Marriage at a Distance

It was a hot afternoon in Arlington. Priya was thankful for the cool air of the coffee place she was in. Sipping her cold coffee and working on her assignment in between to catch up with the deadline was the only thing on her mind now. She was immersed in her assignment when she heard the decorative bell of the coffee shop ring and instinctively her eyes went up to the door.

Her almond-shaped eyes went wide with what she was seeing at the door. For everyone else he was an immaculately dressed dark,tall,handsome man. But for her he was something else.Her hand shook with nervousness and the book fell from her hand to the floor. BANG! That was a mistake. GOD it was a mistake! She thought. He turned towards the sound and instantly their eyes met. He froze for a second. The thin lips of his turned to a sardonic smile. And he was walking towards her. Oh God this is not happening. Is this a dream. Why is he here of all places in the world! Thoughts raced in her head without a stop. Every step he took, her heart beat doubled. She blinked hard as if to rub away what was happening right now. And washed away quickly as she saw him standing at her table with his imposing personality. His great suit fitted him like a glove and he looked even more assertive in it than two years ago. How would she not know her own HUSBAND? Or soon-to-be-ex-husband Raj!

"Well, well, what the hell are you doing here may I know?" , he questioned her with his deep voice . A voice she could never forget.

She wet her parched lips with her tongue and muttered "I-I have come to study here"

His eyes followed her action and she turned red instantly. He pushed his hands into his pockets and said, "Study? Wow! Of all the places you chose this one"

His tone was dripping sarcasm.

This riled her instantly.

"I didn't know that Arlington was off-limits for common people like us when the elites like you stayed here. Trust me if I knew you were living here, I would have never dreamed to apply here!", she spewed as warmth rushed to her face.

Raj's face turned to cold steel with this retort and his lips tightened to a thin line. He just shook his head and said "Oh, I trust you on that. Now that you have made it clear what you think of me, shall we move ahead and talk like two normal adults do?"

"Ok-Ok", Priya replied with a resigned tone. At least let me get over with it!

He looked down at the empty space next to her on the couch as if asking her permission.She looked at him and nodded. But as soon as he sat down next to her, the warmth of his body filled the space around her and his distinct yet mild cologne made her dizzy and instinctively she moved towards the edge of the couch. She didn't want to look at Raj's reaction to what she did right now! She wanted to stay away from him literally and figuratively but God seemed to have different plans for her. But she did hear a huge "Sigh" from him.

"Which course are you doing? How long is the course?" He asked in a calm and relaxed tone while she sat there stiff like a cardboard.

She hated revealing things about her life to him. She had made that mistake once and the result was for everyone to see. But this time she decided that it was better to get over with as soon as possible and never set her eyes on him ever!

"I am doing a creative writing course at the University of Virginia. It is a six months course of which three months are already done. Now I am working on my final project and hope to use it to get an internship in India and start living an independent life. There I have told you what I do! " She almost told the whole thing in a single breath.

"Aha..your precious independence which you always dreamed of isn't it? Glad that you finally found something in life which gives you joy. I had almost given up hope on that one you know. Well congrats and now that I have reaffirmed your thoughts about me, I can leave peacefully.", saying this, he made the motion of getting up.

That hurt her like a whiplash. To make her feel guilty about being happy was what everyone did right from her childhood! He was no different. Tears welled up in her eyes and she gulped down the thick lump in her throat to avoid him catching her in this weak moment. Oh no! She wouldn't give him that pleasure. She turned her face away from him and composed herself but heard him swear under his breath. When she finally turned towards him he somehow seemed more expressionless than ever with his lips thinning to a line and yet she could feel his deep dark brown eyes boring into hers.

Though this disconcerted her a little she lifted her chin a bit and replied with, "Well, good for you. I would hate to use up your time any further as well."

"Priya, if you ever need any help in the city, do reach me out. Ah...before you refuse or start an argument on it, here is my card with all my contact details. Take it..Please.!" He entreated her while he was taking out his brown wallet from the pockets of his snug trousers.

He took out his card and was now stretching out to her.

She let out a deep sigh and took the card albeit reluctantly. And just like that he turned and left leaving her confused and disconcerted even further. She shook her head in dismay as if to rub away the last ten minutes of their exchange, but couldn't. She tried hard to get back to her assignment but old memories flooded her head and refused to let her concentrate on her work.

"AHHH" , she exclaimed and banged the pen she was holding to the book. He walked in and left the coffee shop with calmness and left her emotions in tatters. Hasn't that been your weakness always? To remain unaffected by things around her? She taunted herself. She could hardly think creatively anymore. She closed her book and her mini-tab and pushed them into her jute tote bag she had got from India.

The weather was beautiful with clear blue skies inviting her to walk back to her bed-sit apartment two miles away. She could have taken a bus as well but she decided that a walk and cool breeze would clear her head and help her get back to her normal self. She got out of the coffee shop with her quick gait and waited to cross the road. The cool breeze was refreshing and she breathed in some fresh air as her eyes closed to soak in the atmosphere. As the walk signal turned green, she walked across the road onto the cobblestone pavement. As she walked her thoughts drifted two years ago.How could she forget that day?

Priya was entering the bungalow style home after her college hours when she found Mr.Sharma along with her parents chatting away in the large sitting area. The sitting area was flanked by two arching stairways both landing on a floor which housed all their bedrooms. She hesitated to enter the house and lingered at the doorway in two minds when she heard her name being spoken.Her heart stopped for moment and she instantly stepped back and stood behind the door. She heard Mr Sharma speak

"You know about Raj don't you? He is back from the US finally to help me out with the business. You know that he lost his mother when he was just five and now my health has not been keeping up as well. I worry that I will leave him alone and leave this world." He told.

"Yes, yes I totally understand . This is the worry we all have isn't it?" , told Priya's father as a matter of factly.

Well this was NOT true in her case. They never loved her and she knew it was all pretense

She thought bitterly.

"Well I had a proposal for you. First hear me out. I will be frank. I was thinking we can have a marriage arranged between Priya and Raj. Of course, let the children talk to each other first", Mr Sharma told in a hesitant manner.

Priya's jaw dropped. This was not happening!

Then she heard her father speak.

"Oh what did you say? Priya? Are you joking?", he replied with a surprise in his tone.

"Oh I am not. I was thinking, once Raj is your son-in-law he could help you out with the revival of the plant as well".

There was silence.

"Sharma Ji , you know that I need huge capital to revive the plant and I am approaching many banks to help me out for an investment.", Mr Malhotra replied with some hesitancy

"Oh I know all about that. We can go through the details later. But first tell me what do you think about my marriage proposal? Will Priya agree. Raj will , I am sure. ", Mr Sharma asked with serious tone.

Mr Malhotra laughed nervously.

Priya's mother intervened and said

"We are perfectly ok with it. When will Raj come and visit us? Priya will also agree." , she told confidently.

Priya's anger knew no bounds. She wanted to scream her lungs out.

What did she mean by "Priya will agree?" . Was she some toy who could be manipulated the way they pleased? She was 21 for God's sake. They were never available when she grew up and now they are making the most important decision of her life! She will never let this happen.

She felt nauseated to hear the rest of the conversation and she ran out of the iron gates, across the garden onto the free pathway and let out a big breath. She decided to go to the nearby library and stay there awhile. She wanted to be away from her parents as long as possible!

Library was her sanctuary for years now. This was one place she would come to whenever it became impossible at home. And because of that she started reading. Reading books of all kinds proved to be so therapeutic. It healed her wounds and opened up a world of dreams. But today she was in no mood to read. Her face was still warm with the heat she felt when she heard her mother say "Priya will agree" .

She had spent her whole childhood alone accompanied with guilt. She had parents but never had a mother and father. Her father was always travelling around the globe because of his business engagements and her mother insisted on travelling with him leaving Priya at the mercy of nannies. A nanny a month , that was how Priya grew up. Since her childhood she could feel her mother's indifference towards her and her father's lack of warmth. She never got a hug nor a kiss. There were no dinner times with parents, no playdate weekends with Papa. Every fortnight they travelled out of the country. She still remembered the day when she was 8 years and she had begged her mom and dad to stay back for her birthday. Her father told her a curse " I must attend this meeting otherwise we may lose a great deal" and she wondered what "deal" meant at that time and how important could it be compared to her birthday? She shed tears, howled in front of her mom who was packing her bag. Her mom had told her "I have planned your party perfectly. You can have your cake cutting, friends and games at home. Nanna aunty will take care of everything. Now do not spoil our moods before we leave".

That was the story everyyear. By God's grace she found great friends at her school and college and the love she received from them had turned her into a amiable, happy person. She learnt to accept her parents as they were and soaked in the little love she received from them wholeheartedly. Though deep in her heart, she sometimes wondered why they treated her the way they did? And today was that moment.

Was her life a mere "deal"? In India, arranged marriages were common but she never wanted to go that route. She had wanted to build her career first, make a name for herself , meet different people. And if in the course she meets someone, then she would take that path. But what was being discussed now was like a slap on her dreams. No this was not going to work.

I need to do something!

She made up her mind and headed home. It was nine'o clock already. She removed her sneakers and socks and entered home. As she entered she found her mother and father waiting for her in the sitting room.

She saw them and quickly moved towards the stairs when she heard her father say

"Priya , I have something to talk to you about"

She turned back and said "Me? Are you sure? I am surprised since you never spoke like this ever Papa".

"It is important matter Priya. Otherwise I will never disturb you", he told her in a very quiet tone.

This somehow disconcerted her.

He continued "Mr.Sharma is a close business associate of mine. He has proposed a marriage between his son Raj and you. I feel it is a great match. Raj is a great boy and Mr.Sharma is a very good man.What do you think ?"

Priya sucked in her breath and said," Well, ok, will you let me meet him at least once?"

Priya's mother and father were delighted as soon as they heard it.

"Now that you told me what you need to , shall I go to my room?" , Priya told sternly and turned her back towards the staircase. But she had a smile on her face. A deep curved smile!

It was the day Raj was supposed to meet her at her house. She heard her mother enter her room and announced.

"Raj is coming around 5 in the evening. Please wind up all your works and come home by 4 at least. Wear a decent dress at least today." Her face was clearly expressive of the mistrust she had on her daughter.

And why not? In the past , Priya had deliberately skipped many parties at home and had refused to come out of her room even if she were present in the house. Priya hated parties. She abhorred the ostentatious way of the people who attended these including her parents.

Priya's parents saw these parties as a way to build a network to be leveraged at appropriate times.

"Well I have class till 3 so I will try to come home by 4 mother", Priya responded without an expression on her face. But Priya had a different plan altogether!

"Good", her mother replied and left the room.

Priya went to her cupboard and deliberately picked a yellow T-shirt with a quote on it and a low rise,straight cut navy blue jeans.

She quickly wore her dress and tied her long,straight black coloured hair in a pony tail and reviewed herself in the mirror.

Perfect! Raj is in for a surprise. She thought and for the first time wondered how he looked like. She quickly erased that thought from her mind and ran down the arched stairs to catch the bus to her college. Priya hated to go in the chauffeured car as she felt tied down and restricted. She loved to go in the bus and observe multiple people on how they go about their lives. How could she do that in a car?

Priya's college hours went as a breeze and before she knew it, it was 3'o clock! She decided to go the library and spend some time there. Her mother wanted her home by 4 but Priya was sure that she will not go home till 5!.If Raj had to wait then so be it!

She put her phone in silence mode , buried the phone in her bag and entered the library and picked up a reference textbook and started making notes until a loud thunder jolted her and she looked up at the huge clock on the wall. It was actually 5'o clock and it was pouring cats and dogs outside. This panicked her a bit. She had planned to reach home by 5 in dry clothes, not wet ones! Priya literally ran out of the library. The bus stop was a mile away and by the time she reached the bus stop she was soaking wet and had to board the bus in a drenched state. Her mind was chaotic as things didnt go as she had planned. She wanted to look casual with a "I-won't-dress-for-you" attitude. This was more like "I-am-so-shabby" look.

Damn! She cursed loudly making the onlookers stare at her.

She gave an awkward smile and bowed her head and said "Sorry,sorry. Please don't mind" and quickly turned her head towards the window and she made sure it stayed there throughout.

When she reached the house , her shoes were dirty, her navy blue jeans were literally dragging her down while her T-shirt clung to her body and her hair was plastered to her head with few strands stuck on her forehead. Fantastic! She thought and entered the house almost in a tiptoe. She could see a man standing in the hall with his back turned to her. He was wearing a snug fit grey suit with formal shoes. Hair was jet black and looked quiet bouncy. It was definitely Raj! She thought. She quickly turned her back to enter the house from the side path. As she turned back quietly, she knocked off the huge vase of fake flowers at the entrance door!

BOOOMMM!

She contorted her face and waited with bated breath for something to happen! It did.

"Priya?..." a voice trailed behind her.

Priya turned back slowly to witness how she had made a fool of herself in front of a stranger whom she was supposed to marry!

There he was. A tall man with a rugged beard but not unkempt, broad shoulders with striking eyes of light brown colour. And there she was a wet mess with a drenched T-shirt and plastered hair!

She saw his eyes examining her state from her shoes to her face. He smiled at the end and said "You look wet. Would you like to change and come?". The voice was a deep baritone she realised.

"Ah.. yes let me go and change" , she said and ran up the stairs avoiding him.

Once she was back in her room, she quickly changed to another pair of T-shirt and jeans before drying her hair with a towel . She realised it was no use as her hair was too long to dry. She left her hair as it is and went down.It was better to get over it as soon as possible,she thought,

Finally when she reached down, Raj was chatting with her mother. Both Raj and her mother looked up while she was descending the stairs. She could see that her mother was furious at her choice of outfit.She avoided her mother's gaze and went down and sat on a single couch opposite to Raj. There was a coffee table in between and clearly he was offered a LOOT to eat but he had not touched anything of it.

Her mother opened the conversation with "Raj, this is Priya, our daughter. She is doing her final year bachelor course in Arts. Shall I go and get some coffee for you while you both chat?" . With this she simply got up and left clearly mad with Priya for her behaviour the whole evening. Priya chickled in her heart. Except the rain, everything else was going according to the plan

She turned towards only to find him gazing at her with his deep eyes as if studying her. His lips had a lazy smile which seemed condescending to her. It infuriated her even more and she blurted out!

"I don't want to marry you"

"Sorry ? What??" Raj seemed shocked for the first time.

"Yes you heard it right. I do not want to marry you or anybody else right now. I want to study and work for sometime. I know that you, your family and my family are signing a business deal over me. Well the good news is that I do not want to be a part of it! So there! I said what I wanted to." Priya let out a big sigh as if she had spoken the whole thing in a single breath!

Raj just chuckled at what she said and replied "I hope you understand that the business deal you are talking about is to save YOUR family's business not ours. And who said you cannot study,work . You can still do all these things as you wish. Nobody is going to stop you. Now if you are thinking that why I am so eager to get married then let me say that I am doing this for my dad. His health is failing and this is the first he asked me anything in his life. I will not refuse him. This is my way to show my love. So there I said it too!"

Priya's eyes flew open with his talk and she said quickly "But why do you want to marry a person who is not interested? Why do you want to be unhappy? Because that is what you will be .U-N-H-A-P-P-Y"

"The reasons are mine. But if you didn't want to marry at all why did you invite me here? I run for a multi-million crore company. I have too much on my hands instead of listening to your banter" Raj quipped clearly indicating his displeasure.

"Well, guess what. I will come to the point. Just tell your father you hated me and you don't want to marry me. Don't you see that I am not suitable to you? I never keep up with time, I hate dressing up, I hate parties, I hate spending money,I hate designer clothes. I hate everything rich people like you want to do. You will be miserable with me. Just refuse the proposal. I beg you". Priya literally pleaded with Raj .Her eyes almost tearing up.

"But why don't you do that yourself? Why should I be the scapegoat? I do not understand." Raj asked impatiently.

"Because if I say no to the marriage, my father will blame me for his business failure.And I do not anymore strength left in me take one more blame" , now the tears welled up in her eyes forming a pool which she tried not to wipe away with her hands lest he finds out that she was crying.

Raj quickly got up and stood next to her. Priya bent her head down not daring to lift her head to see his face. Next thing she knew, he was offering a tissue to her. She then looked up to him and gave a shaky nod.

"Ok, I will do as you ask. Before I leave let me tell you that I also hate everything rich people want to do",saying this Raj left. She saw his strong back leave and for some reason she felt sad that she had spoken that way to him. But either way her work was done. She need not marry.

She was about to get up when her mother came in.

"Where is Raj?Did you drive him away or something?" , her mother asked sternly.

"No mother, he left on his own. I feel tired now , I am going to my room", Priya told

"Wait! What did Raj say? " , her mother asked with curiosity.

"He will call mother. You will know the answer soon." Priya replied with no emotion and left.

It was two days later, her world changed forever.

It was around 5 o'clock when she heard the landline phone ring. She grimaced wondering Who calls landline phones these days! . She heard her mother pick up the phone but couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. It was ten minutes when her mother came rushing to her room in excitement and announced with joy, "Priya, Raj's father called. Raj is ok with the marriage. I am so happy. For the first time you have given me some happiness. I have to call your father immediately to give him the good news. Oh..all his troubles are over now." she bubbled and ran down the stairs.

Priya was stunned. Marry? Why did he agree to marry me? After I clearly told him that I do not want to marry him?

She was so furious that she felt like screaming loudly if that could take away the frustration she felt at the circumstance.

There was no way she was going to marry Raj. She decided as her first plan failed, she had to go with the plan B. It was time for her to confront her parents and let them know what she felt about this marriage merger.

I will talk to my father tonightI She thought.

It was after dinner that Priya decided to open the topic of her marriage. The whole family was in the living room .If it were a normal day Priya would go to her room but today she lingered around. Her father clearly sensed that something was unusual when he saw Priya standing next to the couch and watching him. Her mother was as usual indifferent to her presence and was reading a magazine.

"Priya, do you want to tell me something?", he asked cautiously.

"F-father, yes I need to tell you something..I-I--don't want to marry right now. I want to study and work for a while before I get married. I do not want to marry Raj.Please father", Priya told pleadingly.

Her mother immediately slammed the magazine onto the table livid at what she had heard. Her father sighed deeply , as if he had lost a battle, and said " This is the best match you could dream of Priya. Raj is everything a woman wants in a man. He is a self-made man, intelligent, smart, good looking. What else do you want?"

"Father, please. I am not faulting Raj in any way but it is about my desires and wishes. It is about how I had planned to lead my life. Getting married was not part of the plan. Please understand me. I never questioned anything you and mother for so many things you had done. But this is something I will not give up on" , she said, her voice breaking a little.

Her mother got up and moved towards with a livid face and said " This was one thing you could do for your father and you refuse to. Do you understand that this marriage is not just about an alliance between two families? It is about saving your father from bankruptcy. Don't you even have an ounce of gratitude in you? Can't you keep your ego aside for one second and think about your father once? " ,she huffed with anger, her finger constantly pointing at Priya.

Priya baulked at what she had heard. Tears welled up in her eyes and fell silently on her cheeks. She looked at her father with some hope that he might support her. But knew it was hopeless when she saw her father turn his face away from her.

She sucked a sob and ran to her room. The pain was too much to bear. Her parents hated her. That realization hit her hard. She buried her head onto the pillow with muffled cries. She could hear her parents coming up the stairs and moving to their room.

Presently she heard her father say "I will die Suman. I will die. The day my company is bankrupt, I will have to put 1000 families on the road. If I see that day, I will die.I am telling you I will die" ,his voice breaking as he spoke.

"Shhhh, don't say that. Priya will agree. I will speak to her again. If anything happens to you, how will I live?Think about me as well, " her mother spoke with a soothing voice.

After hearing that, how could Priya have not agreed to the marriage? The wedding was a grand affair with the who and who of Mumbai attending it. Priya was a zombie throughout the wedding. Raj was his cool self and all smiles.

It was after the wedding that Priya had told Raj what exactly she thought of the marriage. He had asked her only once that if she could do anything she wants, would she be willing to get to know him better? When she had refused that offer as well, he had turned into a silent ,dutiful man who ensured that she got all the comforts she could get but never attempted to touch her, for which she was grateful. Many times she would catch him gazing at her but he would always turn away when their eyes met. Priya on her part ensured that her father-in-law received all the care and attention he should get as an elder as his health was deteriorating day by day. Raj on his part, had taken over the company in his father's absence and had helped Priya's father pick up his business as well. Their bedrooms were separate and Raj never entered her room even once. She always wondered why Raj was still holding on to her when she was clearly not giving him anything in return. What could be the reason?

The reason soon became very clear when Raj's father passed away in his sleep. Raj went through the funeral in the most dignified way as he could , Priya a mere shadow behind him. For the first time she felt a tinge of guilt at her behaviour as she was not giving him any support he needed. But how could she suddenly open up to him? It was not in her nature. All her life she had learnt to suppress her feelings and endure them so that was out of question. Priya just watched all the mourning proceedings and lingered around Raj showing support in her own way. But Raj hardly seemed to notice her. Only once or twice she felt his gaze on her when she would shed tears for her father-in-law. Priya truly cared and respected her father-in-law because he showered so much love on her during the little time she got to spend with him. She would be always grateful to him for that.

When all the twelve days of mourning were over and the guests had left one by one, Piya was all alone in the huge living room of the palatial bungalow Raj owned. She watched Raj enter the house, after he had seen the last of the guests off, with an unscruitable look on his face and sit on the single futon opposite her. His white mourning attire of kurta pyjama was making his face look paler and tired and she couldn't help feeling empathetic towards him.

Raj,presently cleared his throat and started "Priya, the time of charade is over. You do not have to pretend anymore. I understand that the last three months have been very painful to you and today it will end. I will start the divorce proceedings as soon as possible.We can get divorced silently. And don't be alarmed that I will end the deal with your father because of the divorce.That is a business matter and it will continue as it is and as far our relationship is concerned, no that there was any, it will end amicably. You can leave whenever you wish to. Unless you have something to tell me"

His face was flushed now. What could she say? What she had heard was what she wanted since the beginning. But her heart didn't want it to end this way when Raj was going through a personal tragedy. She wanted to tell him that but somehow couldn't, all she could muster was a "Sorry for everything."

Raj's eyes widened at her response and seemed to be screaming at her, as if asking her "This is all you could say??" He shook his head and let out a deep sigh.

And that was the last conversation Priya had with Raj. After that things happened pretty quickly.Her parents didn't care about the divorce as long as the business deal was on. The court ordered a mandatory two years separation period before they granted divorce so Priya had to wait.Priya used up the time to finish up her final year course. After that she worked on menial jobs to earn enough money to follow her dream of doing a course in creative writing in the US. And two years later ......

BRRROOOOOONNNNNN.......

The blaring car horn brought back to her senses and to the PRESENT. With all the past behind her now she had just the bright future to look forward to isn't it? But deep in her heart Raj's face kept flashing no matter how hard she tried to erase it. As she kept thinking and walking, she realised that she had reached her bed-sit apartment. The apartment was what she could afford with the limited budget she had. She had refused any alimony from Raj and her parents. For her travel and university fees she had taken credit from the bank. With her university campus part time job as a copywriter she was able to pay her rent and a portion of the credit. Though it was hard work, she was enjoying every bit of her independence. Of course her independence did come with lots of glitches and hurdles. She suddenly felt uncomfortable thinking about that guy with glasses who kept staring at her in the class and followed her all over the campus. By God's grace it had not gone beyond it. He never approached her and never came within an arm's distance to her. With a deep sigh she opened the latch of her apartment main entrance with the passcode and opened the apartment door with the key. As she entered the apartment she couldn't help but admire the way she had made a small home for herself in the limited space she got. The apartment was not exactly located in a great locality and her friends thought she was living in a seedy area which sometimes unsettled her while she walked back to her place. But what else could she do? This is all she could afford. The apartment was sub-let to her by a college acquaintance and he had assured that it was much safer than it appeared to be. She took his word of assurance and decided to move in within two days. And what else choice did she have anyway?

She decided to make a good dinner for herself to distract herself from all the events of the day. The open kitchen was tiny but she managed to use it efficiently with minimum utensils and kept it clean. She took out the tofu from the fridge which was the indian version of paneer and some fresh tomatoes and onions. While she was cutting the veggies , she heard her mobile phone ring. She quickly cleaned her hands with a cloth and ran to pick it up.

"Hello" , she said

Nothing from the other side, except for silence. She repeated saying "Hello, who is speaking please?" . When she heard no answer from the other side, she hung up. She tried to look up the number on the web and couldn't trace it to anybody. But she did find out that it was a local Arlington, VA number.

The phone rang again. It was the same number! She picked it and this time she heard a deep breathing sound which sounded too eerie and a chill ran through her spine. She quickly hung up and wondered if it was the stalker from her college or was it Raj? The phone rang again. This time when she picked up , a voice told her ( a deep male voice ) "I know where you live, I will soon reach there" and saying that he hung up.

Priya's heartbeat reached her ears with a thumping sound. Her hands perspired and she could feel her legs trembling at the thought of a stranger entering her house. What could she do ? Should she call the cops? Or wait for sometime? Maybe the caller was playing a prank on her?With these chaotic thoughts she wouldn't be able to do anything rational, so she decided to calm down first and give it a half an hour before she did anything. Priya took three or four deep breaths and sat on the single couch. She waited for the phone to ring and none came for which she was relieved. After half an hour she went to her window and looked out to see if any stranger or that guy from the college was lurking around. To her relief the street was practically empty with daylight slowly fading away. She closed the curtains and went back to her kitchen to finish up the dinner she had left half way through though she lost all the appetite to eat anything. She decided to put away everything in the fridge and took a glass of cold milk to drink.

Her mind was still unsettled though she was much calmer than before. Instinctively she walked to the window with her glass of milk and peeped through the window. Her eyes widened at the sight with her breath stuck in her throat. There HE was. The guy from the college. He was standing right across the street opposite her apartment and staring. She closed the curtain in a short tug and shrunk back before she hit the couch and hurt her knee.

"Ouch" she exclaimed and sat down nervously. What should she do now? He was right across the street. Will he force himself into the apartment? What did he want from her? How can she leave the apartment now without any help? She didn't dare call any of her friends as their lives may be jeopardized because of her and she didn't want that to happen.

She put her head into her palms and cried out in frustration ,her hand hitting the corner of the table where her assignments were spread. The action made her assignment fly all over the place and along with the papers fell Raj's contact card. She stared hard at the card!

Yes! Raj! I will call him.He will take me out of this mess for today and tomorrow I will decide what to do.Maybe I can move into my friend's apartment. Raj will surely not refuse.

With these racing thoughts , she quickly called the number on the card. It was a mobile phone number so surely Raj will pick it up wherever he is. The phone rang,

One ring -no answer

Two ring-no answer

Third ring -no answer

Priya's forehead was perspiring now, a lump was forming in her throat. Why was he not picking up?

She was about to hang up when she heard the phone answer her call. A deep voice on the other side said "Hello, who is this?"

Priya sighed at hearing his voice. It was Raj! Oh it was indeed. But words were failing her right now, as if her tongue had been tied with a string.

"Hello,hello, who is this? Please answer?" Raj asked. He sounded frustrated.

Priya panicked and quickly replied "Raj, this is P-Priya."

Silence and deep breath was all she heard, then slowly Raj spoke,

"Priya? Are you alright? Why does your voice sound tense?" His voice somehow had some urgency which she could feel and sense. That broke her resolve not to cry, into pieces. Thick tears welled up in her eyes and she literally burst out on the phone with her single but deep sob.

Raj's voice became even more urgent at her sobs and he quickly jumped in with,

"Priya, Priya, what happened, Please tell me. What is wrong? Shhhh..don't cry, if I can, I will surely help you, but for that you need to tell me what happened first."

Priya told him about the stalker and how he was standing right across the street not moving away at all.

Raj heard everything patiently and finally said " Ok, I am coming there right away. When I reach there I will give you a call and you can open the door for me. Send me your address on the phone. No, forget it, tell me right now.One more thing , till I come, bolt all the doors and windows and DO NOT OPEN , I repeat , DO NOT OPEN at any cost.. Do you understand? Now what is the address?"

Raj's words somehow soothed her and she gave him her location.

"I am coming in 15minutes.Ok? Priya?" Raj told her with a firm voice

"Y-Yess?" she asked shakily.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen. I will make sure that you are safe. OK?. See you soon" , Raj told her with a voice that didn't seem calm to her but a little shaky.

"Mmm" was all she could reply with.

Raj's voice had relieved her a little. She re-checked if that guy was still standing and he was STILL there.

She sat on her couch and waited.......

It was exactly 15 minutes later that her phone rang again. It was Raj's number. She quickly picked up to hear

"Open the door, this is Raj here."

"O-Ok" Priya replied and opened the door with the security passcode.

After a few seconds, she heard the knock on the door.

She quickly ran to it and opened it to find Raj. To see someone of your own in distress is the biggest balm anybody can get . Tears welled up in her eyes but she controlled them and gestured to him to come in.

She found him staring at her as her unshed tears had pooled up in eyes threatening to roll down any second. His fists tightened and she could hear him swear something under his breath and speak.

"You are not staying here even for a second. Come with me RIGHT NOW! You will stay with me till your course gets over" Raj thundered.

Priya was stunned at this announcement. Stay with him?? Was he out of his mind? How can I stay with my soon-to-be-ex-husband?

"Stay with you? I do not understand. I agree I called you to take me out of this situation but tomorrow I will see what I could do to protect myself.I will ask my friends and see if I could stay with them." She tried to sound reasonable with her voice.

"Ms Priya Malhotra, hope you understand what situation you are in right now. This is a serious matter. Your teenage minded college friends cannot do anything. They cannot be with you 24 hrs. You need serious protection. So please stop arguing and start packing your stuff." Raj's voice was stable but sounded final.

This angered her immediately.

"Well, I understand that I am in a dangerous situation and my friends may not be able to help me out but I still do not understand how moving in with you will help? Are we going back to our pre-wedding days where I was blackmailed into marrying a person I never wanted to,because of a selfish business deal? Do you even realize what I lost because of what happened?" She retorted furiously.

This got Raj so wild that he stepped closer to her , just inches away from her with his eyes spitting fire which made Priya flinch a little and when he finally spoke his voice was low but very firm.

"You say you lost a lot but do you know who was the biggest loser of all? It was me. Think about it will you? What did this marriage give me? Your father saved his business. My father died a happy man believing his son had a happy loving family. You packed your bags the moment my father died .And what did this deal give me anyway? I didn't even get the wife I was promised! So Ms.Priya I was the biggest loser of all."

Priya's face lost all the colour at his harsh stinging words. His words hurt her as if sharp arrows had pierced into her heart. The pain was too much to bear. This was the rut she had been facing since childhood. Every misery, every problem was pushed onto her when all she would do was to express her wishes and desires. Was it too much to ask your parents to stay for her birthday part? Had she gone overboard when she asked her father to come to her annual day celebrations to see her performance? Does a child need to feel guilty for asking to be loved? The same guilt trap again and again ....she was tired of it.

But I won't tell him that. I will not make him privy to my feelings and make a fool of myself again.If he believes I was a selfish bitch then so be it. I will not do anything to change his mind! She thought fiercely and let out a "Ahh" and turned her back on Raj.

She heard Raj let out a deep sigh.Maybe he will go.She thought and she said

"Raj, it is very clear that we cannot stand each other for even ten minutes. I am sorry I troubled you at this hour. Please feel free to leave."

Raj gave out a grunting sound and held her shoulders with his rough hands and turned her around. His deep brown eyes now were unscruitable to her. He sounded gruff when he finally spoke with " I am not leaving you here tonight with this stalker. We are leaving now. We can discuss the rest tomorrow morning. Do you understand? Please , this one time will you listen to me?"

For some reason, Priya felt tired.Tired of arguing and making her case with him. She decided it would be best to do as he was saying. She looked into his ,now tired, eyes and said "Ok, I will come with you.Thank you for your kind offer". It was rather very formal for her to say but she did that intentionally. She did not want Raj to think that she was giving into his plan of making her move into his house.

Raj just sighed and said "Let me see if that guy is still around" and moved towards the window to peep through the curtain.

"He is gone now,so don't worry.I will take care of this fellow tomorrow. Take whatever is important right now. We will come back for your stuff later . Ok?"

"Ok, I will get my purse and books with me as of now."

Raj nodded.

In another ten minutes they were out of the house. As soon as Priya came out in the open,she shuddered at the thought of the stalker and instinctively shrunk behind Raj. Raj turned back and took her hand in his and walked to the car. For once she was relieved to have his hand holding her hand. It made her feel safe,protected. He made sure she settled in the car seat and walked across to get into the driver's seat of his Tesla.

He turned the ignition on and they were on the way to his house.