Maroon

Ripples of Contemplation

Nitara's POV

Peace.
A five letter word. So easy to spell yet too hard to find.

I want peace. I crave peace but It's so fucking hard to find peace in this cruel, cruel world.

"you're getting married?" Adity asks me for the third time
"Yes" at this point I've given up. We are sitting in my room and I'm telling Adity about all that took place last night. It was pretty simple actually, all I had to say was that I'm getting married and there is no way out of this. Very easy.

"You're getting married like an actual wedding , you will be the bride?"
"Unfortunately"
"When?"
"I don't know yet though my sagai is next week" I get up, taking out a jewelry box to organize.

"I still can't wrap my head around this. Who's marrying you?"
"Ishaan"
"Ishaan Malhotra?" She looks at me with an overdramatic expression. "The Ishaan Malhotra? The one you had-"
"Yes that Ishaan Malhotra"
"Oh poor you" she puts a hand on my shoulder sympathetically.

"So just because your dadu promised you to someone you can do nothing about it?" She asks
"Nope nothing"
"This is so Bollywood level filmy"
"Except I'm the dumb main character who has to deal with this shit"

Adity is the biggest Bollywood buff I know and
As much as I'm trying to find the positive sides of this situation I can't. Mainly because there is nothing positive about it.

"When are you both meeting again...?" Adity looked at me
"Today"

We are supposed to go shopping together for a few things. After all I am the blushing bride to be, so super excited for my wedding planning.

"What are you wearing?" Adity gets up, opening my closet.
"Does it matter?"
"Of course it does" she looks around my cupboard and takes out a white kurta. The kurta had a peacock print on the bottom with a pastel blue dupatta. I knew for a fact that is was Adity's favorite because she was the one who gifted it to me.

"This one. I love it" she declares, keeping the kurta on the bed. "Now for the jhumkas'' , opening my dressing table drawer and retrieving a box of my jhumkas, Adity looked through it.

"I'll take care that you go check if papa needs something"  I take the box out of her hands.

"Why do you not let anyone touch that box?"

"Because it's my jhumka collection. Only for me."

"Possessive much?" She gets up and leaves to check if everything is okay downstairs.

My jhumka collection is my most prized possession. Years and years of hard work. I look through the box to find just the perfect pair to match the kurta when my phone lights up with a notification

I'll pick you up in 30 minutes?
Btw it's Ishaan I hope you have the number of your husband to be saved tho.
(That was a joke, please don't kill me)

A smile touches my lips at the last message but I stop myself. After giving it a million thoughts I finally come up with a simple-

Okay
(I don't like jokes)

And hit send.

No more overthinking. It's just a text.

After exactly 30 seconds, he replies

Not that I was counting.

I don't like you
(see my jokes are funny)

This time I actually smile.