?"

Siddharth, felt the air around him grow thick. He could see her expressions. She was wearing  a pink pastel fabric , stitched into  a  suit, with a dupatta of the same color, a contrast to the deeper hues that Shehnaaz used to wear.Sidharth knew ,talking to Arya was going to be tough .Just how tough he didn't know.A part in himself,  was so angry that he was doing it . A bigger part of that ,didn't want him to hurt Arya and sad ,smaller part knew that he was giving up on a billion things along with Arya.A wedding , a wife and children  ? Perhaps they were this price to the truth!

" Arya !  I have been cheating you  and that is so not correct."

"Kiske saath?", was all she could bring herself to question.

"Does it matter ! Because its not about you . Its about me , I cheated and I lied and you had absolutely no clue ,and I could have kept it so . But thats just a mess , and I don't want a mess around me anymore. Aru , I want to ask of your forgiveness, but nahi pata kaise.I know I am inflicting a  great degree of pain doing this.But ,I can't keep doing this, its  Ultimately going to break both of us.And you Don't deserve it.You deserves someone who cherishes you and loves you. Not like what we were doing . Arya , I wish I were different and things had happened differently.  But this is it....."