"The end."

I typed onto to the screen feeling a part of my heart crushing at finally ending the book I had been living, dreaming, cherishing and writing about for the past five months.

The characters...

Their journey from enemies to lovers.

Them always being interconnected by fate.

"Hmm." I sighed once again rubbing my palm on my face trying to rub away the sleep clouding my senses. I hear a harsh banging on my room's closed door.

"Maa asked to come downstairs for breakfast!" My twin brother, Debashish  yelled at me from outside the door.

"Ughhh!" I groan in irritation. I always lost track of time and that was definitely the reason of all the black circles that adorned my undereyes. I close my laptop and walk towards the door actually afraid that the asshole will break the door this time if I don't open the door.

I unlock the key from my side of the room and open it slowly and look at my twin brother who was clearly a foot taller than me and 15 minutes older than me and loved to rub the fact and command me to get him a glass of water and all that bullshit.

"Ever heard of knocking?" I asked crossing my arms in front of my chest and glaring at him.

"That's what I did." He rolled his eyes and messed up my already messed up hair which was pulled up in an ugly bun.

"What you did.. Was Bang the door. Also I haven't washed my hair in a week." I grin evilly at him and relish his face of utter disgust as he wipes his hand on my shoulder as if trying to get off the dirt from his hand.

"First... why would I bang bang a door." He smirked at me with a suggestive look as if trying to give me a hint on what he could bang. I look at him horrified. And he passes me a satisfied smile.

"Abhik bhai, Asheesh bhai! Debashish is annoying me again." I yell trying to muster up enough fake tears in my eyes. I see my two older brothers rushing out of their rooms along with my bhabhi's who looked equally terrified at my untimely shriek.

The smirk on Debashish's face is completely wiped off as he scowls and me and then looks at my other two brothers glaring at him.

"How many times have I told you not annoy our baby?" Abhik bhai pulls his ear and Asheesh bhai comes and looks at my cheeks trying to find any pinch marks.

"She is a lying fuck! I did nothing!" Debashish pulls away his ear from Abhik bhai and hides behind Aaheli bhabhi.

"Why are you hiding behind my wife?" Abhik bhai asks trying not to smile after looking at bhabhi who was glared at him and slowly patted Debashish's head.

"Because you are scared of your wife! And I was always on team bhabhi! Go... Go support your lying little sister!" He pouted and then walked away with bhabhi for breakfast while turning back and sticking his tongue out to Abhik bhai.

Asheesh bhai and Tanvi bhabhi laughed and walked downstairs for breakfast and Abhik bhai walked towards me and squinted his eyes.

"Was he telling the truth?" He asked me still trying to confirm from me.

I smile sheepishly at him.

"Maybe..." I say and run away down stairs when I see his jaw dropping to the floor and him chasing after me.

"Debasmita Mukherjee! When will you grow up?" He asked running after me as I go and hide behind maa who was bringing the puri and chole curry for the breakfast.

"Never!" I yell as hide behind maa as he tried to catch me.

"Abhik what is this?' Maa asked trying not to drop the food while she tries to push bhai away from me.

"Your dearest daughter made my wife leave me!" He whined and Aaheli bhabhi laughed at him while serving papa food.

"I see my badi bahu here only Abhik what are you talking about?" Papa asked and patted on the seat next to him asking maa to sit down for breakfast next to him.

"I meant in the bed... Never mind." He immediately shuts up when maa glares at him and bhabhi's eyes widen as she turns away to hide her blush.

"Abhik Mukherjee!" Maa scolds him and he obediently sits down on the chair without uttering another word and I sit down next to Debashish. Who steps on my foot and looks away trying to look oblivious.

I place my palm in front of my mouth to hide the yelp that almost left my lips. And he gives me a nod of approval as if saying, 'That's like a good twin sister.'

"Wait till breakfast is over." I whisper in his ears and he blinks his eyes fast innocently a challenge lurking in them as if saying 'Try me.'

.

.

.

"Maa where is the rasamalai?" I asked after finishing three puri's and some gajar ka hawla. (a sweet made with carrots)

Maa looks at me softly and calls Roshini kaki to get the sweet from the kitchen while I eagerly tap my food waiting for my sweet.

"How do you eat so much and are still so thin?" Debashish asks looking stuffed after eating the same quantity of food as me.

I glare at him and every one laughs at his repeated question.

"No... Like I genuinely want to know? All you do is sit in your room all day or sleep. The only time you actually do something is when you go walking to university with your friends. And then you eat like a fucking pig." He says and bites his tongue at the slip of the last word.

"Debashish! Mind your language." Maa glares at him from the other end of the table.

"Sorry... maa. I was just curious about this gluten. You see." He says and then rolls his eyes when he looks at me smiling teasingly at him for getting scolded.

"My baby girl has a healthy appetite and a fast metabolism. Any issues?" She asked raising a brow at him.

He gulps and shakes his head in denial as I sit and relish my rasamalai. It suddenly felt a lot sweeter than before.

.

"Deba... amaar priyo shaatan." Papa spoke to me softly while I looked up from my sweet to my father who sat at the head of the table.

"Haan Papa." I looked at my father a sweet smile on my lips loving the feeling of him calling him that everyday.

I liked him calling me that after a long day of hard work he would come back home and teach me to write poems and read inspirational books and classics to me.

I liked him calling me that while we cooked maacher curry (fish curry) for maa. I liked him teaching me about constellations and so many more things.

I liked maa too. But, I liked papa just a little bit more.

"Beta (my child) listen... Me and your maa have come to decision." He said and I looked at him confused at what kind of decision he was talking about.

"What is it papa? Have I done something wrong?" I asked for a moment I felt my heart sinking.

"No my heart. Never. We just wanted to tell you that... We have selected a boy for your marriage. He is well accomplished. And is of a similar social standing as us, so he will be able to provide you with everything we have... maybe more. His parents are decent and so is he..."

He said and my heart stopped beating.

No.

No.

No.

An arranged marriage?!

"But... But papa I am only twenty one... I am still studying." I try to tell him half heartedly. Not wanting to tell him that I wanted to marry someone I actually loved and not a man I knew nothing about.

"I know baccha. But... I want you to understand that some relationships are better made when a person is younger. You get to spend more time with that person. Understand them. You spend time getting to know each other and fall in Love them." He said smiling at maa and placing a hand on top of her hand while she smiled back.

"Papa.. but!" I tried to speak but he cut me off abruptly.

"If, you don't want to marry him. You can say so after meeting him Debasmita. At least see if you can try to like him. At least try to know if he is worth you? Baccha... Me and your mother have never said no to any of your wishes... Not even the most absurd ones. Can you at least try to trust our choice for you?" He asked and I couldn't help but feel the lump that had been passing down my throat turn harsher.

I felt my eyes prickling with tears and a kind of rage bubbling inside me. A kind I had never ever felt before this.

How could papa not even ask me about my wishes?

How could I not get a chance to fall in love with a man of dreams like the female leads I write about?!

How could I not meet my soulmate earlier?!

How did no one love me? How did I never love anyone in these twenty one years of my life?

Why was destiny being so cruel to me?

I had only one wish.

Just.

A Wish!

The thought tore a piece of my heart as I the tears I tried to hold back finally run loose down my cheeks.

"O..Ok... Papa." I cried while looking down at my fingers that kept fiddling with the hem of my loose t-shirt.

Debashish clutched my hands tightly as I saw his jaw clenching as he glared at papa.

"Papa... This is not done. How could you?" He asked trying to make papa change his decision.

"Debashish... don't talk to me in that tone." Papa said clearly not pleased with him

"To hell with you and your decisions! But I will never forgive you if you force my twin sister for anything. She is a part of me. My relation with her comes before my relation with anyone else. So, I am out of this mess."

He spoke harshly and pushed the chair back and it toppled down hard on the floor before he walked away.

"I'll do as you decided papa." I speak in a foreign tone before running away behind Debashish to calm him down.

It's ok.

Reality and fiction are different.

What I wanted...

Was just...

Just a...

Meaningless.

Wish.