My Fall from Grace

I was a prisoner to the idea of freedom.

There was no other way to describe why I depended so much on the thought of being independent.

The thought of making my own coffee in the morning, before my mother made it for me, woke me up everyday.

The idea of being able to finish my presentation without taking my brother's opinion about it enticed me.

The habbit of asking my bestfriend's opinion on my outfit of the day was really annoying. My need to see a pleased smile on my father's face before I slept was what made this needy bitch conclude it was a day well spent.

Though I couldn't find a way to change it.

I knew it was how everything's supposed to be but a sick part of my heart still craved to live in a apartment by myself, with a pet to keep me company, just like the prim and proper lead lady of one of those Hollywood movies. I knew it was extremely stupid of me to think so, but the idea got me excited everytime it crossed my mind.

And it was one of the thoughts that influenced my decision to take this job up. The job that would take me hundreds of kilometers away from my hometown.

Unknown and exciting.

While I was having this monologue in my head I was actually standing at the airport, waiting for my luggage. I've been having these thoughts the entire flight. An unknown feeling kept making me restless.

I thought it was the adrenaline. But I concluded it was my fear.

Being away from the place you've practically spent your entire life in, including your childhood, makes your heart clench at the longing while altogether questioning the choices you made.

I'm afraid because it's new. Not because I'm wrong.

My attempt at comforting myself ended when the sight of a familiar blue bag got my feet moving in it's direction. As I got hold of my bag, my eyes began wandering in search of the exit.

The outside of the airport was nothing sort of what I had expected. There were no paparazzi ready to snap a celebrity or reporters to interview them. Mumbai was the centre of glamour and fashion. At least that's what I had concluded based on the internet and newspaper.

Oh how a small part of me had actually anticipated to run into a hotshot actor or cricketor.

What a wastage of a good outfit.

I heaved a sigh and walked towards the parking area. With each step, my smile faltered as I felt the life I planned in my head turn out to be mere wishes that were too silly to become my reality.

My bubble of hope brutally popped when my phone tinged with a ding. It was a message from an unknown number.

I've reached. Waiting in the parking area. I was a prisoner to the idea of freedom. .

I hung my head low, not really wanting to accept my fate.

I could practically see my dream of becoming independent shattering like a glass. A glass I dropped. A glass that would probably make me bleed when I step on it.

My aching heart echoed the words. The echo would fade, like no voice was ever made, but the aching in my heart would never go. I know I brought this upon myself, but still.

Enough of your melodramatic ass, find the car before you have to hurt your ass walking to the house.

The voice inside my head was just like my grandma, mean but true.

My heart took me back to the time I lost my one chance at Independence after almost having it in my hand.

I remembered how happy I was that my parents finally let me take up this job, I literally decided to distribute sweets among the neighborhood, I was that happy.

But nothing betrays you quite like happiness.

Mine betrayed me too when my mother propositioned her excellent arrangement, her words not mine, of my accommodation at her dear friend's house in this city. She was delighted at the convenience of the arrangement while making my life a hell lot of inconvenient.

That's explained why I was searching for a balck Audi in the parking lot.

The family of my mother's friend was pretty well off. So they had no problem accommodating me for a few months till I settle a bit. The fact that they had no problem was my biggest problem.

My feet wobbled a bit as they landed on the grass clad ground. The heels kept digging inside but I managed to walk through it. It was better than the concrete at the very least.

Why did the music stop though?

Suddenly the lack of Taylor's voice was too much to handle for me.

I noticed that one of my airpod fell off.

My complains took a break as I decided to take a Swift turn on my heels to bend and pick up the airpod that fell from my left ear.

And since my guardian angel was a sweetheart, someone decided it was the perfect time to collide into me, making me fall flat on my ass right into the puddle of mud my spectacles clad eyes so graciously forgot to see.

Ouch my butt.

The squish sound that followed my fall from grace was no help in calming my nerves at the severe embarrassment I suffered.

And since I was the luckiest person on this planet, my attempt at ending this charade of embarrassment with grace, by standing up with the support of my hands, landed me in a more miserable situation than before. My hands that had a child's grip on the last slice of my favorite pizza, suddenly turned frictionless as they slipped away in the mud, making me fall on my ass again, this time more like a cartoon character from the TV.

And the squeak that left your mouth definitely made it funnier than a cartoon character.

The thought made me pause and search for an appropriate name for my situation.

Rivaah and her fall from grace.

Or Rivaah pig and her mud puddle.

I snorted in a very Peppa pig way. The thought I might reassemble Peppa pig at the moment made me laugh again.

A clearing of throat diverted my attention from my internal joke to the pitch black shoes that layed in the line of my vision.

Oh right I collided with someone.

My eyes darted up in the direction of the culprit's face, as they narrowed in annoyance. The back pusher who was responsible for tumbling me into my mud puddle continued to look at me with irritating eyes that were the colour of a perfect morning coffee.

His perfectly ironed shirt had no crease whatsoever unlike the one between his brows. Did I cause it? Whatever. The man in front of me was in no way supposed to be a human, since the most humanly thing about him was his frown.

But the look in his eyes was funny, as if he assumed I lacked a bolt in the head.

Wait. That was definitely not funny.

My eyes blazed in fury as they met those brown eyes in accusation. His eyes stared into mine until they turned the colour of the mud he pushed me into when he looked away.

Yay! I won the staring contest.

Idiot.

I mentally struck my tongue out at my conscience while patting my back for my glorious victory.

Your throne of mud suits you. Did you win that too?

Right.

The next task at hand was to get up without loosing whatever part of my dignity was left when suddenly an outstretched hand invaded my line of vision. I looked up to see the handsome stranger wearing a frown and my eyes lost their ability to look elsewhere.

Suddenly my disappointment at not meeting a celebrity at the airport started to fade away. He was built as if he belonged on the cover of those overrated fashion magazines.

The hand in front of me waved in the air as if to snap me back into reality. Just as I was beginning to come to senses from whatever happened in the short span of less than five minutes, a hauntingly deep voice filled my ears.

"Excuse me Miss, allow me to help you."

That voice.

Something in my stomach fluttered.

The perfectly polite statement had no right to evoke a havoc in my stomach. Perhaps it was the voice or the fact that I hadn't eaten since forever, but the weird feeling in my stomach was not a sensation I welcomed.

Do something you idiot, or he might think you are a retard.

This was one of those rare times I agreed with my conscience.

I raised my hand to hold his outstretched one, when I realised it was covered with mud as was the bottom half of my dress. It agitated me.

I looked like crap.

The thought that next crossed my mind was silly, I knew it was. But the way that thought had spread a wave of satisfaction through my heart made me inclined towards implementing it.

Yes, revenge time buddy!

So because I was petty and stupid, I grabed the handsome man's hand and with all my day's worth of food's strength, pulled him down towards me. It was too much effort but it's worth it.

Ha!

The man, like he couldn't believe what had happened, landed in the puddle beside me with more grace than a princess would swoon. It infuriated me to no limits.

Why did I fall like some cartoon character and he landed like that? I was definitely offended.

A laugh bubbled inside my mouth as my hyperactive brain created an image of him in a princess dress, swooning, but I pressed my lips in a thin line.

The princess beard.

Gosh this was so funny. I couldn't help the laugh that left my mouth. His eyes snapped at me.

When I met his eyes, the underlying fury in them was none like a princess, it was lethal, like a predator who would bring wrath upon his prey. In this case, the prey was me. It took me all my willpower to not succumb under his gaze and maintain my composure.

"What is the meaning of this?" his voice though calm, was borderline threatening.

" If I'm going down, I better not be the only one going down. So I thought, why not drag you down along with me. " I spoke in a steady voice. I shrugged for extra effect.

" I fell because of you." he said, anger and accusation evident in his voice. It somehow satisfied me.

No darling, we fell together.

" You fell because of gravity." I knew it was lame. But I loved lame. His roll of eyes suggested that he didn't appreciate my awesome humor.

" Wipe that smug smile off your mouth." it only widened that smug smile of mine.

"You ruined my dress." I glared at him.

" You ruined mine too." He glared back.

" Your dress?" I asked, my eyes alight with amusement.

This was too funny. He glared at me like had never seen someone more irritating than me.

" My clothes" his voice was clipped.

"So now we are even."

" Oh but you are odd." he said, his voice drier than my hair.

" Haha very funny." I mimicked his dry tone.

" Not funnier than your face." he mocked again but I chose to ignore him.

"Now apologize." I was determined to squeeze an apology out of him.

" It's you who said we are even now. So no apology is due." he smirked at me.

That smartass.

While I was searching for something to retort back, he got up with the support of his hands, still glaring daggers at me. I was in serious conflict if I should try my luck and get up without the chance of falling again or stay rooted at the place until this man disappeared from my sight.

Or you could ask for his help that he was so generously offering before.

That was out of question.

So I did the one of the more conventional option, and put the dignity of my ancestors at stake as I rose out of the puddle, scarred with mud but still undefeated.

And this time my hands didn't betray me.

It were my heels that turned out to be traitors.

It embarked the beginning of yet another fall.

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This is the end of a new beginning.

So put your hands together bitches, you are all up for a bumpy ride ahead.

The characters will make your heart clench with their cuteness and cry the same damn time with their suffering.

You cows will smile giddily at the phone, hold your stomach while laughing, facepalm, have secondhand embarrassment, blush the brightest shade of scarlet and bawl your eyes out.

Be ready to tear up, both with joy and agony.