Thanks For Coming Back

Chapter 5

“Ammm… does he know about us? I mean about ME?” he corrected himself realizing their ‘US’ did no longer existed.

“Yes, he does.” She gave herself chuckle remembering something. “After all I’ve a box full of ‘OUR MEMORIES’”

This time it was him who gave a confused look.

“Remember? The last time we met, I had given you a box containing the gifts you gave me, the chocolate wrappers of those you gave me, the movie tickets and CDs of the movies we have watched together, and our photographs? Though you had not taken it.” she paused to check if he was following her words. She continued once he gave a knowing look as the knowledge hit him “I didn’t know what to do with it after you left. I wanted to throw them all. But couldn’t” she paused, remembering those days when she had tried to do so. And she realized that tears had started to accumulate, ready to fall any moment. She bit her inner cheeks and took a deep breath to stabilize herself. Once she felt better she realized that he had been waiting for her to continue. But she took a quick glance over his shoulder at her husband to watch him playing with their daughter. And she looked back at the man in front to see he had still been waiting for her to continue. She smiled at him before continuing.
“So I decided to keep it. I still have it in the attic of our house, though no one touches it”

“And HE is okay with it?” he asked, looking at the man who was her husband now, amused by the confession. “I mean he allowed you to keep it? Is he not jealous?”

She shrugged in response. “I don’t know. Even if he is, he is hiding it well”

“Hmmm, then he surely loves you a lot if that” he murmured looking at his foot tracing the circles on the ground he was standing on.

She cocked her head to side and looked at him amused by his statement. Then she looked at her husband who was still playing with their daughter. She was thankful to him for being understanding and giving her her space. He had always been calm person. She realized he never acted jealous unlike any other men. She looked back at Aaron to measure the weight of truth in his statement. Maybe he was right. Her husband must have loved her a lot for that.

“Hmmm… That he does. He cares about us a lot. He has been a good husband, good father, and as you said good lover” she chuckled at her statement. And she realized she had never admitted that to her husband and made a mental note to do so soon in future.

“… which I could never be” he murmured low,but bringing her back to reality. She realized she had zoned out again. She mentally sighed.

She looked over his shoulder at her husband again and waited for him to look at her. As if he could he sense her gaze, he glanced at her. She nodded at him signaling him to come to her. He took his daughter’s hand and walked towards them. She watched him come to her. She cocked her head to a side and watched how confident he looked. And before she realized he was by her side putting an arm around her waist as if to prove she belonged to him. She smiled on realizing what he was trying to do. She looked at Aaron before speaking”He is Swopnil. Swopnil, this is Aaron”

The men shook their hands while greeting each other. Swopnil studied Aaron and spoke” Finally got to meet you, eh?”

Aaron, slightly intimidated by the husband, didn’t know how to reply so he just gave him a tight smile, while retrieving his hands to tug them in his jeans pocket.

All of them stood in silence until a little voice chimed in” Mommy I’m hungry. Aren’t we done?”

“Yes baby we’re leaving soon” Annie replied before looking at her husband and then to Aaron.

“Ammm, okay I should be leaving now” Aaron spoke, taking her looks as his cue to leave. “Bye” he nodded to the couple who nodded back at him at the same time. Then he looked at Sera” Bye baby doll”

“Though I don’t like being called baby and doll, I’m letting you because they sound good together from you” she smiled at him then looked at her parents” Mommy? Daddy? Can I invite this uncle to my birthday party?” She gave her parents a puppy look as she always did while asking for her favorite chocolate and she knew it would work. Smart she is.