An Unfinished Business

Episode 5

I turned back from the door I so longed to enter. There was no denying he made my life a little more interesting. But my morals and self-esteem hadn’t agreed on that so I turned away and started walking back to my home.

I was just past the gates when I heard the door open. I halted for a second and listened again to the creak of the opening door.  But it was a waste of effort because the voice was so loud I'd have been able to hear it from my own house. He was with a girl, probably trying to get her off his way now that she had fulfilled her purpose. They were laughing and she was probably drunk because the shrill cheers of her voice sounded abnormal. I stood rooted at the spot. What the fuck was I supposed to do now? I couldn't really play dumb and say I was lost.  And I couldn't camouflage in the surroundings as much as I wished the surroundings would swallow me whole. My whole body went in a panic mode. My insides were shivering. I hadn’t quite anticipated accurately the part where I’d have to face him knowing that I had shouted at him the previous night and the possibility that he just might insult me in front of this drunken girl.

The card was still in my hand and he, behind me. I was just deciding on handing him the card and setting off my own way, proudly when he called out, 

“Hey, Park!” I took a breath and looked back at him. He was in a black T-shirt with his sleeves folded up, his one hand around a really pretty girl’s shoulder and another hand high up in the air, trying to get my attention.  I scoffed inside, as if he needed to do that. He resumed his walk down the stony aisle once he got my nod.  Just then a cab arrived and he held two fingers out at me as he went past me to the cab with the girl. The girl was visibly still drooling all over him and looking at this, the vision of him trying to woo me made me sick. I was more than a drunk girl, passed out in the back of a car. Even if it was him and his fire-fighter body, there was no way in hell this was ever going to happen to me. He put the girl in the car and told the driver her address and bade goodbye.  Well atleast he took good after care.

As the car passed he finally turned back, with a proud smile. "To what do I owe this pleasure, mademoiselle?” he asked, walking to me.

“I had to give -"

“Let's talk inside ' He said and walked off to his home without hearing my answer. I followed him, unsure if it was the right thing to do.

It wasn't that I hadn't ever entered his home. I mean we were neighbours since two years and he wasn’t always this guy who charms his way to everyone’s pants.  His place was nice. Decent, considering the person it resided. There was furniture that looked expensive and walls that reeked of sophistication. There was not a spill here and there. He brought many of his clients here and I could see the work put in to showcase a lifestyle quite opposite of his reality. He had put in more money than he could earn in 3 months to make this place and by the careful way he walked, I could see exactly how expensive things were.

The insides of his house were predominantly grey, might be something he learnt from his office. He was a lawyer and maybe that was what lawyers were all about. Cold, practical and perfect. Or almost that, in the case of Mr. Darcy here. He motioned me to sit and went ahead to get drinks.  He poured something in two glasses and gave one to me. I hesitated and he smirked again,
 
“Don't worry, it’s just whisky and anyway I am done for the night,” he said and motioned his head to the door, “And either way you can get drunk here since you wouldn't have to call me. I am already here.” He said with a wink. My eyebrows crinkled in confusion and then horror hit me, no,no,no,no. He was surely lying; he was just doing his usual flirty thing. I took the drink and sipped, just so I could hide my face. Well atleast he did remember, the thought gave some unfortunate comfort.

“So will you get to business, or in your words, I'll have to tolerate an hour long of shit first?”

“I've to give you this” I said keeping the drink aside and searching for the card that I couldn't remember when I had put in some pocket. I found it and gave it to him. He sat next to me in the leather sofa that had drowned me in and started to open the purple, golden envelope.