THE HALF OF IT

Part - 14

I was lying on my bed flipping through the channels on television. Sleep was far away from my eyes as my mind was clouded with the thoughts of two most important girls of my life.

It's been three days since I met them at playground and I know I will have to take things slow. I don't want to overwhelm anyone of them. Though Tejasswi have invited me to Ruhi's birthday party on Saturday but I am still a stranger to her which I will definitely change soon.

From the past three years, Ruhi and Teju have their set routine which I don't want to disrupt completely but I can't be completely detached for a week either. Since I can't meet them regularly so Teju allowed me to talk to Ruhi on call regularly just before her bed time. I don't want her to forget me completely when we meet next time, so I ensured that she listen to my voice regularly. This way I will not have to start from scratch each time we meet.

I love our nightly conversations, anticipated them, actually. Ruhi is so animated, so intuisitive, and such a chatterbox. When I asked about what she did that day, she have no problem telling me all the details of spending time with her mom or what have happened at her preschool or what she and her friend, Tanya, have done. And somewhere along the way she have picked up the phrase "catcha later" that she use with me at the end of our phone call. I like the fact that we are already establishing those special personal phrases between us.

When I call at the designated time, Tejasswi always answers, but she quickly hand the phone to Ruhi, telling me, she is going to run the bath for Ruhi while we are talking-deliberately never giving us enough time to have a conversation of our own, which is starting to annoy me, because as much as I enjoy my time on the phone with Ruhi, I want to get to know Teju better, too.

I still feel something for her, the attraction between us is still strong, and now my emotions are involved. She is the mother of the child I am just getting to know, but she is also a woman I have enjoyed spending time with in Boston.

In fact, regardless of Ruhi, I would have wanted to get to know Teju better amd spend time with her again.

There is no doubt she had her guard up where I am concerned. After hearing her story about her parents, I also know her own father haven't set a great example of showing her how real men treat the women who are important to them in their lives or how a man should take care of his children.

So yeah, I definitely have my work cut out for me with Tejasswi. Tearing down those defenses is my goal, and if I have to start with the physical attraction to build on the emotional trust, then so be it. I already know by the few touches we have shared that Teju is still inerested in me physically, that if I give a little push in the right direction, she will be as soft and sensual and uninhibited as she was in Boston.

I want that with her-a relationship that not only include Ruhi but one that the two of us could gradually build upon when it come to all those subtle, sensual glances she gave me and the desire she tried hard to disguise but I am attuned to. I have no issues taking advantage of that chemistry since it is definitely mutual.

I glanced at the time on my mobile-9:20 p.m. I inserted Bluetooth into my ear and took a chance amd called Teju. She answered on the third ring, her soft, husky voice washing over me like a warm, well-placed caress.

"Karan?" she said, clearly surprised to hear from me so late.

"Yeah, it's me," I replied, turning off the TV so that I can give all my attention to her. "Did I wake you up?"

"No. I'm in bed reading. But Valentine is already asleep . . .unless it's important for you to talk to her?"

Of course she will assume Ruhi is the reason I have called. That's the way it has been for the past three days.

"I didn't call for Valentine. I called to talk to you."

There is a distinct pause before she asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is good, Teju," I assured her. "This call is strictly about you and me, and getting to know you better."

"Why?"

I sighed, hating the skepticism in her tone but not surprised, either. The men in her life previously had clearly fucked her over and have to remind myself that patience with her is the key. "For one, you're the mother of myy kid, but make no mistake, that's not the only reason I want to know you better. You and I had something special that night in Boston and I think you still feel the chemistry, too.”

“It was just sex, Karan.” The words sounded forced, as if she is trying to convince herself of that fact. “A fantasy about having sex with a stranger in a hotel room, remember?”

I pushed my hand through my hairs and  my jaw clenched in frustration. Oh, yeah, I fucking remember everything about that hot, erotic fantasy that had been so passionate and real, and I wasn't going to let her reduce our time together to something so meaningless, even to protect her own emotions, when I have felt that connectiom between us.

“I’m going to have to call bullshit on that, sweetheart,” I drawled, blatantly calling her out. “If it was just casual sex, then why did you leave in the morning without waking me up or saying good-bye? Why didn’t you leave me your contact informations and why did you change your flight so you wouldn’t have to see me?” All the questions I have spent over three and a half years wondering came spilling out.

“Because I was in a bad place in my life and . . . I wasn’t ready for another relationship when I couldn’t seem to get it right with the guys I dated.”

I heard the raw honesty in her voice and appreciated that she is at least giving me the truth. “And now?”

“Now I’m a single mom and I have a daughter I need to take care of,” she said, her voice much softer.

Her walls are back up, her words meant to make sure that I know she has no room in her life for a man or a relationship—but I wasn’t going to let her off so easily when it comes to building something special between us.

"What about you, Teju?” I asked, wanting her to know that she mattered, too. “Who takes care of you?”

“I don’t need a man ,” she replied “I can take care of myself.”

“But wouldn’t it be nice if you had one who took care of you every once in a while?”

She sighed, and I can feel her gradually relaxing, those defenses dropping. “I’m not sure I know what that’s like, and sometimes it’s easier to just depend on yourself and not be disappointed . . . or hurt.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way. Some guys like taking care of their women.”

“Mmm,” was her undecipherable response.

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

Will Karan be able to break those walls that are too high?

Do their hot chemistry is really the key to open it all. Maybe or maybe not?

It might bring them closer or Rip them apart?

Who knows, if it's a happy ending or just a start of something sinner or heartbreaking?

Happy Reading.