On aunty's insistence, Nia convinced Pari to come to the mall with her. It was the first and only mall of this town. Nia told Pari to wait for her at the hotel she works, so that after her shift is over, they both can go together to the mall. Even though Pari told aunty about her habit of staying indoors, Mrs.Sharma was having none of it. She believed a pregnant woman needed a healthy and fresh environment, which Pari was not getting due to being locked in the house all day.

Pari was a bit excited to see the hotel Nia works at. Pari always loved hotels, resorts and it was one of the reasons she chose to work in the hospitality industry. She was attracted to the opulence and luxury of the hotels.

She was waiting near the lobby when Nia met her and told her how she needed to extend her shift a bit more due to some important guests.

As Pari sat there reading a random Hindi magazine, she saw feet of a man approaching her, she looked up to see a well dressed man, who was most likely a hotel employee say "Hi" to her. She smiled a bit uncomfortably and resumed reading. She was used to interacting with Nia and aunty, a total stranger approaching her alarmed her. But this man was not backing out.

He extended his hand and said, "My name is Raj....naam toh Suna hi hoga."
He joked. It was a famous Bollywood dialogue. He hoped to bring a smile and familiarity with this line but the beautiful woman infront of him didn't smile.

"Okay, I am not so filmy...but I love movies, so I thought you know this line....I don't mean to make you uncomfortable with this...I am actually a -" Raj rambled, being nervous. He was always professional at his workplace and had often frowned on his colleagues flirting with guests but this woman infront of him had pulled him to her, like a magnet. He couldn't resist what he felt and started the conversation.

"Hey Raj! I will be leaving now ....Oh you already met Pari?" Nia interrupted Raj's nervous talks as Nia introduced them to each other.

"Must say, your name suits you." Rah shyly mumbled to Pari as Nia looked shocked to see Raj flirting with her roommate.

"Must say, you are not so professional at work." Pari replied as Nia glared and pinched Pari lightly, asking her to control her rude remarks.

"Hahahha...Pari has this dry humour, don't mind her!" Nia fake laughed and hit Pari lightly on her shoulder and pulled her away from there.

"What was that?" Nia was visibly angry at Pari for her behaviour, "he is my senior. What if he gets angry for your behaviour and takes it out on me?"

"He should have stayed in his lane by being professional and avoiding flirting with me." Pari grumpily replied.

"He doesn't know you have a knife like tongue! And by the way, I have never seen or heard Raj behaving like this with anyone ...so most likely, he really liked you...you could have just been nicer with him. He is a nice guy." Raj was a genuine guy who mind his business, as far as Nia knew.

"You know what? If you want to keep doing this, we will just go home. Okay? I don't need anyone to tell me how I should behave!" Pari rolled her eyes. Seeing this, Nia rolled her eyes too at Pari's behaviour. Seeing how things upset Pari quickly, Nia was sure that Pari was quite literally a "daddy's spoilt princess."

"You are such a brat!" Nia mumbled.

"Not more than you." Pari fired back.

"So, are we going home?" Pari asked.

"No!" Nia replied. She knew how much aunty insisted for her to take Pari out. And may be, Pari needs an outing to vent out her feelings. "We will go to the mall. Please, smile a little. I am saying sorry, okay princess?" The last part was definitely laced with sarcasm but Nia apologised fo Pari as she didn't want her in sour mood.

Pari hit Nia slightly on the arm and asked her to stop calling her "princess" but Nia argued that she is one.

The walk and their argument ended when they finally reached the mall.

"Disclaimer : there are no big brands here like you are used to! There are just 'normie' brands here." Nia had seen some of the stuff Pari owned. It screamt "money" and "luxury". But their small town had no access to these big brands.

"It's okay, I don't want to shop. I am just accompanying you." Pari replied, not being affected with the absence of brands.

"What?! Pari, you have to buy!!" Nia almost screeched loudly. Who is this person saying NO to shopping? "Not just for yourself, but also for the baby. You know I always see cute baby outfits here and I want to buy it sooo badly, but I do not have a baby, yet. But you need to buy it for your baby..." And she gave Pari reasons on why she should be buying clothes for this unborn child.

But Pari was hella stubborn woman. Her denial remained despite Nia's efforts to make her buy something. All Pari said was she will buy things when her she needs them.

***

Pari tossed in her bed from left to right, her eyes still closed and the memories of the past playing in her mind like a reel. She got up from her small bed, irritated that she couldn't sleep peacefully at all. She was almost irritated with Nia today. When they both came back from the mall, Nia, like the radio station she was, narrated everything to aunty. From Raj approaching Pari to her not buying anything at the mall.

"Aunty, she was so rude to Raj. He is a good guy still she behaved so rudely." Nia complained.

"She is so pretty that many will approach her, so you want her to give attention to everyone?" Aunty commented while eating a slice of an apple. At night, aunty is more relaxed, like a friend and more into gossips. Nia and Aunty turn the room into a gossip corner where they talk about everyone from the town, nothing too bad but yes, as they put, they 'share updates.'

When Nia's phone pinged, she checked her phone and said, "Oh! See it's Raj's message! He is asking about you." Nia wiggled her eyebrows, teasing Pari.

"Shut up! And don't you dare tell anything about me." Pari said. She would never raise her voice but her annoyance was very clear in her lowered voice.

"Ofcourse not! How much ever of a stuck up you are, I consider you as a friend." Nia bit back. "I will tell him to not bother you. Princess doesn't think anyone is worthy of her." Nia mumbled but Pari heard it. Nia disliked the way Pari talked to Raj. She could have been nicer but no, it's Pari! Why would she be ever nice to someone?

There it was! That line which was true. Pari really never thought anyone was worthy of her.

Pari's family had brought her a good proposal of a boy from their community for her marriage. In those days, it was a norm for the girl to marry early, so when she was in her first year of college, there were potential grooms coming in, especially because she was a pretty girl. Despite Pari's denial, her family was insistent on this one proposal, asking her to atleast meet the boy. They were sure she would say yes to this boy as he had a decent job and a good family. It was a shocker for them when she denied this proposal and each of them insisted on giving this boy a chance.

"Maa, he is just working as a clerk and his family has so many people which means so many mouths to feed. I am done with adjustments. Don't expect me to adjust more and get married into a small household!"

Despite her family's insistence, she was a stubborn on stand. In the end, her mother said, "It is good that you are denying this maariage otherwise with a brain like yours, you will make his life hell." Her mother almost had tears for all the bitterness her daughter has in her, "I don't know who will you agree to marry! And these are good boys that you are denying. Beta, please accept that we come from an ordinary family and what we are getting is more than enough. I don't know what you want!" She explained her daughter.

"Maa, I am very clear of what I expect. I expect a good flat like my friends have, money to buy whichever clothes I want. I don't want to think over a price tag.....so I am not going to settle for an ordinary guy." She calmly replied and left.

If she could go in the past and swallow her words, she would. Believe it or not, there are days when the universe listens to you and makes your words true, that was just one of those days.

**

A lazy Sunday went by Pari concentrated on reading good books, more of self help and positive mindset book. She didn't want the child to have her bitterness or ungratefulness. She had read that a baby in the womb absorbs everything the mother does. The baby is aware of the surroundings and the world. She wanted the child to have good values.

It was late at night when Pari was waiting for Nia to come. Nia had gone to a local club nearby and despite aunty being strict with her paying guest and rules, she allowed Nia to come back late. Pari told aunty had she would open the door at night and doesn't have to be awake for Nia.

The doorbell rang and Pari was ready to open the door and yell at Nia for coming so late. But to her surprise, it was the guy from the restaurant who was being flirty ...she recalled his name - Raj!

"Umm Hi..and no, I didn't stalk you..I, I mean we are here to drop Nia." Pari could see Raj's nervousness. Pari leaned a little to her right and saw two girls supporting Nia, who couldn't even balance her own self.

"I will take it from here. Thank you for dropping her." Pari told them and took Nia inside the house. Pari settled Nia on the nearby couch in the living room. She had no energy to take her upstairs to her room. She made a quick strong coffee for Nia and made her drink it. Over the years, Pari knew that nothing can help you sober up quickly, except time. Coffee was still a better alternative to make the person more alert.

Nia was still blabbering something in her drunken state. Pari ignored it all and removed her heels and then the heavy jacket she was wearing. Pari was half disgusted by her state. It reminded her so much of him, Salem. The disgusting smell of alcohol and cigarettes reeking from his body and his words.

Salem entered the room, walking slowly, probably trying to not lose his balance. It was his eyes that could tell Pari that he was drunk. Pari got up and supported him till the bed. She removed his coat and shoes as he laid on the bed. She was about to move away from the bed, when he got up a little and pulled her on the bed with him, only for both of them to fall on the bed.

He caressed her cheeks and adored the beauty she was, as she pushed him with all her strength.

"Don't push me away, for once. Please." She could hear the desperation in his voice. He nuzzled in the crook of her neck and kissed her as his hands travelled to her waist and hold her securely. He didn't just want to hold her, he wanted to hold this moment. There were rare moments of him getting to hold her like this and peacefully. He didn't want to let it go.

"Salem, if you are done, let me go. This smell suffocates me." Pari said and surprisingly, his hold on her waist loosened but his face was still nuzzled at her neck.

"Of all the things I can't have, why it has to be you?" He blabbered sleepily.  Salem had everything a man would dream of - money, family, fans, power except love.

"Crores....they say I have crores of fans." He let out a sarcastic laugh. "Crordon log jisse pyaar karte hai, ussi ko uska pyaar nahi mila." (Crores of people love me but the one I love doesn't.) Salem was not poetic. Romantic? Yes, to a little extent but not poetic, so when talked on these lines, it was easy to understand his drunk level. Sometimes, he was an angry drunk man and sometimes, a romantic drunk man. Both were disliked by Pari.

Over the years, she had tried every method to sober Salem quickly but those had never worked. Eventually, she understood it was only time that could sober him.

"But nevermind," He looked at her in the face with that glint in his eyes. "I will keep you till the time you don't say you love me." He thought for a minute and smirked, "Actually, I don't think I want your love anymore. I just need you. Good thing for me that you are not going anywhere, are you?"  His voice became serious, expecting an answer from her. She shook her head by reflex, knowing the painful consequences.

-----

4/05/2023

Please VOTE AND COMMENT!!!

Was super busyy!!! I am sorry.