#20 – A DREAM COME TRUE
2024 Words
Kiss him!
Push him away!
Her conflicted mind had paralyzed her actions.
"But I won't." He spoke against her lips, his breath fanning her face, making her heart race and breaths jump and backed off.
It took her a few seconds to compose herself and she quickly moved back to breathe normally. There was no escaping from this man. The harder she tried, the harder she would make it for herself.
"Okay but... I have two conditions." She said sternly.
Under normal circumstances, Shahmeer would have said yes without thinking twice but this woman was nothing like anyone else. She was always ready to question his boundaries and play with limits. He cautiously uttered "what are they?"
"Is that a yes?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"First I need to hear them." He replied.
"First, I don't want anyone else from your people knowing about this or anywhere around me. It would be just you and no one else." She said firmly.
Without thinking for another second, Shahmeer pulled out his phone and called someone, "Hello Rajat?"
"Boss, where are you?" Came Rajat's relieved voice. "The pilot told me you picked someone from the jungle, then asked him to land nearby and took a cab from there. What's going on? Are you okay?"
"I am fine Rajat. You have to do something. Take each of our men and leave for India now." He replied without breaking eye contact with her. "And along with you, should go the news that I left."
"But Boss–"
"No ifs and buts. I can't explain anything right now. Do as I ordered."
"But I can't leave you defenseless and alone here. Your security is my job."
Shahmeer smiled at Rajat's worry, "I can take care of myself. I want you out soon." And hung up while Myra kept staring at him.
'This must be his other personality.'
"And the second condition?" He asked, placing the phone back in her pocket.
She held her wrist in front of his face and said, "open it." trying to sound angry.
He shook his head and leaned back in the armchair. "Not before I am confident and assured that you won't do anything stupid." He replied non nonchalantly.
"This is so inappropriate? What if… what if I have to go to the washroom?" She asked frustrated.
"It's long enough to carry you to the last wall in the washroom and ends just a few metres away from the main door."
She had no more excuses. She paused for a moment and asked, "If I assured you that I won't leave, would you open this then?"
"Off course." He replied.
"Okay then." She shuffled her good hands around her neck and pulled out a locket and gave it to him. It was a thin Silver chain and in place of a pendant there was merely a plastic cork removed from a sealed mineral water bottle.
He looked at it amused and she said, "Keep this. It's really important for me. I won't leave without it. When we part ways, give it back."
He took it in his hands, looked at it carefully and replied, "Nah. I don't believe that. This is just a worthless piece of plastic."
"So you are not willing to make the trade?" She asked unbelievably.
"No." He replied honestly.
She huffed angrily and turned her face to another direction, "If it was that worthless, I wouldn't be carrying it around everywhere." She muttered, slipping it back in her neck. She was in no mood to tell Shahmeer more about it so she just kept quiet. She didn't know him so much to start trusting him or sharing something so personal.
Even though Shahmeer knew she was telling the truth. When he found her, she was clutching to that thing tightly to protect it from fire, not caring that her hand was bruised and burnt in the process. But he wanted her to be right in front of his eyes for a little more, also the doctor had recommended a few more days of complete bed rest. Once he took the Cuffs off, she wouldn't stay in one place. He could also let her call but he wanted no one to come between them. He wanted her all to himself, just for some more time. While she was asleep, he spent hours just looking at her, to see if her breathing patterns changed or she needed something. He had a strange sense of satisfaction and belonging which he hadn't felt in a while, not even with his family or at his home. And unlike Myra, he was bold enough to accept this change and wasn't running away from it.
"OK then I am going to get food. Will be back in an hour. Take care of yourself." He said getting up.
"But you can't leave me here alone. Give me your phone so I can contact you in case of emergency." She said making an innocent face which always worked.
He narrowed his eyes, "nice try."
"What's wrong with you! I need to tell my team where I am. They must be searching and worried." She snapped.
"But you don't know where you are." He shrugged.
Her eyes widened at those words. With a little effort, She pushed open one side of the wooden casement window on her bedside and looked outside, up and down. The view left her mouth hanging open. This wasn't the forest they were in when she passed out. It's trees were thick layered, crowded, bushy and somewhat stunted. But the trees here had a high end tall canopy, they were thinly crowded with pointed leaves. Although It was surrounded by trees, the complete surroundings were different. Although It was some tropical region but not really Indonesia. Normally a person wouldn't be able to differentiate but she was observant about everything.
"Really where am I?" She asked, panicking.
"Can't tell you that." He said after watching her reaction.
Her blood boiled at those words. She wasn't used to requesting people or depending on them but this man was really getting on her nerves. Since the moment she woke up he had worked on keeping her helpless and did everything according to his will. "What the hell is your problem? First you won't open the cuffs, then you won't give me a phone and now you won't even let me know where I am." She hissed.
"I want you to be safe until you are healing and always after that." He replied.
"Doesn't look like it. Really Don Shahmeer. It's funny that a person like you should talk about keeping someone safe. A person who has no conscience and sells tools to kill other people worldwide. Doesn't it bother you a little bit that every minute, every second, someone is being killed by the weapons you traded for money?" She said venomously.
But her own question raised another suspicion in her mind. Did he have something to do with that 'suspicious activity' going on in Indonesia? Is that why he was here?
"First of all, that's not my mainstream business. I own the automobile industry in the country, so what if I sell a few weapons besides that?" He replied casually as if there was nothing wrong with it.
"Wow Don Shahmeer. You almost had me convinced. " She mocked using air quotes.
"That's what people of Kovai respectfully call me and I don't disagree."
"Like I'm going to believe that." She muttered.
"I don't care what you believe but I am just going to say I am not such a bad person as you think. And While we are on it why are you here?"
"I don't owe you an answer." She replied.
"Neither do I but since we're on that topic, I had to meet some people for business."
"Main business or side business?"
"Side business." He answered but the next moment cursed his sensibility. Why was he telling her everything so honestly. She wasn't doing the same. How careful she was with her words. He remembered how Rajat used to warn him all the time to think before speaking or making decisions but he never did. He had to get away now before this woman drove him crazy.
"Take care." He murmured before quickly retreating downstairs.
"Hey wait! You can't leave me tied like this!" She yelped, fruitlessly trying to pull away. He ignored it and kept walking and was soon out of the house.
***
—Shimla Mansion—
Nisha walked around the mansion late at night a memory made her smile.
"Bryan? What are you? Kids? Do I have to tuck everyone in and wake them up before school?" She snapped pulling her dupatta on her shoulders. She didn't expect to see him in the hall so late at night. It had become a habit for her to worry about the discipline of the house so that it didn't have a bad impact on a six year old Zain.
"Relax sweetheart. Why so angry?" He asked, amused.
"Because no one ever listens to me." She ranted, fidgeting with her braid.
"Okay. Okay. I'm leaving. But if you want to talk, you're not feeling sleepy then..."
"Fine. I'm not sleepy either." Nisha said. That's why she was up.
"So Nish, what are your plans?" He asked slumping back on the couch.
"Well, as you can see, my career is all set. So now, I'm going to put my bio on a matrimonial website and find my prince charming." She beamed.
"Your what? You want to get married? How boring is that." He asked, irritated.
"I find it quite worth it. Having someone share my happiness, pain, have a family of my own. I'd love that."
"Really? And what about your job? You can't leave it. And what about your husband? You can't tell him about UDF."
"I know. I won't." She shrugged sipping some water.
"So your'e going to lie all your life?"
"No. Just hide the truth."
"Oh! Okay." He said unsure not knowing what to say. "So what kind of guy do you want?"
"Um... he should be family oriented, mature, trustworthy and a good parent. If he has all this, I don't care about looks and money."
"Really. That's it? An ordinary guy with an ordinary life? Why? Look at you. You're so... pretty." He said actually admiring Nisha for the first time. "You're perfect."
She smiles sadly. "I am not perfect Bryan. I have a flaw." She said looking at her prosthetic leg. "And so I will accept someone else's flaws too. I don't want perfection because I am not perfection either. Good night." She said slowly walking away.
He was sad and shocked but didn't have the courage to stop Nisha. He had no consoling words.
***
She clutched the shawl close to her heart, "I miss him."
—Log Cabin—
A slight thud on the bedside table woke Myra. She rubbed her eyes and saw Shahmeer sitting on the chair cutting some fruits. Seeing him, the previous moments flashed in her mind and her anger resurfaced. She slowly sat up and Shahmeer gave her a warm smile.
"Good evening. How are you feeling?"
"I'm tied like an animal. How do you expect me to feel?" She snapped.
"Here eat this." He said placing the tray on her lap, totally ignoring her words.
"Shahmeer Open this!" She said frustratingly.
He huffed audibly. "I thought we talked about it."
"No you talked to yourself and left."
"Well then you surely remember what conversation we had." He said looking at his wristwatch and continued, "Okay, time for changing the bandages."
She cringed and moved vlback, "wait! why don't you tell me how and I will do it?" She wasn't going to let him undress her again while she was conscious. That would be so embarrassing.
"Really?" He asked.
"Trust me I can do it." She replied hoping he would agree. "Just tell me how?"
She made her best pleading face cause she knew his stubborn nature too. She was weak and he had an upper hand now.
- Writer
