Akash's
I couldn't sleep the entire night. And yes—the reason was Meera. She was right there on my bed, asleep beside me. Why and how that happened… for that, let me take you back.
Yesterday morning, I saw Meera with Sidharth. And no, I'm not saying I like Meera… but the way Sidharth had placed his hand over hers—it irritated me. What made it worse was that Meera didn't seem to mind at all.
I went to the hospital, restless. I couldn't focus. Maybe because Meera always pretends to be innocent in front of everyone, but I know she isn't naïve. Neha called me two or three times. I spoke briefly, then cut the call. I just wasn't in the mood.
There was a major heart surgery that day. As a doctor, my duty comes first, so I buried myself in work. By evening, I returned home only to find Meera standing near the window, listening to old romantic songs on the radio and sipping her tea. Carefree. Happy. Probably because she had just met her so-called boyfriend. My irritation doubled.
I switched off the radio immediately. She looked annoyed, but I didn't care. At dinner, she still looked cheerful. The fact that she might be in a relationship doesn't bother me—what bothers me is that she hides things.
Later, when we were in our room, she turned the lights off while I was working. That sparked another argument. I asked her directly if Sidharth was her boyfriend. She snapped at me, shouting until she collapsed against me by accident. For five seconds, I froze. We were so close… but her face showed nothing but shock. She got up, pretending it never happened, and went back to couch.
I couldn't let it go. I turned the lights back on and pushed again. She finally said Sidharth was just her friend, nothing more. "If he was my boyfriend, I'd have told you the day you told me about your girlfriend," she said. Her answer silenced me, but I wasn't fully convinced. Especially because of the way Sidharth looks at her.
Later, we had a silly pillow fight—well, I deliberately teased her by not giving her a pillow. She got red with anger, which amused me. Again, she toppled onto me, and I asked her to just sleep on the bed. She ignored me, took the pillow, and went to the sofa. Somehow, she sleeps there so comfortably, while I find it unbearable.
That night, she fell into a deep sleep. I couldn't. I kept thinking—why was I taking Meera and her matters so seriously? Around 2 a.m., I dozed off, only to wake up hearing her sobbing. She was crying in her sleep, maybe from a nightmare. Just as she was about to fall off the sofa, I caught her. If she had fallen, she could've been badly hurt. As a doctor, I couldn't take that risk. So, I placed her gently on the bed. Nothing more. Just help.
And now, in the present moment, I'm watching her sleep. So close, yet she doesn't even stir. She sleeps like an innocent child. But when she fights… she's a wildcat.
Suddenly, her eyes open. I quickly shut mine, pretending to be asleep. She looks confused, wondering how she ended up on the bed.
"Akash, how did I come here?" she asks, shaking me awake.
I act startled. "Meera? You're on the bed? Why?"
"That's what I'm asking you!" Her face is full of suspicion.
I can't help but smirk inside. "Don't tell me… you wanted to take advantage of my innocence last night?"
"What the f—Akash! Are you crazy?"
"Oh? So you do use bad words," I tease, enjoying her glare.
She groans. "Just tell me honestly, did you bring me here?"
"I have no idea. Maybe you sleepwalked?"
"I don't!" she protests.
"Then I don't know either. Unless, of course, you secretly wanted to sleep beside me."
The way she glares, it feels like her eyes could burn me alive. I quickly turn my face away, trying hard not to laugh. Eventually, she storms out of the room. Honestly, irritating her is pure fun.
Our schedules are almost the same, so there's always some clash. Like right now—she's been knocking on the bathroom door for ten minutes.
"Akash! Get out! I need to shower; I'll be late!"
"I'm not done yet," I reply lazily.
"You're doing this on purpose!" she yells.
"You could always join me…" I tease through the door.
"You shameless doctor! Go to hell!"
I laugh silently. After a while, I turn off the tap, open the door slightly—and there she is, standing with a towel, waiting. She grabs my hand and shoves me out. "I know you're messing with me!" she snaps, slamming the door shut.
Truth is, she was right. I'd finished bathing long ago; I just sat inside to annoy her.
A few minutes later, her voice comes from the bathroom: "Akash, are you ready yet?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Then leave the room!"
"Why?"
"Because I only brought a towel in here—go!"
I lean against the door, grinning. "But Meera, I also come out of the bathroom in just a towel. If I can, why can't you? I don't mind."
"Akashhhh!" she screams.
"Fine, fine. I'll leave. But only if you apologize for shouting at me yesterday."
"I'm not apologizing!"
"Then I'm not going anywhere."
"Ugh… fine! I'm sorry!" she yells.
"Louder!"
A pause. Then, reluctantly, "I said I'm sorry!"
"Good. Accepted." I walk out of the room, smiling like I've won a trophy. Meera just said sorry to me—twice. Victory never tasted this sweet.
Meera's POV
My head has been a mess since morning. And of course, the reason is Akash. I still can't figure out how I ended up on the bed instead of the sofa. And Akash—he pretended he didn't know either. Liar. On top of that, he irritated me in the bathroom until I actually apologized. I can't believe I fell for his trick.
I rush downstairs. He's still there, sitting at the dining table, smiling at me knowingly. Of course—because I apologized.
My father-in-law says, "Day after tomorrow, on Sunday, the boy's family is coming to finalize Shruti's marriage proposal. Be ready."
I nod. "Yes, Papa ji, I'll be ready."
I pick up my lunchbox, ready to leave, but Papa ji stops me. "Meera, why didn't you have breakfast?"
"I'm getting late, Papa ji. I'll eat later."
"No, sit and eat. Akash will drop you at school."
I instantly protest. "No, Papa ji, that's not needed. We go in opposite directions."
"So what? He's your husband. It's his duty."
I wait for Akash to make some excuse. Instead, he calmly says, "Sure, Papa. I'll drop her."
I look at him, shocked. He just smiles. I quickly eat and follow him out.
In the car, I mutter, "Akash, I'll just take an auto."
"I'll drop you," he replies.
"But we go opposite ways! You'll get late."
"I'll manage." With that, he suddenly leans forward, fastening my seatbelt. My breath hitches; his face is way too close. He closes his eyes and inhales. "What perfume do you use?"
I feel nervous. "Stay away! And for your information, it's not perfume. It's rose water."
He chuckles and leans back, saying nothing. The silence feels heavy until he suddenly asks, "Did you ever have a boyfriend?"
"What?"
"It's a simple question. Why is it so hard for you to answer?"
"Because it's not simple—it's personal!"
"Then just say no or yes. I can even tell you how many girlfriends I've had."
"I don't want to hear about your exes!" I snap.
He smirks. "So boring. No guy ever approached you?"
"Stop the car! I'll take an auto!"
"I was joking, Meera. Why so serious? Even Sidharth never approached you?"
The moment he says Sidharth's name, I glare. "What do you know about him? Why do you always bring him up? We're just friends—best friends. Neither of us wants to ruin it. That's all."
I take a deep breath, then continue. "I don't dream of spending my life with any man. I just want freedom. In India, even after a girl grows up and gets a job, she still can't make her own choices. Look at me—my family and society decided everything. And now, even though I did everything right, I'm not happy. Do you know why? Because society thinks marriage is the only way to happiness. But I want to tell them—they're wrong. Look at me. I'm not happy."
I glance at him. "And Akash, I don't want to blame you. I know you got trapped in this too. It's hard for me because I don't love anyone. For you, it must be worse—you love Neha, and yet you're stuck here."
He stays quiet. I prod, "Why aren't you saying anything? Fine, then listen. If you really want both our lives to get better, then move in with Neha. I'll tell the family this marriage won't work. At least you and Neha will be happy. She deserves it too."
His voice drops, sad. "So you want to get out of this marriage as soon as possible? And then what? Marry someone else?"
"No," I say firmly. "I want a free life. I don't want any man in my life unless he truly values me. I don't wear makeup or style myself because I don't want fake love. If someone loves me only for my beauty, what happens when I'm no longer beautiful? I'll lose everything. That's why I won't change for anyone—only for myself, if I want to. People always ask why I don't try new styles. Even you. Well, that's my answer."
The car stops. "Your school," Akash says quietly.
As I reach for the door, he suddenly says, "Meera, you're beautiful… just as you are."
I freeze. Did he really just say that?
But he goes on, his eyes darker now. "So, you really want me to live with Neha?"
"Yes," I whisper. "It's better for all three of us. We don't have a future. If we keep dragging this, it's just wasted time. You move on, then I can move on too."
His expression hardens. "Fine. Then tonight, I won't come home. I'll stay with Neha. You handle the family."
I nod. "Okay. Go. I'll manage."
"At least then you both—who actually love each other—can be together. And I can have my peace with my books. But Akash, unless you tell your family the truth, they'll never understand. Only then will they realize this marriage is wrong."
I step out, saying, "I'm late. Bye."
As I walk toward the school gate, I catch one last glimpse of his face. His jaw tight, his eyes blazing with anger, as he speeds away. I can't understand him. I really can't.