Chapter 3
How I Loathed Him
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"Swadheenta!" That's it. Tomorrow's her wedding. I don't know when the time passed. It feels like only yesterday when she knocked on my door, tasty ladoos in her hand, me studying a case, and told me that she was getting married.
The only tension was.. Armaan hadn't talked to her in days and it might just mean-
"Swadheenta? Are you even listening?" Shit.
"Yes, Shalini?" I turn around to see her. Here we sit, on the front porch of her big mansion, admiring her mehndi and looking at all the people decorating the mansion like a bride. It looks truly beautiful. And tomorrow? It would look perfect.
Thanks to me. I called them all and arranged this. So I would expect a big party thrown in My honour after all this. The decorations used in the wedding would do.
Just kidding!
Another box of ladoos, then. ;)
"I am worried. Call Armaan, please." Oh, baby.
"Shalini, he's all right. Probably on a bachelor trip and his phone is dead."
"But he is a doctor. His phone is NEVER dead. This one time, we went to Goa, and when he discovered that he doesn't have his charger, we came back the SAME day. Right that moment. A flight 4 hours after ours."
"And then he took you to Paris to make up for that." Yeah. She's THAT lucky.
"That's not the point."
"It is, actually," I say, "Shalini, he loves you. Of course he wants to marry you. He proposed to you in the most romantic way possible," He had given her a rose and said 'will you marry me?'. Not romantic, but all right. Would do. "And you have to trust him. Don't lose faith if you want your marriage to work."
"And you know a lot about this because..?"
"Because I am going to solve many divorce cases in my career, okay? And I know what will come. The person loses faith, thinks the man or wife is cheating, and then the BOOM! I need a divorce." She giggles at the 'boom' part. Good. My stupidity makes her laugh.
"By the way.."
"Yes?"
"I saw you and Adarsh on the terrace that day." Again, what is the peculiar warmth rising on my neck?
"Y-You..m...e.. uhh.. A..Adarsh.."
"Hi." Right. Call of the devil and the devil is here. I turn around to see him standing with a box of ladoos. LADOOS!
"Uhh..."
"Here, I got these for you only. Don't be shy to ask." Ohkay, he can SO read my mind!
"Adarsh bhaiya?" We call him bhaiya now? BHAIYA!
"Yes, Shalini?" I can't call him bhaiya.
"Well you don't have to." Shalini says. Shit.
"Did I say that aloud?"
"You did." Adarsh says and bursts into laughter. They high-five each other.
"Right. Go ahead, snort away. Real mature you both." This only makes them laugh harder. I attempt to get up and leave when Shalini catches my wrist and makes me sit down.
"We're sorry." Adarsh says, "But you look so funny when you're angry."
"Adarsh," Shalini tries to sound serious, when she actually is holding back a lot of laughter.
"Right. Sorry." He holds his ears. I look away.
"Will this make you feel better?" Shalini holds a ladoo near my mouth. That tasty, tasty ladoo. That ghee. And.. and.. that sweetness. Bomb of sugar.
Control, Swadheenta. Take a stand. You can't fall for a ladoo.
Besides, that may be infected. Or may be made of materials that.. harm you. Yes. Good. Now please, for god's sakes, don't look at it.
Don't look at it..
"You know you want it, Swadheenta." Go ahead. Be smirky.
Don't look at it, Freedom..
"It's a ladoo Freedom." Shalini says, trying to lure me into it.
"Oh for god's sakes!" I take it from her and take a bite. Ooomphhh. From the corner of my eye, I see Shalini and Adarsh smiling at me, like I'm a 5 year old kid who tends to have a loss of appetite and just ate something. Or like they're proud of me. Or like they're really admiring me.
"I hate you both." I take the box from Adarsh's hands and standing, taking out another ladoo and starting to eat it. I need some peace and quiet to finish my box of ladoos.
Don't judge! I only had breakfast this morning! Oh, what you ask? 5 bhatures, 4 plate chole and 3 plate rajma chawal. And it's already... uhh, 12 pm? Oh who cares! I'm slim! When I turn fat, then we'll see.
"We love you too!" They shout. As much I try to hold it back, I turn around at them and giggle.
OoO
Well no shit.
"You're so beautiful." Adarsh is flirting with her! That bloody Sasha! What does she think of herself? What does he think of herself? 'do you.. love me? because i do!' Utter shit! He knows nothing about love!
"I know." Wow, how modest! "Whose that creep you follow around?" ME? CREEP, you! Have you applied makeup like normal people or taken a cake and pressed your face into it? She just literally CAKED herself!
"I follow around? She does! She is such an annoying person, I tell you. I couldn't get rid of her until now. She keeps on following me EVERYWHERE I go." EXCUSE ME?!
"But it seems like YOU do, Adarsh.." Right. Be flirty. Suits you.
"Sashu," You don't put u in the name at the last and make it sound good. The PERSON you are talking of? Can NEVER sound good! "I don't."
Make a move, Freedom. Do it.
"Excuse me, Mr. Sinha?" I walk up to them. Adarsh's face turns white, like he's seen a ghost.
"Swa-Swadheenta.."
"Save it." I hold up a hand to his face to stop him. I turn around to HER, and smile the most sarcastic smile EVER. "Hi, I'm the CREEP you were talking of."
Her face. The caked one, yes. It also turned white.
Good. Suits you both.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were listening."
"No thank you, actually. At least I know what this jerk here thinks about me now." I turn to him. "You know what, Adarsh Sinha? I would have been crying right now. And you know why? Because I think you had feelings for me. But then, you were drunk. And you probably don't know anything from that night. But I WON'T cry. Not a single tear in YOUR honour."
"Swadheenta, listen to me."
"What's up?" Shalini comes from behind me.
"Nothing." Shit. Don't cry, Freedom. Please. Don't.
"Are you crying, Freedom?" Shalini puts a hand on my shoulder to turn me around. "Hey, hey, you look beautiful today. I just put 3 hours into doing your makeup, don't make it fall be a waste." That makes me giggle.
"What did you do?" She glares at him.
"I..."
"Leave it, Shalini. Can we go?"
"Sure, baby." She puts an around around my shoulder as we turn around and glares at him, "YOU. You made her CRY. I don't know what you did but I will find it out. And if I see you near her for even a second, I will END you. Understood?"
"Shalini, no need to be so brutal." Seriously? END you? She's supposed to be scary and she's making me laugh!
"I said, UNDERSTOOD?" She shouts.
"Yes." He says, sounding defeated. I feel his gaze on my back, "Swadheenta.."
"Don't say her name. Just, don't. I thought you were a good friend, Adarsh. A good person. But you changed. Because of her, "I think she looked at Sasha. I keep my face around, not wanting to look at either of them. I just want Shalini to get done with her threats and take me to my room or hers, like it matters, "And now? I don't want to talk to you, EVER! And neither does Swadheenta. Got it?"
"Shalini, I'm at your wedding."
"Attend it. Have fun, eat all you like. But just don't come near me. I don't want to see your face. I can't exclude you from my wedding since my mother and your mother adore each other. So I guess I would have to stand you."
"Shalini.." That is so rude.
"No, Freedom." She says, "He hurt you. And no one gets away with hurting you."
"Shalini.." He tries to calm her.
"I hope you two are very happy together." Was Sasha still standing there? She said nothing. Righttt. She's so dumb she couldn't figure out what was happening, right? So she must have stood there like a clone. Shalini tightens her arm around me as we walk inside the house.
"Ice cream with cold coffee?" She says, trying to cheer me up.
"Nothing better." I hug her, wrapping my arm around her waist. Back from the corner of my eye, I can see Adarsh still standing there, probably regretting what all he said about me. He called me annoying. He wanted to get rid of me.
Well, how's this for getting rid of me?
OoO
Holllaaa! So this was chapter 3! Now before you start throwing your sandals at me, I PROMISE, that within 2 chapters Swadheenta will forgive Adarsh. Well, partially at least. So much drama to come, get ready for it. Didn't exactly have a SwaDarsh scene but that would come in the next chapter. I PROMISE. A sweet, jealousy se bhara, SwaDarsh scene.
I just wanted a light hearted scene in the first part and then Swadheenta got angry with Adarsh because he called her annoying and wanted to get rid of her. Do you think Freedom was right? Do you think there is something Swadheenta doesn't know?
Well, you'll see. 😃
Leave below your comments and tell me what you thought about this chapter.
I'll see you in the next update.
Until then, be happy and stay blessed! 🤗
Yours,
-Tani.
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