Wedding Bells

Mosque rapped at the door. "Darling, are you okay?"

There was a dull silence. Mosque fidgeted with the edge of his tie, pushing his pride down. 

"Miza? Look, I'm sorry for what I said. I wasn't in the right mind, I was just really anxious -Jose called it pre-wedding jitters- and when Sebastian, that mongrel had the nerve to show up, it nearly drove me up the wall. I was just so angry! Who does he think he is, showing up after what he did to you!? Miza, I know you're listening; you understand right? You know I'd never do that to you Miza, I'm not that type of man."

"Miza?"

Mosque wondered if she was even in there. Had he been talking to the door like a madman the entire time? But he was certain he'd seen his sweetheart flee into the abandoned bathroom. 

"Darling if you don't answer, I'll come in, damn the pre-wedding rites."

Damn it all, he thought. This is why he preferred Meenakshi. She was a quiet, demure girl who stayed by him no matter what. It was obvious he would be drawn to her. Miza should have seen it coming, or was it that despite her defiant nature and bitter eyes, she would still expect him to tolerate her? Mosque sneered at that. He wouldn't let the woman ruin his life.

'He suspects us,' he could hear her whisper sweetly in his ear. 'You need to marry someone, and then we'll be safe.' He knew that if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't have agreed to this. He had to get through the marriage.

He slammed open the door. He took himself back right after. 

"Miza?" his voice was alluring. "Please answer me darling."

The curtain to the bathtub was drawn closed. Someone hummed from behind the sheet. Mosque brightened. 

"Miza! Do you know how worried I've been? Why haven't you been answering me?! I thought something happened to you."

Her hand peeked out of the curtain, her beautiful pale hand. Mosque rushed to cradle it. 

"I'm sorry." he said. "I won't do it again."

Another desolate hum echoed. Mosque buried his head into her hand brimming with the scent of wine and cried softly into it. He'd never let her go.

The door opened. "Hey Miza, are you..." Meenakshi startled. Mosque snatched his head away. 

"This...isn't what it looks like..." He pleaded.

Meenakshi stepped back.

"I would never do that to you Meena, you know I'm not that kind of man."

The hand from the curtain grabbed him by the hair. Meenakshi shrieked.

"What- what are you-?"

The hand struck Mosque's head against the side if the tub. He dropped unconscious. 

"Please forgive me, I didn't mean to, I only wanted his money!" said Meenakshi.

The curtained fluttered in the mockery of laughter. 

"So, he never wanted us, and you never wanted him, and I was the only one stuck wanting. Expecting him to look at me. You could've tried to pull me out of it".

"I did! I sent Sebastian here."

"And you were also the one to plan this marriage. What do you think of my life as, a toy?"

Meenakshi shivered. "I realised it was a mistake afterwards. I never meant to drag you into this."

Miza heaved. "I'm sure you didn't."