The Independent Girl (Sample)

Chapter 11 - Scared

He turned sideways and caught her speaking to Dhiren's parents! Towards his left, his parents headed towards the garden with Kavya's parents! How could he introduce Sandhya to his parents with Kavya's parents around?

He saw Sandhya walking into one of the corridors and followed her. She must have heard his footsteps as she halted, turned back and smiled. He did not smile back as he walked towards her. How could she be so happy when the whole world seemed to be plotting against them?

"What happened? You don't seem to be happy to see me," she teased. He held her hand and pulled her towards him into a hug. She immediately pushed him off and said, "Akash! Someone might see us!" Anger surged within him and he stood glaring at her. Taking deep breaths, he cooled himself but felt desperate to be alone with her.

"Let's go to your home," he stated.

"What? What are you talking about? The ceremony isn't over yet. I promised that I would stay back and help later," she replied, agitated.

He grabbed her wrist. "The ceremony is almost over; what else is here other than—" He halted and then continued. "Am I not leaving with you?" he questioned seriously.

Sandhya shrugged his hand off. "I am not coming!" she responded, angry and frustrated. She took a few deep breaths before asking, "Why do you want me to leave?"

He froze, surprised by her resistance. Why the hell did she care about this dumb ceremony? Gritting his teeth, he took a step towards her and said, "People are talking about alliances for you!" Somewhere at the back of his mind, a tiny voice said that he was acting stupid and crazy but his mind was overcome with a weird anxiety that removed all sanity from his thoughts. She stared into his eyes for a few minutes, her chest rising and falling abnormally, her jaw tight. "You want me to leave for that reason?" she whispered bitterly.

"Is that not enough? Do you want to socialize more so that your marriage gets fixed right here?" he blurted out. Her eyes turned red in anger.

"Maybe I should," she shot back. "Maybe I should get my marriage fixed with somebody, because you are behaving like an obsessive maniac!"

The words hit him like thunder. They both glared at each other with reddened faces for a couple of minutes before he turned around and walked away, taking long, fast strides. She stood staring in his direction, her heart thudding, for a few minutes. Big droplets appeared in her eyes and she traced her steps into an empty room, her heart gripped with anger, her mind disturbed by the words that she had uttered. It was obvious that he was jealous, just like she was when she had seen Kavya. Knowing that Akash and his family were attending this ceremony, she had borrowed the costume with excitement, wanting to look her best to make an impression on his family. She also knew that Kavya would be attending it. Her heart sank the moment she got introduced to Kavya; she was so beautiful. They had spoken briefly and she seemed to be a knowledgeable girl too. Then why didn't Akash want to marry her? Why would he love her rather than this gorgeous Kavya? She had seen Akash's parents observing Kavya and jealous, bitter thoughts consumed her mind. Why was she not like Kavya? Why was she not from a wealthy and huge family like hers? Anguish. Frustration. She wanted to see Akash; she wanted to know how he really felt about Kavya. Could there be some segment of truth in what Varun had said? She had frantically looked around the seating area for Akash. When she saw him, looking stunning in his attire, his eyes fixed on her, immense relief flooded her. His eyes...they seemed to convey everything. She decided that she would never question him about Kavya, for that would mean insulting their love for each other.

She had been so eager to meet and talk to him. And what happened? He had to ruin everything. Why did Akash act so stupidly?

Wiping her face, she got up and walked towards the hall, knowing that every minute that she spent at the ceremony would be a burden and not a celebration. The dress that she had borrowed and worn with so much eagerness didn't look elegant anymore; instead, it felt tight and uncomfortable.