"Should I cancel the order if you are not feeling like going?" asks Jim while they both heads out the office towards his car.
"When did I said that?" she replies leaving the building and moving towards the parking.
Opening the car door for her he smiles and she gets in. "Being such a gentleman lately. What's happening?" she asks with a smirk.
He blushes and smiles, "What do you mean by lately? Have I been a caveman my entire life?" he says trying to hide his smile between his lips. He himself is unaware as to what is happening to him lately.
He took her to their favourite restaurant which is about ten minutes drive from her office. On reaching the place she smiles at his gesture and they both get inside the restaurant, took their seats and calls for the menu.
"Do we need the menu?" she says in a playful manner.
"I don't think so but still it feels nice to behave now as we are grown ups. Unlike when we come here in our college days and make chaos." they both laugh at those memories and how chaotic they were back then.
"Please get us our regular orders." says Jim smiling and handling the menu back to the waiter.
He looks puzzled maybe because he was a newbie.
"He is new I guess." Anna whispers.
Looking at him Anna smiles and hands over her card and asks him to show it to the manager. Waiter willingly takes the card and went to his manager. In the meantime they both looked around and talks about the changes in the decor, walls, furniture and everything they notice. Things have changed quite a lot since they last visited the place about one and a half year ago, right before Jim went on his concert world tour.
Finally their orders arrived and that same waiter brought it with a smile. Though Jim is a famous singer and songwriter he wears a mask and big shades when in public so no one can recognise him. Has he been with his bare face then he cannot spend even a second without the camera and paparazzi. He knows Anna is not kind of irritated by all this as it is a part of his life but at times he is with her he prefers a distance from all that.
As the waiter left he pulls down his mask and enjoyed his Spaghetti with hot sauce and chilled soda while Anna enjoys her mac and cheese with hot chocolate. They both smile at each other and nods as the taste is still the same which brings back old time memories.
The conversation and lunch finishes and they called for the bill when Anna's phone starts to ring. It is her secretary calling, "Yes !" she answers.
"Madam here is someone looking for you and is not ready to wait either." she says in a tensed voice.
Anna's intuition clicks that man to be Marcel but still shaking her thoughts off she asks in a stern voice, "Who the hell is that?"
Jim is also puzzled by her sudden change of tone and asks as what happened and she asks him to wait.
"Madam he told his name Marcel and he claims to know you yet he doesn't have any appointment so I asked him to either fix an appointment for tomorrow or to wait until your return. But... " she paused.
" But what Jenny? " asks Anna while her mind and body getting heated up with anger.
Sensing the situation to be serious from her expressions he quickly rushes out to the parking to get the car. While here the secretary replies, "He called the cops and now they are here too as he claims that you have kidnapped his son." in a scared and low voice.
" I'm coming. " says Anna. Calling the waiter for paying the bill but Jim already did it so she left while Jim awaits her.
"Drive as fast as possible." she says fastening her seat belt.
Reading her expression, he drove without asking any questions.
Arriving in the building the tensed environment was clearly sensed around. She rushed upstairs Jim followed her to the 5th floor at her main office floor and found 2 police officers standing near the reception while Marcel sitting at the couch eagerly waiting for.
She stops at the reception while officers and Jenny greets her and replies with a nod. She looks at Marcel and watching him sitting there waiting for her was a rare scenario. She wanted him to wait for her 7 years back but at that time he preferred to leave and today when she don't want to have anything with him he is waiting and the irony is he is waiting along the cops.
Jim is standing beside her looking at Marcel and trying to decide as to what to do now. He looks at her and she looks back with a side blink and a slight head nod to assure him to wait and watch as she has things under her control.
Clearing her throat loud enough for him to hear she asks the officers, "So what brings you here Officer?"
Marcel rushed towards her near enough hear each other breathing he friends at her and then asks the officers to arrest her. "She is the culprit who isn't giving me my child back." he said loudly to again create a scene.
"And do you have any evidences?" asks officer.
" Evidence? I'm the father I'm saying this so is it not enough? " he says desperately.
Looking at him show says, " It is the real world night your fairytale. And real world works in a different manner. You know evidences, alibi etc etc. " with a smirk.
" You can ask the hospital staff they themselves told me she is not allowing me to take the child. "
" But Sir why would she have to do this? Do you know each other? " asks one of the officer.
Anna prefers not to answer it while Jim standing there burning with anger as to when he get a chance he could crush his mouth.
" Yes I know her very well. She is a crazy wench who can do anything she wants. She wants to have me back in her life and for that she can go any measures. Who knows she can even kill someone. " he says ignorantly as to where is he standing and what nonsense he is uttering.
Jim cannot take anymore of it so he just got hold of him and punched him hard enough to fall back with s bleeding nose. Anna stood still at his words, fuming with anger she watches Jim and did not stop him. Officer held Jim back and asks him to relax while the other officer helped Marcel to get up from the floor.
The hall is filled with employees peeking from here and there. Anna's pride is being hurt by all this as she had always kept a thick line between work and her personal life but today the worst part of her life is being showcased like this in front of everyone in her own office. It is unbearable for her but still she is willing to see how far his inconsistency reach.
His nose is bleeding but his mouth is not still shut. Covering his nose with the handkerchief he says, "Now she is using force as you can see officer. But I'm not giving up unless and until I get my son back."
She looks the other way, scratching the back of her neck with a smirk.
"Officer please help this person out so that we can get to work. He had already wasted so much of our time." Anna says looking at them. She can feel Jim's questioning eyes but she knows that he will not ask for explanation at this moment. He may be confused at the situation but he knows that she is not guilty here. Looking at him she can see clearly in his eyes all those questions but also a calm and supportive shine in them, assuring her to be at peace as he is here with him. Jim is standing near her to protect her if Marcel tries to harm her.
Taking a deep breath Anna says, "Officer so please carry on and so for what you came here."
She was expecting them to investigate it arrest her but to her amaze the reply was an irony.
"We are doing our work Ms. Anna. Were did came with this person but to make sure that he does goes out of line. We earlier visited with him to the hospital and had investigated with the doctors he told us about. They showed us all the required evidences to assure us that his wife and child are in safe hands and you have been taking care of them financially since past 6 months. There was nothing related to kidnapping at all as it is an open case of charity. But he keeps on behaving nuts so to make sure he is within limits and no one is harmed we accompanied him here. You don't need to worry about the case. "officer assured her.
She looking at him gives a smile that looks wicked but to him only, silently saying that, " Now what? " . And in a moment he leads towards her and held her throat tightly enough making her choke. Jim and officers caught hold of him and pulls him away from her. Jim held her hand to support her.
But those few seconds when he held her throat, she saw his eyes blinded with fury and doubts for her. The hatred can be seen clearly and the way he looks at her make her want to die. She still cannot figure out the reason behind this immense hate that he had for her.
"Are you all right?" Jim asks taking her towards the chair and making her sit.
"Yeah." she replies slowly. Then officers cuffed Marcel and move towards the exit when Anna calls out, " Officer kindly take him to the hospital and make sure he gets his son from there. " Nodding to her they left.
Getting up from the chair she lifted her eyes and giving a quick look around she noticed everyone witnessed this chaos with all ears and eyes.
"Anna let's call it a day." Jim says looking at her trying to divert her mind.
She looks at him and her face is paler than ever, dull as if she has no life in her and her eyes lost their light which was much bright an hour ago when she was enjoying the lunch with him. His heart ached for her. Without saying anything she left towards her room and Jim silently follows her.
He wants to comfort her in any possible way but he also knows that her mind and heart doesn't find comfort easily when her pride is hurted. She opens the door and close it behind her leaving him outside. He moves forward touches the door with his head dropped.
"Why can't you tell me anything? Why is he still capable of hurting you to this extent? Why are you so harsh on yourself?" he whispers.
Sun goes down and the employees left, only they are in the building now. Anna didn't opened the door since she went inside and Jim didn't left either. He is marching outside the door slowly and silently. Everytime when someone came he send them away but he himself keeps waiting for her.
The clock shows 7pm and she has been there since afternoon.
"It's high time now I should call out to her. She wants some lonesome time but !" he suddenly stop at his own thought. "What if she has done something to herself? No.... she is not that kind of girl." his expression keeps changing from worried to serious, from patient to anxious when suddenly the door opens.
"Don't you have home or work? Why wasting your time like this?" she says looking at him with empty eyes.
She is trying to sound easy so that he may not worry about her but Jim can't be misguided with these tricks of her. "Oh ! Finally you are out. My legs froze waiting for you." he says mischievously.
" I don't ask you to. Jim you should have left. Why bother yourself so much. " saying this she steps forward but he rushes fast and stood in front of her.
" What now? " she asks forcing a smile.
Looking at her he moves towards her and embraced her softly in his arms. Her hands still down lifeless but he keeps her in his arms while slowly moving his hand on her head. She is trying hard not to broke down in front of him again but his warmth is making her feel like home. His heart is racing against his will so he closed his eyes but this time he didn't make it his weakness and didn't let her go.
"I'll take you home." he says opening his arms slowly.
Looking at him with test eyes she smiled. Taking her hand in his her moves towards the parking and they left together.