Update || FF: Poker Face || Chapter 4: Dil-E-Muztar : Page 14

Jul 22, 2015 2:43 PM

Where are you?

Seriously I've been waiting here
like an idiot for half an hour.

On the way.

Read: I just left. I shook my head in disapproval.

You'd think 8 years was enough time for someone to mature, and maybe gain a sense of responsibility. But then again, this was Abeer Malhotra we were talking about.

~

"Good afternoon Boss," came a familiar mocking tone from behind. "I should be thanking you, for the generosity you've shown this afternoon. Taking a meager musi--"

"You know very well that you're integral to the station, now if your done with your daily dose of nonsense..." I didn't bother giving him the satisfaction of getting on my nerves anymore.

"Integral to the station?" he sat down pretending to look impressed, "I might say the boss is in a good mood today."

"Just because I don't throw you a biscuit every time you do something right, doesn't mean I don't notice it," I smiled giving him a fitting reply. Reminding him that even though he used it to mock me, at the end of the day I indeed was his boss. "And unlike you, I'm capable enough to keep my professional and personal matters separate."

"Of course," he agreed enthusiastically for show, his face falling flat with indifference the very next second. You know at this point, you'd expect me to have gotten used to his attitude.

But then again, there are a lot of things I should've done. Like what I was about to do now.

And this public setting, it was perfect.

Because most importantly, I didn't want to give this...revelation if you will, the kind of importance and drama that one would probably expect. And besides, it's not like he was going to want to get back together or anything. This was just so he'd stop being a royal asshole, not that I particularly cared, but rather for the favor I needed from him.

Yes, that's exactly why.

"Abeer before I start with what I'm here to discuss with you this afternoon, I want to apologize for lying,"

He looked up from the menu confused.

"I'm here to talk about..." I waited, cautiously to ensure he wasn't going to bolt for the door, "...what happened 8 years ago."

And then came the classic Abeer "I'm-so-angry" nostril flare and glaring eyes.

"That night," I started.

"So capable of keeping professional and personal matters separate," he taunted.

"There was no other way you were going to come! Now will you please stop making my life more difficult than it already is and just listen for 2 freakin minutes," the decibels started rising.

"Sir, Ma'm, may I please take your order." A young waitress probably in her early twenties came over and asked, a little too politely. God she was drooling over him like there was no one around.

"What would you recommend," he shamelessly flirted back, quite pleased with the thought that this would annoy me.

But I didn't care. I just needed to get this out, ask for my favor, and then leave. Stick to the plan I reminded myself.

"Well, considering your...em...personality, I'd recommend the..." and everything after that was just a blur.

That was because my phone buzzed diverting my attention, as they continued their rather cloying conversation. Though he seemed to lose interest when I passed off a yawn and rather comfortably replied my text.

Finally, seeing as this waitress was never going to leave I had to put my foot down. Classic Meher Style.

"Sorry to cut in Miss..." I read off her nametag, "...Ira, but I couldn't help myself here and just wanted to thank you so much for being such a sport and treating us so well. You know ever since last month, when he was charged with those 13 FIRs, every one's been treating him like he was some criminal. Like come on, just because he's great with strings doesn't mean he could possibly have used them to strangle people! And I don't care what the evidence says, I refuse to believe he killed that waitress. Besides--"

"U-umm, I think my manager's calling me. Bb-b-be right back!" And that was the last of her we saw that entire evening. This was all too amusing.

I turned to look at him, and as expected his eyeballs were metaphorically out of his sockets. "What the hell? 13 FIRs? Strangle? Murder a waitress? Meher are you f**king insan--"

"Apologies for cutting into your date with the waitress, but this is kind of urgent. Promise it won't take long." I fake-smiled. He scoffed, leaning back into his chair.

Pulling a file out of my purse I opened it, handing him a photograph. Hopefully that's enough proof for him.

I took a deep breath, officially getting to the point of this meeting. I didn't even want to watch his reaction, this was no time to get weak in the knees.

He looked again at the picture in his hand, over and over. It was of my old boss. A wedding picture of my old boss. Getting married to another man.

"Azeem...was never interested in women, and I understand why most people didn't see that. He didn't act like the stereotypical commercialized effeminate homosexual male, a bizarre expectation to begin with," I continued acting like this revelation was irrelevant, "But this is the truth. Azeem is gay."

"That night, I was indeed just looking after him, helping him out around the house, with work and all because he was down with a nasty fever--just like I had told you on the phone. He was one my closest friends Abeer, you knew that. And I stayed because it was 3 in the morning by the time I was done, and I thought you'd understand. Of course you didn't want to hear any of it but that's another story..." I sighed, "And honestly, I've had enough of this cat-mouse game we're playing around the office, it's taking away from my work and is overall just a hassle to deal with."

I didn't even give him a moment to catch his breath, I refuse to give this truth anymore power over my life. "I never bothered justifying myself because I felt insulted, my ego and the honesty of what I felt for you felt laughed at," I felt myself now starting to show vague signs of emotion in my voice. I stopped myself before I lost my calm and collected demeanor, the one I worked so hard at.

"And besides, our marriage was running downhill at that point anyways. The arguments, the insecurities, it was just all coming from a place we'd created for ourselves," I took his hand in mine for he hadn't said anything for the past minute and his face had completely fallen. I needed to make sure he was going to take this like an adult, "What I'm trying to get at, is that it wasn't completely your fault for feeling insecure the same way it wasn't my fault for feeling hurt. We had obvious holes in our marriage, holes neither one of us bothered filling."

"Meher, I.." he couldn't complete his thought. He almost looked...apologetic? No, that couldn't be. And either way, it didn't matter anymore.

"But let's be practical, even if that night never happened there was no way that marriage was going to last. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into back then."

No Meher, it was just one stupid misunderstanding. Sure we had our problems but we would've learned how to make it work. We were a forever couple. We still are one.

Thank god those words didn't come out his mouth, just like I wanted. Right?

Everything was going as planned, I saw no signs of a tamasha on his part. He just kept looking at the picture and then at me.

Appearing to be struggling greatly with something, eyes glossy with strains of red making their way in, he finally spoke.

"Sorry."

After a conversation in agreement that this whole situation was just bizarre and promises of remaining friends, our food arrived alongside a newfound awkwardness.

We were actually being civil for once, and it was a strange phenomenon. I tried to strike up a conversation before I asked for my favor.

"So how've you been?" I finally ask something I wanted to a while ago.

"Devastated," he says. I look up in shock, no please. Abeer don't make a scene, I silently pray. "You know, ever since I got convicted of murdering that waitress," he finishes taking a bite of his pasta with that old charming smile.

I smile back. "Don't worry, I know a few good lawyers." I nudged.

This was nice.

Abeer and Meher, divorces turned friends. In a matter of minutes. Actually no, in a matter of 8 years of falling out of love. Or so we had agreed.

"So, since we can now carry a conversation without wanting to rip each other's faces off," I initiated, "I wanted to ask you for a favor..." I eased him into the idea, "There's a few people, that really would like to meet you. And...it would mean a lot to me too," I continued. Almost there.

I handed him the other item I was carrying in my folder before continuing. But I couldn't.

Because that was where he went into a coughing fit. "You're getting married?" his voice sounded outraged and still uneven from the morsel he wasn't able to digest.

~

Um, yeah. So that happened.
Don't worry about Abeer's seemingly silent reaction to the revelation, (there will be more insight to his emotions in later chapters) the point of this FF is not to focus on the reason for divorce but rather the two finding love again.

Also before you complain about it being too one-sided Abeer's fault, I did try to balance it by showing you that the marriage was kind of a faltering vehicle when they left it anyways. But honestly, after watching the way he's treating her in the show, it's clear he's definitely the wrong one in present tense.

For those of you who liked Humari Adhuri Kahani, same writer but just a more contemporary/comical piece but even here we'll have our intense moments.

What to expect?

Jealousy's a bitch. Abeer, get ready to burn. 😆

-Kriti

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