The Runaway Bride! Part 2

Aryan's POV (Point Of View)

After I saw her leave the hall, my future that I built with her came down crashing. Reality hit me hard making me feel tremors under my feet. I loved her a lot and that love injured my heart a few seconds ago. As she dragged my knotted angavastram with her pallu and stepped down from the stage, I felt she took a part of me away from me.

Someone rightly said, "Love is injurious to health" I trusted her and she backstabbed me. Though I knew something around us was fishy, I decided to overlook it when she said "I want to marry you, Aryan. I am ready for this marriage" I saw the world through her eyes relishing every moment I spent with her. Now those moments are fading away as she walked out of my life.

"I am sorry, Aryan" are the words that are getting replayed continuously in my head. I still remember the way she saw me with glistening eyes. I felt she never trusted me. Though our families set up this alliance, I talked to her in private and asked her whether she was ready to marry me or not twice but she smiled and accepted to marry me. Then, why did she reject to marry me now? What could be the reason? 

Because of her, my family is facing humiliation. Our relatives who till now greeted us with a respectful smile started frowning at us.

"Did you force her to marry your son? She might have loved someone else. So she ran away" One of them raised their voice on my father. I was taken aback when they said this. They knew about us very well. We could never think of forcing someone in this way. My parents and my grandmother were profusely sweating worrying about the lost reputation. 

I stepped forward to clear the air. I moved close to her father Narayan and right away asked him "Was she ready for marrying me?" 

Her father bowed his head for the first time and apologised to us saying she was not yet ready for the marriage. The moment I heard this I felt like Aradhana and her family betrayed us by burying the truth under a fort of lies. Her father was about to say something but I couldn't take it anymore. So I raised my hand to show a stop sign. He stopped gulping a lump formed in his throat. When my near and dear ones got ready for taunting her parents now, I stopped them and ordered them to mind their own business as I knew no one over there was such one too pious one to pass their judgements. 

The love in my heart died giving birth to hatred and rage. I started hating her to the core for running away like a coward not able to convince her parents not to get her married off. I hated her more for not trusting me. I walked away from there taking my family members with a broken heart.

I prayed to God to never see her in my life. If destiny will bring her in front of me, she will know the real meaning of hell and will pay badly for breaking my trust and my heart.

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Aradhana's POV

I never wanted Mr Aryan to suffer for my doings. I wanted to tell him that I can't marry him but I didn't get a chance to tell him. When he asked me the second time I was about to tell but my father warned me of the dire consequences if I spilt the beans. I never wanted this marriage. I was not interested in getting married to him. I don't have any feelings for him. I wanted something else but my dad refrained from getting that. 

My father who treated me like a little princess till last week now treats me like an expired good at home who needs to be disposed of as quickly as possible! I know it was a bad metaphor but that's how I felt when he said he wants me to marry him, Mr Aryan. He didn't ask my opinion about marrying him. How can he? He asked my opinion on everything he bought me since childhood. But this time, he decided on his own overlooking my interests.

Marriage is a lifelong journey with a person. How can he decide within few days that Mr Aryan was the perfect match for me? How can he do this injustice to me? I was never outspoken so I suffered silently. But when he was about to tie the sacred thread around my neck, I realised the fact that not only I am spoiling my life but also his. I don't want to be an extra commodity at his home too. After all, I am not a commodity ready for exchange. 

Though Mr Aryan's family including him well behaved with me, I couldn't suppress my thoughts.

Since the luggage was already packed at my home to send me immediately post the wedding rituals, I saved my time to run away. I entered the home with the key that is secretly placed beneath the rose flower pot. I knew my mom's habit. She never carries her duplicate key along with her. She always keeps there. Grabbing the key, I rushed inside my room and took my luggage. I hired an auto to reach the airport where my friend stood waiting for me. Luckily, I encountered none of the known faces on my way.

"Finally! You dared to take the step" he received me gladly at the airport entrance. He is Chaithanya, my childhood friend and the best buddy I could ever imagine. He saved my ass a couple of times. I escaped my father's wrath because of him. He was admired a lot by my father and was considered to be an ideal one. Without him and his help, I would have ended up marrying Mr Aryan. Sometimes, I feel that my father should have proposed to him for the marriage and I would try thinking about it because I knew him well and could gel with him gracefully.

He pushed me slightly with his arm. "Yes!" I nodded my head coming out from a clash of thoughts. Holding my hand, he walked into the airport and asked me to change my attire as it was grabbing on-goers attention. I felt embarrassed noticing that people were staring at me. I rushed to the washroom to change my attire into a casual one. Wearing casuals and goggles, I walked out trying to be bold enough to face the outside world. 

"Woah! You are amazing. Let's go. I booked the tickets and everything is set. The good news is... tomorrow at noon, you have the interview. Gear up kitty! You will have a lot of work to do. If you get selected, believe me, you will never regret working there. Try to be brave. Happy days ahead!" Chaithanya shouted in joy and boarded the flight along with me. I must thank him. He was the one who made me realise that marriage cannot withstand the typhoon of lies. My biggest lie was to say to Mr Aryan that I wanted to marry him. I can never sustain living in a relationship that was built with lies. Chaithanya called me the day before yesterday. He was about to inform the good news that my resume got shortlisted in his friend's company but he came to know I got stuck in this marriage issue. So, he told me his plan to escape from the marriage and board the flight but till the last moment, I rubbished off until the last moment. Good that he waited for me at the airport hoping that I will come for sure. His belief turned true. I reached the airport!

Occupying my seat, I prayed for the well being of my parents. I wish they can forget and forgive me. I wished Mr Aryan can find a perfect match for him. I told myself if I accidentally bump into Mr Aryan in future I am going to make a heartfelt apology to him. Somewhere my conscience pricked and I hesitated whether I was doing wrong to correct a wrong thing or I was doing wrong to strike off the right thing happening to me. But it was too late to think about the past. The flight was ready to take off.

"We are flying to fulfil your dreams, Kitty (Aradhana)! Be ready and welcome the future with a bright smile." my bestie said holding my hand tightly. Jerk! I knew he was putting up an act to hide his acrophobia. I smirked at him and rested my head on the seat.

Here goes my life on a roller coaster ride. Let's see if it is going to be a smooth one or a bumpy one! Either way, I must reach my goal of becoming an independent working woman.

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To be continued...