chapter : 08
drunken mistakes

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n o o r
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If given the choice between this and hell, I'd choose hell a thousand times.

Currently, I am seated on a garden chair that rests on the plush grassy lawn that extends over acres of land. My family own a farmhouse on the outskirts of the city, nothing less than a palatial-looking bungalow that overviews yards of ground.

My family sits facing me as our house helps serve them morning tea and breakfast. I had left a little early in the morning to reach here on time. After the previous day's scene, I haven't heard anything from Kabir, the radio silence is acting as a catalyst in adding to my anxiety.

I played off cool yesterday but I hadn't felt it in the slightest bit. I knew he was angry, and rightfully so. But I didn't want one more confrontation when I had already added my fam-jam in the pipeline.

Prerna, Rey and Shikha are standing behind my parents, while my uncle and aunt are sitting next to them. My uncle looks at me as if he is just waiting for my father to write me off, while my aunt sips on her tea waiting for the other type of tea.

My mom is looking at me with nothing but love and my dad, looks like he is confused about what he should do with me.

"Are you over your rebel phase, Noor?" My uncle tauntingly says, reaching for a crispy toast and applying butter evenly on one side.

"Rebel phase? More like your dating phase. God knows how many guys have you played with, ruining your—"

"Enough. That's enough." The thundering voice of my dad shuts them up.

There's no secret of how much my paternal family loves me. Their love drips off like honey, so sweet.

I smile at them slyly, if they think that my dad would side with them, they are up for disappointment. I might not be his favourite currently but he loves his daughters.

"Noor." The heaviness in his voice pushes a stream of nervousness down my spine. He might not like anyone else badmouthing me, but he is angry.

"There are only two things that we will discuss today after which you all will eat the breakfast now and we'll catch our flight home tomorrow."

The finality in his voice has all my family members straightening their spines, and my sister and cousin take a seat too.

"Are you happy, Noor? We—" He pauses before continuing," Your mother and I have thought over this the last night." As he mentioned that the matter is of our nuclear family, my uncle and aunt have their face scrunched up in distaste.

I look at my parents who are indeed looking at me sincerely, waiting for my response. It's been four years since I felt their warmth. I might not like the way we function at the house but they are my home.

"I am indeed happy," I tell them honestly. My mother smiles so softly at me and my dad has his head bob slightly.

"When are you two getting married?" This time it's my mother who manages to shake me back to reality. Fuck my life, how did I forget that the lie we wove yesterday has me tangled up completely.

"I—" Should I tell them that there's going to be no marriage? No. They will ask for an explanation. Should I tell them that it's casual? Shoot, no. They will skin me alive. Should I tell them that he is imp—

"I hardly doubt she will marry that guy. Look how long she is taking to accept it. I am telling you, girls, these days want nothing but to have flings." My aunt rambles.

"I am not asking for your opinion. My daughter is not like any other girl. She respects relationships. Don't you, Noor?" I don't think that it's a question. It's a statement whose refusal would be equivalent to me excavating my own tomb.

"I—"

Before I tell them that we aren't dating, my eyes find my uncle looking at the grass with a smug on his face. I can see him raising his eyes to meet my aunt's, as their eyes shine with every moment I take to answer the question.

This right here allows me to make a decision, one that I am sure I will regret the very next second but it's important.

"I will."

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"You fucking did not!"

"But I did." I tune off his flabbergasted expression, focussing my attention on the wedding that is taking place on screen. Jake and Amy have the sweetest scenes, and their marriage is just what I need to save my already sinking day.

Jake's butt might be the bomb there, but I for sure planted a bomb to my demise, and all by myself.

Dheer snatches the remote and clicks the television screen until it goes black. The room drowns in a haunting silence, one I need an escape from. He stands up from the sofa, moving in front of me.

Holding my chin in a firm grip, so that I can look at him and nowhere else. He looks angry and pissed and I feel shameful. It is wrong. Everything that just happened is wrong.

"I love you, Noor but this— I can't assemble any sense of this."

"I love you, Dheer but you have to understand."

"I am not allowing you to do this."

"Honestly? I don't need your permission."

"How can I let you get married?" The seriousness in his timbre, has me gripping the fabric of the sofa in a tight clutch.

"I have to..this path to ruination, I have already inscribed to it."

"You cannot marry the guy I have hots for!" He screeches and stumps his leg on the floor. As I burst out laughing. Dheer has been my best friend since college and the only one who knows my secret, well now Kabir does too.

But just them.

"Baby, when I told you to go nuts, I didn't ask you to go behind the pair I crush over."

"That is just disgusting. Shut up. I called you to help me figure a way out, not taunt me over my wrong choices." He sighs so loudly giving a strong competition to a wailing dolphin. He drops his head tiredly on the resting space, closing his eyes.

"H. E. L. P.   M.E." I shake him out, moving my hands frantically around.

"You did this to yourself."

"And now I need you to help me."

"You can't back out now, right?"

"Absolutely."

"What if you tell them that Kabir is my boyfriend and it's a trap to fool others? Then you can plan my marriage, I would never resent you. I promise. Just throw me in a legal bond with him, lock us away and let me have my wicked—"

"First, no. Second, I am not sure of his sexuality, if he is gay or bi or pan, that is your lookout. For now, focus on me coming out of my problem. Tell me how can I escape from this pit I dug for myself."

"You think he is?"

"Dheer!"

"Okay okay. Baby, you don't want to get married, right? So ask Kabir to back out. You can't back out for obvious reasons but if he tells them no, it would solve the problem,"

"You think he'll agree to be the bad person here?"

"If you both hate each other as much as you exclaim, he wouldn't be dying to get married to you either. You can't say no to your family but he just has to face his grandfather. I don't see a problem here."

His words make sense, I can try doing that. I can explain my situation to him, and if he disagrees, I will have to resort to extreme conditions.

"I am not liking that look on your face. What exactly are you thinking?"

"How I will make his life a hell if he doesn't agree."

"You know what I think?"

"Hmm..I think it's a good time to meet my neighbour.

"I am certain you are in for a shock."

I shut him up by throwing a pillow on his face, silencing him for the evening as I get up, making my way to meet my neighbour.

Ringing the doorbell of the house just next door, letting a hot second pass by when he opens the door. The guy I never thought would know that I live next to him, a guy who should have been restrained only to my work life, a guy who will be helping me clean the mess I made.

"Well, hello neighbour."

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thank you!

fun fact: The immediate signs of death are cessation of CNS, heart and respiratory functions.

i'll start with the schedule from the next week as i start college then. till then you have an update today & tomorrow! :)

Thank you for 1K views! <33

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royally yours,
meethi.