Happy reading, honey buns!

Ekantha skipped her breakfast and stayed back in her room. She told her parents that she was going to work from home.

In reality, she was just thinking about an alternative. She didn't get a reply from Abhi which made her even more worried.

But then she remembered, he was in an all night shoot and maybe he had no idea about this. She thought about it over and over and called Anika.

"Hello, Ekantha! What made you remember me in the morning?",Anika asked.

"Ani..",her voice came out as a mere whisper.

"Ekantha, freak! Girl are you okay? Where are you now? At office? Send me your location. I am starting right now, you can tell me about it when I come there. Till then just take deep breathes. I'll be there real soon",she blabbered what all came to her mind.

"Ani, I didn't go.. I didn't go to office today. I am at home",Ekantha said.

"You're there at home? Fine. I am coming, you just keep your window open. Where is this Dikshit guy?",she disconnected the call.

Ekantha sat on her bed fidgeting with her hands. Music was being played on her phone.

After like 15 minutes there was a knock on her door and she opened the door to find her cousins standing there panting.

"Why are you.. Come in first",Ekantha said and both of them jumped onto her bed and sat down.

"Girl, you scared me! Now spill. What's wrong? Did that Abhi guy do something?",Anika asked.

"No",Ekantha said and narrated the whole incident to Anika and Dikshit.

"Why is uncle being like this? He is being in rush, and that might actually spoil your life. You tell me Ekantha, are you sure about this going forward?",Dikshit asked to which Anika nodded.

"I don't know, Dikshit. The guy is good and he is trying to understand me also. But it's like I am still not able to be like too comfortable with him. That might take some time I know but I want to take some more time, also Abhi is right now focusing on his career too and I don't want to be an obstacle or disturb it. We are yet to talk about it and I just..",she felt like she lost words to explain.

"Shush, Ekantha! Why are cousins here for? To help each other out only right? You don't worry, I will talk to uncle once again. Till then you try to talk to Abhi",Anika said.

"I will try to, if he is up. He had a late night shoot yesterday so he might not have woken up yet",Ekantha said looking at the watch which showed 11am in the morning.

"Yup, now relax and Dikshit let's plan MISSION CONVINCE UNCLE. Are you up for it?",Anika asked.

"I'm up for it. Let's plan",saying so both of them got busy whispering to each other what they had to do.

Ekantha's phone buzzed and it was a hi from Abhi. She jumped from her place and quickly texted him if she could call him. To which he replied yes.

"Hello, Abhi! I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep but this was kind of urgent. So..",she was cut off by his morning husky voice.

"Good morning to you too Ammu",he said.

"Uh, good morning Abhi",she said and he already knew the matter so he was trying to be normal.

"What happened, Ammu?",he asked.

"Abhi, are you coming to my home today along with your family?",she asked.

"Uh, yeah. Mom informed about that to me last night and that's why I texted you",he said.

"Abhi..",she was almost having tears in her eyes and her voice came out to be too broken.

"Ammu, listen! It's going to be okay! And we'll deal with this together. I'm with you! As much as this matter is related to you and it is related to me also. So, just take a deep breath and it won't go out of our hands. I assure you that",he said and didn't hear anything from her side. It was complete silence.

"Ammu? Are you there?",he asked getting up from the sleeping position and sat on his bed while putting a pillow on his lap, holding his phone in one hand and setting his hair with another.

"Yeah, thank you for talking Abhi. I really needed to hear that",she said.

"I know you're still worried about it and trust me as much as it worries you, it does worry me also. I am afraid I'll lose you, I am afraid of everything but you know something Ammu, when you watch a small ant in microscope it appears like a dragon. This thing is the same",he said.

"But this isn't an ant, Abhi",she said in a low voice.

"I know, I know. I am not telling that this is a minute problem. I'll talk to whomsoever I have to, be it your or my parents. I'll take care of it, all I want is you being strong and you being ready for anything. I'll do anything for us, ammu but all I want to know is, do you think we are worth it?",he asked.

The question he asked, "Are they worth it?" made her fall into a stream of thoughts.

Were they really worth it?

She asked herself the same question and all the times he took her side, he supported her, he tried making her comfortable came into her mind. But guess Ekantha's brain is her own enemy, along with positive stream of thoughts came the negative ones too. Would he change once she says yes? Is it all an act?

She blamed herself for not being able to take a decision.

"It's okay, ammu. We'll talk again when we come there",he said and disconnected the call.

By the time she turned she saw Anika and Dikshit almost fighting like kids and stopped when she turned around and gave her a sheepish smile.

"What did Abhi say, Ekantha?",Dikshit asked.

"I don't know Dikshit, why is everybody making me take decisions? I am not a person who can take decisions in short time. I don't know what's going to happen",she said and tears flowed from her eyes.

"Ekantha, ayyo! Listen stop crying. Look at me, calm down",Anika side hugged her and Ekantha cried like a baby, letting all her emotions out.

First it was her father, who was trying to force his thoughts and asked her to make decisions and then it was Abhi putting her in a difficult situations by asking about her opinion.

She explained it to Anika, and Anika thought for a few minutes and cupped Ekantha's face.

"Ekantha, listen to me carefully. I try to understand what you are going through and I don't know maybe if this is the best decision but I will tell this to you because more than my cousin you are my best friend and I can't ever see you vulnerable like this.

Look, whoever this Abhi is I don't care but you, you tell me Ekantha do you really think you can imagine a life with Abhi all throughout your life? Is he worth it all? Is he worth convincing your father? Uncle is always like he likes to plan things and they go in a systematic way but he has to understand that this is your life and you have to make your decisions.

I agree that nobody can give you best and think for your best other than your parents. But, for once Ekantha think about you, do you want this? Just ask yourself about it. One simple question, you need to do this Ekantha, for yourself, for you, you need to come out of this shell and think and make this decision and no matter what you think of I will be here with you, will be there to support you and Dikshit is with you too, Vennela is with you",Anika said.

Everything she said made sense, but one thing which was pricking her heart is how is she going to make this decision all by herself.

"How am I going to make this decision all by myself?",Ekantha asked.

"Do you want me to make decisions for you, Ekantha? Fine, I'll say no to Abhimanyu that you guys are not worth it and about uncle let him get you married wherever he wishes to. You don't have any say in it",Anika said.

It took a minute for Ekantha to process everything that Anika said to her.

She imagined the consequences of her taking decisions for her.

"Imagine Dikshit told me to quit writing exams for CA and just do some random degree and getting married and having kids and then stay a housewife. Do you know what would I do? I wouldn't listen to him, I would stand up for myself. Like wise, you have to learn to stand up for yourself too Ekantha. It's high time you learn about it now",Anika said.

All the words whatever her father spoke, whatever Anika spoke, whatever Abhi spoke were ringing in her ears.

Ekantha closed her ears with her hands and shut her eyes. It was all a silence suddenly, it all felt like if she moves she'll make a loud noise.

The questions Anika asked, she asked herself.

Why should someone else decide what I want? Why should someone else decide what I can do? Why should someone else decide who I have to marry? Why should-

She opened her eyes in a jerk and shook her head.

"Ekantha, aunty is asking you to get ready",Anika said.....

To be continued..

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Sakshi Devi