-A Month Ago-

Esha started to walk out of the party hall dressed in her engagement outfit, turning a deaf ear to everyone who attempted to stop her, to talk to her, to make her understand, to get her to not do this.

The guy she was supposed to get engaged to caught up to her, holding her wrist and cutting her path, forcing her to stop from leaving. "Esha, don't do this. You're overreacting."

She scoffed, jerking her hand out of his hold. "I am overreacting? Himanshu, your mother keeps talking crap about me, about my family, and you're the one just standing there. If you can't be man enough to take a stand for someone you're getting engaged to, then I don't need to be with you. I have enough self-respect to walk away."

The said mother commented from behind them, adding gasoline to the fire, "Lo, what else can we expect? Now a girl wants to pick flaws in my son for being obedient and respectful? Is this the manners your parents have taught you? Not respecting your elders... if my son did not like you...!"

Esha's eyes turned stone-cold, angry as she whipped around to face her. "Listen, Aunty, you are not doing me any favor, alright? I am who I am and I make no apologies for that. And yes, this is what my sister has taught me - to not stand by and let just any wannabe person disrespect me or my family."

Her mother chose that moment to speak up, "Esha, enough now. Quiet. You shouldn't argue with..."

Esha argued, "No, mom. Why should I stay silent? Just because of the whole ladki walon thing and so we should listen to every nonsense they say simply because they are groom's side?" She turned to Himanshu's mother, "And aunty, just because my parents are divorced does not give you the right to judge me or taunt my parents for their upbringing, however it may have been."

Himanshu tried again to get through to her, "Esha, c'mon. You know that's not what mom meant. She was just saying..."

Esha cut him off, "I know exactly what she meant, Ansh. And that's not even the issue. The thing is, there is no way I am going to spend the rest of my life with someone who has a problem with my nature." She pulled her ring off her finger and taking his hand, held it up to place the ring in his palm. "Find someone who'll quietly listen to every taunt your mother will send her way and be the adarsh bahu she wants because that will not be me."

"Esha, I love you. Don't..."

Esha smiled, shaking her head and telling him otherwise. "No, Himanshu. If you loved me... well, let's just say things wouldn't have come to this point in the first place." She pulled her hand back, smiling again but this time genuinely as she was not one to hold malice in her heart for longer than a few seconds, "Good luck and good bye."

She did not mind that this was a break up, on her engagement day. Obviously, she cared about the guy for her to have agreed to get married to him. Else, growing up, she held rigid views about marriage given how her parents relationship was. It was only after her sister's marriage to Arjun that she started warming up to the idea, started to believe that love does exist in this world.

Esha did not stop until she reached the front of the hotel where the ceremony was taking place. All the while, she had heard footsteps behind her and knew there were only three possibilities of who that person could be: her sister Sanam, her brother-in-law Arjun, or her friend whom she met because he was Arjun's best friend, Parth.

Seeing her, a valet guy smiled at her and walked off to fetch her car. As he left, a voice spoke from behind her. "Are you okay?"

Esha placed a smile on her lips and turned to face her elder sister. "I'm fine, sis."

Sanam gave her a scolding look as she commented, "If you are fine after calling off your marriage on your engagement party, then I am worried about you."

Esha chuckled though she did see her sister's point. No person would be fine after this, but still... there was a strange relief that Esha felt after having done this. She knew her sister never approved of Himanshu and tonight, she finally understood why. "You can go ahead and say I told you so."

Sanam rolled her eyes, walking a step closer to hug her little sister. "That can wait till tomorrow." She said while Esha too hugged her back. By now, Arjun and Parth stepped out of the hotel. Sanam sighed, parting from the warm embrace and cupping Esha's face. "I didn't want this to happen."

Esha smiled to assure her, "Better now than later."

Arjun walked up to them while Parth hung back, keeping an eye on her from the distance. Esha looked at Arjun and let him hug her as he expressed his approval, "I am so glad you did this because I was about ready to do it myself."

Esha chuckled feeling his care in his words, "Thanks, jeeju."

She pulled back trying to fight the tears in her eyes. Not because she was upset over what had just happened but again, because of the love and care of Arjun and Sanam that she had felt in the last five years of their marriage. One love that she hadn't gotten from anywhere else before.

She teased, swallowing the lump at the base of her throat, "Guess I'll have to wait a bit longer to find my Arjun."

Sanam stood beside her, rubbing her back and quick words of promise, "You will find him."

This was the thing about Esha. She idolized her brother-in-law and needless to say, she compared any guy in her life with him to see if they were worthy of her time. It's something she had continued to tell Sanam in the past years. That she wanted her guy to be just like Arjun.

Valet pulled up her car and when she was about to thank him and take the car keys, Parth beat her to it. Without looking at any of the three, he walked up to the car, getting in the driver's seat.

At first, Esha glared at his back but when he did not look her way even once, she let out a sigh. She commented to the couple, "Here comes the lecture."

The two gave her a sympathetic look and Sanam added, "Go on. We'll handle mom and dad."

"Thank you," She answered gratefully and gave both of them a parting hug before walking off towards the car. She would have to hear it from her parents but she was fine waiting till later. Any day, she would take Parth's lecture over her parents' taunts.

The valet guy opened the door for her to get inside and while she thanked him for his chivalry, he wished them a good night.

Wordlessly, Parth pulled out. When she continued to glare at him, he broke his silence but only for an instruction. "Seat belt."

Rolling her eyes, she put it on. "Do you realize you left your girlfriend in there to play chauffer with me?"

He rolled his eyes as well, "My girlfriend will understand why."

She settled her head back in the seat, "Fine, get on with the lecture then."

He breathed out a sigh, relaxing his muscles as he absent-mindedly drove. "No lecture."

She sat up in surprise and her head turned in his direction with a snap. With her eyes wide, she confirmed, "Did you just say no lecture? Wow, today must be my lucky day."

He knew better than to let her comments divert the topic as he calmly replied, "You have me mistaken for your parents, love."

She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest for he wasn't playing along. "Don't call me that." She said the words she often did every time he'd call her love.

He, as usual, brushed away her comment. "I always felt you deserved better than that kaddu." (Translation: pumpkin).

Esha chuckled while slightly defending Himanshu, "He's not that bad looking."

He shrugged his shoulders, "My point, he was never your Arjun. I never understood why you agreed to marry him."

"Then why didn't you ever say anything?"

"The last time I said anything against your wish, you didn't talk to me for two weeks."

She rolled her eyes at his excuse and slapped his arm in a scolding, "What wonderful people I have in my life! Won't stop me from making the biggest mistake in my life."

Unaffected by her harmless anger, he laughed. "Knew you'd come to your senses before it got till the wedding."

She challenged, "What if I hadn't?"

He reminded her with confidence, "You're Esha. You would have. Besides, you live your life without regrets. This was definitely not going to break that record."

She sighed, letting her head drop back in the seat once again. Parth wasn't wrong. Somewhere, she knew this was also why she wasn't too bothered right now or a crying mess. It was a different matter that Esha did not have breakdowns. She was a much stronger person than that. She wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt her feelings and if by a rare chance they did hurt her, she knew well to give it right back.

Seconds of silence later, he briefly took his eyes off the road to glance at her. She was quiet and in her own world of thoughts. Her face dry of any tears Focusing on the road again, he questioned. "Why did you say yes to him?"

She took a moment to think about it. Then, she exhaled through her mouth and answered. "I don't know. I mess up with everything else. With him, I thought I was doing the right thing. I guess I was so in rush to want what di and jeeju have. What you have."

He lightly reprimanded, "Eshu, first off, get it in your head that you don't mess up. Just because you do things differently than what is deemed 'proper' by our hypocritical society does not make your actions wrong."

"I know."

"When did you start thinking like this anyway?" He had to question for the girl he had met five years ago would not hold such ideology or second-guess herself. That girl, even at the age of 17 when most teenagers are discovering themselves, was a self-confident girl who did what her heart told her to without worrying about the rules or consequences.

She pointed out, "I guess I lost myself somewhere. And you know, mom found Himanshu."

He interjected, "Yes, I do recall the hour of mine you had wasted back then to rant over being emotionally blackmailed to go meet him for coffee."

She rolled her eyes, ignoring his unnecessary comment, and continued. "So I thought if mom and dad would be happy, I'd have done at least one right thing."

"You know, if you ask me, arranged marriage is so not your thing."

She laughed in disbelief, "Right, I am not you or Sanam that I'll find it so easily."

As he pulled up in the driveway, he turned off the car and answered, staying in the car. "You're only 22, love. There is no rush. You'll find someone. Neither Sanam or I had found someone at your age, remember?"

She shook her head, voicing out her true feelings. "Is something wrong with me? I mean, seriously! I just broke off my engagement with a guy I'd been seeing for six months and not one tear. I feel like I should be crying. Isn't that what people normally do in such situations? I just can't bring myself to cry!"

He chuckled at her irritation and reached for her hand resting on her lap. "This was established years ago, Esha. You are a different nut case all together."

She scoffed, jerking his hand off hers to convey she did not appreciate his snarky comment. "I'm a heartless bitch."

He simply had to correct her. Tucking a finger under her chin, he made her look at him before expressing, "Esha Shah, you are one pure hearted girl. Yes, you had your heart closed off five years ago but you are not that girl anymore. Even if you still don't verbally express your feelings for people, you let them in and when you will love someone, I promise you, it will be with everything you've got. So, don't doubt yourself because you didn't feel anything for the wrong guy. I, for one, am glad you are not crying because that worthless piece of ass so does not deserve your precious tears."

Parth, the guy she had first met five years ago - she would have called him rude and too quick to judge someone because of the way he had behaved with her sister. Eventually she did admit that he had his reasons and he wasn't entirely wrong to have done so. And that was when she started to acknowledge his sweeter side. This side she was currently witnessing once again every time he gave her a pep talk or was her voice of reason.

In the years through college, she had often turned to him for advice on matters. In some way, he had found a way to get through her when even Sanam could not. For the shortest months somewhere in the middle of these past five years, she had entertained the idea that she had a crush on him because whenever her friends would see her with him or she would tell her friends a story that involved him, they would suggest it. But then, she had also been quick to realize that Parth was that guy best friend she needed in her life and she was misplacing that feeling with something romantic that was never there from either ends.

She nodded at him with a smile on her lips to assure him she was not going to find fault in herself for this.

She was not that girl who let bad relationships pull down her self-esteem.

He moved his hand back, blinking a smile in return.

She commented while removing her seat belt, "I still don't believe in marriages."

He taunted, "Says the girl who was going to marry that kaddu."

She laughed at the word he was using to describe Himanshu. A pumpkin. "I'll make sure the next one isn't a kaddu."

"Yeah, please do find a hot and sexy guy like me." He replied smugly causing her to roll her eyes yet again.

"Any other requirements?"

He answered in a heartbeat, "Yes, make sure he treats you better than I do."

She commented just to tease him, "Oh please, even that Himanshu treats me better than you," to which he replied with a knowing glare.

In reality, she knew it was far from the case. There might only be one guy who treated her better than Parth and that was Arjun. Many a times, however, it wouldn't be possible for her to say who was more important to her from the two. It was almost always a tie. Nevertheless, she would never admit it aloud just what important place Parth held in her life to not give a boost to his ego.

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