Sameer had surprisingly kept himself out of this. He met her but Anu sensed that he did not want her to talk about her wedding. Shwetha was working with her at the bank and they had bonded big time over shopping and eating. She kept asking Anu to get married soon. ‘For me, Dini is in London. So getting married changes my life. What is your problem? You will only be moving out of your parent’s house and gain the freedom to live on your own.’

That actually kind of sounded good. Though Anu was working, her father had set a strict 8 p.m. curfew. Not to mention her over paranoid and overprotective mother and grandmother cramping her style. That was when she spoke to Sanju and all hell broke loose after the talk.

‘Sanju, if we have to get married in a year, we must look for a place to live.’ She had said enthusiastically slurping ice cream. She was already dreaming of house shopping.

Sanju had looked confused. ‘Why? We will live at my place, right?’

‘Oh no! I am not escaping my parents to live with yours!’ That had sounded a bit harsh but she was horrified by what he had suggested.

Sanju had not been happy. ‘I have passed up opportunities to go abroad because you don’t want to. I at least want to live with my parents. They would be too hurt if I move out.’

‘If you lived abroad, how would you live with your parents?’ Anu was not one to give up.

‘I would sponsor them to come live with me.’

They had gone back and forth for weeks on the issue. Finally, Sanju had declared.

‘This is an impasse, Anu.’ He had choked his words and looked pained but had said they had to part ways.

Anu was at first shocked, angry, devastated and eventually wanted to kill Sanju. How could he call off their relationship of three years just like that? But he had. Anu did not have the heart to tell her parents that the wedding was off. So she hadn’t, for almost six months.

Sameer and Shwetha were her crutches. They had made sure she hadn’t fallen apart. They fed her food and beer and made her laugh. On one such dinner with Sameer, he had asked her what her plans were. ‘How long are you going to wait for Sanju to crawl back, Anu?’

‘I feel we are not over. Not yet.’ Anu was convinced.

Sameer had stayed suspiciously silent for a while then he had asked. ‘In case, just hypothetically, if Sanju doesn’t come back, do I stand a chance with you?’