Five Weeks

Chapter 1

'Did you think of something?'

Anahita typed with urgency and left a message for Mukund before joining her family in the intensive work of finalizing invites for the wedding. She was past the phase where she would beg her father to meet Mukund or at least try to know him. Her eyes caught the glimpse of square shaped Royal blue coloured invite which was simple and elegant. It had a peacock painting on the back and was customized with the satin ribbon and a crest of their initials on the top.

Only three weeks have left. Please save me, Mukund. Anahita prayed mentally and plopped on the buttoned U shaped, cream coloured couch that went well with the off white coloured walls of drawing room that were stroked with chocolate brown.

Her eyes were flapping on her cellphone every now and then but Mukund never replied back. She was lost in her world, zoning out her family - extended family of bua-phoopha, chacha-chachi, mama-mami, taya-tayi and their kids - who had decided to adorn her adobe with their precocious present. She brought her knees closer to her chest and cringed at their excitement of selecting an invite. She curbed the urge to gag and point out that these invites were useless since she wouldn't marry Yuvraaj.

It reminded her of him, Yuvraaj Chaitanya Prakash - the guy claimed to have the most handsome face in her acquaintance and who never gave up on any opportunity to make her feel inferior. He was engaged to her since she opened her eyes first time in the world. She could've forgotten her age or her name but not the fact that she was fated to get married to Yuvraaj owing to some stupid promises their parents' had made to each other. Her parents adored him and he clearly took advantage of it. He always bossed her, his dominance made him prick in her eyes. Anahita couldn't forget the marriage thing because the sadist buffoon was always there to remind her. He intruded her life without her permission and kept buzzing in her ear that she was his prospective wife.

Anahita was always against it but the trumpet of rejection fell in deaf ears, for everyone was very pleased with this alliance, including Yuvraaj's parents and the devil himself but deep down, she had faith in her stars that one day she would be able to untethered herself from his claws.

On a relative note, her sanguinity fell into a bottomless pit when her dad announced her official engagement with Yuvraaj a month back and she was engaged. Woeful, she rubbed the throbbing nerve on her forehead and rested her head against the headrest, seeking peace. She closed her eyes and steeled herself for the ensuing torture - strictly mental and emotional - from the 'most eligible bachelor' as her family had tagged Yuvraaj.

Most eligible! My foot. She fleered, I will die but I will never marry him. I refuse to be a slave.

She screwed up face as the annoying buzz of her cellphone reached her earshot. Still having her eyes closed, she flattened out her palm.

"Aai, hand me my cellphone!"

"Here!" Her cousin thrusted the cellphone in her palm and she opened one eye to peek at the screen and rolled her eyes as she noticed it was not Mukund but Yuvraaj. Without waiting for a heartbeat, she slid the phone icon to red and cut the call, tossing the cellphone leisurely back on the sofa. She resumed to her previous position. Her cellphone beeped again. This time it was a message from Yuvraaj. She opened the inbox and clicked on the unread text.

'Don't choose a tacky invite alike you and send me a snap as soon as you're done selecting.'

Her jaw clenched and she typed furiously, 'Die before getting married to me.' She was tempted to incorporate a few slangs but she knew better of it. As soon as her thumb pressed the send option, she was greeted with a reply in less than a minute.

'Then my ghost will marry you and torture you for whole life. Trust me, mou, it's more painful to live with a ghost.'

"Moron!" Anahita screamed, gathering attention from her family.