Tanya's trouble

Tanya leaned on the railing of a wide balcony overlooking the modest garden outside. The evening breeze was tender on her sensitive skin as she was idly admiring a pigeon family which had recently taken shelter in one of the trees in the garden. 'Does everyone need someone in their life?', she wondered.

Tanya was always reserved and calm. She barely had any friends being the introvert she was. Her only passion in life was art. She wanted to create imagination into paintings and debut her own exhibition someday. But along the way, she had forgotten about how badly she wanted to follow her passion.

Ever since her parents fixed her wedding, she had been very busy practicing to be a perfect wife that she completely forgot how much she missed spending some alone time. Many such unnecessary thoughts rampaged in her mind, making her apprehend and question every single decision she ever took. Niranjan was a very kind man who took care of her every need. But she wasn't sure if she loved him enough.

Recently, since the wedding was fixed, Niranjan was acting strange, saying he was busy with his works. He didn't pay much attention to the wedding or her, which was now freaking her out. Was this going to be her life? She even thought it was her own imagination, but it seemed he wasn't much interested now that she'd be his.

Since the past few days, she couldn't stop thinking about Dhruv too. Her circle of friends was so small, one could count with their fingers. Dhruv being her best friend had also started avoiding her and she couldn't gauge why.

When Dhruv suddenly sprang on everyone that he got married with a complete stranger, initially she thought he was bluffing to see their reaction, but when Tanya understood it wasn't a lie, she could not understand anything. They said they were secretly in love before getting married, but Tanya knew Dhruv wasn't in love with anyone and even if he was, he would've told that to her. Weren't they best friends?

And more than the shock of his wedding, he started distancing himself so much after that. He used to call often to check up on her, but now nothing, not even a word.

Her mind was almost at the verge of bursting with all these thoughts and concerns.

She was supposed to be happy for getting married, but why wasn't she? Maybe this wasn't meant to be, and she was committing a big mistake?

Since crying for the past two days and mulling over didn't solve anything, she immediately ran to her father. As she was a single child, she was always spoiled by her father. Everything she pointed at were at her perusal even without uttering a word.

He was reading news on his tablet sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Papa…. I .... Want to talk to you.....", she stood near him kneading her hands together doubtfully.

"Yes? Sit down, Tanya", he gestured her to take the couch chair nearby, but she refused and chose to stand.

"I..... I don't want to get married, papa", she said staring down at her feet.

"What?", he was bewildered at her request.

"I don't think I'm ready yet… I don't want to get married..."

"What are you talking about? All arrangements are over, Tanya", her father was befuddled, and he kept the tablet away to concentrate on his daughter.

"I'm sorry, papa.... It's all confusing…. I'm not sure anymore... Please....", her eyes were soon filled with tears clouding her vision. She thought he would understand immediately, but why wasn't he?

"Tanya, don't act like a spoiled kid. You will marry Niranjan on the noted date. Go to your room!", he ordered grimly.

He was never rude with her, but his stern voice hurt her more.

He showered her with everything she ever wanted, but he couldn't go easy on this one. This was his family's pride. What answers would he tell his relatives if the wedding got cancelled? Plus, he owed the groom's family for saving his business and face in public.

"Papa…..? Why are you being like this? I thought you will understand….", she pleaded.

"Tanya, if you still want to cancel the wedding, then you have no place in this house…", he informed firmly before storming out.

Tanya felt helpless and dashed to her room to cry.

~~*~~

The warm evening breeze slightly stroked her pink cheeks giving raise to a beautiful blush. Sam was intensely typing out a lovely scene on her laptop, occasionally sipping her coffee. She always preferred working out of her house as the change of environment provided fresh point of view to her stories.

A woman entered inside the café with long brown hair and lean figure, which immediately reminded her of Riya.

After Riya fell down the stairs and broke her legs, she shooed away Sam and they never got an opportunity to talk. She phoned her friend immediately. After all, Sam was the only friend Riya had, how could she forget to check on Riya? Sam scolded herself.

"Hello", Sam spoke on her phone.

"Yeah, Sam?", Riya's grumpy voiced flowed through the speaker which meant she was being interrupted in between playing candy crush.

"How are you? It's been awhile. I thought you'll ask me to come over for help, but you didn't….", as usually Sam asked everything on her mind all at once.

"I'm fine Sam. I'm able to do all works on my own now. Rest assured!"

"Really? Oh, thank god! That's good to hear, Riya. I was worried about you….. What about everything at office?"

"Dad and Sharan are taking care of it. But once I go back, it'll be so messy, I don't know how to deal with it", Riya sighed as even the thought of going back gave her a headache.

"I see… I wish I could help you….. Hey, by the way, how's Dhruv? Did you guys talk or not?"

There was silence from Riya's side when Sam thought the line went dead. She checked her phone but noticed Riya was still on the line.

"Riya?"

"Sam….. He's been very sweet since I came back wounded... He was the one who took care of me….. And... When he touched me, it was different… I don't know if it is because of his perfume or something, but I'm not getting panic attacks. But, I'm still scared...", Riya sounded so unsure of the feeling in her heart at the moment but she could only share this with Sam, so she let it all out.

"Wow, Riya! It sounds great!! Maybe he likes you…. Don't you think?"

"Ha ha….", Riya let out a dry sarcastic laugh, "That's not even possible….. I was afraid that he was showing pity… You know I hate it, right?", she said.

"Yeah! Makes sense… But he doesn't know anything about you completely to show pity, so I'm going with love here…", Sam accepted dreamily.

"You became crazy after reading and writing a lot of novels.. Snap out of it, Sam…."

"Fine! Fine!.... Who knows, maybe one day your story will turn into a beautiful novel too", she smiled secretly, picturing herself writing a novel about Riya.

"If it was about me, it'd be the most pathetic one. Everyone would hate your heroine, and think you are a psycho too", she chuckled sarcastically.

"Okay, Ms. Pessimist… I gotto go now… Please take care! Don't fight with others…."

"Fine grandma! Bye"

"Bye"

Sam cut the call and placed her phone inside the bag. It was time to meet her editor for the previous novel cover she had been awaiting. She was so excited to see the cover.

She packed everything and left, completely unaware that her movements were being watched by a man in suit who hid himself behind a newspaper.