ARE YOU MINE?

CHAPTER 2. SOUND OF A BROKEN HEART

BROOKSTREET CAFÉ, NEW YORK, 1st March 2015

“I am so grateful that you took some time out of your busy schedule for my birthday”, Aradhya said while holding the man’s hand who was sitting in front of her.

He smiled gently towards her with his kind azure eyes and caressed her right hand while saying, “Of course, that’s the least I can do as your boyfriend, love”.

She lowered her gaze, batted her eyelashes while biting her lower lip.

The scenario seemed surreal to Aradhya. Never did she imagine that there will actually be a day that they’ll be dining together like that. Like lovers.

For all she knew, nobody was anymore fond of the girls like her. You know, the girls that had a hard time opening up with people. The girls that didn’t actually care how much money you had in your bank account, or things like how many women you’ve had in the past.

They are special, perhaps not the prettiest in your eyes but definitely special. Though Aradhya had been infatuated with George for quite some time, she could never garner enough strength to ask him out instead.

There were several reasons why she thought approaching him wouldn’t be a good choice after all. Firstly, he was always surrounded by a crowd of women following him everywhere.

Secondly, It was because of the society which made her aware of the shortcomings that she didn’t even have. Thirdly, the loneliness that followed her around like a shadow and the inability to form a genuine bond with any other person made her further uncomfortable in social interactions. That might have not been the case if she had a real friend.

A real friend would have comforted her when she had been hurt and told her ‘the truth’. The truth that she was as beautiful as any other person, or maybe something like reminding her how kind and smart she was.

But when he asked her to be with him, she was astonished but mostly glad that someone paid attention to her penury existence. Just like a chameleon, she blended in the background quite effortlessly.

 Nobody bothered to observe her secluded sate and the neglected expressions of discomfort that could never appear on her face. But George was not the same, she believed.

He saw her for who she was and loved her anyway.

“Aradhya? A…Aradhya? “, George called out her name while waving in front of her eyes.

Due to the sudden intervention, her eyes flickered while she tried to grasp a firm hold on reality. ‘No more baseless thinking’, Aradhya reminded herself and diverted her attention towards George.

He raised his eyebrows and said after clearing his throat, “Umm, Lately I’ve been feeling like you haven’t really been there while talking to me. I mean, like ...  mentally”.

Aradhya shook her head to express her disapproval and said in a jovial voice, “I am really sorry that I ended up making you feel this way. That wasn’t my intention. It’s just ...  that I end up getting too involved in my thoughts sometimes”.

“That’s okay. I mean, I don’t really mind as long as you’d come back to me and remember your feelings that you have for me”, said George by brushing the delicate skin of her lips with his thumb.

Everything around them seemed to move at a considerable much slower pace. Moreover, his great sense of humour kept them entertained for the lovely evening.

Soon, the dinner came to an end. She sighed to observe the time on her wristwatch and got inside the car reluctantly.

“We’re done already? Why? ”, asked Aradhya. The disappointment was quite apparent on her face as she narrowed her eyes at him and then there were those pouting lips.

He stood breathless after beholding the sight of her without her glasses. She had knocked over her glasses earlier while laughing. He had never seen her like that.

Happy and carefree, something she hadn’t been for a while. It was the first time he had seen her beautiful eyes as she never took her glasses in the office.

Aradhya felt as if she was on top of the world.

“This was the best birthday ever”,  said Aradhya while embracing George.

He patted her back with his right hand and placed his left hand on her lower back.

Aradhya felt a rush and her mind went blank. She didn’t understand the reason behind his atrocious behaviour but pushed him away.

“W…What are you doing?”, enquired Aradhya while shivering and diverting her gaze away from him.

George lowered his gaze and said in a pleading tone, “Forgive me. I just lost my composure after watching you act all cute. I know this will not suffice but forgive me please”.

“Okay, but drop me home first”, said Aradhya while camouflaging her feelings of panic and anxiety.

George did observe her fingers that shook invariably and her gaze that was fixated on the window, and soon realized that his actions had caused her discomfort.

“You know there was this one time when I actually thought vampires were real. So, I used to carry garlic everywhere, especially to the school. I was in Junior High at that time. Gradually, I ended up losing all of my friends but learned an important lesson”, said George while driving.

“What? Eating garlic makes you smelly?”, asked Aradhya in a teasing manner and laughed to witness his discomfiture.

Though her laugh was a delight to him, George said sardonically, “That was not the moral behind the story, and I will not trouble myself with the task of telling you anymore. This is your punishment that you’ll always stay ignorant of the truth”.

A gloomy scowl appeared on her face and then she said, “I’m sorry. Please do tell”.

The man simply simpered and said, “I learnt that whether you’re smelly or not, true friends will stay in any of the cases”.

“Yeah, that’s true”, mumbled Aradhya in a soft voice.

The screeching sound made it clear to her that they reached home. Just when she was about to leave, he dragged her back in the car, held her in his broad arms and whispered low in her ear, “Happy birthday love, once again. Remember to love me always”.

She stared deep in his eyes. It was like drowning in the ocean. She kept moving her arms to float but there was no salvation. His warm hands cupped her cold cheeks and she felt a knot in her stomach.

Her lips shivered when she felt the warm breath of the man nearing her more and more. Her heart pounded so loudly that she feared that she might have a heart attack.

She focused on his beautiful smile and closed her eyes slowly to reveal her feelings to him as well. His lips touched hers. The sweet strawberry flavoured lip balm intermingled with the taste of her mouth. She followed his lead since she had never kissed anybody.

His tongue explored every corner of her mouth like a restless traveller. Then, she pushed him back and sprang out of the car hurriedly.

ARCADIA APARTMENT, NEW YORK

She rushed inside her apartment, went into the bathroom, stripped and then got inside the shower. She cooled her head with the cold water that poured on her and discarded her thoughts away.

She couldn’t help but play the same scenario repeatedly in her mind. She looked at her image in the mirror and observed her smudged strawberry coloured lip tint.

Her bashful cheeks and warm body implied a want she had never felt before. It was something that even she couldn’t comprehend herself. 

She smacked her head and went straight to the kitchen, grabbed a glass of water and moved towards her bedroom.

While lying on the bed, she observed the missed calls that she had gotten from George. She texted him back assuring she was fine. She understood that he might be worried for her since she left so abruptly in between.

‘In between what?’, she chided herself.

In order to stop her mind from returning to the same moment again, she decided to fall asleep. So, she closed her eyes to ease her restless mind, but his alluring face kept flashing in her mind.

She grabbed a pillow, covered her face with it, and then went to sleep.

After having the best sleep ever, she opened her eyes to greet the sneaky rays of the sun that came through the window.  She smiled at the sounds of the bird’s merry chirp.

She did her daily chores, grabbed a floral bright dress and got ready to leave. Though she was always expected to be at the office till 9 o’clock, she had to report that day at 7 o’clock as she had to handle a project which their company had begun recently.

She left for the office by 5:30 and reached there by 6:30.

EDITOR’S FIRM, NEW YORK

She felt appeased as she wasn’t late and approached her desk with a gleeful smile. She hummed on her way and was a bit astonished to observe that nobody was there yet. She turned on her system and checked if there was any work assigned to her. Her work column was empty, so she decided to enquire about it from the head office.

While passing through George’s office, she heard some male groaning sounds. Her face lost its colour when she thought that someone might have been hurt, and was wailing because of the injury inflicted on him.

She rushed towards his office in haste, but what she discovered blew her away.

George was thrusting his manhood inside Cindy’s p***y and there were enormous sounds of panting and muffled groaning. George opened his eyes after hearing the squeaking sound of the door.

He observed the back of the woman running away, and realized it was Aradhya.

“f**k!”, he yelped, pushed Cindy away and grabbed his pants hurriedly.

Meanwhile, Aradhya rushed towards the basement.

“So, that’s how it sounds. The wailing sounds of my conscience’, thought Aradhya while wiping her tears that drenched the collar of her floral dress.

“I told you so. He would never adore someone like you for long. You were a fool to think otherwise. Cindy is much more beautiful than you. That’s what happens when you forget who you are. I need to escape”, muttered Aradhya while looking for the keys of her car.

She punched the key into the hole and swirled it to open the door. Suddenly tow huge arms grabbed her from the back. She squealed in fear and turned to observe the person standing behind her.

It was George. He tried to raise her head to procure an eye contact but she just couldn’t look into his eyes.

“Leave me. Let go of my arms”, said Aradhya while trying to control her sobs.

George grabbed her in his arms and yelled, “No, you’re mine. I love you only. Baby, it was nothing”.

Aradhya still didn’t look at him and pushed him away with a sudden thrust.

She struggled to put together words but managed to say, “L…Leave or else I’ll have to call the cops”.

 “I am sorry babe. It’s just I needed s****l relief. That’s just what she was, I swear”, blubbered the man.

She went inside the car and yelled, “Go away!!”

After being humiliated, George decided to return the favour a thousand times more.

Aradhya clenched her arms and sobbed. She couldn’t understand what her fault was.

‘Was it that I gave him a chance or I fell for him? Maybe it was hoping. My foolish heart hoped that I deserved to be loved just like my father told me, but I guess that’s just too much to ask of people’, thought Aradhya while curling the front strand of her hair.

After wiping her drenched eyes, she got out of the car, wore her glasses back and went quietly towards her desk. She grabbed her pencil and pad and began to note down the chores that she was supposed to perform.

Her broken smile and shot red eyes didn’t bother anybody as she didn’t exist until there were favours that people needed from her.  But that didn’t trouble her, not anymore.

She had gotten accustomed to this toxic behaviour and couldn’t care to make a change.

Just when she began to write her article, Cindy approached her and said in an authoritative voice, “Mr William Rushworth wish to see you in his office in five minutes. He doesn’t seem to be in the greatest mood today”.

She simpered and then went away. Aradhya grabbed her files and went towards the office and began to shiver after finding a smirking George standing inside the office.

‘Uh oh! This doesn’t seem right!’, yelled Aradhya in her head.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

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