Chapter 18
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CHAPTER 18
"Kartik..." Gemma said shocked, Kripa and Angad exchanged glances both unsure of what to say.
Kartik was snapped out of his trance as he managed to say, "Long time no see." He pulled her forward into a hug. He kissed her on both cheeks.
"You guys know each other?" Kripa asked, confused at the gesture.
"Yeah, I and Kartik…knew each other in college. London University." She said, laughing nervously. Kripa saw the hurt in Gemma's eyes. Anger took over her as she and Angad both realized what had ensued. Gemma smiled half-heartedly. It pained Kartik to look at her, he felt shame and embarrassment, and he stared down to his shoes. Angad looked at Kartik confused.
"Excuse me; can I talk to you in private?" Kripa took Gemma to the side. Gemma stared at Kartik, while being dragged away by Kripa.
"Him? Is Kartik the one you used to go out with? In London?" She angrily asked Gemma, she nodded sadly. Kripa felt pity for her as she put her arm around her wounded friend, "You loved him?" Gemma didn't answer, she turned around and smiled. The fake kind, Angad saw from across the room. It must run in the family, he thought. Angad looked at Kartik angrily; he didn't know what to say. "Why did you leave her?" Kartik swallowed back shame. "I thought…she and I…I don't know." He fumbled with his words. Angad, nonetheless, felt bad for his brother.
Kartik looked at Gemma as she seemingly happy talked to Kripa, she was still so beautiful he thought. Angad saw the admiration on his face. Kartik's phone went off, snapping him out of his trance again. "Hello?"
"Hey baby." Tanya said on the other line.
"Hey." Kartik said sadly, still looking to Gemma.
"Am I coming over?" Tanya said hopefully.
"If you want." he said. He was such an idiot for leaving Gemma, he thought to himself
"What's wrong honey?" Tanya said, trying to sound concerned.
"Nothing, I'll talk to you later." Kartik said plainly, emotionless.
"But…" before Tanya could finish, Kartik clicked his phone shut. Gemma still talked to Kripa, but she looked at Kartik, he looked back. Angad was talking to him, Kripa was talking to her…but they were lost in each other's eyes. Kartik swallowed back a fury of emotion coming back to him, Gemma noticed his predicament. Kripa and Angad were uselessly talking so they decided to leave.
"Gem, since you're not listening to me. Why don't you and Kartik catch up?" The mention of Kartik got her attention "Huh?" she said, but by that time Kripa and Angad had left.
"Hey." Kartik said, sitting beside her. "Want coffee?" He was holding two cups.
"Sure." She took her mug, she stared down at it. "With 4 spoons of milk, 2 of sugar" Kartik said, "Just like you like it."
"You remembered?" she smiled weakly. How could he not? She hadn't forgotten anything about them either.
"Some things never change." Kartik said, returning the weak awkward smile. It was hard to believe how close they were then, and how distant they are now. Kartik cursed himself as he tried to think of something to say to her. He had hurt her so much, that too, without reason. For his own selfish purposes, over the years guilt crept over him little by little. He missed her often, silently of course. He kept himself busy with cases, and Tanya, who he convinced himself that he loved when he deeply knew what the truth was.
"So how have you been?" Gemma said, breaking the ice. She didn't look Kartik in the eye. It was too difficult a task.
"Good," He lied, "You?"
"Busy. So you practice now?" She smiled politely.
"Criminal Justice. And you still paint?" He twiddled his thumbs nervously.
"I don't draw anymore. It's pointless, art is…I mean. You were right, life runs on practical needs." She replied, as guilt showered Kartik. She didn't mean to make him upset, but she saw her words had that affect on me.
"Gemma," her name stung, "I was wrong…about everything. I'm so….sorry."
"Don't be. You were right." You were right about us, she wanted to say.
Kartik knew what she had meant to say, discomfort settled in the silence.
"So what do you do?" Kartik said nervously, trying desperately to change the subject.
"Wait…" For you, she cleared her throat, brushing off the thought. "for some big-shot corporation to treat their human resources wrong."
"Business Law?" She nodded. "You've always been good at fighting," he laughed. And you at leaving, she thought. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Her eyes were getting red; he couldn't stand to see her cry.
"Gem." He touched her hand.
"Gemma," She said crossly, pulling her hand away. He sighed; at least she could be mad at him. Kartik, on the other hand, was plain mad at himself.
"I'm glad you're mad at me." He said childishly.
"Am I not supposed to be?" She said with the slightest hint of anger in her voice. He didn't answer.
"Did you move on after me?" He asked quite explicitly.
"Of course," not, she thought. It pained him to see her lie again.
"Good, so did I." He said matter-of-factly. He wanted so desperately to ask her what he could do to make everything right, but it was too late for that.
"It's been 3 years." Kartik said, trying to justify himself.
"I know." she answered coldly.
"I miss you." He said, wishing he hadn't.
"Me too." she said, looking at something in the distance.
"We're still technically…"
"Don't you dare!" Gemma turned around angrily. "The minute you left, we were over!"
"Gemma, I…" he said calmly, putting his arm on her shoulder.
"Nothing you say can justify what you did…" she said, jerking her arm back.
"I thought you hated me…" He said, turning around.
"I said I forgave you. Was it that hard to believe?" Her tone softened.
"Yes it was. And then you signed the papers, I thought…" He couldn't look at her.
"What papers?"
"The divorce papers."
"I would never have signed divorce papers…I never received any papers. What are you talking about?"
"In December, right after I left, you mailed me divorce papers."
"No, I didn't."
"It doesn't matter, I didn't sign anyways."
"Doesn't matter?! I waited for you for three years, thinking that you'd come back!"
"Gemma, that's not what I meant…"
"And you didn't mean to leave me, and you didn't mean to…" She started in an angry fury, tears beginning to fall from her gentle green eyes.
He cradled her face, "I'm sorry." He leaned forward to kiss her, electricity went through her and it made Gemma angry that she couldn't be mad at him at that moment. As they pulled away, you see a person behind them.
"Tanya?" Kartik said shocked.
~HAHA. This whole chapter was Kartik-Gemma fluff. Sorry, I wanted to write some REAL plot to it, but I couldn't think of any. Gemma: love her, hate her? Gemma-Kartik or Tanya-Kartik? COMMENT ME! By the way, Gemma's character is taken from my favorite book: A Great and Terrible Beauty. It is in no way, shape, or form inspired by the character of Emma in some other ff's. Just thought, I'd tell you. Cuz I hate plagiarism. ~
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"Kartik..." Gemma said shocked, Kripa and Angad exchanged glances both unsure of what to say.
Kartik was snapped out of his trance as he managed to say, "Long time no see." He pulled her forward into a hug. He kissed her on both cheeks.
"You guys know each other?" Kripa asked, confused at the gesture.
"Yeah, I and Kartik…knew each other in college. London University." She said, laughing nervously. Kripa saw the hurt in Gemma's eyes. Anger took over her as she and Angad both realized what had ensued. Gemma smiled half-heartedly. It pained Kartik to look at her, he felt shame and embarrassment, and he stared down to his shoes. Angad looked at Kartik confused.
"Excuse me; can I talk to you in private?" Kripa took Gemma to the side. Gemma stared at Kartik, while being dragged away by Kripa.
"Him? Is Kartik the one you used to go out with? In London?" She angrily asked Gemma, she nodded sadly. Kripa felt pity for her as she put her arm around her wounded friend, "You loved him?" Gemma didn't answer, she turned around and smiled. The fake kind, Angad saw from across the room. It must run in the family, he thought. Angad looked at Kartik angrily; he didn't know what to say. "Why did you leave her?" Kartik swallowed back shame. "I thought…she and I…I don't know." He fumbled with his words. Angad, nonetheless, felt bad for his brother.
Kartik looked at Gemma as she seemingly happy talked to Kripa, she was still so beautiful he thought. Angad saw the admiration on his face. Kartik's phone went off, snapping him out of his trance again. "Hello?"
"Hey baby." Tanya said on the other line.
"Hey." Kartik said sadly, still looking to Gemma.
"Am I coming over?" Tanya said hopefully.
"If you want." he said. He was such an idiot for leaving Gemma, he thought to himself
"What's wrong honey?" Tanya said, trying to sound concerned.
"Nothing, I'll talk to you later." Kartik said plainly, emotionless.
"But…" before Tanya could finish, Kartik clicked his phone shut. Gemma still talked to Kripa, but she looked at Kartik, he looked back. Angad was talking to him, Kripa was talking to her…but they were lost in each other's eyes. Kartik swallowed back a fury of emotion coming back to him, Gemma noticed his predicament. Kripa and Angad were uselessly talking so they decided to leave.
"Gem, since you're not listening to me. Why don't you and Kartik catch up?" The mention of Kartik got her attention "Huh?" she said, but by that time Kripa and Angad had left.
"Hey." Kartik said, sitting beside her. "Want coffee?" He was holding two cups.
"Sure." She took her mug, she stared down at it. "With 4 spoons of milk, 2 of sugar" Kartik said, "Just like you like it."
"You remembered?" she smiled weakly. How could he not? She hadn't forgotten anything about them either.
"Some things never change." Kartik said, returning the weak awkward smile. It was hard to believe how close they were then, and how distant they are now. Kartik cursed himself as he tried to think of something to say to her. He had hurt her so much, that too, without reason. For his own selfish purposes, over the years guilt crept over him little by little. He missed her often, silently of course. He kept himself busy with cases, and Tanya, who he convinced himself that he loved when he deeply knew what the truth was.
"So how have you been?" Gemma said, breaking the ice. She didn't look Kartik in the eye. It was too difficult a task.
"Good," He lied, "You?"
"Busy. So you practice now?" She smiled politely.
"Criminal Justice. And you still paint?" He twiddled his thumbs nervously.
"I don't draw anymore. It's pointless, art is…I mean. You were right, life runs on practical needs." She replied, as guilt showered Kartik. She didn't mean to make him upset, but she saw her words had that affect on me.
"Gemma," her name stung, "I was wrong…about everything. I'm so….sorry."
"Don't be. You were right." You were right about us, she wanted to say.
Kartik knew what she had meant to say, discomfort settled in the silence.
"So what do you do?" Kartik said nervously, trying desperately to change the subject.
"Wait…" For you, she cleared her throat, brushing off the thought. "for some big-shot corporation to treat their human resources wrong."
"Business Law?" She nodded. "You've always been good at fighting," he laughed. And you at leaving, she thought. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Her eyes were getting red; he couldn't stand to see her cry.
"Gem." He touched her hand.
"Gemma," She said crossly, pulling her hand away. He sighed; at least she could be mad at him. Kartik, on the other hand, was plain mad at himself.
"I'm glad you're mad at me." He said childishly.
"Am I not supposed to be?" She said with the slightest hint of anger in her voice. He didn't answer.
"Did you move on after me?" He asked quite explicitly.
"Of course," not, she thought. It pained him to see her lie again.
"Good, so did I." He said matter-of-factly. He wanted so desperately to ask her what he could do to make everything right, but it was too late for that.
"It's been 3 years." Kartik said, trying to justify himself.
"I know." she answered coldly.
"I miss you." He said, wishing he hadn't.
"Me too." she said, looking at something in the distance.
"We're still technically…"
"Don't you dare!" Gemma turned around angrily. "The minute you left, we were over!"
"Gemma, I…" he said calmly, putting his arm on her shoulder.
"Nothing you say can justify what you did…" she said, jerking her arm back.
"I thought you hated me…" He said, turning around.
"I said I forgave you. Was it that hard to believe?" Her tone softened.
"Yes it was. And then you signed the papers, I thought…" He couldn't look at her.
"What papers?"
"The divorce papers."
"I would never have signed divorce papers…I never received any papers. What are you talking about?"
"In December, right after I left, you mailed me divorce papers."
"No, I didn't."
"It doesn't matter, I didn't sign anyways."
"Doesn't matter?! I waited for you for three years, thinking that you'd come back!"
"Gemma, that's not what I meant…"
"And you didn't mean to leave me, and you didn't mean to…" She started in an angry fury, tears beginning to fall from her gentle green eyes.
He cradled her face, "I'm sorry." He leaned forward to kiss her, electricity went through her and it made Gemma angry that she couldn't be mad at him at that moment. As they pulled away, you see a person behind them.
"Tanya?" Kartik said shocked.
~HAHA. This whole chapter was Kartik-Gemma fluff. Sorry, I wanted to write some REAL plot to it, but I couldn't think of any. Gemma: love her, hate her? Gemma-Kartik or Tanya-Kartik? COMMENT ME! By the way, Gemma's character is taken from my favorite book: A Great and Terrible Beauty. It is in no way, shape, or form inspired by the character of Emma in some other ff's. Just thought, I'd tell you. Cuz I hate plagiarism. ~
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