A Photograph

Chapter 4

I chew on my delicious lunch as I watch Alf telling Ellie about the photographs. Her expressions are nothing less than a comedy show right now. She changed her expression more than twenty times in the last two minutes.

"Oh!" She says when she finishes telling her the story. All the funny play of expressions gone and she looks so serious that I stopped chewing and looked at her with curiosity.

"When -" before I could hear what she had to say my phone started ringing. I quickly wipe my hands against Alfie's jeans to which he makes a gagging sound and pick up the phone.

"Hello?" No reply?

"Hello?" I speak again. "Anyone there?" Just as I am about to cut the call I hear someone breathing.

"Who's this?" I question, angrily this time.

"The guy whose life you decided to meddle in."

"Does that guy have a name?"

"You must be aware of that. Since you already happen to create some fake photographs using photoshop or whatever it is called." He said in a perilous tone.

Zach. It's him. I checked my screen to make sure and it was him.

"I don't think leaking such a fake picture would create any problem. And I am sure you will be fine with it, won't you?"

"What do you want? Money? A house? An autograph?"

"Why the hell would I want any of those? You might be the person who runs after such things, not me." I reply to him while getting up and signaling Ellie and Alf to follow me. I walk over to the stairs. Since everyone in this building is hella busy, the stairs are always vacant. A good place to go and do anything you don't do in public.

"Then why do you want? A night, perhaps?" He asked sarcasm dripping out of his voice.

"Oh yeah, I would very much enjoy a calm night in my bed, sipping on my hot chocolate, watching the news with them revealing your cheater personality to the world. So? When can I get it?" I say in glee and sit on one of the stairs.

"You do realize it won't take much of an effort from my side to change your decisions. If not temptation, then threat would definitely work." Came his voice with a hint of maliciousness in it.

"I think you should know that I am a journalist. These pictures would be on TV and the Internet even before you can call for some help, which you most definitely want right now."

"Not so true to profession, are you? These pictures would have been in the news by now if you wanted seeing the fact that the pictures were captured yesterday." He said in a calculating voice.

"Hey! I didn't know you had that!"

"Had what?" Now he sounds puzzled.

"Brain. I just want to meet you for an hour."

"You are not one of the crazy psycho fangirls, are you?" He asked, genuinely confused.

"Not on your nelly."

"Doesn't look like that." He mutters. "Why do you want to meet me?"

"Do you or do you not want to end this?" I look up when I feel someone nudge me. Alfie and Ellie both look at me impatiently. I signal them to wait for two more minutes.

"Okay. I'll meet you. But if the pictures get out or if you try to play dirty, trust me there won't be something you would regret more than this." He waits for a second to go back to his normal voice from the oh-so-scary one. "I'll text you the time and venue later. Oh and try not to use your personal numbers in such cases. You can be stalked badly." Before I could reply, I hear the beep meaning he cut the call! Some manners he has, I think shaking my head.

I turn off the screen and absorb whatever happened just now. I never thought it would be that easy to convince him to meet me. But he doesn't sound like the saint guy too. I don't think If I were in his place I would've given in so easily. Then why has he? He's already known for his playboy ways. So it's not like it'll be something new. Maybe he loves Kim and doesn't want her to know? Fearing that she would leave him. But if he loved her then why would he cheat on her in the first place? He himself confessed that he's dating Kim, so it can't be a misunderstanding. I breathe out irritatingly and put my head on my knees.

After two minutes or so, I look up and see both of them patiently waiting for me to say something.

"He agreed to meet me. I'll interview him and then delete the pictures. If he tries to do something funny, I'll leak those pictures."

"When are we going to meet him?" Alfie asks.

"We? I will meet him alone. You don't have to get involved in this mess. And he'll text me the address."

"No, you aren't meeting him alone. Get that straight. And how in hell he has your number?"

"He called me on my phone, didn't he? Also, I texted him with the same phone." I say, moving my phone in front of him.

"You shouldn't have done that! You should've been careful."

"I agree with him. If you are going to do something stupid, at least do it without any stupidity."

"That doesn't even make sense Ellie."

"It does."

Before we could get into a fight, I receive a text from Zach. I quickly open it.

*Tonight, 8 pm. Hotel Muse. Don't be late.*

"He's asking me to come today." I tell them and show them the text.

"But we planned for a movie, tonight." Ellie says frowning.

"I'll ask him to postpone." I tell her and quickly type back the reply.

*Not free. Tomorrow?*

This was the politest statement I could type.

Within a minute comes his reply.

*Important meeting. Day after tomorrow then?*

"Okay. I'll decide the place."

"Paranoid much?"

"You wish."

"It's done. We'll go for a movie tonight and I'll meet him the day after tomorrow."