#3: The First Big Fight!

Since her last call with Mohit, Shalini has been seething with anger. Restless, she paces around her room, contemplating, "Mohit won't be visiting my hometown; he's made plans with his friends. What's the place called? I neither recall nor care. What I do know is his commitment to his friends outweighs mine. How dare he?" 

In three weeks, Shalini will visit her hometown, where Mohit's parents and brother will join her.” “Why didn't his mom insist on him?” she wonders to herself. “Perhaps she did. He's stubborn; he likely stuck to his plan.” Feeling frustrated and hurt, she nods to herself, finding him irritating.

She glances at the clock; it's still 7 am, with three hours until her exam. She makes a futile attempt to revise from her book. Seeking solace, she decides to immerse herself in her favorite rom-coms, hoping they'll ease the knots in her nerves. Since their last conversation, she has deliberately ignored  Mohit's calls and messages. "This guy has no ounce of shame. His only purpose in calling and messaging is to ensure I take the promotion test calmly," she thinks, rolling her eyes, as she silences her phone and immerses herself in movies for a temporary escape. Two hours later, she rises from her seat, gets ready, has a hurried breakfast, and heads to the office for the test. Amidst the hurry to the office, her phone chimes: "All the best. Be focused and do well" – a message from Mohit.

Taking a deep breath, Shalini replies, "You don't need to bother; you're not coming to Jhalawar anyway." Arriving at the office, she takes the exam with a determination to give her best, brilliantly keeping aside the weight of emotions otherwise crushing her mind for next one and a half hours. She feels content as the exam goes well.

However, post-exam, she once again starts pondering in the same loop, growing more exasperated and stressed. "We aren't married yet, and he's not bothering to be with me. What will happen after 5-10 years of marriage? Why am I marrying him?"

—

Mohit struggles to understand the relevance of her last message. How is her exam and him not going to Jhalawar connected? Nonetheless, he persists, calling her every hour, knowing Shalini can't hold onto anger long. Continuous calling will soften her; she'll eventually pick up the call. 

In all his previous relationships, Mohit had never paid much attention to such childish matters— calling continuously and then waiting for the answer is just not his style. He is the type who could go without talking for weeks. However, Shalini changed the dynamics completely in a very short time; she is an enigma. She consistently reminds him of her presence without begging for love and attention. Instead, she has subtly conveyed that Mohit's love and attention are exclusively reserved for her. Her behavior, a blend of childlike innocence and straightforwardness, both irritates and endears him. How can someone be both at the same time?

Smiling at his own vulnerability, he decides to try one last time before diving into the day’s responsibilities. To his astonishment, she answers. In that moment, a mix of relief and joy sweeps over him. Making her happy wouldn't be a challenging task now, he thinks, as he starts listening to the sweet voice on the other end of the line.

“Why do you keep calling me? Don't you get it; I don't want to talk to you ever again,” she utters in frustration.

“I have told you multiple times since yesterday, both on the phone and through messages, that this trip was planned to celebrate my Roka with you about two months ago. My mom made plans to visit your hometown with the family about a month back. I can't cancel this trip; all the bookings have been made and paid in full,” he feels a spark of anger rising within him now.

“What is the name of the place again?” Shalini asks.

“Ramnagar,” he replies, feeling awkward at this unrelated question. “I would do anything for you; let me go on this trip,” Mohit pleads.

“Hmm. Come to visit me in Jaipur this weekend, and I will let you go,” she responds almost instantly.

"What are you saying? Do you even realize that? Do you know the exorbitant rates of the flights?" Mohit asks, his voice edged with intensity.

"I will pay for it," Shalini replies with a tinge of melancholy.

"What? It's not just your money or mine; it's our money. It doesn't matter who's spending it; our money is being used. I don't think compensating this way is a great idea," Mohit shouts angrily.

Shalini loses her cool and shouts back, “As if your trip to Ramnagar is free of cost. I know you've paid for all the arrangements for your friends. You don't have money only for me. Either you come this weekend, or don't bother asking me what I want.” With this, she hangs up the phone, and tears start streaming down her face.

Mohit considers calling her back but dismisses the idea. Him calling her would only escalate the fight. Her stubborn mind will not entertain logic. Throughout the entire week, she does not initiate any calls, as she usually does. He calls infrequently, and she shows no interest in engaging with him. Their once long chats have now dwindled to simple good morning and good night messages. As the week unfolds, a sense of confusion, frustration, and perhaps longing emerges between them.

Even in this turbulent state of their relationship, Shalini does her part. Consistently, she informs him whenever she goes out with friends. In her perception, she believes she is being logical, but in reality, she is being stubborn. She finds it challenging to accept her own heart's conviction that Mohit belongs to her more than to anyone else.

Mohit is accustomed to a Shalini who is usually easygoing, but this version of Shalini is beyond his comprehension, leaving him emotionally perplexed. The question looming over him extends beyond dealing with stubbornness; he is experiencing an emotional dilemma — does he want to embrace this complexity as part of his life? After all, with the good comes the challenging part, and he is standing at the crossroads of a crucial decision: either he accepts both aspects or lets her go completely. He carefully weighs Shalini's positives and negatives, trying to make sense of it all.

What will be Mohit's decision? Will he choose to stay with Shalini or break off their Roka? Stay tuned for the next part of our captivating series - Shalini and Mohit tales.