|| ENDLESS LOVE || -- A MaNan FF

|| Chapter Eleven ||

I was standing in front of him, scared about what he might reveal but also very desperate to know what he is thinking. He looks up at me and he knows I am waiting for his answer.

"I am not sure. I think it is Rachel's. I might be wrong."

"Rachel, your secretary??"

" Yes, Rachel, my secretary. I remember because, this was a long time ago, before you left me. I was in this meeting with some clients in a sports bar downtown and it was very late. I remember you frantically calling me so I was in a rush to get home. As I was rushing towards my car which was parked in an alley behind the bar, I saw Rachel. I did not even know her then.

She was unconscious and lying flat down on her face. There were other people smoking at the entrance and they didn't seem like good people. I was in a hurry, I called the cops and was ready to leave her with them. But, this bracelet caught my attention. You had made me buy something similar for you right around that time and I somehow did not feel like leaving her there thinking what if it was you in her place.

Anyway, I got her admitted in the hospital and called her brother from her phone. A few days later, she came to see me in the office to thank me. I felt sorry for her. She was broke, her husband had left her, she was looking for a job and I was looking for secretary. She was qualified enough "

"So you gave her the job."

"Yes. But Nandini, she is a really nice girl. She deals with all my shit and outbursts on the clients or the employees or even the media. I don't see her like that, if that's what you are implying."

"Did you both..."

"No Nandini, Jeez, stop it!! I never got involved with my employees."

"Ain't that a relief???" I retorted sarcastically. "Then how did her bracelet end up in our house Manik?" I asked, a bit caustic.

"I don't know, I am not even completely sure if this is her bracelet. I will ask her about it tomorrow. Can we go to bed, I am really tired." He asked, he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"Can I come with you when you ask her about it?" I asked.

"If you must!" Manik glowered at me.

"You don't scare me like you scare everybody else." I glowered right back at him.

He let out a deep breath "I don't mean to scare you baby, it's just that, we have discussed all these things and I thought you forgave me and then new shit surfaces and you are back to square one."

"It's not that easy Manik, to forgive and forget." I plead. "Trust me there is nothing more that I want than to go back to my Manik three years ago, but nothing is the same, you are not the same, I am not the same. It's just...unfortunate. I need to know the truth."

"Yes..unfortunate. I agree. Please, can we press the pause button and deal with this tomorrow." He comes and puts his arms round me from behind.

"Yes." I try to smile.

He leads me to the bed and I climb in under the sheets and he follows cuddling me from the back. I close my eyes. I wish there really was a pause button Manik, I would have pressed it indefinitely. He is running his fingers through my hair. I turn around and he kisses my forehead. "Nandini, can't you see that you are my life and I love you more than myself?"