An Arranged Affair

chapter 42 - a best friend to the rescue

“Oi earth to Tori, earth to Tori, what’s the matter meri jain? You’ve been acting weird these past few days.

Simmi snapped her fingers in front on my face interrupting my blank stare into  space.

“Nothing, mere dil, just stressed  about the exams.” I said blinking eyes.

“Jhoot. Its more than that. Whats up? It doesn’t take a genius to know somethings not alright. Batau!”

I looked up from my notepad that I had been doodling on aimlessly. She was right. Things were not alright.

I had hoped by now Phillip  would have apologized, at least said something. But it had been almost a week and there had been nothing.

I could barely look at him without feeling hurt.

He should have believed me, but he didn't and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be with someone who would always  double guess me.

“Phillip and I had a fight,” I mumbled.

“Holy shit, no way, a few days ago you guys were all lovey dovey kissy face. What happened?”

‘His best friend basically branded me a prostitute and Phillip didn’t believe me when I told him what happened.”

The memories of what he had done in the car came flooding back and I guess I must have been blushing because Simmi jabbed me hard .

“What else? You're not telling me everything!”

I folded my arms on the table and buried my head into them.

“He touched me….down there…but it wasn’t just touching…”

“Holy fuck! Did he get you off? Shit girl, how was it… the first time is always amazing, like a drug  that you want more and more of.”

I looked up at het, tears I had held back for so many days fell freely.

“I don’t know  what I'm  doing anymore Simmi, I want so badly for him to apologize- I need him to! I don’t know if I want to be  with someone who doesn’t believe me, who won't believe me when  things  get bad. I’ve been sleeping in the spare room for the past few days. Its so stupid, I miss him so much but I'm so mad with him.  Why does it hurt  so much?”

“I dunno mere jain,” she said as she cradled my head on her chest. “Boys are stupid shits.”

I chuckled a bit. Simmi could always cheer me up but even this time she couldn't break the icy mood that  had swallowed my heart.

“ I don’t even care that he didn’t believe me, hell, if he said the same thing about you, I wouldn’t believe him, the worst part is that even after all this time he doesn’t trust me, and that’s what hurts the most.” I told her, bawling my eyes out and suddenly I hated what I had become.

‘Hey I gotta go, I promised Dad I’d get some supplies for the restaurant. Cover for me for the lectures?” she said after my tears ad finally dried up.

“ Sure, but are you free Sunday afternoon? If things don’t get any better I was thinking about getting my car from my parents and moving my stuff into the spare room. I don’t know how long I can live like this, but if this is it, I’d better get used to it. “

Simmi’s POV

I sat in the reception area tapping my hands on my knapsack.

The office was impressive, cold hard lines and neutral tones that were softened by exquisite artwork.

Behind the wall in an acrylic 3D cutout lined with LED lights was the company name.

VL Industries.

The receptionist was polite and neatly dressed, with a severe and painful looking ponytail. She smiled at me as I waited.

I was going to sit and wait all day if that’s what it took.

And I was determined to meet him.

I waited patiently for over an hour, the minutes ticking by on the clock on the wall, my tapping matching the slow movements of the second hand and after a while I could tell I was annoying the frigid looking receptionist.

That was some hell of a meeting.

And then I saw him, smiling as he shook hands with a rather distinguished looking gentleman in a very expensive looking suit. He kept on smiling as he led the man out the door, and I had to admit that as he walked and talked I admired his physique and form, in his well fitted suit and clean shave, no wonder my best friend had fallen hard.

“ Simmi? A pleasure to see you here. How can I help ? has something happened?”

“ can we go to your office to talk? I am pretty sure what I have to say you wont want as common office gossip.” I said eyeing his receptionist, who was trying to be discrete as she eavesdropped on our conversation.

He nodded and led me to his office and as soon as the door closed I ripped into him.

‘ Who the fuck do you think you are? Doing that to Tori look you piece of chicken shit, you better make things right with her.”

‘ Why the fuck should I take any of your advice? The last time we met I had to stick my fingers down your throat so you didn’t die of an overdose.”

“ if it weren’t for Tori, I would have probably OD’ed on something else, in my room with no one to save me or worse ! I would be off back to fucking India to me married off! She is my best friend and  owe her my life, I owe both of you! And her heart is breaking all because you two are both as stupidly stubborn as each other. She is too sweet, too nice for this to be happening to her.”

“ Well then she could just come back and talk to me.”

“ Well why don’t you talk to her? Its YOUR stupid shit friend that started all this. You don’t get it do you?  She’s in love with you, you stupid shit! I’ve seen the way she stares at you. She wants you to be her first , her last and her only. But  if you don’t start trusting her then she is going to shut you out to protect her from getting more hurt.”

“what do you mean? What’s she going to do?”

“ She wants to move her stuff out of your room and get her old car. I doubt that tin can even starts anymore.”

“ She what?”

“ You heard me. You better fix this or you will lose her.”

‘ But the prenup, the agreement…”

‘ that’s the whole fucking problem. You have an agreement that is like a gun to her head. She loves you, but she also loves her family. She will stay, she will meet her end of the agreement, she already has, but she’s already started to convince herself that you don’t love her and that it wont work and she will shut you out.

The biggest thing you don’t get is that she wasn’t raised like the girls your used to fucking.

She wont argue back, she won’t disagree but she will carry all of this inside her and it will slowly wear her down.

And she won’t me the Tori I know anymore.

All because her useless gobbar of a husband refused to take her side in an argument.”

‘ Richard would never lie to me!”

‘ yeah, well neither would Tori. Do something , anything, but fix it! Come-on man, I am totally rooting for you two to work things out . I can't stand seeing her like this. You used to make her happy, so please , make her happy again!”

‘ And what if I don’t? I mean, is that girl really worth all this trouble?’

‘ You take that back!” I hissed at him, I wanted to wring his beck and knee him in the balls. “ You two are married…MARRIED! You took your vows around the havan, in front of your family and friends and the gods and you want to treat it like a disposable napkin? Just wipe your arse on it and walk away? That would be easy wouldn’t it? But I’ve got news for you, mess with my friend and you mess with me.

Tori may be miss super sweet sugarplum fairy but I am not, and I know enough people to make your life miserable.  I mean for fucks sake, she still checked up on you even though  you  were dead to the world drunk after your argument! What more do you need from her?”

‘ Well if you were that capable  then why didn’t you do something about your cheating ex?"

“ This isn’t about me,  karma will take care of that bastard, this is about you and Tori and  am trying to help you fix it before you both destroy something that could be great! I don’t care how you do it, just make things right with her!”