The backup Bride

EPISODE 58

31/12/2019, At Chennai

Shiva's P. O. V:

She was anyway leaving tonight. If I didn't speak out today, I would never do it. It's better that I finally named our relationship today.

If I left this matter longer, Aparna might still be hoping for something. It's good that I made everything clear.

After a long time, I was going home peacefully.

Even though everything was sorted out, I had an uneasy feeling. It was as if I was being blind about something.

Maybe it's just me missing Aparna. She is leaving tonight and I won't be able to see her off.

I hope this feeling would go away later when I hear good news from Aparna. She can start her own firm. She will really shine in her work. And, that's what should matter to me. Wherever she is, she should be happy.

I rubbed my eyes and parked my bike in front of my home.

I ran in and found my amma sitting alone in front of the TV. The time was around 6 in the evening.

" Where is appa? " I asked amma as I removed my socks.

" He is in the printing shop. Well, today we are getting all the wedding invitations. In one month time, I don't know how we are going to invite everyone. Your uncle completed everything last week itself. We are late. " She said.

I gulped hard and walked upstairs to my room.

I took a bath and fell on my bed to get a good sleep. So much of burden from my mind was gone.

Is Aparna doing alright now?, maybe she has already started. What if Michael does something in Bangalore?, what will she do?, what if she decides to suffer silently again?, should I have asked her to stay here?

No, no, that would be bad for her. She shouldn't be locked here.

For nearly an hour, my mind was in a loop of thoughts. I couldn't fall asleep nor could I stop my thoughts.

I sat up and threw away my pillow. I scratched my head in confusion.

My phone rang and I broke out of my trance of thoughts.

It was a call from Shwetha. I instantly picked it up.

" Hello Shwetha, is Aparna okay? Is anything wrong? " I asked hurriedly.

" Yes, She is okay. I just wanted to talk to you " She said slowly.

I breathed out loud and thanked God.

" What is it? " I asked her.

" You know what, you really did save Aparna today, even when we didn't have a single drop of hope. I am forever grateful for that. " She said.

" No Shwetha, it was my responsibility. " I said.

" But there are some things you don't know. I really didn't want to hurt you at all. But I can't give up on my friend! She loved you like a lunatic. And I don't know if you did or not. She really didn't deserve to be this broken " Shwetha said. I was able to hear her voice breaking with tears.

" Shwetha, Aparna was really a precious person to me. She doesn't deserve an asshole like me. She should be with someone who is as brave, talented and honest as her. I am just a coward. She will get whatever she dreamt out. Whatever I did was for her good. " I said.

" You are really the bigger idiot than her. She came to this city for you, she knew about your regret of not having a chance at the life you wanted. She wanted to help you, she wanted to make sure that you will somehow stop regretting your life. She knew that you were not happy with your engagement. She wanted to help but fell in the trap herself. And Damned Shiva, don't lie to me that you don't love her. After you waved her good bye, didn't her face cross your mind even for a minute? "She asked.