at him, then give the water my attention.
He sits beside me. “Why you so mad at me ?”
“Other than that you’re a pig?” I take a sip of my wine and bestow him a generic smile.
Of course, he doesn’t smile back.
“Maybe it’s because you caused me to lose my boyfriend whom I loved very much. And in the process I lost my best friend too. You engineered it so, that I lost them like that.” I snap my fingers. “How can I not be mad at you and want to kill you, huh?”
“Mff. I did you a favor, Tanin. He was cheating on you with two of your friends.”
My head jerks to look at him. “What?! Two? Which other friend? And how do you know all this?”
“The girl with the spikey …” He touches his hair.
I cock my head and look at him. “The girl with the …Alison? Thin …?”
“Ja, that’s the one.”
“You serious?”
He nods. “When you were not working, he’d pick her up. I watched him all the time. ”
I stare at my drink for a few moments as I digest his words. Then I look up at him. “You are such a liar, Tarago Jakoooobus. Ashwin loved me. He didn’t cheat on me.” I scramble to my feet and look at him, eyes blazing. “You are such a goddamn liar. You’re just a trouble maker. You saw how much we were in love and you decided that you wanted that too. Jealousy – that’s what it was. Pure jealousy. And you didn’t care who you hurt in the process.”
He shrugs. “Okay.” He takes a sip of his whisky.
“He did not cheat with Alison. He missed me and he…he …well, my absence, it drove him into the next best me – Rheema, my friend.”
“If you say so.”
“I say so.” For a few moments I glare at him, before I turn around and stomp off.
“Okay!” he calls out to me. “You should pay her a visit sometimes. If you can handle the truth.”
I pause, spin around to glare one more time at him, before I walk away.
If I can handle the truth. Mff!
****
Been waiting for more than an hour for her.
I am prepared to wait all day if I have to. I need to know. No matter how much it hurts, I’m the type that has to know.
I time it such that I bump really hard into her.
“Sorry!” I cry. “So sorry.” Then I look into the face of the woman I bumped and gasp. “Alison! Oh my God, it’s you!” I smile. “How are you? Lovely to see you again.”
“Hey, Tanin, good to see you again. How’ve you been?”
“I’m good, I’m good,” I say. “It’s been a while, right?”
“Yeah. Months.”
I touch her arm. “Hey, you wanna grab a coffee? I’ve got about ten minutes. My treat.”
Before she can protest, I lead her into a nearby coffee house.
We make some small talk, before I bring up Ashwin. “He’s getting married in less than three months,” I say. “Lucky me, I escaped the noose.” Big laugh.
She laughs too and I notice her shoulders relax.
“He was such a cheat!” I say as I spoon sugar into my coffee. “But then, I know that you too were a victim here, so …” I pause to throw out my hands.
“Ja, that’s true. He lied to me. Told me that you and him were in an open relationship, and that’s why I bothered with him. Told me all the things I wanted to hear and I trusted him.”
Tarago was right after all. Fuck!
I feel like I just swallowed a roll of sandpaper.
I spoon more sugar into my coffee and nod my head as she talks.
“I really like him, you know. Made me feel special. Talked about me meeting his family. He even sent me a ticket to visit him in London not long ago.”
“He sent you a ticket to…to London?”
“Ja, and it was a wonderful long weekend. Hey, that’s a lot of sugar you take in your coffee.”
I quickly put down my spoon.
“It was cold in London, so we spent most of the day in bed.”
I feel my hackles rise and I struggle to get my facial muscles to resemble a smile.
“We got wasted on champagne and …”
As she talks I zone out. Who the hell was Ashwin?
Why didn’t I take the time to look at him
He sits beside me. “Why you so mad at me ?”
“Other than that you’re a pig?” I take a sip of my wine and bestow him a generic smile.
Of course, he doesn’t smile back.
“Maybe it’s because you caused me to lose my boyfriend whom I loved very much. And in the process I lost my best friend too. You engineered it so, that I lost them like that.” I snap my fingers. “How can I not be mad at you and want to kill you, huh?”
“Mff. I did you a favor, Tanin. He was cheating on you with two of your friends.”
My head jerks to look at him. “What?! Two? Which other friend? And how do you know all this?”
“The girl with the spikey …” He touches his hair.
I cock my head and look at him. “The girl with the …Alison? Thin …?”
“Ja, that’s the one.”
“You serious?”
He nods. “When you were not working, he’d pick her up. I watched him all the time. ”
I stare at my drink for a few moments as I digest his words. Then I look up at him. “You are such a liar, Tarago Jakoooobus. Ashwin loved me. He didn’t cheat on me.” I scramble to my feet and look at him, eyes blazing. “You are such a goddamn liar. You’re just a trouble maker. You saw how much we were in love and you decided that you wanted that too. Jealousy – that’s what it was. Pure jealousy. And you didn’t care who you hurt in the process.”
He shrugs. “Okay.” He takes a sip of his whisky.
“He did not cheat with Alison. He missed me and he…he …well, my absence, it drove him into the next best me – Rheema, my friend.”
“If you say so.”
“I say so.” For a few moments I glare at him, before I turn around and stomp off.
“Okay!” he calls out to me. “You should pay her a visit sometimes. If you can handle the truth.”
I pause, spin around to glare one more time at him, before I walk away.
If I can handle the truth. Mff!
****
Been waiting for more than an hour for her.
I am prepared to wait all day if I have to. I need to know. No matter how much it hurts, I’m the type that has to know.
I time it such that I bump really hard into her.
“Sorry!” I cry. “So sorry.” Then I look into the face of the woman I bumped and gasp. “Alison! Oh my God, it’s you!” I smile. “How are you? Lovely to see you again.”
“Hey, Tanin, good to see you again. How’ve you been?”
“I’m good, I’m good,” I say. “It’s been a while, right?”
“Yeah. Months.”
I touch her arm. “Hey, you wanna grab a coffee? I’ve got about ten minutes. My treat.”
Before she can protest, I lead her into a nearby coffee house.
We make some small talk, before I bring up Ashwin. “He’s getting married in less than three months,” I say. “Lucky me, I escaped the noose.” Big laugh.
She laughs too and I notice her shoulders relax.
“He was such a cheat!” I say as I spoon sugar into my coffee. “But then, I know that you too were a victim here, so …” I pause to throw out my hands.
“Ja, that’s true. He lied to me. Told me that you and him were in an open relationship, and that’s why I bothered with him. Told me all the things I wanted to hear and I trusted him.”
Tarago was right after all. Fuck!
I feel like I just swallowed a roll of sandpaper.
I spoon more sugar into my coffee and nod my head as she talks.
“I really like him, you know. Made me feel special. Talked about me meeting his family. He even sent me a ticket to visit him in London not long ago.”
“He sent you a ticket to…to London?”
“Ja, and it was a wonderful long weekend. Hey, that’s a lot of sugar you take in your coffee.”
I quickly put down my spoon.
“It was cold in London, so we spent most of the day in bed.”
I feel my hackles rise and I struggle to get my facial muscles to resemble a smile.
“We got wasted on champagne and …”
As she talks I zone out. Who the hell was Ashwin?
Why didn’t I take the time to look at him
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