A Twisted Tale

New Found Friendship

Meera's POV

It was almost three months now. Valerio and I have been working side by side and things have certainly been looking up for the two of us. He was ever the gentleman. Even Charles took a liking to him despite the rough start.

However, I couldn't say the same about Mark. I've barely seen him in the past few weeks. He's been making rounds in the news for resorting back to his Playboy ways. He has been away frequently on various business trips which was unusual. He wasn't the kind to stay away from home for a very long time. I somehow couldn't help the nagging feeling that I was responsible for his invisibility.

After our fight the other day, I haven't spoken to him about it. We didn't resolve anything and everyone around us could see the tension between the two of us. Martha tried to get us to talk but it was in vain. I wasn't ready to forgive him that easily because he crossed a line.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Valerio took my name. "Hey Val." I said as I hugged him. He gave me a chaste kiss before pulling away and settling down on one of the chairs. "What were you thinking about? You didn't even hear me come in." I sighed and said "I was thinking about Mark. He hasn't shown up to work on time in the past couple of days. I've been hearing about it from Charles. I tried calling him up but the call wasn't going through. I gave up after a few failed attempts. I am frustrated because it's been more than two weeks since I've laid my eyes on him. Last I heard, Leah told me that he was back from India but didn't bother coming to the office. Apparently he's been doing all the work from home. I think it's about time that I have a talk with him and sort this mess. This has gone too far and I am not going to take it anymore."

He took my hands in his and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Looks like you have a lot on your mind right now. Whatever is the issue between the two of you, it will resolve. You've been friends for a long time to let one misunderstanding ruin it. Now, how about you go meet Derek. He called me up and asked you to meet him for lunch because he has something important to share with you."

I smiled and nodded my head. Derek and Valerio have gotten extremely close during these three months. Derek and I had a good relationship from the start and it has only deepened with time. The two guys have been spending a lot of time together and it made me smile thinking that Valerio was getting my family's approval. But my smile faltered when I thought of Mark. I pushed aside that thought and grabbed on to my purse as we walked out of my office and towards the elevator.

I was so lost in thoughts when Valerio pulled me close to him and said "Careful, love." I looked behind and saw that I almost bumped into the huge mirror that was being carried into one of the conference rooms which was being renovated. "Always the damsel in distress, aren't you?" He said chuckling. I put my hands on his chest and laughed. We were laughing when the elevator door opened and Mark walked out.

My eyes widened in surprise but I was met with a disappointed look instead. I looked back at Val and pulled away slightly. I excused myself and called out his name. He didn't even slow down as he walked right into his office. I let out a frustrated breath as I walked back towards Val and we proceeded for lunch.

Val had to meet a client for business lunch so he was on his way there once we said our goodbyes. I took my time walking to the restaurant which was right around the corner. Derek was already at the restaurant waiting for me. I waved at him and then my eyes landed on a beautiful woman with green eyes and olive brown hair sitting right beside him. I walked up to them and hugged Derek. After I sat down, he made the introduction. "Meera, this is Liana, my girlfriend." I was taken by surprise. I said "Wow. Liana, you must be someone special because I never thought Derek would commit to a relationship. You my dear, have done the almost impossible." She laughed at that and said "I am privileged. He told me all about you lot. All good of course but he's mentioned on more than one occasion that he has two bitchy sisters having his back if I were to wrong him." I laughed and said "We're going to get along extremely well." We spoke for an hour about their relationship and I kept teasing Derek as I asked him about his experiences in this newfound relationship. When I watched the two of them banter, I was certain that they had a great chemistry. I was truly happy for Derek and I absolutely loved Liana. She was an amazingly light-hearted person. Exactly what he needed in his life.

After lunch, Liana and I exchanged numbers and promised that we would keep in touch and meet up frequently. I was full of smiles until I walked into the office. When I saw Mark seated on the couch waiting for me, my smile died on my lips. For the first time in my entire life I was awkward with him. I didn't know how to talk to him especially when his mood was volatile.

I approached him with a small smile on my lips and said "Hey, so you finally decided to grace me with your presence huh?" He looked up startled and smiled at me awkwardly. "Sorry about that. I was preoccupied with work." I couldn't take the awkwardness anymore so I plopped right beside him and took his hand in mine. " Alright, enough of this. I am sorry for being rude that night but you knew you were provoking me. I get it that you hate Valerio but he isn't a bad person. And putting everything else aside, I missed you badly. I want to be able to share every important thing with you. And I hate it when you're away." I finished.

"Awww. I didn't know that my pupper suffered from separation anxiety." He said. I punched him on his shoulder and laughed. "Jokes aside, you're right. I hate not having you around. I missed you too. And I see now that Valerio isn't the bad guy that I thought him to be. Everyone at home has been telling me that he's been very caring and chivalrous with you and extremely charming with mum. Claire still is slightly cautious and vowed to squeeze his balls till they turn blue if he ever hurt you but she too approves of him in her own twisted way. So I don't want to be the villain in your relationship. I seriously don't have a problem with him anymore. You can count on that." He said.

I smiled at him and took a deep breath. Finally my life was falling into place and I was happy with all the new friends and relationships I've made, or so I thought. Little did I know that everything would come crashing down very soon.