ESHA'S POV

Minutes passed by and then we see lights coming towards us.

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Then we see two cars coming towards us, they stopped at a  distance. There were 6 men, who got down from the cars. Seeing this Abhimaan turned towards me.

"Don't talk, don't say anything in front of them. I will do the talking, no matter what, you are going to keep quiet. whatever, I say just keep nodding meri haan main haan milati rehna. I promise, I won't let anything happen to you." he said but I was still looking behind him.

"Look at me, Esha, do you trust me" he asked again tilting my face upwards. Making me look at him. I nodded my head in Yes. It's not like I have another option other than putting my trust in him. It  would have been better if I had just stayed back.

"Good." he said turning around.

One of the men came to us and asked "What, are you doing here? At this hour all alone, that to with a girl." They looked at Abhimaan and me, suspiciously.

"Our tyre got busted, that's why we've stopped here." he said.

"Wo toh thik hai, lekin yahan adhi raat gye aise jawan ladki k sath ghumte huye sharam nhi aati tumhe, lagte kya ho tum ek dusre ke." the men said.
(That's okay, don't you have any shame you are roaming on roads this late at night with a young girl. What relation do you both have?)

"We are tourists here, aur ye meri choti behen hai." Abhimaan said which is obviously a lie, and the men scoffed indicating he did not believe a single word that left his mouth.
(She is my younger sister).

"Lag toh nhi raha ki ye behen hai. Behen hoti toh aise raat ko  leke na ghum raha hota. Bohot ache se jante hain hum, tum jaise shehrio ko, aaj bhai behen kahoge phir ek dusre ke sath rang raliya banaoge." other one said laughing. I can feel his choice of words made Abhimaan angry.
(We don't think so. If she is your sister you would not be roaming around this late. We have seen city people like you. Today you will call each other brother and sister and then will spend nights together.)

"Nothings like that, if you can't help us than, it'll be better you keep going on your way." Abhimaan said with hint of anger.

"Show us your ID's. We'll know if you really are siblings." he said forwarding his hand. When we didn't move they forcefully took our bags and saw our ID's.

Seeing our ID's one of the men said "We can help you fix this puncher but for that you both have to come with us."

"No thank you we will wait here for help." said Abhimaan coldly.

"You either come with us or we can do it hard way, and like I said we help you fix your bike." the men said with anger.

"And like I said don't let us disturb you, be on your way." he said.

Suddenly one of them took hold of my wrist, which angered Abhimaan and he puched the men holding my wrist. He stood in front of me shielding me from there view.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER." he shouted with so much anger.

They again tried but this time he didn't leave it on one punch, he started fighting them. They started to overpower him at some point.

"Please leave him, don't hurt him." I cried. No one listened to me I cried shouted as if they are my shouts going in deaf ears.

"Hum chalenge aapke sath please unhe chor dijiye h- hum aapke aage hath jodhte hain please mat mariye." I said sobbing, to the one who look older than others and authoritive also.(We will come with you please leave him. I beg you please don't hurt him.)

And thats when one of them took out a sharp knife and kept it on my throat, which made Abhimaan freezes in his place, all rage leaving his body.

"Come with us we will help and you can leave quietly or I slit her throat, your choice boy." said the men. When he thought Abhimaan was not listening he pushed knife tightly, which made my skin break out and droplets of blood started pouring out.

That's when older men spoke "You will not touch our men, and we will not hurt her."

"Fine, we will come with but you have to keep your words otherwise I'll be the one who will slit your throat open." Abhimaan said in his cold voice.

He chuckled and said "Good choice boy." He left me and I ran towards Abhimaan hugging him.

"A--aa---aapko kitni chote lag gyi." i said sobbing in his chest.
(How badly you got hurt.)

I helped him in one car, keeping myself close to him. I don't know why, but I feel safe around him, like he won't let anything happen to me. Even though, I did got hurt on his watch. He turned towards me tenderlyheld my neck and turns my head upwards to see my wound.

They took us to their village. There we met sarpanch ji  (head of the village) and other villagers. They asked him some questions and them they sent me with there womens.

Here, I'm sitting in this room with the ladies. I had no clue, what's going on out there. Some time later a men came and took the older women outside. After, a while women came back said something that shocked me to the core.

"You are marrying that boy you came with." she said shocking me.

"What, y-yeh aap kya keh rahi hain?" I said.
            (Are you saying?)

"Hum, sahi keh rahe hain agar tum ne shaadi nahi ki uss ladke se toh, yaha se zinda nahi jaa paogi beta. Agar apni jaan bachana chahti ho toh karlo ye shaadi. Aur vese bhi aap log toh sheher ke ho ye sab konsi badi baat hai tumhare liye." she said. I think this old hag has lost her mind.

Sahi kehte hain, Budhaape mein log Sach main sathiya jaate hain or ye budhiya sathiya chuki hai period!!!. There I said it.

"Nahi, aapka dimag toh kharab nahi ho Gaya? Aap ko Pata bhi aap kya keh rahi hain." I said raising my voice.
(No, have you lost your mind? Do you even know what you are saying.)

"I know what I am saying, this is the only way out for you beta (Child)." She said softly trying to make me understand.

"Mujhe Abhimaan se baat karni hai abhi !!! Please."  I said to her.
(I want to talk to Abhimaan right now !!!.)

"Thik hai mein koshish karti hun" she said going out.
(Okay, I'll try)

I sat there waiting for her to comback with Abhimaan. I saw her coming back, with Abhimaan behind her. She left us to talk.

"What are they saying?." I questioned

He sighed deeply "They are saying if we marry, they will let us go, otherwise, you will get married to one of their men or they will kill us. Fuck I will not going to let that happen." he said in distress.

"Koi or option nahi hai Kiya? Kuch or nahi Kar sakte? Mujhe ye nahi karna please . Meri toh itni Umar bhi nahi hai. Aap inse sab se baat Karena inhe samjhaye ki hum ye nahi Kar sakte please." I said crying.
(Is there no other option? Can't do anything? I don't want to do this. I am not even that old. Talk to them, try to make them understand that we can't do this please.)

"Or koi option nahi hai Esha.(There is no other option Esha.)  We have to do this, to get out of here. Agar mein akele hota toh (If I was alone.), I would have found some way out but with you I can't take any risk. For fucks sake Esha, they have weapons, if we try something they can hurt us or worse kill us." He said.

Just then that old hag cameback. Usually I never disrespect my elders like that but right I am so angry, and scared. Now I can't do anything other than crying over my fate. Why, every bad thing happens with me.

I know I am being annoying but this my life, my personal decision. I don't even know anything about him other than his name. For God sake we are strangers. What if he is serial killer, what will I do.

Esha usne tere baare main soch raha hai or tu ussi ko serial killer bata rahi hai. Galat Esha galat baat.
(He thinking about you and you are calling him a serial killer. Bad Esha very bad.)

I was just sitting there waiting, when a young girl around my age came to clean my neck wound. She gave a dress to wear. She helped me dress, then left me alone with my thoughts, which were eating my brain.

After a while the old lady came back with, some more ladies. They covered my head with the dupatta (Scarf.) Then they took out of that room.
Going out I can't see much because my head being covered. I was taken to a place where mandap (wedding pavilion.) was setup. They make me sit beside Abhimaan.

A/N ; I don't know much about wedding so please you can imagine.

Lastly they made us sign the marriage papers and gave them to Abhimaan. Now everything is done the marriage is done.

They have fixed our bike and we are free to go. After all this trauma they made us go through.

We got out of there as soon as possible. After passing from there he stopped the bike. We got down, there is so much we have to discuss before we meet others.

"We are not going to tell anyone about this. Whatever happened there will always stay there. Main is rishte ko nahi manti yes sirf ek galat fehmi hai.(I don't believe in this relationship, it's just a misunderstanding.) Promise me you won't tell anyone not even your friends" I said to Abhimaan.

No one words are coming out of his mouth. He is just standing there lookin at me with stoic expression.

"Okay, i promise" he said coldly.

"When we get back just burn those paper it's not like anyone knows about this incident other than those villagers. We don't need them. Yahan se jaane ke baad wese humne apne - apne raste ho Jaana hai. (After leaving from here, we will go our separate ways.) I said to him.

He was quite not reacting at all.

"You don't have to worry about it. I always keep my words. No one will know until one of us want them to." He stated coldly.

After all that we again started our journey. Both of us lost in our own thoughts.

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