The Return of Passion (Complete)

Chapter 20

As much as he would have liked to wake up in a tangled web of his beloved's hair, that he was so ferociously dreaming of last night. It wasn't the case!

But far from it actually!

Here he was sitting on the breakfast table alone, holding a piece of bread all the way up to his mouth because his arse of a neck wouldn't budge, from the 60° angle in which he had slept off last night on the couch.

It was eight in the morning when the comforter over his dangling legs was thrown aside and a sweet feminine voice had shrieked his ears off, the next that had reduced into a fit of giggles.

He hadn't said anything, but a polite greeting in reply to the rude way he was woken up! At least, he got the chance to spend the night with her!

So he rather basked in the moment's glory that he is the reason of her twinkling mirth.

But that wasn't for long either, because as soon as he had released a yawn stretching his neck, he had forgone any politeness he had ever learned and cursed in every language he knew.

And if the pain wasn't enough already, the 'woman' completed it.

She giggled again, something that wasn't funny for him anymore.

He sulked, "It isn't funny! .....ouch!"

'Damn!' He wasn't even able to look at her without aligning his whole body the way, he wanted his neck to be.

"It hurts! " He had looked at her angry but still keeping a check on his voice. And thankfully she had enough sensibility to close her mouth, only before sending a similar glare back at him.

"Breakfast is ready, but I think, I would tell veena to bring it up here. Or you might break another one or two of your old bones before you reach the ground. "

'Old bones! ' had him straightened up. "No thanks! I could go there myself. "Not wanting to have a row with her as the first thing in the morning, he said nothing!

Even gulping down the replies that had so naturally formed in his head, like 'who was the oldie last night spitting on her own vomit? '

But in order to keep the peace he kept his mouth shut!

Striding out of his bedroom towards the flight of stairs. He was just brooding over, how he would walk down the stairs with his neck fixed at such an ungodly angle that let him look nowhere but at the sight of his flitting wife's back who happens to be down the third stairs already.

And as much as he enjoyed the view of her nice shapely back moving in a sync. He had no doubt that he would prove alisha's words of this morning true, if he tried to walk like this on an unfamiliar stair case without looking where he is going.

With a free fall and a few broken bones would he then finally reach the bottom.

So deep had he been in his thoughts that he hadn't realized that Alisha was indeed looking up at him. Specktically.

"Hold! " she had said, extending her hand without so much as a thought.

And how warm it had felt with her fingers delicately being spurned around his own.

A feeling that was long lost within the sea of memories and thoughts suddenly stood out.

A man and a woman running through an empty road on a dark night. The rain infuriated rapping on their shoulders as they passed through the puddles of water.

So different was the scenario!

The man with his lengthier legs walking much more faster than the girl who followed behind. Almost running out of her breath in order to do so.

'Their hands were clasped then! '

'Their hands are clasped now! '

But what a stark contrast it is!

Now that a pair of rings are lost somewhere and a pinch of vermilion, that was somewhere in the parting of her hair that day, is gone now!

Landing on the bottom of the stairs, he wasn't so much glum anymore. Dreaming in a world of his own, smiling and shaking his head.

"Veena! Please serve him breakfast! I must get going! "She left his hand and the existence of the void was clear again. Suddenly, her behavior had changed.

She left, marching up to the door. Yanking it open and then banging it close after her!

And he felt the smile tugging back at the corners of his mouth.

'Then it wasn't him alone delving down the lane of memories after all! '

She had now caught his hand willingly and he would make sure that she will do so again in the 'morrow'

He munched on the bread.

***

NIHAR

"Alisha you won't believe what I just saw! "A giggling Shalini stumbled into her cabin.

Stopping her halfway through the names of the designers being sent from Rio, to help them expand here.

Most of them were young and bachelor. Although that was understandable, seeing that no family person would like to be shipped overseas, abandoning their family.

She looked up at Shalini. Not thrilled in the slightest bit. "What? "

"Don't you want to meet the person who have booked your dress to buy it! "

Although there was a little curiosity to know who it was. She had a lot of work to complete.

She have to tie all the loose ends of the pending deals, the ones being revised as well as review the works that had still to be completed on the ongoing projects.

And adding to that- is now the hurry to find nice residential apartments within the city to accommodate the fifteen people that are to join them within the next six months.

And all these....she have to complete in next few months before she is forced to take a long maternal leave and hand it all over to Dhruv.

"Nah! What does it matter! "

"It will matter! It will! " she pulled her up and dragged towards the door. "Once you will see! "

Now when her curiosity was finally perked up after hearing her out. She made no objection in being led by her to the floor below, where they stood behind a pillar as Shalini pointed at someone before them.

And Alisha's eyes widened recognizing the half white, half black trimmed beard of a man.

'Purva's father! '

Her nose flared in anger. "How dare he! " His daughter elopes with'their' show stopper dress, to ruin 'them'! And he's here being entertained!

Alisha was about to charge forward! To confront the old man about his daughter's spiteful intentions when Shalini pulled her back, winked twice in reassurance signalling her to keep quite.

Though Alisha did as told, she did not like it until the old man passed by them with the lady, he had bought the dress for.

The part of their conversation reaching the ears that weren't supposed to be listening.

"I hope you like it darling! "The man bent low to whisper those words near the ear of his girlfriend, who looked even younger than his own daughter.

Alisha sniggered, leaning at the back of the pillar.

'What a pervert!'

And Shalini giggled listening the sing song way that the young lady thanked and appreciated her sugar daddy's efforts.

"Alisha Bose? " Her head snapped back towards the elevator. A man came towards her. "Mam there's a delivery for you! "

"A delivery? " she queried, biting her lower lip as she thought. 'She hadn't ordered anything, then what could be it? '

She signed on the papers the man handed her over and left after wishing her a 'good day! '

It was a few minutes later that she came back to her cabin only to notice the 'delivery' she had received.

It was a grand bunch of flowers. But it didn't took her more than a blink to know who sent those.

'It were the hydrangeas after all! 'And there was only one man who likes to irk her with white wild hydrangeas.

Plopping down on her chair she called his office.

"Hello Aditya Singhania speaking! " He replied on the first ring.

"What's this Adi?"

"So you got the flowers I sent you? "

"See, don't send such things to my office, you know how many of my employees must have seen it being brought up to my cabin and how many different stories might have already been cooked up....."suddenly she stopped, her breath hitched up in her throat for a moment, her eyes widening before she burst out laughing.

"Ali?"

"What's the matter? "

"Oh...god!" She giggled. Playing the video again that had been posted on the official website of Nihar just a few minutes ago, by an anonymous ID.

"I hope you like it darling! " She saw the vile old man for the second time that day. Heard the voice that was supposed to sound sexy, rather looked like a perverted comment.

Half of her shoulder was in view but her voice was crystal clear. "What a pervert! "

"Damn shalini! " She laughed reading the line at the end of the video. 'For more updates contact "sugar daddy" aka Dev Arora!'

"Ali...?" Aditya asked through the phone.

"Humm..." she answered barely covering her laughter.

"I wanted to ask if you would accompany me to a party tonight? "

"Humm..."It was hard to focus at anything else but at the screen of her laptop.

Opening the anonymous ID that had posted the video.

Holding the name of "anonymous S"

Which no doubt meant 'well known Shalini'

And a picture of chimpanzee sticking its tongue out was as the profile picture.

"Does it mean a yes?" Aditya asked again fidgeting in his chair.

"Yes!"

"Great then I will see you at 5 in the evening! "It was hard to miss the enthusiasm in his voice and that's what broke her current train of thoughts, forcing her to focus on what she had done!

.

.

.

.

.

Her heart was beating in an erratic trend as she contemplated her choices and at that moment none of those choices seemed to be of any worth.

It was a fix!

Either she could get ready and brace herself for a night full of mortification, where she would be the talk of the town being the arm candy of her ex-husband.

Or she could......

***

"Good evening sir!" Veena gave a tight lipped smile to the man dressed in his finest standing at the door.

Her mind though...undergoing a series of confusing questions.

"Please let Alisha know that I am here."He stood near the coffee table decked up in his royal blue three piece suit.

"Madem left half an hour ago! " Now he was truly perplexed.

"Left?" He asked abashed. "Did she say something when she would be back?"

He keenly watched the woman shifting from one feet to another uncomfortably. An ominous sensation already prickling at the back of his throat.

"She said that she is going to her friend's for the night and that I don't need to prepare her dinner. "

And that is when realized.....she had ran away again! From a situation she can't handle. She had choose to flee again....like she always did!