"What were you thinking Alice? Why did you run away from him? He wanted to talk to you. You should have listened to him." Neil finally spoke, chewing the burger he just stuffed into his mouth.
"I wasn't in a state to talk or to listen to him. Besides, what would've he talked about other than apologizing? I didn't wanted him to know how weak he had made me. I don't know what was he thinking when he followed me. Why everytime, everything should be, as he wants? Why when he wants to walk away, he can and when he wants to talk, he can? Why should I always be the one to follow his lead?" I realised my voice was a little louder this time as few heads around our table, turned towards us.
"Will you please have your lunch, first? Why can't you eat on time? Why do you have to skip your lunch? I thought you would start eating once you return from the wedding but no! Everyday I take you out for lunch so that you might show some, atleast some interest in eating, the way you used to have before but no! You are one stubborn ass."
"I am going insane, thinking about last night, thinking about how rude it would have seemed when I ran away from him and not letting him speak, and here you are worried about my lunch! Why is Theo so unpredictable sometimes? He left because he didn't want to go against his parents. Okay, fine. I accepted it, though half-heartedly but what other option I had? None! Whatever it was but I adjusted my life according to that. I adjusted myself to his absence. For three years, I stayed like this. I didn't even asked him to come back. I stayed alone, away from everyone, so that no one talks or ask anything about him or us. I hesitated going to my best friend's wedding at first, thinking he could be there. But he himself refused the invitation saying he was very busy and won't be able to make it, at all, making me feel a little relaxed, though somewhere from the depths of my heart, I wanted to see him, atleast a glimpse of him." I kept on babbling, not even sure if Neil was actually able to understand, what I was saying.
"Okay. But what's your point, right now? Why are you so bothered? Actually about what are you bothered, exactly? Are you restless because Theodore showed up or you didn't stayed to listen to what he had to say?" I had confused Neil, alongwith myself.
"I don't know. I think, maybe both of them. He wasn't supposed to come but he came. Then, he followed me to my car, asking me to listen to him once because he wanted to talk about something but I, because of the fear that I'd cry in front of him and would tell him, how much I missed him all this time, didn't stopped." I myself wasn't sure why was I regretting about my last night's behaviour.
"You know what your problem is? I have understood what is exactly bothering you." Neil leaned back on his chair, folding his arms with a grin on his face.
"Really? You do?" I raised my eyebrow and gave him a sarcastic look.
"Yup, I do." He said, the grin never leaving his face.
"Talk about it then. I want to hear."
"Hmmm. Your problem is that Theo left you. For three years, you worked 24X7, everyday, cutting off contacts from everyone so that you don't let Theo or you could say Theo's absence make any affect on you. Though, you thought about him, day and night but still had a control on yourself. Last night, it was all unexpected for you and not what you prepared yourself for. His sudden presence made you loose all your control and finally the way you had blocked him from your mind, he crossed it yesterday. You couldn't accept that and therefore, didn't faced him. All this time you wanted to show him that you don't care but when it was actually the time to get that fake thought of yours, live in front of him, making him believe all that, you failed and chose to run away. And, now this is what pestering you."
