Chapter 1: Viral Announcements & Unspoken Goodbyes
The day Arjun and his assistant became the talk of the office, I didn’t waste a second—I went straight online and posted on Instagram:
"Jaldi se ek naya pati chahiye: sundar ho, baaton ka sikandar ho, khud par control ho, aur purushon ki sab qualities mein full marks ho. Mahine ka ek lakh pocket money, full benefits, jo pehle aaye uska."
The moment I pressed 'post', I could almost hear my WhatsApp groups lighting up—first the family group, then school friends, then the film fraternity. The neighbour’s pressure cooker whistled twice in the background, and my phone started buzzing: Shaadi.com matches, school friends forwarding memes, Amma’s voice notes asking if I’d eaten, and DMs piling up faster than monsoon water in Mumbai gullies.
Within an hour, my inbox was overflowing, and by midnight, hashtags like #MeeraWantsMister trended across Instagram and Twitter, glowing on screens like Diwali diyas.
There were wild memes: a movie star demanding social security, male models fighting over 'pocket money', even a spoof news headline about a top director getting battered for my heart.
My old college group flooded my phone with links and voice notes: "Pagli ho gayi hai kya, Meera? Yeh kya natak hai?" Laughter, concern, and a dozen chai emojis.
A week later, Arjun returned from his overseas trip. I was at home in Mumbai, sprawled on the living room floor with a few famous faces from TV, still wearing the lipstick mark I'd earned for losing a round of teen patti. The air was thick with Mumbai’s sticky humidity, ceiling fans whirring, and a faint waft of agarbatti from the puja corner. Filmi gossip and laughter bounced off the walls, but when Arjun walked in, dragging his suitcase, the room fell silent. His eyes were bloodshot as he looked at me: "Meera, tum mujhse ab bhi pyaar karti ho na?"
I met his gaze, a reckless smile on my lips: "Arjun, baat pyaar ki nahi hai."
"Woh Meera, jo tumse pyaar karti thi, ab yahan nahi hai."
"Woh us din mar gayi, jab tum aur tumhari choti si assistant break room mein… aur tumne uski madad ki pukar bhi nahi suni."
My voice echoed a little too loudly. Someone shuffled the cards, pretending not to hear. I didn’t care. The old Meera, the one who could fight for anything, was gone.