Love Short Story – Lethal Desirability
Photo credit: solrac_gi_2nd from morguefile.com
She zipped up her jeans, and hurried out. The elevator was out of order and she was four floors up, with a swollen ankle and a throbbing headache, but she had no choice. She had to get moving and she was running out of time. By the time she reached outside the apartment, he was gone, and she limped behind his vehicle which was zooming in the crowded city street, shouting out for him.
She stood on the middle of the road, panting and puffing for air. She walked back to the apartment with intolerable pain and horrible looking ankle, she noticed the watchman staring at her. She hired an auto rickshaw to the clinic nearby. The doctor examined her ankle, like an aged person trying to read a medicine manual. He looked rather smart, a little older than her, but good material.
“I think it’s a fracture. You will have to get an X-Ray done, that will confirm it. If it is a fracture, then we will plaster it.” He scribbled something into a white piece of sheet and handed it over to her.
Wonderful, she thought, now she will have to spend the rest of the days with a humungous white blob of plaster on her leg. She dialed his number, it was switched off. What a fool she had been, to have made him angry. Maybe it was too soon to talk about getting hitched. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so aggressive, maybe she should have watched the step; at least she wouldn’t have had to spend rest of the days at home, with one leg!
The casting made it even more difficult to walk. She spent an entire week by herself, on extra scoops of Chocolate Fudge, and huge helpings of home delivered pizzas and pastas. There were days when she used to doze off on her couch, leaving the television on, or the main door open; and her neighbor used to walk in to remind her and reprimand her for her irresponsible behavior.
It was around 10 a.m., when her mobile rang, waking her up in a start; she pushed aside the slice of pizza from the couch to the floor, and searched for her phone, which seemed to have hidden itself very well, under a heap of unwashed clothes. She saw the caller’s name on the screen and smiled. It was him, after a week, he was calling to check on her. She tapped on the answer button, and waited for him to speak first. That would help her recognize his temperament at that moment.
She heard his deep, hoarse voice from the other end of the line and wept. He asked her to meet him at the coffee shop near his office post lunch. With only a few words, he hung up, as she sat with the phone against her ear, waiting for his voice to seep through the phone, into her ears, which apparently wasn’t going to happen. But there sure was something better in store, she was about to meet the love of her life, after an entire dull and lonesome week. However, there had been no mention about her broken ankle, and she didn’t want to bother him about it, worried where he might cancel the meet and ask her to rest at home.
She dressed herself with a red spaghetti tee-shirt and knee length denim skirt. She opted for a matching red ballerina, which unfortunately could be worn on her left foot only. Her makeup was minimal, he liked to keep it simple, and she left her hair loose. Though she stood on one leg, she looked attractive, and was sure about him falling in love with her again. She hired a cab from her apartment and reached the café much before the fixed time. Looking at her injured leg, the management of the café, quickly made her comfortable by providing her a corner table, with a sofa and soft cushions. She kept glancing at the door, her mobile and the clock. He was late, but he came.
He looked blissful in his full arm white shirt, folded till a little below his elbow and pale blue denim jeans. He spotted her immediately and placed himself on the sofa opposite to her. He had a grim expression and didn’t say anything more than a “Hi”.
She watched him closely, as he avoided eye contact and called for the attendant and ordered a glass of chilled café latte, and looked at her assuming she would have decided on her drink. She randomly picked a drink from the menu card and ordered, more interested in knowing the reason behind his peculiar behavior.
He observed the plaster and remarked on how funny her leg looked, with only one shoe on it. She was taken aback by his insensitive comment. She had expected him to be a little more considerate about her condition. Seeing her looking at him perplexed and furious at the same time, he smiled and said
“You look very pretty. I’m sorry about your ankle. You should have told me. I would have helped.”
She was happy for those few words he said, but felt the coldness and distance in his tone.
She tried to start a conversation, when the server interrupted and placed the two glasses of beverages in front of them. He took a sip from his liquid refreshment and looked up. The purpose of the meet was not yet disclosed, and she waited patiently till he said what he wanted to. All she thought of was to spend the rest of her life with him. Very discreetly he removed an envelope from his laptop bag, and placed it on the table. She looked at him confused, and as she read the fine print on the card, her eyes grew wide, shocked and made her speechless.
In front of her sat the engagement invitation card of him with another woman. She rested her back on the sofa, as tears welled up her eyes, pleading for an explanation. He looked at her and said,
“I told you we do not have a future. I enjoyed your company at all times. But that’s it. We can’t take it any further. This girl whom I will be engaged to marry, is from a very affluent family, and my parents are very happy with her. You come from a broken home, staying alone in a city. You do not even know where your parents are. How could I have spoken about you to my parents? I hope you understand this and stop pestering me about marriage. We can be in touch, in relation even after my wedding. I will keep you happy, get whatever you want.”
She sat staring at him, listening to the string of words coming from him made her ears blister. She realized what had she been for him, all this while. She was the sleeping-with-material but not the marriage-material. She couldn’t resist the thought of being taken so lightly by him, it made her furious, worthless and cheap. She sipped her cold coffee till the end and got up to leave. He looked at her leave, and stopped her by holding on to her wrist.
“What now?” He questioned.
She looked at him, smiled and said, “One last time before we end it here, I want you to come home.”
With a slight giggle, he said, “I knew you would agree. That’s what I love about you; your carefree nature.”
She walked ahead, half listening to what he said. The invitation was left behind at the shop and they took a cab to her apartment.
He wasn’t half as handsome as what she thought about him. She sat at the edge of the bed, glaring at his blood soaked naked body. Time ticked faster than usual, and before she knew, it had already been midnight. She got up from the mattress and placed herself near his body, and stared at the vacant ceiling, which was as blank and empty as her love deprived soul.
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