ESHA

My heart shattered into countless pieces as his words sank in. Tears brimmed in my eyes, and in disbelief, I whispered, gazing into his stormy grey eyes, "What did you say?"

He repeated his words, each one heavy with emphasis: "Do. You. Require. One. Night. Stand. To. Leave. Me?"

At that moment, my soul felt utterly crushed, leaving me hollow. Tears streamed down my face as I pushed him away and fled from his house.

I ran until I found an abandoned park, unable to find where to go.

I stumbled through the abandoned gate of the nearby park, seeking refuge on a secluded bench where I sobbed, my cries echoing in the stillness.

Just as I thought I might drown in my sorrow; a gentle voice reached my ears.

"Calm down?" he asked softly, offering me a handkerchief. I looked up to see a handsome face, framed by beautiful hazel eyes, a chiselled jawline, and a muscular physique that hinted at a disciplined fitness routine.

I had never noticed him before in our neighbourhood.

My heart had always belonged to Dhruv since I was three, making me oblivious to any other boy who crossed my path, even in school or college.

Embarrassment washed over me as I accepted the handkerchief. It was vulnerable that a stranger witnessed my emotional state-something I had never shown even to Dhruv or my own family.

He spoke to me, trying to ease my distress. He introduced himself as "Jay Surya Chouhan" and mentioned that they shifted to our community recently.

"I'm Esha Raghvendra Sharma," I replied, finding comfort in his easy-going demeanour and humour.

Once I had calmed down, he kindly offered to walk me home. It's quite a long walk for me as I don't want to face that person, not at least right after I braced myself.

To my surprise, I discovered our houses were separated by just two others in the community of mansions.

Our families, the one's in the community, were highly built in society yet we found solace in this place which we grew up from our childhood.

I'm not sure of the others, most of them who growed up in society abandoned their initial house and lived in a dedicated space of their own.

Yet, both our families refused to let go of our memories here so we fixated on this place.

After saying goodbye, I entered my home with the spare keys I always carried with me, relieved to find my parents' absence while unlocking.

I assumed they were at Dhruv's house or perhaps still hadn't returned from the beautiful resort trip for dinner.

My father, a businessman in textiles including with many others as well, had married my mother for practical reasons the least that's what they have told me when I asked them of their cute couple marriage story, but over time, they fell deeply in love, forming a bond that seemed unbreakable.

It was for their love that I came into this world.

Retreating to my room, I leaned on the chair, sitting by the window as darkness enveloped me when I briefly closed my eyes taking in the scenarios that happened today.

*****

"Hi," I greeted a cute boy outside my house as he and his family moved into the mansion across from us. He ignored me, turning to his father.

His mother approached me, lifting me into her arms, pinching my cheeks saying I'm cute. She was as beautiful as her son but he had different eyes than her mother or father.

While I was staring into her she asked my name, continuing with where me and my parents live.

I pointed to my house, saying, "That is my house, and my parents are inside. I came out to play with some of my friends."

"Aunt, will you come to my house with your son? I like him a lot, and I want to introduce him to my parents so we can play together."

His parents chuckled as they carried me and their son to my home, where the servants were still unloading their belongings.

The cute boy's dad instructed them to continue working as we entered. I wriggled free from the cute boy's mom's grasp and ran to my parents, excitedly introducing them to the cute boy's family.

While they exchanged pleasantries, I noticed the cute boy still in his dad's arms, looking at me with disdain.

Ignoring his attitude, I approached him and asked, "What's your name?" He turned away, prompting his mother to nudge him for not responding.

He was only a little taller than me. His eyes seemed like storming grey clouds which captivated and took hold of mine in those.

"I'm Dhruv Rajvanshi Malhotra," Dhruv introduced himself with a rough attitude. I don't know what's wrong with me whereas I remained calm as if nothing had happened inside of me.

I introduced myself, "I'm Esha Raghvendra Sharma. These are my parents, Manisha and Raghu Raghvendra Sharma. I'm three years old and will be going to XXX school. How old are you? Which school will you go to? What are your favorite games?" I bombarded him with questions.

My parents, relatives and all others used to comment that I behave like a grown up even when I'm a 3 years old kid. However, I always pushed their comments to the back of my mind letting myself free from all of those.

Dhruv remained silent, and his mom answered for him, bending to my eye-level, "I'm Riya Rajvanshi Malhotra, and this is my husband, Goutham Rajvanshi Malhotra. He's Dhruv, and he's five. He'll be attending the same school as you. He loves computers and video games."

Excitement lit up my face. "Wow! Then my dad can drop us off at school together, and we can have lunch together in school! We can play together... but well, I'm not that good with computer games," I exclaimed while whispering the last part, fidgeting my fingers in embarrassment.

Dhruv snapped back, "I'm not going to have lunch with you, and I'm not going to play with you." With that, he jumped down and ran back to his home, followed by his parents with a gentle farewell smile.

My mother and aunt Riya saw my hurtfulness and consoled me by assuring me that he was just feeling too shy to play with a girl.

I understood the complete meaning behind it, over and above this was the weird mental acuity of mine all commented on, although I nodded with my glossy eyes like a good kid.

In the weeks that followed, our families became inseparable, enjoying picnics and shared meals at each other's homes.

Even if we grew up on our financial status we were accustomed as well attached to this environment so we haven't shifted from this locality whereas the security and the ownership of this locality landed in the hands of two families.

*****

A knock on my bedroom door pulled me back to reality. It was my mom, calling me for dinner, as I haven't eaten much.

I kept the events with Dhruv to myself, and I enjoyed a peaceful meal at home.

Afterwards, I returned to my room, where my mom, sensing my silence, came to ask, "What's wrong, my precious darling? You are so unlike yourself today."

"Nothing, Maa! I've just been waiting for my job offer onboarding email for a few days now. My friends have started to get theirs, and I'm starting to worry."

By the status of our families I can just take over the business and run those but I'm interested in fashion so irrespective of the status I pursued my interest.

Few weeks back I attended an interview at the Grace & Grandeur fashion company, which was a top one in the fashion industry.

"Oh, my darling! If they don't take you, they will lose a diamond for their growth." My mother's reassuring words were a familiar comfort, a mantra she repeated whenever I felt uncertain about my confidence.

"Alright, Ma, it's getting late. I'll go to bed now. Good night!" I said, feeling her soft kiss on my forehead as she closed the door behind her.

Slowly, darkness crept back into my mind, but a sudden email notification jolted me awake.

When I saw the message, joy erupted from within me, and I screamed my lungs out with delight.

My parents rushed through the door; concern etched on their faces. "What happened?" they asked, their voices laced with worry, quickly checking my forehead whether I was having any fever or feeling uncomfortable anywhere.

Overwhelmed with happiness, I showed them the email, and my father lifted me into the air, twirling me around in celebration.

The excitement in their faces was overbound, they darted to share the news with Dhruv's parents, leaving me alone in my new found happiness, and at that moment, I found myself indifferent to Dhruv's reaction.

Aunt Riya, whom I affectionately called "Second Mom" since I had decided at five that I would marry Dhruv when we grew up, organized a small party in honor of my achievement, inviting my best friends, Lilly and Aarti, to join us at their house along with some of the neighbourhood families.

Despite the festivities, I wasn't in the mood to celebrate, especially after witnessing Dhruv's nonchalant deme demeanour if nothing had happened between us.

After the party, I asked my dad to have our driver drop my friends off at their homes but they dismissed saying they will go by cab as they have some business to take care of in the middle.

Standing on the balcony, I pondered how to search for a dorm without alerting my parents. Aunt Riya called for me to come inside, but I made an excuse, claiming I had some work to do, and slipped back into my home.

The next morning, after my parents left for work, I hired a cab and set out to explore some dorms near my office. Fortunately, I found a good one at a reasonable rent. I wasn't poor, but I didn't want to waste my father's money on unnecessary expenses.

I called my parents, telling them I was out with my friends, and returned home late after buying some dresses and other work-related, home-related items.

Locking everything in my newly rented dorm, prepared for my midnight escape without having to carry too much.

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By: shinestoriess.

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