Hers To Love

Chapter- 9

Arun was unusually gracious during the ride. He kept his mouth shut and didn't insult me and that was a huge accomplishment for him.

"So, that guy is your date?" I said, unable to take the silence any longer. Even if Arun could stay quiet, I couldn't in his presence. I had to poke and prod him. That was the way it had always been. "I must say he is an improvement from your current girlfriend."

"And who would that be?" Arun asked, without taking his eyes off the road.

"Come on, do I have to say her name? Why should you always be so childish?" I said, shaking my head.

"You are refusing to say a name, and I am the childish one?" Arun asked, his mouth pulling to the side in amusement.

"Okay, Ritu Banera. Your current girlfriend. The one with whom you swore you would never talk to."

"The one whom you brought to my door and back into my life."

"Don't hold that against me," I said, turning towards him in disbelief. "I didn't force you two to kiss or have an office affair. You managed to do that all on your own despite saying that you hated her."

"All you wanted was for me not to hate her anymore, right? Then why are you so mad we made up?" Arun asked, that amused grin still on his face.

"Because..." I couldn't talk anymore. What would I say? That I was in love with him? That I was so afraid of this love that I pushed his ex-girlfriend towards him and now, whenever I saw them together or heard their names together, it felt like someone was stabbing me in the stomach? Yeah, that would definitely not make me sound crazy. "Because she is not right for you."

The car suddenly came to a halt.

"Why did you stop?" I asked, wondering if he was mad because of my words. Arun opened his door and got out. Then he came around to my side and opened my door.

"Get out," he said.

"Where are we? Why didn't we go home?" I asked, getting out. For a second, I wondered if we were back at Olympus and I was surprised by the excitement I felt. Then I chided myself for hoping for something I shouldn't hope for.

"I thought we would sit and talk here," Arun said, waving at the coffee shop in front of us. "We have a lot to unpack and it is not wise to do that in front of a wheel."

"Why can't we do that at one of our flats?" I asked. But as soon as I asked I knew why we couldn't. There was too much history there and we couldn't trust ourselves in enclosed places. "Let's go."

Arun and I walked towards the shop and he opened the door for me. We walked to a corner table that faced the woods at the backside of the shop. The place was so quaint and I felt at ease. There were three more couples at the other tables, all dressed in casual clothes. I felt so overdressed for the place. Usually, I was the underdressed one everywhere I went.

We both ordered plain lattes and then we were free to talk. Free to dredge up all the muck from the last few weeks.

"So, how is your dating life, Arun? Having the time of your life?" I asked with a saccharine smile.

"Okay, let's start from the beginning," Arun said in a business tone, leaning forward. "What made you think I am in love with Ritu Banera?"

How could he ask that when every interaction involving Ritu and him was branded in my mind?

I started counting on my fingers.

"First: When she slipped into your flat and you let her while ignoring me.

Second: Your mother told my mother that you two are dating and practically engaged.

Third: I tasted her lipstick on your lips. Yuck.