The Girl He Left Behind

by Shilpa Suraj

  She watched as his mother fussed and hovered over her husband without looking in her son’s direction. Stepping closer to Ryan, she put a hand on his arm in a silent show of support. His face impassive now, he leaned in even as his stepfather flinched away from him. ‘Listen to me carefully. If you ever talk to Sia like that again or even look at her wrong, I swear I won’t let go until I’m done choking the life out of you. I was a child the last time you knew me. I’m not anymore. You want to take me on? I’ll decimate you without even breathing heavy.’

  When his only response was an angry glare and a few gasping breaths, he continued ‘You’ll get the money in a week. I don’t ever want to see either of you again after today.’

  When they only continued to stare, he waved a hand impatiently towards the door. ‘Get out.’

  He watched as they scrambled out of the door without a backward glance. Acutely conscious of Sia standing next to him, he took a few steps away from her before facing her.

  With her hair loose and dishevelled and her breasts spilling out of her top even more thanks to the scuffle, she looked like his personal fantasy come true. Until you took in her dazed and shell shocked expression. Self-loathing coating his throat, he turned from her and went to stare out of the window while he waited for her to speak. He’d walked away from her and any chance at happiness, hoping to keep the dirt from his life from smearing all over hers. Maybe he should pat himself on the back. Six years and endless nights of second guessing his decision later, here he was, trying to wipe the grime from both their faces.

  Sia took a deep breath trying to still the tremors coursing through her body now that everything was over. Talk about a bad start to the day. Stifling a hysterical giggle, she collapsed into the nearest chair. She stared blankly at her hands as they continued to shake.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ Ryan’s hoarse whisper had her looking up. All she could see was his stiff back. ‘I didn’t know it would be that bad or I wouldn’t have asked you to stay.’

  ‘It’s okay.’ She forced herself to say through numb lips.

  Looking over his shoulder, he took in the situation in one sweeping glance. The shock he could understand. The fear she was going to have to explain to him. Cursing, he knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. Rubbing them briskly, he tried to think of something to say that would make this hideous situation better. There was something more at work here than just a reaction to what had happened. When the trembling didn’t stop, he swore and picked her up and sat down on the couch with her on his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, he murmured soothing nonsense until slowly the tremors faded. They sat in silence for a while in their little cocoon while the world went about its business outside.

  Chapter 8

  Sia rummaged through her desk drawer desperately. She couldn’t find her stash of painkillers and she still had half the day to get through. She’d gotten into office so late after the drama of the morning that she was running way behind her schedule for the day. Wincing at another stab of pain in her temple, she abandoned her medicine hunt and was about to go in search of the office’s first aid kit when the office door opened.

  ‘Hi. I was wondering….’ Trailing off when she took in the lines of pain on Sia’s face, Minty shoved her hand into her laptop bag to fish out the tablets she kept for an emergency.

  ‘You’re a lifesaver.’ Grabbing the proffered strip, Sia quickly swallowed two.

  ‘What brought it on?’

  ‘Ryan.’

  ‘Really? What did he do now?’

  ‘His parents came home to visit this morning. After Adarsh and you left.’ In a desperate attempt to still the throbbing in her head, she buried it in her hands and held on tight.

  ‘What?’ Jaw dropping, Minty stared before coming to stand behind Sia. Slowly starting to massage her tense shoulder and neck muscles, she said ‘No wonder you have a migraine. What did they want?’

  ‘I’m going to let him tell you that.’ Sia sighed as Minty worked her magic. ‘It’s not my story to tell.’

  ‘I can’t even begin to imagine what they came up with. Better?’

  ‘Much. Thanks.’ Rolling her shoulders, she waited a beat before saying, ‘Did you know I’m his whore?’

  Startled, Minty stopped massaging. Silence and then a muffled burst of laughter had Sia turning to glare at her. Much as she tried, she couldn’t stop her own lips from twitching.

  ‘Aren’t you the lucky one?’ Still chuckling, Minty sat back against the desk.

  ‘Oh yes. That’s me. Little Miss Fortune.’ With a sardonic smile, Sia pushed back from her desk. Her head did feel much better after the massage. ‘Let’s go. We have a meeting to get to.’

  Walking into the conference room, they found the team from Hope already seated. Ignoring Ryan’s probing glance, Sia took the seat furthest from him. Once everyone was settled in, Tara stood to present the team’s idea. The presentation was over fairly quickly and the floor was opened up for questions.

  Sia spoke up ‘It sounds good but there are two issues that I foresee. As we all know the heroine or the hero, for that matter, are the two cornerstones of a story especially in romantic fiction. Authors usually have an idea and an outline in their head of what their main characters are going to be like. I don’t think they’d be happy with letting you either name them or tell them what they should look like or what their personalities should be like. The second thing is when you say ask them to submit their love stories, do you mean their real love stories or stories that they write. If it’s the latter, then we’re sliding into a writing competition area and then they’ll probably be more interested in their written stories being published than on featuring in someone else’s story.’

  ‘Good points.’ Tara said. She looked over at Ryan but when he didn’t respond, she continued ‘Would it help if a minor character was named and modelled after them? Do you all think that would be an attractive enough prize?’

  ‘They’re going to be in a book. They should be happy as long as they’re a positive character.’ Adarsh said. When there were affirmative murmurs around the table, he moved on ‘To address your second point, we were hoping they would send in their real love stories. We’re not looking to conduct a writing competition to find a new author here. We’re looking to engage your target audience and give them a chance to interact with the author and the people who bring them their fantasies through books. Also, this is one way to show that true love exists in the world and that it isn’t just something people read about in books. Once we have people’s love stories with us, we were thinking of working on a campaign that showcased them.’

  He stood up and started to draw on the whiteboard to better illustrate his point. ‘Imagine a hoarding with a picture of a couple in their seventies sitting next to each other on one side and a line on the right with a quote from their story. Something along the lines of ‘We sat next to each other on our first day in school and never wanted to sit next to anyone else since.’ Well, you get the general idea. We can use this to sell the idea of romance again and then have our new titles displayed below.’

  Scanning the room for reactions to the ideas being pitched, Ryan took in Sia’s involuntary wince when someone dropped their phone with a loud clatter. Judging from her expression, she had a monster headache and here he’d thought his parents only had that effect on him. Well, now she knew. She hadn’t said anything about the freak show she’d witnessed that morning but then she’d been too trapped in her own nightmare to react.

  Fidgeting under Ryan’s steady regard, Sia tried to pay attention to the questions being asked and answered. Breathing a sigh of relief as the meeting wound up and people started filing out, she started putting her papers together as Ryan and Adarsh walked over to where Minty and she were sitting.

  ‘How are you holding up, Min?’ Ryan asked, hugging her tight.

  ‘Better than I thought. Are you guys going to be working late too?’

  ‘Yes, we are. Is something wrong? Something
I’m missing here?’ Adarsh asked looking from one to the other.

  ‘I called off my engagement.’ Minty said flatly. Sia silently squeezed her hand in support.

  ‘Oh hell! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to probe.’ Adarsh flushed, looking at her sympathetically.

  ‘That’s okay.’ Minty flashed him a wan smile. ‘People need to find out sooner or later. Personally, I prefer sooner. I have to get back to my desk now. I have a lot of work to catch up on. Talk to you guys later.’

  ‘I’ll come with you. Ryan, I’ll email you the action items from today’s meeting and tomorrow’s agenda by end of day today.’ After a quick wave in Sia’s direction, Ardash walked out with Minty leaving the two of them alone.

  Hastily shoving her notes and laptop into her laptop bag with her back to him, she reached down and swung it over her shoulder just as Ryan leant forward to tap her on it. A loud thunk, the impact jarring her arm and a muffled curse had her spinning around.

  Horrified, she dropped her bag and gaped at the sight of Ryan bent over. ‘Why were you standing so close to me?’

  ‘A normal person would say sorry first for almost castrating me.’ Ryan managed through gritted teeth. Turning a shade of green she’d never seen before, he gasped. ‘Great. Just what I needed to finish this day off.’

  ‘Did I hit you in your?’ Unable to complete the sentence, she stepped closer. ‘I’m so sorry. Are you going to be okay? Can I bring you some ice or something? Should I massage something?’

  ‘Sia.’ Ryan’s pained voice cut through her babbling. ‘Shut up.’

  ‘But you look like you might faint.’ Peering more closely at him, Sia steadied his face with one hand to get a better look.

  ‘Sia.’ Trying to swallow an unmanly whimper, Ryan put his hands on her waist to steady himself so she didn’t topple the two of them.

  The strain in Ryan’s voice had her panicking again. ‘You can’t even talk properly. I’ll go get the first aid box.’

  ‘Considering the fact that my balls are lodged near my throat at the moment, it’s a miracle I can talk at all.’ Sitting down in the closest chair, he let his head fall forward against the table struggling not to retch.

  ‘What can I get you? How can I help?’

  ‘Could you give me ten minutes alone? I need to curl up in a ball and weep.’

  Smothering a smile, Sia reached across to stroke a hand through his hair. Closing his eyes, he let the rhythmic strokes of her hand lull him as he waited for the pain to subside.

  When the waves of pain slowly receded into a dull ache, he murmured ‘About that massage?’

  ‘Oh shut up.’ Laughter trembling in her voice, she said ‘If you’re feeling that much better, I’m going to leave.’

  ‘How do I know it’s all still in working order? You could help me test it out?’ The hope in the glance he shot her had her laughing out loud.

  Still chuckling, she stood and held out a hand. Grasping it, Ryan rose slowly. Keeping her hand in his, he waited to make sure he was steady on his feet before pulling her closer.

  ‘Ryan.’ Smiling sweetly, Sia let her hand rest loosely on his belt. ‘Don’t make me hurt you again.’

  She saw the answering smile light up his eyes and felt her own lips curve in genuine amusement.

  Shaking his head, he let go of her only to drape an arm over her shoulders. ‘Let’s just go home for today.’

  In accord with that plan, Sia hefted her laptop bag a lot more carefully this time and walked out with him.

  Chapter 9

  ‘Sia! Wait up. I need to talk to you.’

  Sia pivoted on her heel to see Vikas hurry across the car park towards her. It was too early in the morning to be dealing with this. The little slimeball must have been waiting for her to arrive. She stood motionless and let him make his way over to her.

  ‘You have to help me!’ Big earnest puppy dog eyes fastened on hers as he gazed at her pleadingly.

  ‘I don’t have to do anything.’ It had been his eyes Minty had found the most attractive, Sia thought dispassionately. Even now knowing what he’d done, she found the sincerity shining out of them oddly believable.

  ‘Minty won’t take my calls or answer my messages or emails. I went by her place the other day and she wouldn’t even open the door. Please, Sia, please help me out here. I just want one chance to explain what happened.’

  ‘Explain? What possible explanation would make this okay?’

  Withering slightly under her incredulous stare, he tried again ‘I love her, Sia. That night was just an accident. I’ve never done anything like that before. I wouldn’t dream of hurting her in a million years.’

  ‘It was an accident?’ Sia asked in a deceptively soft voice ‘Let me guess. You tripped, managed to fall out of your pants and into another woman?’

  He had the grace to flush. ‘I had too much to drink that night and I was really nervous about the wedding. It didn’t mean anything and like I said I never wanted to hurt Minty in a million years.’

  ‘Yet you managed to hurt her in the one year you’ve been in a relationship with her. There isn’t anything I can do to help you, Vikas.’ Dismissing him, Sia started to turn to walk into the building. She’d barely taken a step before he grabbed her arm and yanked her back. For a small guy he was pretty strong.

  Maintaining a tight grip, he leaned forward. ‘I just want to talk to her. I don’t see any reason for you to be such a bitch about it.’

  ‘Let go of her.’ The soft voice in which it was said didn’t disguise the menace in Ryan’s tone. Sia stumbled when Vikas abruptly released her arm and took a step back from her. Her back collided with Ryan’s chest and he put an arm around her waist to steady her before she broke her neck in her heels. Flustered, Sia looked up at his grim profile. He was still staring at Vikas like he was contemplating which bone in his body to break first.

  ‘Who the hell are you?’ Defiantly, Vikas faced off with him. It was a bit like watching a Pomeranian take on a Rottweiler.

  In reply, Ryan smoothly moved Sia to one side and reached across and plucked Vikas off the ground by his shirtfront. It happened so fast that Sia just stood there blinking for a few seconds. They were quite far away from the office building and in a relatively secluded spot but there were still a few people tossing them curious stares before scurrying away. They’d had enough scenes at the office to last them a lifetime.

  ‘Ryan.’ She put a calming hand on his forearm ‘You really need to stop grabbing people by their shirts. It’s a pretty unpleasant habit you seem to have picked up over the years.’ Her stomach was quivering but she refused to focus on that right now. She would deal with her damn phobias later.

  Angry, irritable, depressed. Whatever his mood, she could always get him to smile. Lips twitching, he released Vikas with enough force to send him sprawling back into the dirt. ‘Don’t come near either one of them again. Minty doesn’t want to have anything to do with you and Sia isn’t going to be a convenient go between for you.’

  When Vikas managed to scramble back to his feet, he stalked off without a backward glance.

  Ryan turned to look at Sia and found her standing with her arms wrapped around her stomach. When she saw him looking at her, she straightened and let her arms fall to her sides.

  ‘I didn’t know you were coming into work this early.’ She picked up her handbag which had got knocked aside in the ruckus and started to dust it off.

  ‘Have you been checking my schedule?’ That was a direct hit judging by the blush reddening her cheekbones. ‘I have conference calls set up with some of my international clients.’ When he noticed she still looked a little pale, his voice gentled ‘I’ll handle the creep, Sia, and make sure he won’t try a stunt like that again.’

  ‘I can handle him.’ With her nose turned up in the air and the frost back in her voice, the ice maiden was back with a vengeance. ‘I have a meeting to get to so I have to run. I’ll see you around.’

  Conflicted, Ryan watched her s
talk off. There was only one undeniable conclusion to her bizarre reactions but his mind continued to shy away from it. He knew exactly where to go to get some confirmation.

  * * *

  Three meetings via video conference with clients back in Mumbai, one working lunch and a one on one with Adarsh later, he was still stewing over it. He had half an hour before his next meeting and he wasn’t going to accomplish much before that with all this buzzing around in his head. He may as well use the time to get this sorted. He pushed back from his desk and headed towards his one stop resource for all things related to Sia - Minty.

  ‘Hey sexy!’

  Relieved that the smile she flashed him was natural and easy, he decided there was no harm in getting right to it. ‘Hey. I need to ask you something.’

  ‘Sure. Does this have something to do with the sexy author you’re dating?’

  ‘What?’ Losing his trend of thought, he stared at her openmouthed.

  Grinning at his baffled expression, Minty said ‘Did you honestly think the news wouldn’t make the rounds?’

  ‘I have to say I seem to have underestimated the grapevine.’

  ‘Actually it wasn’t the grapevine. We got the news straight from the horse’s mouth.’

  ‘We?’

  ‘Nisha had come into the office yesterday. She filled Sia and me in on all the stuff you guys have been up to.’

  ‘Stuff?’

  ‘Is this going to be a conversation where I talk and you repeat one word from every sentence of mine? An ad man should be better with words, don’t you think?’

  ‘It was one dinner.’

  ‘Oh? That must have been some dinner.’

  ‘Okay, then how about this? She’s gorgeous, smart and fun to spend time with. So why not?’

  ‘I’m all for it, Ry. Nisha’s a nice girl so I think it’s great if the two of you hit it off.’

  More than a little nettled that she was agreeing so cheerfully with him Ryan said a trifle defensively, ‘She is very nice.’

  ‘But?’