The Best Match

The 'No-Strings-Attached' Call

“12k only.” Vandana Di chimed and I shook my head. “6k. Not a penny more than that, alright?” She looked ready to argue but Vandisha pressed her palm. “Fine.”

I smirked and handed cash to them. They trudged to their room glaring me and finally I twisted the knob, dragging my feet inside. My eyes involuntarily moved to Shree, she was sleeping in sitting position propping pillows in her lower back. She got changed in simple sari.

Uh oh…she was really tired. I will talk later to her, perhaps tomorrow. I took towel and my casuals before ambling to the bathroom.

Shree’s Perspective

I blinked as my sleep broke by chiming of wind bells. I stretched my limbs as sleeping in an awkward position had brought cramps in my back muscles. I felt cool breeze wiping the tiredness off me, my eyes widened in realization and I sat back in a jerk. I looked at Abhimanyu as he was standing by the window and surprisingly, he looked at me back.

“I am sorry I think I broke your sleep.” He turned to me and I stood up to walk near him. “No. You didn’t wake me up.” 

He turned back to gaze at the moon.

“I didn’t see you coming.” I premised.

“I figured. You were sleeping.” His tone was calm and his eyes fixed on the glazing moon. I frowned at his negligence. “Are you alright? Is everything fine?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I find your behavior weird lately. You looked zoned out throughout the wedding. Is something bothering you?” I asked, extremely worried and each passing second just added on to my restlessness.

It is twisted way of fate to procure experience for us but what I failed to speculate was the experience my life wanted to present me within the confines of present scenario. I wish I were a clairvoyant to assess his inner turmoil, it would be easy on me to be able to connect to him and prove out to be his aid in anyway. He wasn’t giving me his words and that was upsetting me because I was failing to get a glimpse of his mind.

“Abhimanyu....” I took measured and calculate steps to eliminate the distance between us, “Why have you been so distant to me?”

“Shree....” He exhaled laboriously, his words left me wondering about the depth of pain he was in. It hindered my progress towards him. His back was facing me; he had his fist curled over the iron railing. “This marriage happened only because of my parents.” 

I was in the state of numbness. His words fell in my ear shots but my brain repudiated to process over them. I was extremely slow in grasping the explicit meaning of them. It left such an impact on me that I had to retreat. How can he say that on our wedding night? Like the rituals we performed held no value in his eyes.

“How can you say that? I am your wife.”

“You are my wife for the whole world to see. I wish to keep ‘no-strings-attached’ to it. I hold no responsibility for you.” His lips were uttering what was in his mind and now I didn’t want a glimpse of his profaned brain.

“What?” A mere whisper slipped past my lips, my eyes brimmed with tears, I wanted to shout, clamor and hurt him with my actions but I was fixing the broken pieces of my heart that were being crumpled under his feet.

“No strings attached? What do you think you’ve done? We are married for god sake; you do hold responsibilities towards me.” I forced him to see eye to eye but his eyes were shut long back. If not, then we wouldn’t be here. 

“Do not force yourself on me. I have done it for our families.” He exasperatedly snapped, “I should’ve told this to you in the beginning itself.”