Clinging To The Past — my entry to the Get Published contest

The Idea Description:

  She thought she’d found her The One and her mission of life was accomplished. But this illusion is shattered when her boyfriend of four years dumps her.

  Two years later she thinks she still needs time, which Rohan, her co-worker isn’t ready to give her.

  Is Dhwani ready to give up the fantasy of her past and courageous enough to go after her future?

What Makes This Story ‘Real’:

  This isn’t the era of everlasting love. Relationships break more frequently than they last and serial dating is the norm.

  But how does one actually recover and move on?

Extract from the story:

  “It has been two years since Anshuman, Dhwani,” points out my elder sister, Devika, resting her hand on the enormous bump that is her stomach. “It’s high time you move on.”

  “Thanks for that point of information, sister. I was completely unaware of the time that has passed,” I say in a saccharine sweet voice.

  She rolls her eyes. “What is wrong with this guy?”

  “Nothing.” I sigh. “That’s the problem.”

  “That’s impossible.” She snorts.

  “I like him and everything but I’m just, I don’t know, guilty about dating him.”

  “Rohan really did a number on you, didn’t he?” she asks softly.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  She sighs. “OK, then. Let’s talk about this guy. Do you have a picture?”

  I nod and pull out a picture from my phone. I pass it over and hear my sister whistle under her breath, no doubt enchanted by his height and muscular frame, contrasting drastically with his geeky glasses.

  “Wow.” She looks up, her eyes shining. “Why are you making him wait, again?”

 

 ready to give up the fantasy of her past and courageous enough to go after her future?

What Makes This Story ‘Real’:

  This isn’t the era of everlasting love. Relationships break more frequently than they last and serial dating is the norm.

  But how does one actually recover and move on?

Extract from the story:

  “It has been two years since Anshuman, Dhwani,” points out my elder sister, Devika, resting her hand on the enormous bump that is her stomach. “It’s high time you move on.”

  “Thanks for that point of information, sister. I was completely unaware of the time that has passed,” I say in a saccharine sweet voice.

  She rolls her eyes. “What is wrong with this guy?”

  “Nothing.” I sigh. “That’s the problem.”

  “That’s impossible.” She snorts.

  “I like him and everything but I’m just, I don’t know, guilty about dating him.”

  “Rohan really did a number on you, didn’t he?” she asks softly.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  She sighs. “OK, then. Let’s talk about this guy. Do you have a picture?”

  I nod and pull out a picture from my phone. I pass it over and hear my sister whistle under her breath, no doubt enchanted by his height and muscular frame, contrasting drastically with his geeky glasses.

  “Wow.” She looks up, her eyes shining. “Why are you making him wait, again?”

 
This is my entry for the HarperCollins–IndiBlogger Get Published contest, which is run with inputs fromYashodhara Lal and HarperCollins India.