PARTH
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'Sssssss!!! That looks so bad Dada!!! Can someone get me some more of the damning cotton please. It's not like we have a shortage of it...Do we?' Oni yelled in frustration causing our househelp rush in a hurry to get more cotton from the first aid kits from other rooms. The ones in the living room and Daadu's room were already soaked with my blood however I didn't give a damn about it because my eyes were still glued to a certain someone who kept looking at me from the corner of the room.

Her eyes held an emotion that kind of soothened something painful in my chest. I don't know why but I liked that expression of worry in her eyes.

'Can someone bloody get a doctor for heaven's sake? The fuck are everyone doing???' Oni's yelling brought me out of my reverie as I grabbed Oni's shoulder saying 'Calm down will you!!! It's just a little glass... relax!!!' when he got even more pissed when he was about to shout at me but I pressed his shoulder with my other hand whispering 'Stop creating a scene Oni. It's Taapsi's big day!!! I don't want you to behave like this.' I said and he huffed but kept silent.

I slowly looked around and asked everyone to enjoy the party assuring that it was just a minor accident and I was fine. Maa however stood besides me  with tears in her eyes trying to examine my hand when I simply told her that I'm fine however she looked extremely worried. And then my eyes again met hers. For a moment I saw her taking steps in my direction that fastened my heartbeats however the next second I saw how that designer grabbed her hand and she paused.

He held both her hands while she smiled and kept telling him something and it looked like she had already forgotten me and my very existence. That hurt way more than the bleeding wound right now. And then he whispered something in her ears making her smile and she slapped his chest.

That's it!!! I couldn't take it anymore.
I simply pulled my bleeding hand from Oni's hand and rushed upstairs to my room. Oni kept calling my name. Nibbi Di and Maa tried stopping me but all I could see right now was 'her' in that man's arms and I didn't have the courage to even recall that image. I didn't have it in me to even turn around and take one more look at her in that man's arms. The scene was too disturbing for my bleeding heart. I banged my door close and rushed towards the balcony. I needed air. I wanted to breathe.

I may not be ready to accept it but deep down every single ounce of me knows how much she matters to me. How can I see her in someone else's arms. I wasn't that brave even if I can pretend well I'm not that good to keep this fury uncovered and raw.

It hurts and fuck it does.
It hurts. And damn it hurts like hell!!!

It hurts like a broken bone.
It hurts like an open wound bleeding, soaking and rotting while still being stitched in open.

I no longer felt alive but this pain reminded me that I'm not dead either. My heart...The pain in this fucking goddamn heart made me realise...It's still there...the pain...the emotion...the feeling that I felt when I lied to her the very first time. The feeling when I told that I don't see her the way she did...That I wasn't interested in her.

Interested??? Huhh!!!
She didn't even know what havoc she created to this heart when she was just beside me...

All I knew was...she was a volcano and I wanted to be swimming in that lava of her heat. She was a woman and I was a man... attracted...huh??? Attracted??? Was just a small word. A very small word.

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Flashback Begins...
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'I think we must tell her everything!!!' I said when Di and Oni looked at me with a shock. I nodded looking at them as I silently took another sip of my hot tea when Di said 'Can you trust a girl whom you met hardly a month ago in a plan that you have made for decades now Partho? Are you serious???' she asked and I looked outside the window. It was drizzling and somehow the smell of the fragrance of the jasmine flowers mixed with the rain soaked mud reminded me of her. Her fragrance. Her earthy fragrance.

'I am Di!!! We are going to ask Oni to marry her. She likes it or not, she's going to be a part of this plan and I don't know why I feel it's only unfair that she-' and just when we were discussing it I noticed how Oni restlessly kept adding spoons of sugar to his tea making it almost Payosh (sweet dish) and knowing Oni's every action I immediately grabbed his wrist only to notice how he was shivering.

I slowly looked at his face and he was hiding himself from me. He wasn't ready to meet my eyes and I raised an eyebrow asking 'Either spit it out or I'll make you!!!' and the next second he said 'I ...I...Can we...Can we push this...this wedding pla...plan a little more...for a mon...month or so?' and the next minute Di started yelling at him trying to explain the consequences of delaying our plan. The market was shaken already. Oni had already disappeared for weeks now and she explained how it would not be easy for us to convince that fox of a woman Sayantani and her son about the delay when I noticed how Oni was looking sad and annoyed at the same time.

He behaved like that only when he wasn't prepared for an exam or a competition but he was forced to participate though. And I immediately grabbed his hand saying

'Tumi take biye korbe na? Tai Na?' (You wouldn't marry her? Right?)

My question was met with a pin drop silence and then his eyes met mine. They were filled with fresh tears as he whispered 'I can't Dada!!! Ankita...I love her. I still do!!! I....I can't!!!' and that confession changed it all.

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'Nothing is beyond my brother's happiness. We will find another way around!!!' I said when our advocate and Jag uncle's bestie Roy Uncle said 'Not possible Partho. My legal team and I have read the contract so many times searching for a loophole but there's none. It's crystal clear. The heir of the family will be legalized only after he is officially married!!!' he said when Oni shouted 'Di is!!! Why can't she be-' but was immediately interrupted by Jag Maamu who said 'You know your asshole father and grandfather!!! Sorry to say but they are all male chauvinist pigs!!! They'll never let the property be passed onto a daughter. And Nibedita??? Gosh!!! Never!!! They know she's smart and cannot be manipulated!!! We can fight a court case for her rights but that doesn't serve the purpose. Your father will still remain the major stakeholder in the business and that means he is still the most powerful man in the house!!!'

'So you mean we need to find someone who can be a heir, isn't smart according to our so called evil grandmother and is also willing to get married?' I asked and that's when Oni looked at me saying 'Then why can't Dada get married instead of me?' and everyone froze including me.

Are you mad?

Our entire plan will be flushed down the gutter!!!

Sanjoy Chakraborty will never accept Parth aa his heir.

You know he has issues with Partho!!! Are you crazy Onu?

Every one threw questions at him when I whispered 'And Dhara??? She...she likes you Oni!!!' I whispered when he simply looked at everyone saying

'Dad will agree, because with this marriage he can prove to the world that his son isn't a queer. That man can kill a the woman who loved him beyond everything just for his fake prestige... you think he cant get his asexual son married to a girl? Huhh!!! He'll happily do that and for Dhara... we'll create every possible situation so she cannot deny it!!!'

'Wrong Oni!!! That's wrong on so many levels!!!' I said when he looked at me saying

'Its wrong even if I marry her Dada when I don't have any feelings for her and I love someone else... atleast if she's marrying you... tomorrow once everything comes out in open she'll have a fresh beginning with you... atleast she'll have a husband who may not be in love with her but atleast who's madly attracted to her...some hope is better than a dark dead end na Dada?' Oni said when everyone in the room looked at me including Roy Uncle.

'What rubbish? He's just blabbering shit!!!' yelling at Oni I left the house and started rushing outside when Oni said 'Dada you know...you are attracted to her. Desperately. I have seen it in your eyes. You dont want to lie to her. You dont want to hurt her. You want to tell her... someone whom you met just a month ago about your plan that you made since you were a school kid. What is this Dada? I am not terming it as love but I'm not taking it as 'rubbish' for sure!!!' he said and I didn't have anything to say. I simply started my car and was driving like a mad man.

Dhara's face kept flashing infront of my eyes every now and then. The innocence on her face. Those genuine eyes. That brightening smile. Gosh I'm loosing my mind. Am I really attracted to her? Damn it!!! This is so wrong. She's going to be my sister in law. I applied breaks instantly as I launched a strong punch on the dashboard of my car in anger and frustration however the little moments I had spent with her. Our chaat sessions, our little chit chats, our tea breaks silently brought a smile on my face but also filled my eyes with tears.

I didn't know what this feeling was but I knew one thing for sure...it wasn't rubbish like I termed earlier.

And just like that I had accepted my emotions for her. Maybe...maybe I'm attracted to her.

Maybe!!!

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'But why must he marry her dad??? I mean... Parth...Parth doesn't love her. You dont na Parth?' Arunima asked me out of frustration and I narrowed my eyebrows. She was assisting her father in  this case. Still being a law student however a daughter of one of top lawyers in the country, her father wanted her to see real time cases and that's how Arunima and I knew each other and we had slowly become good friends.

I did understand that she was getting protective towards me but her interfering nature in decision making of my plan was annoying after one point of time and this time she was behaving like a child. Even after explaining her for hours she kept repeating things like a broken tape recorder is when I yelled

'Thats enough now Arunima!!! Please understand that everything we are doing is to make my ages old plan successful and I don't think I need your opinion in this. Your father is our lawyer and you are just an assistant, kindly don't forget those professional boundaries. As a friend...I think you must be happy because your friend is finally going to marry the girl...he likes!!!' there I said it loud and clear accepting whole heartedly the attraction I felt for her.

Arunima left the room without a word however my family was happy for me. Di and Oni hugged me warm when Maa smiled and kept a hand on my head. Jag Maamu however looked at me saying 'You know it's not going to be easy right?' and I nodded saying 'Its never been... atleast I'll have something to look forward after this endless battle? Won't I?' and he smiled keeping his hand on my head.

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Flashback ends...
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I smiled recalling that thought. Wish everything was that easy. Back then although I had whole heartedly accepted her as mine and played a real dirty game for being her replacement groom. Although with the right intensions I never realised that no matter what it was still wrong to play with her heart, her emotions, her feelings.

I manipulated her feelings probably. I don't know if she really liked me or I made her fall for me. Being with her was a constant tug of war within my own self.  It was a feeling of keeping her closer while pushing her away. Admiring every inch of hers while not being able to even breathe in her presence. Pure torture.

But...it was still better than seeing her in someone else's arms.

With that thought I closed my eyes trying to take a deep breath when I heard a knock on my door and I heard

'Ummm... Parth??? May I?' and my heart stopped. She...she was here.

In this room.

Our room.
After so many years. My throat felt clogged as I turned around seeing her by the door but the next moment my eyes faltered seeing her stand along with the man with whom she danced all evening.
The designer. Probably her fiance. Probably the man she was going to get married to.

Why was she here with him? Did she come here to see how helpless I was? How much it hurt me? How much I can't see her with someone else? My nails unknowingly dug into my bleeding hands as I fisted my handing clenching my jaws tighter trying to control my helplessness, pain and anger. Anger of not being able to do anything. Anger of letting her go. Anger of being a dummy and nothing else.

When she simply looked at him and nodded when the man took a step forward and walked into our room while she hesitantly stood by the door and kept staring at the room like she had seen a ghost.

I noticed how her eyes went moist and then cleared her throat saying 'I will be downstairs!!!' and she immediately left the room without even waiting for me to say a word. I still tried to analyze what happened when I felt the man grabbing my hand when he slowly examined something saying

'Wow!!! Looks like a deep cut. Let me clean it up. Hope you aren't diabetic or something...are you?' and I narrowed my eyes finally towards the man who kept looking at my hand carefully behind his rimless glasses and then he slowly opened a tiny little pouch that he carried along with him.

'What are you doing?' I barked when he raised an eyebrow saying 'Well this isn't Bharatanatyam for sure!!! What do you think I'm doing?' he asked me back while clicking his tongue carelessly as he slowly started cleaning my wound and then applied some medicine on it. I winced in pain but I yanked my hand saying 'What the fuck do you think are you doing? Why are you looking at my wound like you know me or you care for me?' I yelled when he narrowed his eyebrows saying

'I DON'T!!! Honestly I give a damn but then I'm here because Dhara asked me to check upon your wound besides... it's my job... although you aren't having a heart attack well I don't know if you'll ever have one coz I have heard enough about you and your deeds from Piyush...so basically you are heartless but then... nevermind...this is my job...after all we doctors take an owth to save lives!!! Warna tujh jaise ko toh mai zinda gaadh deta!!! (I would have buried you alive!!!)...but then be glad my wife doesn't like me getting violent!!!' he said and the way my head snapped in his direction the minute he confessed he wasn't married, I definitely must have sprained my neck.

'You??? You are...you are married??? You... you aren't aren't... Dhara's fiance???' I asked when he narrowed his eyebrows asking 'Fiance??? I didn't know Dhara had one... besides... what do you mean by married??? I have a daughter too!!! I'm Doctor Aahir Sehgal, Cardiologist and your ex wife's Muh bola bhai (brother like)' and the moment he confessed that I didn't know why I felt like someone had taken away all the pain in my heart and had suddenly spread happiness and joy in the air.

The very moment I grabbed onto the man's shoulders with my still bleeding hands asking 'You...you mean... she's.
. she's still single??? You...you aren't her fiance??? Oh my God... she's she is still single...Mumma??? You heard that??? She is still single!!!' and the next second I lifted the man up in my arms and twirled around like a madman while he kept shouting ane screaming to put him down but I had lost it completely.

There wasn't anyone in her life.
She was single.
Maybe the designer thing was just a failed attempt to set her up but who cares... she's single...

Dhara is still single.

Yassssss!!!!