The Clingy Fiancee

Chapter Fifteen

I woke up in the middle of the night, and knew very well that I was not going to be able to sleep for the next entire hour at least. I checked the time next, and then realised that it was way too early in the morning for me to wander in the the corridors of the house and scare the residents.

I fell back on my bed again, and took in a deep breath.

I was returning to India tomorrow. With Neil. And I had the responsibility of looking after a lot of things. I was already developing a headache thinking about all the things I had to take care of, and then the aftermath of Neil regaining his memories.

I turned and picked up my phone. I scrolled through my contacts and dialed a number.

"Hello?" He picked up on the third ring, "Myra, child, is that you?" His heavy voice came through the speakers and I wondered why he still had my number.

"Yes, it's me, Prakash Uncle." I said, "How are you these days?"

"I'm faring well, tell me about you. I heard about Neil, and I'm so sorry -"

"- I need your help, Uncle." I interrupted him. After all, he was one of those whom Neil had trusted the most, so he had to know that there was nothing to be sorry about.

"Myra? Are you in trouble?"

Yes, hell lot of trouble. I'm being suicidal by diving headfirst into heartbreak and I don't know what to do.

Again, for probably the hundredth time today, I wanted to cry. This was one man, who treated me like his daughter and was now genuinely worried about my welfare and whereabouts.

"Not really, Uncle. You see, day after tomorrow, I'll be back in Chandigarh." I told him.

"Where are you now?" He asked. I could hear the confusion in his voice.

"I'm in Russia, Uncle. And I'm not alone; I'll be bringing someone with me."

"Oh. So what do you need me to do?"

"All you have to do is..."

****************************

Misha was a sobbing mess that day. Looking at her cry this way, even I had begun to sob and my reasons to cry were probably much different than hers.

I could really understand, in a way, whatever she was feeling. In the past four months, Neil had been like a son to her, no matter how much of an i***t he turned out to be in the end. And it was quite obvious that now, all the way back to India, she was probably thinking that it would be hard for us to visit her back again.

"Don't you dare forget me, young man!" She warned him as she engulfed him into a warm hug, "And when everything returns to normal in the end, do come back and tell me everything that I will be missing out while you will be in India. And, Neil, son, do invite me to your wedding, or be ready to have some gatecrashers at your wedding."

Neil laughed, a few tears rolling down his cheeks, "I'll contact you once a week, Misha, and surely when I do regain my memories. Then after that, I'll make sure that I'll bring my fiancee to you so that you can approve of her before our wedding." He squeezed her back.

Misha looked at me from over his shoulder, "I'm sure I'll always approve of your choice, sweetie," She said with a twinkle in her eye, "You will always have my blessings."

Kissing his temple, Misha released him and then flung her arms around me, "I'll miss you, too, Myra. Please take good care of Neil and keep updating me with his developments."

"I surely will." I said, enjoying the warmth of her hug. I was sure I was not going to receive any kind of hugs for a good amount of time - and I was definitely not going to accept hugs from Neil. His hugs were far too dangerous for my ailing heart.

"And darling," she whispered so that no one could hear, "Things are going to be difficult. There will be things that will go beyond your control. All I can say to you is to stick by that boy's side because this time, he is not going to let you go. Don't try to change the situation in any way because it is going to give you grief in the end."

I nodded into her shoulder, choking back a sob. I knew she was right, this time. And I knew that it would be wise for me to follow her advice...

But only time would tell how much I would be willing to.

After a man-hug between Adrian and Neil, it was finally my turn to receive a warm hug from Adrian. Neil's scowls did nothing to dampen the warmth of Adrian's bear hug, and he too, said something, out aloud for everyone to hear, "I will be honest, Myra. I was enamored with you the moment I had first set my eyes on you. But now knowing that you have your own story to complete - I wish you all the best!"

I grinned back at him through my tears.

With that, Neil and I bid our last farewells and left the homey apartment and the scenic city that I had spent my last few days in. Neil looked emotionally down - he looked distant and had completely shut down his emotions, blankly carrying the bags that carried the few things he owned and the few memories he had with himself.

For some reason, he was still wearing that pendant with the name 'M' even after he knew his name was actually Neil.

We were heading towards the Sochi International Airport, and the cab that Adrian had helped us hire had been kind enough to converse in English whenever needed. He filled up the silence in the cab because Neil was sure as hell not in the mood to utter a word.

I didn't know if I was supposed to value the silence or not. Even though I was glad that my mind had some more time to process things, I was just afraid that he would blow up after bottling those emotions and it would harm him in the end.

"Neil..." I whispered, "Hey, is everything alright?" I asked him.

"It is. I just wished the move wasn't so sudden. I was wrong to think that I would be relieved if we left earlier. I already miss Misha's chatter and wish for some more time to process this." His eyes were still red from the tears he was trying to hold in. I knew he wanted to bawl out like a baby, but being in a cab was holding him back.

It seemed like he would need the hugs after all - Neil had always been highly sensitive to touches. My hugs and rubs always comforted him more than my words could, and the best thing that could ever comfort him was s*x.

And I had always been too willing to comfort him.

But now s*x was out of option because hugs were where I drew the imaginary line. I was not going to cross that one line at all costs - perhaps even after he regained his memory. My walls and armors were going to be down enough for me to get hurt while I helped Neil heal - I just didn't want to do irreparable damage to myself.

So in the cab, I did what I could. I held his hand and intertwined my fingers through his, giving his hand a tight squeeze. He kept staring at our hands for a while, and then he looked up at me and smiled, squeezing back tightly.

Neil might not remember now, but deep inside - I thought - he knew what holding hands meant to me. For me, it was a show of ultimate trust, warmth, love and vulnerability. I rarely held hands with people and Neil was the only one who could interlace his fingers in between mine.

Perhaps, Neil did remember it, because then he did something that he had always done when I showed him the rare, vulnerable side of me; he lifted my hand, brought it up to his lips, and pressed the softest of kisses on the back of my hand, and then on each finger tip, all the while maintaining our eye contact.

I had definitely stopped moving.

"Breathe, Myra." He whispered, forgetting how sentimental he had been feeling just a few moments ago.

I was sure the temperature in the car increased by a few degrees, so much that I had started feeling the heat course through my body.

Why did Neil Singhania have to have such an effect on me even after so many things had happened was a huge mystery I was not willing to solve.