Chapter One
"What a hottie hottie!"
✧ P R E E T ✧
"I hate my life."
I muttered while dusting the sand from all over my clothes. Guess who ended up falling on her butt on the beach where her whole crew was present?
Including my Canadian man, Connor.
The one I laid my eyes on three days back and he probably doesn't even know that I exist but he's just hot. So that makes him my man.
"You have the one which is closest to perfect" Neava, my best friend remarked and I rolled my eyes.
"Dusro ki thali ka ladoo bada hi lagta hai." I commented on a phrase my mother told me in grade six because I told her that Prapti's mom is way better than her because she makes nice food for her lunchbox.
[The piece of cake on someone else's plate will always look bigger.]
I never understood the coded meaning but later I realised that it was not about the ladoo.
"You should have chosen to become a screenplay writer instead of a filmmaker. Kaafi filmy dialogues marti hai." I happily accepted her packet of chips, only to find it empty. I looked at her and sighed.
[Your dialogues are very filmy.]
"You should have chosen to shut up when you were born," I replied to her and threw the empty packet on her face.
"Kuda humesha kuda hi failata hai." She removed her hand which was intertwined with mine and went to throw the packet in a nearby dustbin.
[Garbage always litters around.]
I successfully ignored her statement and thought about the short film we are currently recording for a project in Film school. I see a lot of potential in it until the actors, including my Canadian man, don't mess it up.
Let me tell you about the Canadian man, first of all, he's so fine, with a sharp jawline, brown eyes, freckles, and a perfect smile which would melt anyone. He got a boyish look that I like in a man.
He's just very pretty in a handsome way.
"What happened to Aniketh?" Neava asked me and my face instantly fell. The mere mention of him brings a wave of guilt in my head.
I became a bad person by ending things.
Well, Aniketh is my ex-boyfriend. I dated him for two years and everything was perfect until last year I just fell out of it. I lost feelings for him and ended the relationship, it just didn't feel perfect to me anymore all of it seemed rather fake.
Still, I am responsible for breaking his heart and it makes me very guilty at times. But it would break his heart more if I kept leading him on while I felt nothing for him.
Maybe he just wasn't the one.
"His whole family shifted to Canada. He still tries to meet me every day with any excuse and asks me to give us another chance and that same bullshit on repeat. His mom called me once telling me that I should accept her son, can you imagine? I felt so guilty at the moment that the thought of giving us another chance flashed my mind." I ranted it out to her.
Neava has been my best friend since school, we grew up together.
She knows me way better than anyone else in this world. She knows all the sides, she has seen all of them. She might be a bitch sometimes but I am grateful to have her.
If it was not for her, it would be very hard to survive in Canada alone. Right now we are staying in a PG with 5 other girls, but at least we have each other in this foreign country. And it has always been our dream to live together in the same house since childhood.
"Don't. It'll break his heart more. Try avoiding him as much as possible. He'll move on soon." She replied.
"I am on it. But trust me he finds one excuse to meet me every day and you know, it's been going on for the past six months. He arrived here in Canada because I did. I'm just so done with this shit. Every day I fear that I might have to face him again today." I was already pissed off at this thought. I don't have the energy to deal with him today, especially when my whole day was just mid.
I might burst out on him which I don't want. I hurt him, I'm aware of that. I'm also trying my best to be polite but if he shows up every day, like every freaking day then at the end of the day, I'm no goddess to still handle everything peacefully.
It's been over a year since our breakup why can't he move on?
"If you do, just tell him that you're in a relationship or something." She suggested and I shook my head.
"I used that excuse six months ago when he first came to me. He paid no heed to it and kept visiting me every day. Now forget him, don't bring up that topic again. Tell me about Luv. When is he visiting you again?" I diverted the topic from Aniketh to Neava's long-distance boyfriend.
"I feel like we are going to break up soon. Long distance rarely works." I narrowed my eyes and looked at him from the corner of my eyes.
"It's not like that. It works if you want it to work."
"Let's just not talk about our love lives right now. It's very much fucked up." My gaze fell on the familiar figure standing at a distance from us, outside the place I work part-time. A frown instantly appeared on my face and I sighed.
"There he is," I said and Neava looked around in the surroundings trying to find the person I was talking about. "In front of Starbucks where I work."
"Oh my god. This is getting on my nerves now. I'll just fight with him at this point. Ek do haddiya tutegi tab Preet, Reet, Geet, Meet sabko bhul jayega." She said frustratedly and tried to remove my hold, wanting to confront him.
[When he gets his one or two bones broken then he'll forget Preet, Reet, Geet, Meet, everyone.]
"No, don't be so mean. He just wants another chance." I walked towards him with Neava following me, her loud noise of footsteps made it evident. I hope she doesn't create any scenes because she is very excellent at it.
I looked at the womanly figure standing beside him and closed my eyes in irritation. "That's his mom with him."
"What? Is he nuts? Or a five-year-old who involves his mother in everything? That is why you shouldn't date younger guys, Preet. Aande mei hai wo aabhi bhi."
I had to put a full stop to this today.
"Hey, Preet." He took a few steps ahead and his face carried a warming smile which I used to die for.
"Hi, Aniketh," I replied softly. "Hi, Aunty."
I knew what was next. I was sick and tired of it.
"Aunty nahi mummy bola karo pehle jaise tum beta wahi acha lagta hai." I had an awkward smile on my face while my fingers fidgeted with the ring on my thumb.
[Don't call me aunty. Call me mummy like you used to.]
"Lekin khair ab pehle jaisa sab raha kaha hai. Waqt ke sath sab badal jata hai." She said and I nodded.
[But now nothing is like how it used to be.]
Filhal toh mera job ka waqt nikalta ja raha hai toh mai bhi nikal jau?
"Arey, Aunty-" She cut me off mid-sentence while Neava pressed my hand.
What if I tell her that I'm lesbian and that Neava is my girlfriend?
Good idea but she would just announce it to the whole world and I cannot be a lesbian if I dated her son.
"Kya galti ho gayi thi esse jo tum chod ke chali gayi, Geet?" I glanced at Neava who was already looking at me.
[What did he do that you left him, Geet?]
Aunty ne Jab we Met zyada dekh li lagta hai.
"Preet, Mom, Preet." He corrected his mom.
Dialogues toh raat va diye naam raat vana bhul gaya Aniketh.
[Aniketh made sure she learned her dialogues but forgot about the name.]
"You know since you left, he has stopped eating properly, he rarely talks with anyone, goes out. His whole life is messed up now." She continued.
The way he is letting her continue this even after noticing that someone else is standing beside me. Although, it's Neava right now what if it's someone else? These are not the matters to discuss in public.
"Aunty-" I started but she cut me off again.
"Ek mauka dedo, bus ek. Aur kuch nai maang rahi hu mai tumse, beta. Beti jaisa samajhte the hum tumhe, ek maa samajhkar baat sunlo meri." I was going to fall for this emotional drama trap until Neava nudged my shoulder reminding me not to.
[Please give him one chance. I am not asking for anything else from you. We consider you as our daughter, think of me as your mother and give him a chance.]
I'd have suggested this line to Ekta Kapoor if I ever get to meet her.
"I can't, Aunty, I can't." She looked like she was on the verge of crying but all of this felt very unreal to me. The way she spoke these lines made me sure that he made her learn all this. You get to know when a person is speaking from the heart.
"Why not, beta? Ek baar try kar ke toh dekho-"
[At least try it once.]
I cannot deal with this drama. Specially if he started dragging his mother in this. Even I feel ashamed now.
"Actually, I got married recently." I lied casually to her face. Aniketh who was looking down till now, raised his head and glanced at me with eyes full of shock. I could even feel Neava's eyes on me.
"What?" Both of them asked me in sync. I gulped nervously.
You can do it, Preet.
You have lied to Mom about all your boyfriends, now lie about your husband too. The one who doesn't exist.
"Yeah, this is the reason I can't give him another chance. I've been happily married for the past three months. You can ask her, she was the witness of my holy marriage. My husband is just like her brother." Neava quickly understood my acting and joined me within a second.
"Yes. He is a very nice man and the way he treats Preet as the apple of his eyes, the queen of his dreams, the unicorn of the fairytale, he worships the ground she walks in. I've never seen a couple more happier than them like they are literally the definition of perfection." She took a deep breath and paused for a second.
I guess I completely forgot that this madam only knows how to exaggerate things and talk about everything else rather than the main topic just because she is a bad liar.
I shouldn't have involved her in this because in the next one minute the topic of my abrupt marriage will vanish and she'll bring something new.
"Main toh har Shanivar Iskcon jati hu enn dono ko kisiki buri nazar na lage uske liye. Waise mujhe pata hai ki shanivar ko toh Hanuman mandir jate hai lekin yaha kaha dundhne baithu Hanuman ji ko. Sab bagwan same hi hai end mei toh, aur Radhakrishna toh symbol hai pyaar ke toh-"
[I go to Iskcon temple every Saturday to make sure that no evil eyes cast them. I know that Saturday is Lord Hanuman's day and we should go to his temple but where will I find it here? And at the end every god is one and Radhakrishna are the symbol of love so-]
"Okay. We understood your point, Neava." Aniketh told her and she took a breath of relief. "And Preet, I know that you are lying."
"Why will I lie about my marriage? I can't do anything if you think that I'm lying, I can't give you another chance because I am happily in love with someone else." I shrugged. The way I lie confidently is a flex.
Unlike this Neava who just completely changed the topic.
"And who is that person? Why have I never heard about him before?"
I was going to blurt out my canadian man's name but I heard someone calling my name. I turned around to see who it was.
"Preet!" A man walked towards us in a tight white shirt, which revealed his well built body. The sleeves were folded up till his elbows revealing his veiny hands and multiple tattoos on it.
"What a hottie hottie!"
Neava sang in my ear, nudging my shoulder continuously after glancing at the man. It was her thing, whenever she finds someone super hot she would sing this in the same musical tone. And because of her I have started catching this phrase up as well.
It took me two whole minutes to recognise this person.
Deven. Abhinav bhai's best friend.
A sudden idea popped in my mind and I smiled to myself, with satisfaction. I said that I will put a fullstop to this, now I've found a way on how to.
I waited till Deven walked towards us with a smile of amusement. "Hey, Preet. How-"
The moment he stood beside me, I entangled my hand with his and plastered a fake sweet smile on my face.
"Meet my husband, Deven."
✧
So the first chapter is here, What are your reviews on it? 👀
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