Here is chapter two as promised 😃. The pace of the story will quicken from now. I know the first part was quite short, so this one is much longer! 😛 I hope you enjoy it! 😳
Chapter Two
He fumbled over his desk, scrutinizing the papers that lay scattered across it. He sat for a moment in stillness, a frown forming across his face. Leaning his head against the back of his chair, he let his eyelids fall and sighed. It had been two months and he still could not stop thinking about her. The way her hair cascaded effortlessly and gracefully down her back, the scent of jasmine that emanated off her to reach him, the way she had shuddered at his touch. That demure yet inviting look of hers had captivated him that evening. Her tempestuous hold on him had set his body on fire that night and the lightest of her touches had made his senses spin.
The night he had met her was surely one he would never forget. Yet, he had woken up the following morning to see the beautiful woman he had spent the night with gone. He certainly did not expect to feel so upset by it. It was just one night of lust, clearly nothing more. The only memento she had left of herself was a silver chain with a small H-shaped pendant hanging from it. His hand instantly fell into his trouser pocket and played with the necklace that resided safely there. A small smile fell upon his face as he recalled how he had curled his fingers around her neck to take it off her that night.
The shrill sound of his phone ringing had him coming back to his senses and sitting up in his seat. He picked up the phone and answered, 'Prem Juneja speaking.'
'Sir, the delegates from Mehta Constructions have arrived for the meeting,' said the gentle voice of the receptionist.
'Yes, send them in please Meera,' he said.
Once he had seated his prospective business partners, Prem began the meeting. He was the sole owner of his own architecture firm, formed out of ten years of hard toil, his widely astute nature and the determination to succeed. Everyone knew Prem Juneja was famous for designing the most unorthodox of structures, with buildings of his design embellishing cities all over the world.
As he sat discussing his new plans with one of the most renowned construction groups of India, he could not help but feel like laughing at their courage to pick out flaws in his design.
'Mister Juneja, we just feel the need to get a bit of background so that it is easier for us to determine what route to take,' said one of the executives.
'Of course, I have no problem with that,' Prem said, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. This was not new to him for he had seen this countless times. The intellectual exterior that these kinds of men were inclined to show him all seemed to fade into non existence when they as good as begged to be given contracts on later dates. It was almost impossible, if not impossible, for anyone to refuse to do business with Prem Juneja.
'The business world is not going smooth right now, particularly due to the recession. You may convince us that everything is looking promising with your business, but we just need to be sure that your business will survive in between everything that is happening,' said another executive.
'Listen...Mister...' began Prem, faltering on the name of the man sitting opposite him.
'Mister Sharma,' the executive finished for him.
'Yes Mister Sharma. Like I was saying...I suggest you stop worrying about my business- you can leave that to me. Now, if you spent more time thinking about the benefits this contract could reap for your company then I am sure these background checks that you're asking about will be of no use,' said Prem, watching as their faces took on a completely different expression altogether. He did not fear the men that sat opposite him in the slightest, in fact, they rather amused him.
It did not take long before they were all signing contracts and shaking on the deal that would prove fruitful for both businesses.
~
It had been three days. Heer had searched and searched until she had almost felt like giving up. It was a surprise, to say the least, when she picked up the morning newspaper and turned to the business section to see the news about a certain Mr Juneja striking a deal with Mehta Constructions to start on a three year long project that would see a spectacular landmark being erected in the city of Mumbai. She stared at the picture which showed him shaking the hands of the chairman of the construction company, and felt her emotions coming to the surface. So he was an architect, she thought to herself. She hung her head in shame, appalled at the fact that she knew absolutely nothing about the man who was the father of the baby that dwelled inside of her.
Writing down the name of his company, she searched for its address over the internet and finally managed to find it. She asked herself whether she was doing the right thing. It would have been so much easier just not telling him, but her conscience just would not let her hide such a big truth from him. She sighed, dragging herself upstairs to change into something more suitable and go to face the biggest bedlam of her life. She had to do it today otherwise she would never be able to gather the courage again.
~
When her taxi stopped outside the office of 'Juneja Architects and Associates,' Heer felt the panic in her body rise. Her brain told her to retrace her steps, and that this was a terrible idea, whilst her heart argued for her to do the right thing. She paid the taxi driver and walked forwards, nervously stepping into the large expanse of the office. Everything about it was pristine and elegant, making her wonder how much Prem had achieved. The night of her birthday she had not even felt the need to ask about his life, nor had he felt the need to ask about her. Neither had been able to see beyond their desire to drive their passion to its culmination. But there was no point lamenting over it now, for what was done was done and now she had to bear the brunt of it. She pushed back the tears, walking up to the reception desk.
'I am here to see Mr Prem Juneja,' she said to the woman at the reception desk. The receptionist looked at her blankly before speaking. Heer glanced down for a moment to see the name 'Meera' displayed on the receptionist's name badge.
'Sir is in a meeting at the moment...Did you have an appointment?' Meera asked.
'No I don't have an appointment, I'I just really need to see him, it's very important,' said Heer, clutching the edge of the desk. 'Can you tell him that Heer is here to see him...Heer Maan,' she added, holding to the hope that he still remembered her name.
The receptionist gestured towards the waiting area. 'Sure...As soon as his meeting is over I shall let him know that you are here to see him,' she said and Heer nodded, thanking the receptionist before taking a seat.
It was almost fifteen minutes later that Meera gestured that Prem was ready to see her. She was scared, correction, petrified as she thanked Meera and stepped towards Prem Juneja's private office.
~
Prem paced around the room, running his hands through his hair incessantly. She was here to see him- but why? Why suddenly after two months? He had no clue, but it was horrendously turning him into a nervous wreck. He stood in one spot, hoping to look as composed as possible when she would enter the room. He took a look at his reflection in the mirror and fixed his hair, making sure he looked okay. What important matter did Heer want to talk to him about? He was suddenly flooded with images of her and impishly wondered if she still looked the same.
He jumped slightly when he felt a small knock on the door. He straightened up his shirt and instead of calling for her to come in he walked up and opened the door himself. And there she stood, looking just as stunning, if not more, as before. They stood silently and awkwardly for a moment before he asked her to come in. She gave a weak smile and entered, taking a deep breath as she heard him close the door behind her.
'It's good to see you,' he said honestly, unable to take his eyes off her. 'How...how have you been?'
'I've been okay,' she said, but she sure did not feel okay. He smiled at her, the same alluring smile that had turned her knees weak and tempted her when she had met him. She shook her head when he gestured for her to sit down. She had not come to sit.
This was not how he was expecting her to act, Prem thought. He took a step closer to her and placed a hand on her arm and she looked down at it hesitantly. She pulled away awkwardly, for it was his touch that had gotten her into this predicament in the first place.
'Is there something wrong?' he asked her. Heer noticed the crease between his eyebrows deepen and finally gathered up the courage to tell him the truth. After that night, she had not even expected to see his face again, and here she was, in his office, about to tell him that he was fathering her child. She almost hated herself for what she was about to tell him. But this was a mess that they had created together.
'I'm pregnant Prem,' she confessed, closing her eyes shut as she anticipated the storm that was about to take shape. Utter silence engulfed the room, only the sound of their own unstable breathing reaching their ears. Prem stood silently, not moving an inch and Heer questioned if he had even heard what she had said.
'Pregnant? Are you sure?' he finally said, his voice involuntarily cracking and she gave a short nod. She watched as all colour drained from his face, yet it was difficult to look away.
'I know this wasn't the perfect way for me to tell you and I am sorry Prem...I don't think there could ever be a perfect way...but I just felt that you should know,' she began. Prem stared at her, his mouth slightly open, as he vainly tried to overcome the shock of what he was being told. 'What happened that night was a mistake...We both got carried away,' continued Heer. Prem turned away to stare outside of the window, not capable of looking at her any longer and not uttering a single word. He squeezed his eyes shut, cursing himself for having put her in this situation.
'Please don't misunderstand me. I haven't come here to ask you for money, or to ask you to support me and the baby...I'm here because as the father you had the right to know,' she said painfully. She could see his body tense and felt the tears spill out from her eyes. The tension that spread across the room almost suffocated her. He would not even look at her, so there was clearly no point in staying there any longer.
'I think I should leave,' she uttered quietly, placing her contact card on his desk. She let out a small sob as she opened the door to leave, not turning back to look at him.
When Prem turned around he saw that she had gone. He stood stunned, still reeling from the fact that he had gotten Heer pregnant. He held on to the side of his desk for support as he suddenly felt his head spin. He was going to have a baby?
Will Prem want to be a part of his baby's life? You will see in the next chapter! 😃 Will look forward to reading your comments!
Love Zahra x
Edited by Pyari_Zahra - 15 years ago
