His Lost Bride

Episode 4: Mix-up

“It’s already been 36 hours but still the doctors have not given any update,” Sarah thought. She still couldn’t believe that her mom refused to let her stay along with her brothers, if not with mother dearest herself.        

It was Adam and Neil who stayed with mom on the third floor, while she continued to wait for an update on her dad’s situation in the lobby. It felt like ages as she waited for some hopefully good news. Her phone’s ringing jolted her out of her thoughts.                                                                                                                          

She picked up the call and answered, “Hello, Sarah here!” “Hey! It’s me, Kathy. You still haven’t saved my number,” came the instant retort. “Sorry! It’s not my fault you keep changing your number,” Sarah tried to defend herself.                                                                                                                                                          

“That’s also there. Well, I didn’t call you for doing this useless chat. How’s your father doing?” Kathy asked with worry in her tone.“                                                                                                                                                  

Dad had surgery but he is still in a critical stage,” Sarah said sadly. “I am sorry to hear that but there is something that I need to tell you. I know it’s not the right time…,” Kathy said in a sobby voice. Before she could continue, Sarah interrupted her and said, “Don’t worry! Just tell me.”                                                     

Hesitatingly, Kathy informed me, “It’s about the office. The dragon lady wants you to come to the office tomorrow. Moreover, the project you were working on has been transferred to me. I will be working with Mr. Garcia on that project.”                                                                                                                                             

Before Sarah could say anything, Kathy continued in a pitiful voice, “I am really sorry girl. I couldn’t help it. The client wanted someone to attend the meeting tomorrow. So, the dragon lady asked me to join Mr. Garcia. I know you have worked hard on it.”                                                                                                       

Sarah’s POV                                                                                                                                                                          

I tuned out the rest of what Kathy was saying after she said the project, I had worked so hard on, had been transferred. “And that too my first project!” I thought out loud. All I could do was frustratingly let out a cry in my head, “it’s just not fair.”                                                                                                                                        

Seeing no response from the end, Kathy got panicky and her voice snapped me back into reality, “are you there? Sarah?” “Yea, sorry! I was thinking about something.” “Okay. Are you all alright? Hey, I am sorry,” Kathy apologetically said.                                                                                                                                         

Before she could continue, I just cut her off saying, “Kathy, I will come to the office tomorrow. I will call you later, someone is calling me.”                                                                                                                                     

After the call, I couldn’t help sigh and think, “what a stroke of luck.” Before I could think anything, I saw Neil, probably looking for me, I went towards him.                                                                                                       

“Neil!” I called him out. He turned around and came towards me. He said in one breath, “Doctorcameandtoldusthatdadisoutofdangerbutstillheisstillunderobservation.”                                                   

I looked at him confused and asked him, “can you repeat what you said again? This time, please say slowly so I can understand.”                                                                                                                                                       

He looked at me and gave me a wryly smile.                                                                                                          

“What! you said everything in one breath, I couldn’t understand anything,”                                                          

Neil explained, “Doctor came and told us that dad is out of danger but he is still under observation.” I gave him my best smile and kissed him all over his face in my excitement.                                                                    

He exclaimed, “Stop it!!! You are ruining my face. Give it to your boyfriend.”                                                           

I just ruffled his hair and told him, “Tomorrow, I have to go to the office. So I will go home and go to the office. Since I came here directly from the office yesterday, I want to go home and get cleaned up.” I informed him while looking at my blouse and continued saying, “After office, I will come here directly. Cool?” 

Neil said doubtfully, “But, it’s late-night and the subway might not be working. And you have to travel alone.”                                                                                                                                                                                  

“Oho, my kiddo bro is worrying about me. How sweet!” I teased him.                                                                      

He replied instantly, “No! I am worried about the people who will try to hurt you. Who wants to hang around such a scary person? I feel sorry for your boyfriend.”                                                                                          

Before he could continue, I pulled his ear and he shouted, “I am sorry! I am sorry.” I left his ear alone but it turned red. He rubbed his ear and said with vengeance in his voice, “Don’t do that again!”                                 

I said comfortingly, cause I know he could be quite a handful if he turned into his revenge mode, “I won’t do. I think the subway might be closed. So I will be taking the taxi and will call you once I reach home. Does that work for you?                                                                                                                                                            

“By the way, where are mom and Adam? Are they doing fine? If you need anything, call me. I will get it for you. Why did you come downstairs?”                                                                                                                        

“Yea! They are all good. I wanted to look for you so I came. Okay then, reach home safely and call,” Neil said. He left after bidding good-bye.                                                                                                                               

A few minutes later                                                                                                                                                              

I got a call from my cab driver saying he is waiting outside the hospital. He had informed me that his car was black colored and he was wearing a white-colored uniform.                                                                        

When I went outside, I saw a black car parked outside with a person standing outside. Assuming him to be my cab driver, I told him the destination and boarded the passenger seat hurriedly. He entered the driver’s seat and said, “Ma’am, I think you made a mistak...”                                                                                               

Before he could continue, I said, not heeding to what he was trying to say, “Please hurry up. I need to reach home. It’s already late at night.”                                                                                                                              

That’s when I quickly turned around towards the voice I heard and realized someone was sitting beside me. And he looked just as startled, seeing me inside the car.                                                                                     

“Holy heavens!” I screamed in my head but tried to keep my voice steady, “I booked this cab! What are you doing here?” she exclaimed looking straight at the same man, who she remembered calling “an arrogant bastard”.                                                                                                                                                                             

He raised his one eyebrow and looked at me with his poker face. Even before I could understand, I realized the car was already moving.                                                                                                                                              

I continued arguing to him dramatically, though he was just looking at me with a poker face, “Why are you here at the hospital? Are by any chance stalking me?”                                                                                                 

He made a face and looked at me as if saying, “Me? Stalking? And that too you? Are you delusional?” I checked myself again to confirm if I am properly sitting or not. To me, he felt like he was going to attack me. “You never know,” I said to myself.                                                                                                                        

All he said, “Shouldn’t I be asking you, are you a fan-girl?” Then, he moved closer to me which made me shift backward so forcefully that my back hit on the door handle.                                                                       

The next moment, he pulled me almost in his arms and yelled at me, “Are you crazy? Moving like that. Does it hurt?”                                                                                                                                                                       

Recent events left me in a daze so I could not answer him coherently. My silence made him shake me a bit whereas my head was screaming in excitement, “So handsome!!! I want him.”                                                      

I tried to regain my composure and replied to him awkwardly, “Yea, I am alright!” And before he could put me again under his spell, I forced myself to move out of his reach. So he won't pull me again into his arms and speak to me in his deep magnetic voice.                                                                                                                 

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Surprisingly, I seemed to have brought myself to terms with traveling, with a person whom I had met, just a day back. I resonated with myself, probably it’s because I have met him earlier that’s why I don’t feel as if he is unfamiliar.                                                                                                

I had another part of me remarking sarcastically, “it’s only because he has a face which makes every woman go swooning over him, including you.”                                                                                                              

I reluctantly agreed, “Okay... I must have gotten distracted by his charming, handsome face with a cute dimple on his left cheek when he smirks,” I stopped the description abruptly when I realized what I was doing. I was praising that arrogant jerk. I could feel another me grinning at me and say mockingly, “Charming? Handsome? And you even noticed his dimple in such a short meeting? But you said he was arrogant? p*****t? Stalking you? It seems you are stalking him.                                                                          

Listening to the head's rant, made me want to dig a hole and bury myself alive. But the other voice in my head continued the teasing, “You don’t even know his name. But you know about his left cheek dimple. And you say you don’t feel he is not a stranger.”                                                                                                                    

I was about to retort, when I heard him chuckling, almost as if he heard my head banter, so I turned to confirm my thoughts. But I only found him reading something on his mobile phone with a straight face. There is not even a trace of a smile on that rugged face. I shook my head and thought, “it must be my imagination. This rude, arrogant man can’t even be bothered to smile – just smirk away.”                              

My buzzing phone brought me back into reality, a call from an unknown number. Before I could say, “Hello,” I heard the caller at the other end speaking, “Ma’am! Where are you? I am waiting for you here.”                  

Only then, I realized I took the wrong car and blamed him for no reason. I owed him an apology. Inadvertently, I looked at him embarrassingly and mouthed to him, “Sorry.”                                                    

With my head turned towards him but my eyes were focused on the traffic, I continued to answer the driver, “I mistakenly took another car. I will get down at...” Before I could tell him the landmark, the arrogant man snatched my phone and in a deep voice told the cab driver, “Cancel the booking. She won’t be taking the ride.”                                                                                                                                                                                

“Hey, I can’t travel with you. It’s not your business,” I protested to him but it was to no avail. He returned the phone, more like a throw, and said, “It’s not safe.” That’s all he said.                                                                       

“Would the government tax him if he says a few more words? It’s not like he can’t afford even if they do.” I thought fervently. Unconsciously, I said under my breath, “As if it’s safe going with you. I feel more unsafe with you.”                                                                                                                                                                           

As if he heard my complaint, he moved forwards and made me look into his eyes by pulling my chin and said, “I know we haven’t introduced ourselves but let me make this clear, I have no intention to hurt you. I can’t have an interest in such a shabbily dressed woman. Please! I have standards,”                                          

I moved his hand rudely and snapped at him by looking into his dark midnight blue eyes, “Look! I am sorry, just drop me here. I will take another cab and go back home. I don’t want to trouble you.”                              

He looked at me seriously and said, “It’s no trouble. I am not gonna allow anyone to bring harm to any woman under my watch, even if it’s you. Why don’t you go with the flow and accept the fact that the CEO himself brought you back home.”                                                                                                                                  

He looked so arrogant when he was looking at me with his handsomely sly face and continued saying, “If you haven't noticed we are halfway from the hospital, so give up.”                                                                       

He then moved back to his position and gave me his signature smirk. At that moment, I went all red with rage and wanted to wipe off the arrogant smirk from his face. But all I could do was sigh defeatedly as this time it was purely my fault.                                                                                                                                      

Moreover, he seemed to be dead serious about dropping me home. So, I didn’t say anything and kept my mouth shut. Ghostly silence suddenly engulfed us, allowing the blaring sounds of the traffic outside, disturbing our thoughts now and then.                                                                                                              

Sensing his aversion, I left him to his thoughts and started checking the traffic outside, through the car’s window. For some odd reason, I felt somewhat safe with him. When he is around, I feel as if I am at home. 

Even if we both had started on the wrong foot and it’s only once before that I had met him, still I like his presence. After some time, my eyes started to feel heavy. He is teeny-weeny nice, was my thought, when I started to doze off and that last thought had made me smile unconsciously before I fell into my world of dreams.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    *****                                                                                    

A/N

Hey guys, 

The next chapter is out. Do tell me how you felt about the story. Waiting for your responses.

Thank You.

Regards,

Eliza Tom