~AR One Shot~ No Name

"Hmmm?" Riddhima said, snapping out of her thoughts and looking at her mother.

"Sindoor," her mother hissed under her breath, now clearly agitated at how lost her daughter was acting and that too at her own wedding mandip.

"Can I have a minute?" Riddhima suddenly said, to no one in particular, but loud enough so the few people around her could hear.

"A minute? A minute for what?" Her father said, coming close to her. Riddhima looked straight ahead at Sid, who had a confused expression on his face. He just sat there, his fingers playing around with the sindoor in his hand.

"I just need some time...some time to think," said Riddhima to her father, she didn't exactly know what she wanted, but somewhere deep inside...she just didn't know if this was what she wanted. She knew she wasn't meant to be thinking about this, not now, not here...but those words

kept pricking her mind, like sharp thorns upon a rose.

"Wow...your a crazy girl...just because you have known him all your life and because your parents want you to get married your going to do it?! You only live once...and God knows, I would never settle. Life isn't meant for settling, its meant for soaring..."

"What do you need to think about Riddhima?! Couldn't this thinking be done before you sat on the mandip-"

"Just a minute!" Riddhima said as she quickly got up. Everyone stood up as soon as she did, all of them bewildered and shocked at her sudden action. "Listen everyone...I just need to think about something- I mean...I-I...forget it...I'll be back," she said beginning to walk past her parents. Shashank Gupta walked up beside his daughter before she could move any further.

"Riddhima, go and sit down now! What do you think your doing? Getting up in the middle of your own wedding...what kind of new drama is this?" He said, trying to keep his voice low, although he was furious and shaking from anger.

"Dad...please, I just need to think about this," Riddhima said, her eyes pleading for her father to understand her plight.

"What do you need to think about? What is this thinking nonsense you are on about? Get back to the wedding mandip young lady and we will think no more of this!" He said as he grabbed her hand.

Riddhima jerked her hand away violently, "no dad, it was for your sake I didn't think about it in the first place and now I am finally thinking. I don't know what I want...and yes...yes this may be one of the stupidest times to be thinking about it, bu-but, just give me some time...please."

Her father looked at her with the most confused and helpless expression, he looked over at the guest, who seemed to be waiting for some sort of explanation, he looked back at where Riddhima was standing, but she was gone, marching up the stairs towards her room. He sighed...what was going on?! Why was this happening to him...hadn't he given her enough sense

"Hello everyone...not to worry, Riddhima is just nervous. She just wants to calm herself down...she has been having these anxiety attacks since she was a child...please just give her a couple of minutes." The crowd didn't know what to say, everyone just stood there, as if waiting for her to come down. Shashank Gupta looked over at his wife, motioning her to go check upstairs on Riddhima, she nodded and quickly slipped away, without the crowd noticing. "Please everyone...just relax, give her a couple of minutes...I mean you know about her anxiety attacks, don't you Sid?"

"Yea...is she okay? Should I go see her?" said Sid, a concerned expression coming over his face.

"No, its fine, she will be down," Shashank said, trying to give a reassuring smile to Sid. Sid smiled back weakly, clearly not reassured.

**

"Riddhima! Riddhima!" Riddhima's mother yelled as she knocked on her daughter's bedroom door. "Oh my gosh, this girl...its like she is enjoying seeing us lose face," her mother sighed as she opened the door herself. She stepped inside the room, and it was like someone had pulled the ground from underneath her. She held the door to steady herself and keep her balance, the scene before her was shocking, to say the least.

Riddhima's heavy chunni lay on the bed and the window of her room was wide open, with a blanket hanging out the side.

**

Riddhima lamely tried to hail a cab, "come on, come on" she said waving her arms. Finally a cab stopped beside her and she swung open the back door, she picked up her lengha and sat herself in the back. The cab driver, clearly shocked at her attire asked "where to?"

"To the train station, please" she said.

"Um...ma'am...are you sure you want to go there?" the cab driver asked hesitatingly, as if he was being asked to be some accomplice in some crime.

"Just do your job and drive!" Riddhima said, shooting him an angry glare. He sighed and began to drive off. Riddhima looked back at her house, decorated like a bride for her wedding. "I'm sorry Sid," she whispered under her breath. She just needed to meet him again, as if talking to him would take all her worriedSabout