I have nothing to say before hand, except thanks to Bhav *hugs* for the title! 😛
"No Mr. Sinha, you don't understand. I can't do the presentation like that. I don't have the authority," He turned and slammed his hand on the railing. He was standing on the third floor of his office building and was overlooking the front lobby.
He glanced up to his eye level while still on the phone and saw the rain spattering against the long glass windows. He despised rain. It made him feel like the world was going to get washed. It reminded him of the girl he had left behind. The girl who had done nothing but love him and he was the one who betrayed her or so they both thought. He had taken one wrong decision and it had altered both their lives drastically and not for the better. Every time it rained he could feel her presence around him. Her smiling face and the way she embraced it happily. It unknowingly put a smile on his face until he realized he was still on the phone.
"Yes Mr. Sinha, I'll do that. So we can set up a meeting for next Thursday? Great. I'll have my assistant calls yours." He slid his phone shut and stood against the railing again.
The rain was falling harder now and it reminded him of the day he left. That hurt look in her eyes that he could never forget.
"Now you're free. Free to be with someone else. Someone you can trust. Sadly it's not me," He turned to leave.
"I can't believe I was wrong about you Prem," She turned away from him and crossed her arms.
"Shifali, I just want you at peace. I hope it gives you closure. I'm leaving the city. For good this time,"
"So you're really going?" She turned again. "You're running from the problem yet again."
"Yeah. There's nothing left now for me. I am so sorry I couldn't be the man you deserve. I just hope you'll find him somewhere," With that Prem turned and left her life forever.
He would never be able to erase the hurt look in her eyes from that day. It was the last time he had seen her. He held his head in his hands as he leaned on the railing again. As he pulled his head back up his eyes fell on the back of a girl dressed in jeans and a teal colored shirt. The moment she turned around his heart jumped up to his throat was that her? He blinked a few more times before glancing down at her again and he was right. She was here. She had flown here just to see him. She doesn't even know you're here, he reminded himself. Then why was she here? He quickly called his assistant who was currently roaming in the front lobby.
"Hello, Mr. Juneja. I'm on my way up with your coffee right now sir,"
"Aanita, calm down please. Now tell me, do you see a woman in a teal green colored shirt right by the fountain?"
"Yes sir,"
"Go to her and find out who she is and why she is here okay?"
"Yes sir."
Prem hung up his phone and watched with bated breath as Aanita approached her.
He shook his head on his way back to his office. He needed time to think. Should he be happy that she's back in his life? Or was she just here because of something else? Something in his heart told him it was because of him but he needed her confirmation. He wanted to hear her voice again. The voice that always made it seem like every problem in the world was too trivial for them to handle together.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He was studying another file when his phone rang and he picked it up with a startle. "Hello?"
"Hi sir, this is Aanita. I met that lady you wanted me to and I've found out the details." She told him.
"Well go ahead then."
"Her name's Shifali. Shifali Juneja. Same last name as you sir—"
As if I didn't know that, Prem thought to himself.
"She said she was here to meet with you actually and I told her she could wait in conference room #2 so she's there right now." Aanita told him.
She had kept his last name even after he had left; that gave him some hope. Maybe this whole meeting would be a good idea.
He hung up with Aanita and walked down the isolate hallway to conference room #2. What should he say? Should he just hug her or should he wait for her to speak.
He sees the door open a bit and so he pushed it open and saw her against the window on the phone murmuring in soft tones.
"No...yeah I'm here. I'll be okay, thanks for the concern. Yeah, I love you too,"
Love. You. Too. The three words he wanted to hear her say to him and now she was saying it to someone else. Someone who wasn't him. He turned back and his foot hit the chair and she whirled around hearing the sound.
"Pr—Prem?" Her voice sounded the exact same. His eyes closed, savouring every word he heard from her. Who knew when he'd ever see her again?
"Hi Shifali," He turned around slowly and their eyes locked.
He scanned her every thought through her eyes and could see the built up pain and hurt that he had caused her.
"Ho—how are you?" She asked.
"I—" he scoffed. "How does it even matter?"
"It does matter Prem," Shifali argued.
"It doesn't Shifali. You're with someone else. You're happy now. That's what matters to me. That despite my lies you're going to give someone else the chance to see into your heart." Prem told her.
Shifali just smiled and took a step forward. "Is that what you believe?"
Prem nodded.
Shifali shook her head as she stepped closer again. "How could you even think Prem? That I'd be with someone other than you?"
Prem didn't know what was happening. Was she actually saying these things or was this just another daydream he was having. He reached out and took her hand. "You said 'I love you too,' on the phone."
Shifali let a small smile creep onto her face. "That was to Radzie,"
"Ra—Radzie?" He repeated. She was talking to her sister on the phone.
Shifali nodded. "She was concerned about me coming to meet you again,"
"And? Why did you come Shifali?" Prem asks softly still looking down at their hands.
"I love you Prem. I couldn't live without you for another day. Even the second day itself I kept thinking that the whole situation was wrong. You only lied about everything to make sure you didn't hurt me and I can't believe I didn't trust you. You're my husband and we've taken vows to trust each other and I saw it in your eyes the day you confessed but still; I let my mind rule over my heart." Shifali shook her head as she turned away from him.
"Hey," he smiled and walked over to her, enclosing her in his arms. "You're here now. We're together. That's what matters,"
Shifali looked up into his eyes. "You wanted me to find you."
She said it as a statement rather than a question and so Prem silently nodded. "You kept my last name,"
"I couldn't take it away even if I tried. I am and always will be, Mrs. Shifali Prem Juneja."
He smiled as he lowered his lips to hers, engaging her in a kiss almost bittersweet considering the two of them had been apart for three months. Three long months without have their spouse with them. Three months of not having their best friend to share every detail with. Three months of solitude.
How was it? *hides face* Not my best work...I know! 😳 But I was in that angsty mood when I started writing it so it seemed to work! 😳
Love,
Meera😳
Advocate Anjali Awasthi
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