Five Weeks

Chapter 7

"I can't come Right now baby." Mukund said, literally stopping Anahita's heartbeats. She frowned, shaking in anger. "What do you mean?"

"Actually....Anu... Something came up and..."

"Fuck you!" Anahita cursed loudly, "What do you think I am doing Mukund? I married a guy whom I don't like a cent just because you asked and now you are asking me to wait. Are you mad?"

"Baby I ju-"

"No, don't baby me. Just tell me what are you doing? You said we will run away from here and now you're leaving me in -"

"I am not leaving you Anahita. I am just trying to make everything right."

"How? Like this. Like leaving me with Yuvraaj." She scowled, "Mukund, I am married. You should know what will happen after that. I am still staking everything for you and you are just averting me." She blew up. It was anger or frustration, she couldn't decide it.

"I don't know why it all is happening Anahita. It's like the whole world is against us." Mukund sounded helpless.

"What a lame excuse!" Anahita seethed, "If you don't want me, just tell me but don't circumvent, don't fib, don't deceive me Mukund."

"Just shut up Anahita." Mukund growled, "I love you and please stop being dubious. I know you're not in good state but I am also not in better. You don't have any idea how it feels to ask your love to get Marry to someone else. You just have no idea. Only I know how many times i wanted to run to you but I can't."

"Then why?" Anahita demanded.

"Don't. I don't want to fight with you baby. Just remember one thing, you are mine and I want to keep it that way. By no means, should you allow him to touch you. Do you understand?" Mukund said sternly making her roll her eyes.  

"I know that better than you Mukund." Getting cosy with Yuvraaj was the last thing on her mind.

"I love you Anu..I love you so much. These five weeks will slip past in snaps and then, I'll fly to you. You just have to keep your trust intact in me." He tried to make her understand.

"I'll try mukund. Bye!" She perched on the bed, staring her Mehandi adorned hands. No options had she had to choose among. Neither could she go back, nor could she accept the relationship. The ultimate alternative was to, wait.

Impassive, she padded to the dressing table. It was thoughtful of her mother in law that she'd already adjusted armillary sphere stand on the side with the maximum space, so that anahita could place her stuff there. Mentally thanking Mrs. Prakash, Anahita perched on the Ottoman and removed the heavy veil from her head, getting rid with Mundavalya in process. Her eyes noticed the bright red vermilion on her parting. She raised her hand to touch her parting, trying to believe what really happened because it was still so surreal for her.

Five Weeks. Thirty five Days. Eight forty hours. Fifty thousand four hundred minutes. Thirty lakh twenty four thousand seconds of endurance and then I will be able to freely fly in the vast welkin like a bird. She was never so deft and quick in her calculation as this time. Smirking, she began to get rid of her auspicious green and red bangles clinking in her wrists. Her eyes gawked at her bridal reflection in the mirror.

"All you've to do is to stay strong, Anu." She muttered to herself, unscrewing her oversized earrings and dropped them on the vanity table beside the pool of her bangles.
With a creak, the bedroom door unbarred and she uplifted her thick lashed smokey eyes to the mirror again. Her lips stretched in faux smile when the intruder stepped inside. How could she not feel his presence - the assassin of her happiness - and his scorching warmth that filled the void of the room instantly. A pair of warm, brown eyes examined the whole room before zeroing his wandering vision on the mirror and they shined in delight. Although tempted, Anahita was not so dimwit as to glare him or roll her eyes. Coyly, she smiled and embraced her gaze with his, working on to unfix the heavy piece of gold jewelry around her slender neck.