'Is she gonna confess her love?' My heart skips a beat with excitement.
My mind reprimands, 'But according to her, you have a son, she would never do that,'
"What do-"
"Please don't interrupt."
I resume my silence. This isn't going to end well for me.
"I dared to ask you for marriage."
'Should I propose to you now in order to entice you to return to me?' I didn't ask out loud.
"It was simple for me to build trust in you."
'Then how did you assume I'd moved on?'
"I have immense respect for you."
'I know that. 'ji' zoned for life.'
"You have never expected anything from me."
'Now I expect you to return to my life and stay for the rest of my life.'
"I've never felt self-conscious around you. To be honest, I felt really comfortable with you."
'Nonetheless, you are determined about keeping your distance from me.'
"You are the most ideal life partner anyone could have."
'Anyone?'
"But it was because of me that your life was ruined. You would have happily married someone if I hadn't wreaked havoc on your life."
'Ruined?'
"Even though we only lived together for a short period, I know we made good memories. It's undeniable that we've grown accustomed to one other's presence. That is why I made certain to take all of my belongings so that none of them would haunt you. I assumed you'd move on in a few months. But you didn't move on still. Why?"
'Finally, you figured out the truth? I am waiting for you damn it.'
"Because I'm responsible for this, I'd like to make it clear to you: if you're worried that you don't have the right qualities to be a life partner, don't be. I believe addressing this can benefit you in moving forward. You are entitled to the best. Please move on with your life and start a new one." Saying these words her eyes fill with tears automatically, she quickly turns away to hide that. She is wiping away her tears.
"Why do you think I don't deserve you?" I finally asked, moving towards her.
"Because I'm not the best," she replies as she turns to face me.
"The only thing you didn't realize and understand is I won't be the best for anyone other than you."
"But you're the best, you even helped me when I was a stranger."
"That's what I'm saying; it happened solely for you. I'm not the type to offer support to random strangers."
"When I first met you, you even helped an old man in the airport. Remember?"
"He collapsed near my car door and asked for assistance. If they don't ask, I never help them. I'm the one that won't even ask, 'May I assist you?' out of politeness. But, despite your rejection and harshness, I accompanied you. I don't stand up to individuals and fight for what I believe is right; instead, I simply ignore them.
But I only did it for you. You can tell me a hundred things about myself that I'm great at, and I'll tell you how it's always about you.
My heart already knew it, but before I could understand it, evaluate it thoroughly, and come to a conclusion, you left. JUST LIKE THAT."
For the next five minutes, the room is deafeningly quiet.
"Do you remember? I told you I ran away from my marriage," I tried once more to persuade her.
"You didn't want to wreck her life since you weren't interested in marriage."
"Have you ever wondered why I said yes to you in the first place? Why would I run away if I have the ability to marry a stranger? I've never thought of marriage as a joke. For me, it's also not a game. That is why I have not given decision-making authority to anyone else."
She goes two minutes without saying anything.
She begins speaking before I can exhale a sigh of relief that I have persuaded her, "Okay... I never wanted to tell anyone about it.
But after hearing all of this, I believe I should share it with you.
I was in love with someone, and even though he dumped me, I couldn't let go. That's why I wasn't prepared for marriage. The truth is that I still solely have feelings for him. I basically used you to avoid getting married. Isn't it obvious that I haven't done any good for you? Simply just used you. "
'Shouldn't I kill her for this? This is going on a high level.'
"You sure?" I ask, trying to calm down my outraged thoughts. "You sure? You haven't done any good for me?"
"Pretty sure."
"Why did you convince my sister?"
"I was just guilty."
"My mother? Our distance was not your fault anyways."
"I would have done that for Sheraz too. No big deal"
"Who is Sheraz to you?"
"My best friend"
"Me? Did you consider me just a best friend?"
She is completely silent. My first victory.
"Why do you wanna convince me to move on now? Why are you so concerned about my life? You abandoned me with no reason."
"It had already been decided and promised. I kept my promise. That was something you wanted me to do, too."
"I had no intention of letting you go. You shattered my heart by fulfilling your promise. You said you'd never separate me from my loved ones. Then why did you do it?"
She goes silent again. My second victory.
I move closer to her, but she retreats. She comes to a halt as she reaches the wall, and I take a position a few inches away from her.
"Who am I to you?"
I noticed her scrambling for an answer to convince me., "My Ex-husband".
'Smart. But My! - your habit is getting you caught.'
"What's the personal relationship between us now?" I make every effort to frame the question correctly because if I question, 'What's our relationship now?' she'll readily respond, 'I'm her client.'
"There is no personal relationship between us; you are simply a client till your project is completed."
I smirk. Ignoring her defense, I grasp her right hand, slide her bangles aside, and remove her watch. I keep it in her left hand and close it. Her face turns pale.
"You have five minutes to come up with a new reason for this." I tease her, pointing to the bracelet in her right hand.
She is lost in contemplation, fidgeting with her bracelet.
"I used to avoid responsibilities, but you have inspired me to be more responsible. But it was not out of a sense of obligation that I cared for you. Don't be silly, I don't need your things to remember you."
"Have you ever removed this?" I ask, moving closer and grabbing her hand to keep her from fidgeting.
She nods slowly No.
"Why?"
She remained silent.
"I don't care what I deserve, but I don't need it if it's not you."
I take off the bracelet and show her. Behind the bracelet, Ever Yours - Shahrul is etched inside a little heart. Her eyes widen in amazement.
"I'm hoping you understand what that means. You understand everything without having to explain it, but when it comes to me, you make assumptions and make decisions based on them. What was the reason for that? Please understand that I have no room in my life for anyone other than you, whether you return or not. I'M YOURS, it's as simple as that."
"Then why haven't you contacted me at all?" She's about to burst into tears.
"Because I was furious with you. I'm still enraged. Was it simple for you to abandon me? Is it true that I am unimportant to you? Are you sure you don't need me?"
She becomes silent again.
I can't take any more silence from her. "Just look at me and tell me the truth once."
There is no response from her.
'She'd burst into tears; you can't stand that kind of pain. Let this go immediately without any further arguments. If destined, she will come back,' my heart whispers.
"You tried everything you could to persuade me to move on. Your efforts have amazed me. You deserve applause for that" I mock her by clapping my hands. "But my decision is final. We have nothing to speak further. Bye. I have to leave now."
On saying bye to her my eyes quickly filled with tears, turning my back to her, I walk out.
She comes up behind me calling, "Shahrul ji."
I come to a halt and wipe away the tears before they fall. She turns me to face her, holding my right hand.
"I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you," she says, her eyes welling up with tears. "But I chided myself, reminding myself that it was only my selfish thoughts because I enjoyed being in your companionship. I didn't want you to ever be alone, so I convinced your mother. I didn't intend to break your heart; I want you to be happy."
"Who am I to you?" I ask politely again.
"My life partner," she says as she moves closer and wraps her arms around me, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Even though I adore your boldness, your independent attitude, your ever-smiling face, I couldn't endure the truth that you don't need me in your life, and it was simple for you to leave me and stay away from me," I say as I clutch her tightly in my arms.
"Trust me, it wasn't as easy as I pretended," she says as she wipes her tears away.
"Every now and then, your mind tells you to do stupid, daring things like that. I understand. You've mastered the art of pretending to be fine."
"I won't repeat this." She extends the bracelet towards me, "Can you replace this in its place, my saiyaan ji?" she asks, a mischievous grin on her face.
After locking the bracelet in her right hand, I grab her hands and drive her to the corner of the hall, "I won't even let you repeat this." I arrest her on the wall by keeping my hands on either side, leaving her hands free. "How will you leave now?" I ask as I get closer to her and also can feel her fairly breathing normally.
'She will be the most unromantic person ever, according to romantic movies. Being close to me should make her nervous and shy, and her heartbeat should be racing. She should have kissed me on the cheeks to move away. No, she is calmer and more at ease when she is with me. My Hitler for a reason. Also, I feel this to be more realistic and intimate than those.'
"Shahrul ji," she says softly, in a low passionate husky voice hardly audible above a whisper, "do you know what I love the most about you?"
'Wow, is my Hitler romantic? Did I say something out loud, thinking it was my mind's voice? Is it telepathic waves, as depicted in romantic movies?'
I excitedly concentrate on her.
She approaches closer to me with her eyes locked on me, I go blank and move backward about an inch, and my grip on the wall loosens. I pull my hands away making a painful screech as she rolls my moustache. She moves away from me.