Chapter 28

It had been days since I last talked to Abhi. At first, he didn't return any of my texts and when I called him, he ended the call telling me he was "busy".

I didn't know what happened to him. One minute he would be pouring out his feelings, and then the next he was avoiding me.

I was concerned about his behaviour because it never happened before and I couldn't do anything about it. I felt weak and helpless.

When you know you can't change the situation that you are in, and you have to wait till it gets better or worse for you do to anything about it... Trust me, it's pure torture.

So I waited... I waited for him to get back to me. I mean...what else could I do?

A week or two later, I got a call from him when I was about to go to bed. I shut my room door to ensure that my parents couldn't hear me and picked up his call.

"Hey, Baby," I heard his cheerful voice on the other side of the phone.

Hey, Baby? That's what he is going to say after all these days avoiding me?

"What do you want?" I asked, slightly irked by his cheerful voice.

"Wow... Someone is feeling cranky today," he said in a sarcastic tone.

I was not in the mood for his sarcastic side. I couldn't act as if nothing happened, and his doing that made me very angry.

I decided to stay silent to prevent myself from saying things that I didn't mean.

"Fine... I am sorry," he sighed, giving up.

"What happened?" I asked. Maybe he was ready to talk now.

"Nothing... I was just busy. I told you that, right?" he tried to convince me with his lie. But I knew him better than that.

"Okay then. I am going to sleep now. So, bye," I said firmly and ended the call.

I wanted to yell at him and confront him because this had never happened before. Once his boss told him to stay until the morning to finish some upcoming important project.

I understood his situation, but he sneaked out for a minute and explained everything over the phone so that I wouldn't worry. That's the Abhi I knew.

I was starting to think that I didn't know him anymore. He is acting weirder and weirder, and I couldn't tell what he has been up to lately.

He didn't give up, and he persistently called me even after I ended the call several times. After like three or four calls, I picked it up.

"What now?" I asked, annoyed by his persistence.

"Let's get married," he said out of the blue, making me choke on my own saliva.

I was surprised by this revelation. I knew it was bound to happen one day, but I didn't expect him to say it...like this...this soon.

"Wha-what did you say?" I asked again, stuttering. I knew what I heard, but I wanted to hear it again.

"You heard me," he said it like it was no big deal. I could also hear him trying to hide his chuckle. So it was a game. But he forgot that two can play.

"What's the occasion?" I asked casually.

"What do you mean?" He sounded confused.

"You said you wanted to marry me. Why?" I tried to play it cool.

"I thought you wanted that." He was definitely trying to hide something by dodging the question.

"I don't think...that I ever mentioned anything about...marrying you." I sounded like I was having a long think about it.

"So you don't want to marry me?" I could hear a hint of doubt and fear in his voice.

"Well, that depends...," I teased.

"On what?"

"On...why is the groom asking this now?"

There was this eerie silence on his side. I knew he was about to drop a big bomb.

"What is it, Abhi?" I asked in concern.

Still silence. For a moment I thought he wasn't on the phone.

"You trust me, right? You can tell me anything, Abhi, and if you think that I am gonna get upset with you then I promise that whatever it is, I will try to keep an open mind about it."

I reassured him, hoping that it would make him open up to me.

I heard a long sigh before he started talking.

"I will tell you everything but promise me that if you get angry then you will just yell at me. You won't avoid me or not talking to me.

I know it's not fair considering I have been doing this to you for the past few weeks but please, Aadhi, promise me."

He still didn't get it. If I stopped talking to him then it would hurt me more than him.

"I promise."

He still hesitated, and I could hear him sighing. I knew he was contemplating how to tell me. It made me all the more curious.

"A week or so ago, a man approached me and said that he could help me get a job in my dream company.

At first, I didn't know who he was, and I was surprised that a stranger approached me with this offer. I was excited but also curious to know more about him and his intentions.

Guess what? He is Ananya's father's secretary, and he was sent by Ananya's father himself.

While I was wondering what he had to do with all of this, the man in front of me gave me a proposal. In order to get this job, I need to marry Ananya.

I was certainly shocked by all of this, and I didn't know what to say so I said that I would think about it and sent him off."

I was shocked by Ananya's entry into our life at this point after all these years. I knew she was the one behind all of this. She decided to take her little crush on Abhi to a whole new level.

And I was angry at Abhi because there was nothing there that said if he really loved me.

"Talk to me, Aadhi." His voice was full of desperation.

"So, what's the connection between this and you avoiding me for two weeks?" I asked.

But I knew the answer... He was tempted and his obsession for a job in this company made it worse.

He didn't dare to answer me because he knew what would happen next.

"You were afraid that you would be tempted to take that offer and that is why you rushed to ask me to marry you," I said, speaking for him.

Still silence. I knew I was right.

"You know what? If you can really be tempted by that then this relationship is not worth it."

"Please... Please, Aadhi... Please don't do it. I love you and I need you," he started begging.

"I am not angry, Abhi. I just wanted you to be happy. I know one day you would have to make this choice even if you didn't get that offer

You obviously know that I won't leave my parents here alone and...and that is your dream job... You can't give up on that.

I won't ask you to do that for me because I know how much you worked for it...so just go for it..." I couldn't complete my sentence by saying "Go and marry her".

I have a heart too, and it hurt to think that I was going to lose him after all this.

He stayed silent. I didn't know what he was thinking. I was a crying mess, but I controlled myself.

I didn't want him to hear it, and I didn't want it to affect his decision. He was difficult to deal with sometimes, but he was not stone-hearted.

I knew he could not bear to hear me crying, especially if it was because of him. I didn't want him to regret that he made the wrong decision because of me.

"I want you, Aadhi... I don't care about this job... I didn't realize how much you meant to me until you told me now to go away... I don't want this job if it means losing you."

He spoke in a sour voice, showing that he was about to cry. That made me cry even more.

I never knew that he could cry. I had this uncontrollable urge to hug him and be in his arms.

A pull like a magnet trying to get back to its other half. So strong, it made me crazy that I could not touch him right there and then.

"I miss you so much. You have no idea what I am feeling right now," I said, tears rolling down my cheeks.

"I know... I can feel you," he said in a low voice which stirred something inside me.

"I am going to come to you tomorrow... I am going to ask your parent's permission to marry you.

It's about time, Aadhi... I don't think I can hold on anymore." His voice was full of promises and desperation.

"I love you." I didn't know how to express what I was feeling. But I thought that these three words would do for now, although it wasn't enough.

"I love you too, Honey Bun. See you tomorrow. Dream of me." Even if I could not see him, I knew that he was smiling.

"You don't even have to say it..." Suddenly my bed was not as appealing as before.