The Independent Girl (Sample)

Chapter 11 - Scared

Sandhya held back her desperation to know more about Kavya and decided that she would not question Akash about it. Why should she doubt Akash just because of what Varun had said? Her hands held the file where she maintained the details regarding Roja's behavior and the events at the orphanage. She sighed after looking at them for the third time. A thought crossed her mind and she froze; there was a pattern that she could see. She gasped, hoping that her observation was not true. A person's life could be destroyed if she took one wrong step; she had to be absolutely sure before coming to any conclusions. Maybe she was thinking too much; maybe this was just a coincidence. With her hand on her forehead, she decided on a plan that would probably provide the answer.

~

A bored Akash sat among the guests. He had tried to avoid the Sangeet ceremony of the village president's daughter's wedding. All he wanted was to spend as much time as possible with Sandhya but his mom was adamant this time and he had run out of excuses. It frustrated him to go without seeting Sandhya even one day; how would he tolerate the separation when they both moved to different cities? He recalled the way she had continually tugged at the dress he had bought for her, trying to cover her shapely legs. He smiled. My Sandhya...my cute and innocent Sandhya. He caught his sister Puja dancing merrily to the Bollywood songs that the DJ played.

He blinked a couple of times. There was this gorgeous girl wearing a classic turquoise Ghagra with embroidery all over the dress, standing shyly among all the girls on the stage. Her eyes shifted and met his; instantly they sparkled, and a smile lit her face. His heart skipped a beat. This girl never ceased to surprise him. He smiled widely, his heart filling with joy. His Sandhya was here! Seated far from the stage, he started enjoying himself as he watched Sandhya dance to the music along with the others.

He found some guys checking her out and gritted his teeth. A few of the guys joined the girls on the dance floor. Sandhya danced gracefully with his sister Puja and a few more girls. She signaled for him to join them. Akash moved his head sideways. Nah. He wasn't into dancing, that was all girly stuff. He looked sideways to check if his parents were taking notice of Sandhya; it would make his life so easy if they liked her. But, as he suspected, his mom was staring at Kavya. Kavya looked beautiful as usual as she danced among the group on the stage. She was his mom's friend's daughter and his mom had been trying for many years to convince him to marry her. There was nothing to dislike about Kavya, but he dreaded that his life might end up like his parents' if he married her, where everything looked perfect on the outside but there was no true happiness in the relationship. He had rarely witnessed his parents being amicable with each other, other than when their kids or others were around. Their whole life seemed like an act. Of course, there was no question about anyone else after Sandhya had come into his life. He smiled at the wonderful future he imagined with her. His smile disappeared when she started dancing with Dhiren, looking far too comfortable for his liking. He sensed that she was having a good time with him. Anguish overtook his happy mood, and he grabbed the chair tightly to control himself. He overheard Dhiren's parents.

"Who is that pretty girl talking to Dhiren? Is that Sandhya? She looks like a good match for Dhiren."

Paranoia hit Akash like a bullet. His own parents were staring at Kavya when other parents considered marriage proposals with Sandhya for their sons!

A short while later, he saw Varun dancing with her on the stage. The look in his eyes...was that lust? Akash clenched his fist. Sandhya moved towards the area where his sister danced but Varun danced his way towards them. That was it! Akash stood up, kicked his chair back and started walking towards the stage, taking big, fast strides. Someone bumped into him and by the time he looked back at the stage, Sandhya had disappeared and Varun was dancing by himself.