The sound of suitcase being zipped echoed in my mind like a countdown to departure. The silence of room was different. Every item, every furniture and every corner of this room seemed to hold a memory, a reminder of laughs, my personal karaoke, my fights with my siblings, my late-night study sessions my fears, my doubts, my insecurities I'd faced within these walls. But a part of me was excited too. New college, new city, new home, new friend and especially new me.

All my school life I've been city, who never came into notice. Not until high school. I was always an average student. Average in studies, average in curricular activities I managed to build up my confidence and succeeded too. But the regret of not trying earlier always stayed with me. I decided to have a complete glow up. I wanted to be the best version of myself.

Am I scared? Yeah.

Am I getting emotional? Yeah.

Will I miss my family? Yeah.

Everyday? Maybe.

Am I excited? Hell yeah

Living with my elder sister would be great, more than great that's all I have always wanted

"But wait what if her motherly instinct kick in the jolt of panic shot through my mind "what if she refuses to give me money? And what about my late night swiggy order and......"

(Sighs)

"Calm down Nitya She's not a typical strict sister She didn't even say a word to me when I told here that I have watched '50 shades of Gray' when I was 14 And she never stopped me from reading smuts.

My elder sister Aadhya was 7 years older than me She was not like other strict sisters who were probably more strict than mothers. But I guess sometimes, even she got confused whether to be a chill and cool sister or act like a mother

It was almost 1 am now. My eyes were as heavy as lead but like always I refused to sleep. I turned off the lights. jumped on my bed, arranged the pillows on each side of me and started scrolling through my Instagram.

Of course like always my feed was full of three things

Romance

Romance and..

Dark Romance!!

And why not? Romance has always been my weakness. Be it books, movies, real life of my Insta feed it is a thing I want in my life but probably fear too.

"God me when??" I cried dramatically falling on my bed.

Suddenly I sat up on bed. My back straight as an arrow.

" Okay Now It's final. I am gonna go to the college Serve the looks and slay the all the boys go head over heels for me "

I was delusional. I admit it.  But I was delusional to an extent that I imagined a scenario so deeply that the line between reality and fantasy blurred. It became an escape from the harsh reality that not every story is a fairytale.

Not in case of my parents

I could feel the responsibilities bearing down on me. As if the CEO position at such an early age wasn't enough that my family burdened me with this chaos.
My thoughts drifted to the sisters I'll soon be meeting. The med student was probably intelligent, responsible and disciplined. But it was the younger one who was supposed to be a puzzle.

She looked sweet and innocent in her photos.
(yes, I did stalk the trouble incoming.)

And from all the information I've gathered she's not that innocent. Books, piano, dance, cooking. All of this is included in her hobby list, much more than this.
About her nature-she's got a sharp tongue and a mind of her own.

Clearly, she's not afraid to speak her thoughts.

But that's the fucking problem

Her parents fear that beneath her feisty exterior she's still a delicate flower- untested by the storms of life and they worry that the world will crush her spirit.

And that's where I enter. There was already so much. going on in my head Even after an year, the CEO seat felt like a noose around my neck And now this.

A merger

A Union.

A business deal that could secure our company's future... But it wasn't just any deal It involved a personal element.
An engagement, followed by marriage of course. And my Soon to be fiance? None other than the little princess of the Singhania household - who by the way, isn't so little.

Yes, the same one I was told to look after. The one who doesn't even know about the deal or the engagement

"Great. Just great Not only do I have to handle this deal and merger alone, but I also have to tell Miss. Junior Singhania about the engagement while I guard. her. What am I? A fucking security guard?"

I said leaning back on my chair, clearly frustrated. That girl has no idea what she is getting herself into.
I stood up from the chair and walked across the room to pour myself a glass of whiskey.

Stepping out onto the balcony. I leaned against the railing and downed the drink in one shot. The burning sensation trailed down my throat. The cool air danced across my skin. The city lights Twinkled like the stars in the sky. The balcony was the one area in my room where I found peace, even though the hustle-bustle of the streets full of traffic mixed in the air, it was calm, soothing.

I felt like I was loosing myself. in the process of trying to live up to everyone's expectations. Even I wanted peace, rest, comfort But all I got was the weight of being the eldest son of the family that made me

felt like I was drowning. And surprisingly. this wasn't the fist time I felt this way.