# The wrong Mr Right.

Part 46

Randhir's PoV:
I used the classic Hollywood style - of dressing up formally and surprising her    in public with flowers .... And then trying to sweep her off her feet in front of her colleagues . But the instant I finished speaking..I realised that it was the worst proposal ever. I had said it all. There was no getting down on one knee . That moment had passed.
End of PoV

Sanyukta dropped into one of the visitor's chair with a thud , still holding the small empty jewellery box.

"Are you all right??", Randhir asked.
"Do you need a glass of water??"

"I'm fine....Its just.....I'm a little stunned",she managed to reply.

"I know... I'm sorry.
Actually...I was sitting in Mc Donald's yesterday , the one in Citi Mall. All the families were going in and coming out. I watched kids, carrying the Happy Meal box in one hand and with the other hand , they held their parents. And at that moment I felt so----alone.
That's when I decided, how I was going to go about it. I went and bought that ", he said pointing the Happy Meal box.
"And then I went to the next store and bought the suit. Mothercare was just a few stores away so---"

"So convenient , that you were at the mall ..", Sanyukta said sarcastically .

"Well, the cricket club is just a few kilometres away from the mall. I had been there since morning. It was lunch time and I was starving. Anyways----", it was worrying him that she hadn't given her answer yet.
He continued , "The shock I received the other day , when you broke the news had worn off by then . And I knew there is  only one decent thing to do..."

"OH", said Sanyukta ,blinking a lot as if her eyes were  hurting."You don't have to do all this"

"All what??", Randhir asked in a confused tone.

"You don't have to do the 'decent thing'. This is the twenty-first century , no one is expecting it of you", she paused for a while an continued,
"That night ,whatever happened at your house was my fault. I was the one who threw myself at you .And I don't want you to act as the hero and 'save the day'... We can be grown ups about it. Can't we??"

"I don't understand Sanyukta ,you said you wanted a relationship with strings attached. You wanted commitment and security.....and here I'm offering you all that " . He suddenly remembered something else she said.
"You still think I'm not capable of it. Don't you??? You think I would walk out of it, if things start getting stale or boring????"

Sanyukta shook her head. Tears were visible on her lashes.she chipped with a heavy voice,"I can't handle this , Randhir .... May be you are trying to tie up all the loose ends to make it a perfect ending . But things doesn't work like that. If it did, I would have married Rehan, six years ago."

"Do you have a problem with my family background or what I told you about my childhood the other day???"

She looked aggrieved ." No-- Absolutely not. In fact it helped me understand you better.... I don't want to marry you because in the end, it's the children who will suffer the most.."

"Do you know, why none of my previous relationships worked???", he demanded."Because I never wanted them too, I had never made a conscious decision or effort to make it work.
Until now. When it comes to being a family, well.....we both grew up wishing our relationship with our parents could have been different. But we can turn that around for our kids.
I want to adopt Rimi as well. There's no need for her to be left out. She can be a Shekhawat too..."

"Randhir ---", was all she could utter between her sobs. Her words seemed to catch up in her throat.

Desperate now, Randhir pulled out a file lying on Aaryan's table and thrust it at her. "These are the Agreement papers for the ownership of 40% stakes of  M & S Corporate Designs"

"So??"

"I have already signed it..... It's  not what I ultimately visualised myself in, but I think it's the ideal thing to do for securing the future of my family"

"Randhir..plzzz .You don't have to ---", she was cut off by him.

"Please Sanyukta....I'm  putting myself on the line here."

"If you want to be a father, " , she said with an unmistakable wobble in her voice."then you can. I won't stand in your way. You can meet your son or daughter, whenever you want."

Damn her... Was she pretending or the message still wasn't getting through her head. There was only so much a man could take.
"I'll never be good enough for you.... Will I????? ". He felt as if he would never smile again.  He took a deep breath and chipped,
"Alright Sanyukta , have it your way. But yes, I do want contact with my child. Inspite of what you may have thought, getting rid of it never crossed my mind. I want to be there when you have your scans and when you give birth. I want to be the best dad possible. If that means you and I will have to put all this behind us, then fair enough. As you said it yourself... We can be grown ups about it. Can't we??"

Sanyukta wasn't looking at him. She was just fingering the cap he had bought for the baby, her hair partially hiding her face.

Randhir opened the door of Aaryan's cabin and marched out of it .There was no point in waiting for her reply. He reached his car and got inside it . He slammed the door to close it , his breath was misting the window as he leaned moodily against it.
It was only then it stroke him that
- he hadn't actually told Sanyukta Aggarwal , that he Loved Her.