Rosa's Affair

CHAPTER 17(a)

Around 9:00 pm, all four of us were in the kitchen pulling out things to make a good dinner.

"Am not a good cook and if anyone dies of food poisoning, don't point your fingers on me," warned Jasper as he walked past Jacob.

Jacob shrugs at Jasper's announcement and starts slicing the meat. Though Kiran was leaning against the counter without any interest, my troublemaker's full attention was on me.

"Let me do it, Jacob. Kiran is not much of a fan of cooking," I said taking the sliced meat from Jacob's hand. Jacob and I did all the cooking whereas the two friends did the sortings at the dining table. A candle was placed at the centre of the table which was lighted by Jasper. After placing all the delicious foods, we took our seats around the table. Jacob sat across me and the friends sat on either side of me.

"Do you like it Rose?" asked Jasper pointing his eyes at the candle. "So, Rose...my honey, how is married life? Any new treatments from your born-sick lover?" I took a glance at Jacob and sat in silence not knowing what to say to Jasper.

"It's...good!" I answered after a slight pinch from Kiran which didn't go unnoticed by Jacob.

"You are very quiet, everything all right between you two?" Jasper asked me and Kiran without caring about his own worry.

"Do I want to kick you out?" boomed Kiran. "How could you ask everything okay between us? Don't you know about us?"

"Kir..." Jasper tried to calm Kiran but it was no use as the next few words from Kiran knocked the air out of our lungs.

"Apart from sex, everything is good between us," said Kiran and I knocked a glass of water on the table.

We three sat in silence watching Kiran. "Nothing is written on my face, have your dinner in silence Jasper!" mumbled Kiran and we three took our eyes from my sweetheart.

"Wait, where are you going?" Jasper exclaimed when Jacob stood from his chair not caring about his meal.

"I'm done! Thanks," he said to Jasper and walked away leaving the three of us at the table.

"He should have more food, I don't think he has eaten anything," said Jasper to no one in particular and sighed heavily leaning his head on the chair. "Good way to ruin a nice dinner!" added Jasper.

"Ah, I see my wishes were fulfilled," grinded Kiran looking at me and Jasper.

Why? my eyes questioned Kiran.

You know it, answered Kiran's smile. "Rose, have the food and come back to our room not wandering anywhere, I am taking my leave first," Kiran walked away leaving us both at the dining table.

I had my food in silence not caring about Jasper. "Rose...What's meant by...my wishes were fulfilled?" asked Jasper pointing at the chair Kiran sat moments ago.

"Jasper...I'm..."

"Kiran hasn't changed a single bit, In my estimation, Kiran...is viewing you as a prized possession from school days and...that's the source of trouble. Any way you can deal with that..."

"Japer! Tell me...what's the problem? Am asking the real one, not the story you created for Kiran. What's wrong?"

"If I say I have become a father, can you believe it?"

"What?" my eyes bulged out hearing his senseless words.

Jasper poured a glass full of apple juice and drank it slowly, I waited for him to finish it. Whenever he is nervous, he takes his time in drinking any liquid food. But I have witnessed him being nervous only once and that's when he broke-up with Malar. If I go back, it's been years and both Jasper and Malar had moved on. So...now what happened to this cheerful guy?

Jasper wiped his hand with the tissue and cleathed his head with his both hands.

"Jas..."

"It's been years Rose. But it's still in my memory!" he turned his chair facing me and took my hand in his. "Tell me, Rose? What have we learned in our childhood?"

"Childhood?"

"The fruit of love is...loyalty and it is the most sincere form of affection, isn't what we have learned Rose?" Asked Jasper and I removed my hand from his hold without his notice. Wrong move, wrong time and wrong person, yet... "Rose! When I dated Malar, she had the fruit of my love and later on...what happened, she cheated on me with... and that's what I thought, but before two years I realised she wasn't that kind of person, so using some resources I did a background check and do you know what I came to know?"

"Did your..."

"Yes! My dad happened...he threatened her whole family. Without my dad's knowledge, I dated her again and...I also married her..."

"What? You married Malar?" I couldn't hide my shock for a split second.

"He somehow found everything and it was a mess now."

"So...the baby..."

"Huh? Did you believe that? Ohh...please Rose, grow up. I don't have a baby and am not in the mood to make her a mother at this tender age. We need time to love each other more, the years I have missed, I want to live again with her...so, babies can wait for now."

"Babies?"

"Do you think I want only one kid? Besides..."

"Jasper! So what's the problem now?"

"I'm jobless and Malar is working, we need time to settle ourselves I guess...and my dad warned me to divorce her."

"Divorce?"

"That bitch fiancee of mine is giving the key to my dear father and he is believing her blindly. I will skin her alive one day, just wait and see Rose."

"So...finally you have found your love Jasper, am happy for you!" I said cheerfully.

"Keep it as a secret until I clear all my mess, will you do that for me?"

"Jas..."

"I have an interview to attend the day after tomorrow, till that I need this place to stay, my dad has frozen my cards."

I smiled at him seeing his courage. He married her despite all the protest. Jasper is a rich heir to an empire whereas Malar is the exact opposite, though they have broken their relationship during school days, now they are together. How come they have this cute courage. He is jobless, she is a middle-class woman with no support from her family yet the love they share is awe-inspiring. I remember how heartbroken Jasper was when he learned about Malar and the other guy. Maybe too much misunderstanding created by his rich father. In Jasper's story, though Akbar had separated Salim and Anarkali, in the end, they had come out from the clutches of Akbar with their strong love and loyalty, but...what would happen in my story?

"Goodnight Rose! Am tired, going to bed."

Jasper didn't wait for my reply and went in the direction of his bedroom.

The fruit of love is loyalty...it doesn't work this way in my story, though I have complete agreement on this concept. Now my love has marched in the direction of Jacob and my loyalty stayed behind my lawfully wedded partner. Though it seems chaotic and logical, it happens according to the law of nature.

I sat up in the bed and looked around for the water bottle, the clock read 1:12 am and when I found no bottle in sight, I threw off my blanket and tumbled out of bed walking towards Jacob's room. I thought about last night, before coming to bed Jacob warned me to be careful as we have an additional cat in the house. When I entered his room, the sight was marvellous. Jacob's room glittered in red eye-soring light and he stood in the middle of the room with a towel wrapped around his lower half. The freshwater droplets were still running down his elegant hair. He didn't notice me as he was standing facing the other side. I licked my lips one last time to refill my energy and walked towards him without making any noise.

"Rosa...caught you!" he said, dropping the towel from his body. Though I want to roam my eyes on his ravishing body, somehow my heart told me to look into his exquisite eyes. As if hearing my heart's pleading he turned around and kissed my cheek gently removing my t-shirt in the process.

"Perfect!" I smiled looking at his foxy eyes.