Next morning as Shreya got ready to get to her office, she heard a commotion start.

"You asked me to buy so I bought them. But these have side effects that can kill! Augmentin! That's the same antibiotic both of my parents were given." Her father's tone was unfriendly and her brother looked unsure at the tablet strips.

Shreekant's cold seemed to wage a war in his body. He thought it was just a flu and it would go away soon. But early in the morning, he told his dad how serious it was. With his condition, he was scared of missing classes. A week in the 12th grade spent at home instead of college is equivalent to a whole month of self study. Ironically enough, he missed the classes pertaining to the cold!

"If you want to use them, you can, lest your mother turns around and says I don't care about you."

Shreekant lowered his eyes. He wanted to get over the cold. He did not believe he was going to die from a short usage of the medicine. He wanted to reach out of the strip.

"Later on don't turn around and blame me like your mother."

Shreekant stopped. He saw his mother standing aside. Although he could not see her face, the silence now was more tense than normal.

"It's fine, dad. I think it'll go away soon." He blew his nose. Then he turned away to try to revise his previous classes. On the way, he avoided his sister.

She looked like she could cry any moment.

He wondered why she was still so sensitive. These stopped bothering him a long time ago. He was extremely capable of turning a blind eye to his mother's feelings too.

As he walked past her, his eyes glanced over hers. He felt uncomfortable, but not guilty really. He had long grown unfeeling. All that mattered to him was a little peace.

When Shreekant left the hallway, it was Shreya's turn.

"Yesterday, someone asked me if we decided on your marriage yet." He looked over, inspecting her, as he took away the medicine with dread. He was going to return the damning thing!

Shreya held his eyes for a moment before looking down. She did not know if she should say something. She did not know what she should say, if she should.

"I could only smile at them in embarrassment."

Shreya held his eyes until he spoke again this time.

"Everyone knows what you do and how much education I provided you! How can I tell them you are going to marry someone who studied less than you?" His voice was aggrieved, as if he was wronged by her.

Here he goes again, Shreya thought. For the sake of all the guilt trips he put her through until now, this time, she was not going to give him that chance.

"What do you want me to say?" Was she getting ballsy? She was, indeed. She got straight to the point.

"Is that how you speak to your father?"

Shreya sighed silently. "This one time, let me choose myself."

"What? Did you just say that I never gave you any choice?"

Shreya tried to keep her cool. "You know you did not."

Then as her father began to keep up his righteousness, Shreya took inaudible deep breaths. It was going to end at some point, so for as long as it lasted, she tried to not hear. But this was not the case of out of sight out of mind. She could not put her palms to her ears brazenly before her father, even if he had a clearly booming voice.

In the end, after around half an hour, he shook his head at her and let her off.

Shreya kept her countenance unchanged as she left the house, in the car, and as she got down.

But once she was alone, on her way to the lab, tears streamed down throughout her walk through the campus.

When would things stop affecting her? How many more times must it take for her to feel nothing? Why did her parents decide for her to be born at all? She wished nothing existed. Nor her, nor the world, nor her brother, nor her mother.

Slowly she reached the lab after using the restroom for a while to clean her face.

Unfortunately, she was late. She smirked to herself, she got lost on the path of life, like Kakashi.

"Is this the first time you are late?" Jatin, her and Zahra's superior and boss asked.

Shreya looked past him inside. Zahra was already there. She looked at her too but swiftly shifted her gaze.

"This is the first, sir. Sorry. But I can stay until nine to make up for this."

Jatin raised a brow. "You are only 5 minutes late. Get to work."

Shreya nodded and went to retrieve her lab coat. Jatin left soon after. It was a casual overlook he was on that morning.

When she finally took her seat, Zahra grabbed her arm. "Thank god, I was on time today. Why should you be late on this particular day!"

Shreya wrested away her arm.

"What do you want?"

Zahra rolled her eyes. She was acting as if they had not been great colleagues for the past month. "Nothing. Just wanted to show off my luck and take a jab at yours."

Shreya did not bother.

"What's up? Your dad again?"

Silence.

"Just get married and it will all be over!"

She looked at her this time, smiled a little and said, "Yeah... hopefully." But he would still be her father

Zahra had seen her at her low points quite a few times. She was also the type to talk a lot and gossip about anything, mostly her own family.

Gradually, Shreya too shared tidbits of her life, especially when Zahra put her face in front of her and stared intensely at her.

∼•∽

Late afternoon, bored with work, Shreya opened her Instagram. She had a message from Lakshya sent in the morning. He wanted to meet her.

'Sure,' she sent, 'There is a restaurant 10 minutes away from TIFR.' She sent him the address. She wondered what the reason was, but her mind was too preoccupied with the events of the day to really think.

'Ok, I'll start now. I'll be there by 4:30.' His reply was instant.

What could be so urgent?

It was 3:47 at that time. Shreya decided to start out.

She went to Jatin to take two hours off.

"So get the work done then, by staying until nine!" He was mildly pissed.

She nodded and left.

The restaurant was 10 minutes away by car. On foot it would take her half-an-hour at least.

She took off her coat, redid her hair into a tiny pony, leaving some hair which could not reach her hair tie and rushed out. It was not that she didn't have money or that she could not call for the family driver. But she had to give all the reasons, all the 'right' reasons, to her father.

Somehow, just like she hated eating food he earned, she also hates using his money and his car.

She brisked to the gates of the institute. It was already 4:05.

She walked on faster and faster, her pony becoming loose and more of her hair coming out. She brushed them with her hand and rushed on in the sun.

Lakshya was waiting for Shreya. He reached the restaurant at 4:20. His mind was in chaos. He had to convince her to back out. But first of all, he did not understand why she would even say yes when he clearly told her that he was not up for marriage.

Moksha said she would accompany him to this important conversation, but in the end, she chickened out. He smiled at the thought of her. She was just a paper tiger. His comfort did not last long though.

He caught sight of Shreya. She sported a white t-shirt tucked in a pair of loose jeans with a dark brown sling bag on one side. She had the vibe of a college girl along with the classiness of adulthood.

Her breathing was rapid, as if she chased someone there. She looked around but did not seem to see him. He waved at her but it was futile. He wrinkled his nose, feeling affronted.

Shreya bowed her head down when she felt the people inside, although very few due to the odd hours, watching her. Self conscious, she silently made her way to one of the empty tables.

It was 4:33. After catching her breath, she decided to text him.

"I didn't know I was so unnoticeable until now." Lakshya said after he walked over to her table.

Shreya looked up and gave him an amiable smile. "You were already here?"

"Oh yes." He sat across from her. The sarcasm in his tone made her uncomfortable, although faintly.

"I'm sorry I'm late. What did you want to talk about?"

His eyes focused on hers. He stared long enough to be considered rude, yet he continued.

"Do you want to order something first?" she prompted.

He wrinkled his face, the whole of it, as he said, "Huh! Do you think this is a date?"

Date? The idea of her being on a date was foreign to her. For one, she did not have the luxury to fill her mind with fantasies.

"What do you want?" She changed tack. There was no good in being nice to someone who mocked her.

"I remember I said I was not ready. How the hell could you accept the proposal!"

Shreya looked down at her hands for a while. They were still. Outsiders did not affect her as much as her father did. Her hands only shook when the tension was between people close to her; her family and her close friends, especially if she was involved.

She understood something at that moment. She did like him very much, but any kind of deep bond was lacking between them. He was still more or less a stranger.

"Because I am not someone who solves others' problems for them." Her still hands gave her the courage to look him in the eye.

In fact she tried to be there for her closest people a lot, only to fail miserably. She cut short those thoughts. Then her glance turned questioning.

She took a sip of the water the waiter had placed during her short talk with Lakshya. She had been thirsty from all the running.

She filled her bottle with the rest of the water and stood up, all the while Lakshya realised he had nothing more to say.

It was when she was already at the door that Lakshya called out. "Shreya!"

∼•∽

Having all the attention on her, Shreya silently walked back to her seat. "Yes?"

"Let's... Let's talk this out slowly, okay?"

Lakshya noticed her chest heaving. "Are you angry? Come on!"

Shreya was not. When did she ever have the right to be angry? It was just that, she wanted to walk out and find a quiet alley and cry for a few minutes. She felt guilty for putting Lakshya in a tough spot. But at the same time, she wanted to start a new family. Badly. She was long done with her father.

To top all of that, Lakshya had a vibe that pulled her with so much gravity, one she could not shake off. She admitted it to herself right on their first meeting.

"No." She tried to smile.

Lakshya quickly pushed the menu to her and slowly flipped the pages. "See what you like."

She sighed audibly. Lakshya tittered.

"Will you pay? I'm a little tight on pocket money."

Lakshya was thrown off for a moment. "Of course! But don't you have a nice job? Why are you still taking pocket money?"

Shreya looked at the menu without answering. She pointed to an item.

As their orders arrived and they ate, Lakshya finally said, "I have a girlfriend. I love her a lot."

Shreya stopped eating. She put her hand to her head.

This time, she could not hold back. She cried. Before she grabbed a tissue, a drop or two fell into her plate. This... this was the guy she fought so hard for before her father. So confidently, that too.

Lakshya was unsure of what to do. He also stopped eating.

"I... I understand how you feel-"

"You don't!" She shouted.

For the third time, they called the attention of another customer and the group of waiters. This time, she did not seem to be bothered. "Don't ever say that to me! Ever again!" Her voice was louder with every sentence.

Lakshya had a lot of ramble on how he should not have presumed her feelings on the tip of his tongue, but he stayed silent.

Time passed. She calmed down. "What now?"

"I know you deserve better, someone who loves with his whole heart... So-"

"So?"

"So... So can you back out?"

She shook her head. "No." Tears flowed out of her eyes again.

"Please don't cry."

She shook her head again. Quite some of her hair escaped her rubber-band and stuck to her tear ridden face. She excused herself to the restroom as she redid her ponytail.

After a few minutes she came out with a washed face. But she did not look rejuvenated at all.

"If this is all, I'm not the one you should be seeking help from. We are on opposite sides here." She did not sit, choosing to stand instead.

"Will you still marry me if I have someone else? We're on the same side."

She sighed.

"I will."

"Don't be silly. Does it not bother you?"

"Really? Go ask your girlfriend that."

"Shreya!"

"It's been an hour. I should go. If you back out, I'll hear the news. If not, see you soon."

"Shreya!"

"Shreya!"

Lakshya walked out following her, leaving his phone inside, lest the waiter stopped him.

He caught up to her and caught her wrist. "Do you know how many lives you are spoiling right being like this?"

She flicked off his hand. "You spoiled them! You should have told me you had a freaking girlfriend when you came!"

She walked away in the direction she came.

Lakshya kicked the ground below, frustrated. He knew it was going to be a difficult task, but he did not know it would be this difficult! "The hell!" He paid for their food and took his phone, scraping it along the glass of the table in a shrill screech.

The waiter glared at Lakshya unbeknownst to him as he strode out.

He rode his bike for less than a minute when he caught up with Shreya.

He halted it with another screech, this time for Shreya to hear it. She flinched.

Obstructing her way and getting off, he accosted, "I get that I'd have to have told you before but don't you see my situation? Don't you feel bad for breaking us up?"

Shreya was still trying to calm down.

His words pricked her heart. Her whole life seemed like a mistake she had to bear the guilt for. Until when? Perhaps until she killed herself.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Just tell your parents no!" He wanted to make her call his parents then and there to deny him, but that would be obvious to them that he was the one behind it.

"Anything but that." Her tone was grim, voice soft.

"Why can't you understand!" His chest heaved as he ended the shout. She flinched much more this time, taking a step back.

"Why!"

When he failed to get a response, he said something that would throw his life off balance. "Fine. Then don't expect anything from this marriage."

He did not spare her another look.

Shreya was left with her thoughts. Her eyes lost focus as she walked.

Why did she decide on him? Why did she press that it would be him so adamantly?

She squeezed her eyes. He seemed to have the life she dreamt of, with as much freedom as she could think of. She wanted to experience a little part of that.

She walked on slowly, feeling numb.

She left the main road to take the shortcut she came by. In one of those alleys, she sat down for a rest on the steps of a house.

She buried her head in her knees and closed her eyes. As much as she tried not to think, her thoughts flew back to what had transpired.

She turned her head to the side and that's when she saw a stray cat walking past her.

She stared at it for some time. It did not go far and walked nearby.

She stood up, almost on autopilot, walked to a small shop she had passed by just before and bought a packet of curd. When she returned, she found the cat where she last spotted it. She carefully tore open the side of the packet and lay it near the cat with the opening facing the sky.

The cat was cautious but walked over after feeling no danger. It finished all the curd in no time.

Her eyes stayed on the same spot although the cat left. It was her phone ringing that brought her out of her daze.

It was her boss.

She sent him a quick text instead of answering. 'I'm on my way.'

With no energy to walk back she hailed a cab. It was a good decision to walk there before. Now she could happily sit in a car. When she looked at the notes in her purse, she only felt more determined. She had to get married quickly and leave her life at home she had to languish in. And her best option was still Lakshya. Maybe she should actually see everything in a positive light. If she had nothing to expect out of the marriage, wouldn't that mean more control on her own life?

She rested her head back and thought back to the time when she had been so excited to get her first pay. She wanted to buy Shreekant an iPad. She knew he loved to have one, but he would not ask. He would not even admit it to her. In the end, she did not know how to ask her father to let her withdraw her own money. She did not have an answer when he said, "I will buy you whatever you need."

She clicked open her phone. 'Fine. I won't expect anything from this marriage.' She sent the text without a second thought. But deep down she was sullen. She liked him. She definitely liked him. She liked him the moment she saw her and she liked him even more when he joked for her.

She took a deep breath. He read her text but went offline soon after. Well, she had to be tactful and never lose an opportunity to take his girlfriend out of the picture. After all, there is only so much anyone could fall short of. With so little happiness in her life, she had everything else a girl could ask for. She was innately brainy and had a gorgeous body. She was tall and slim with her hair rather fashionable lately. Above all, she had almost perfect facial features. She doubted she would not be able to compete with this girlfriend.

∼•∽

A/N:
I have exams upcoming. That's the reason I'm here only when I saw the reminder to update. Sorry about not responding to your lovely comments. By the next update I will read them all, definitely!

Although I stayed away, of course studying comes with procrastination. That was mostly when I wrote more of this story and I have 2 more chapters ready!

Wish me luck for my exam, guys. I'll tell you if it went well on the next update. Until then, take care and see you on July the 21st!