by MV Kasi
Sia heard a few loud snorts next to her. When she turned, she saw a group of men and also a few women, seated in the table right next to her. They were probably Ajay's friends.
Ajay grinned at them. "It's true guys. I—"
He was interrupted when one of the waitresses, rushed towards their table with tears in her eyes.
"Sir," she addressed the owner of the restaurant. "Those men are really drunk," she pointed at a table on the other end of the restaurant. "I've told them that there are families around, and to keep it down. They...were being rude to me by throwing money at my face. And one of them tried to physically misbehave with me."
Immediately, the owner of the restaurant left to deal with the problem.
With a brief, "Excuse me," Ajay got up to follow behind the owner.
He joined the owner of the restaurant at the other table, where a group of men were creating a ruckus. It was obvious that the owner was having a tough time controlling the group because they were laughing at whatever he was saying.
But when Ajay joined the group, and said something to them, immediately the entire atmosphere of the table changed.
It was pretty fascinating to watch Ajay in a different persona.
Gone was the charming flirt who was trying to score a date from her. In his place was a man, who looked ruthless and determined.
She couldn't hear what Ajay was saying, but the look he held on his face was cold and determined. As soon as he was done talking, the drunken men from that group got up. And then, keeping their eyes downcast, they left the restaurant.
A couple of minutes later, Ajay returned.
She thought he was going to join his friends, but he surprised her again by coming towards her table.
"Ok fine. Not tonight then. Have dinner with me tomorrow," he continued, as though the last ten or fifteen minutes of drama, with him scaring a bunch of goons didn't actually happen.
Seriously, who was this guy?
She found his contradictory nature so damn hot. She not only wanted to have dinner with him, she almost wanted to make him her dinner.
Stop that! Her rational mind yelled at her hormones in disgust. And before her existing unhealthy fascination for him grew even more she made up her mind about him.
"No," she replied in a firm tone.
"Why?" he asked with a mock hurt look.
"I'm busy. And Ajay...you are getting repetitive. You've asked me out for the second time now."
He clutched his chest dramatically, staggering as though she shot him.
"You turned me down twice? You are a cruel woman. Do you know that?" he asked as he slid next to Anjali, who was now smiling in amusement.
A few minutes ago, Anjali had been glaring at him. How did he have that effect on people so quickly?
Hardening her resolve, Sia gave him a cold look. "You have called me cruel before, yes."
"Did I also tell you that I find that particular characteristic in you, hot?" he asked.
She raised her eyebrow. "Yes."
"And yet, you keep turning me down on purpose. You really must like me. So why waste time? Come out with me for dinner. Put us both out of our misery," he reasoned.
Sia sighed. "There is no reason for us to have dinner together. Ever."
"Oh, but there is. Something keeps throwing us together. Once or twice is a coincidence, but three times...?"
She shook her head. "That's why they are called coincidences."
He shook his head. "No, it's fate. We are meant to be..." he said dramatically.
She almost rolled her eyes at his silly antics. But she kept an expressionless face. "You are persistent, aren't you?"
"Very," he said, and smiled charmingly. "And besides, I always collect my dues. I also refuse to accept that you might turn me down."
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying no woman has turned you down before?"
He grinned. "Oh, I have been turned down before by one woman, who refused to even take my calls...you," he said, pointedly.
"Then take the hint Ajay. Don't ask me out again," she said in a cold dismissive tone.
There were a lot of "oohs" and "tough luck bro," from his friends.
Sighing, he got up from the booth. "Ok fine. Until the next time then," he said.
"Not if I can help it," she muttered, and saw Anjali smile at her uncharacteristic behavior.
The damn man was really being thrown into her life at every opportunity. If she were the superstitious kind, she'd think it was for a reason. Good thing she wasn't superstitious.
From the past three years, everyone formed an impression that she was pretty scary in a I-will-crush-your-balls-if-you-dare-to-even-look kind of way. But when it came to Ajay, during their interactions, he treated her as though she was like any other regular twenty four year old girl that he found interesting, and could ask out on a date.
Maybe that was his biggest appeal.
He brought some normalcy to her life, even if it was only for a brief while.
But she had to keep him away.
Or he was going to ruin everything she's been working so hard to put in place.
CHAPTER SIX
PRESENT
AJAY WATCHED THE city from his bedroom window. It had been two hours since Sia broke the news of pregnancy to him. And those two hours had been the most chaotic ones in his life.
When she had come to visit him, he hadn't known what to expect. His mind had gone through several possibilities. But it was definitely not that news.
Pregnant.
One night. Just one reckless night, and his entire life was changing course because of it.
He remembered that night clearly. Especially the events that led to it.
When Sia had turned him down several times for a date, he had promised himself to give up pursuing her. But when he saw her at the club he often visited, he took up the opportunity to ask her out again, fully expecting her to turn him down.
But she had asked him to take her home instead, almost shocking him.
Almost.
Because he had always known that they would end up with each other in one way or the other. Based on their interactions with each other, it was quite obvious that she felt the same strong attraction towards him that he felt towards her. Which ultimately led to that one mind-blowing night together.
But by the time he had woken up the next morning, she was gone. With only a thank you note remaining on the pillow next to him.
He still remembered what the damned note had said.
Thank you for an amazing night. I truly enjoyed it. But I think we should leave it at one night since we are not that well-suited.
- Sia.
He had become a one-night stand. And he wasn't used to that. And he also didn't know if he should be outraged or be thankful for that.
Because each time he was with her, he had felt an unhealthy pull towards her. Even though he somehow knew that Sia came with a baggage, he had been too blinded to really care about it then. He had simply wanted her.
Until her final rejection after that night had opened his eyes towards reality. And even though his body would have liked to definitely pick up from where they had left off, his mind knew that she wasn't what he needed in his life.
And so, he had kept himself busy with work, and committed himself to another by getting engaged to his really close childhood friend, Jyotika.
Jo was going to be devastated with the news.
Ajay sighed, both in guilt and frustration.
A huge engagement ceremony was already being planned within a couple of months.
He called Harsha on the phone and immediately cancelled his evening plans stating that he had an emergency to attend to.
"What happened, Jay?" Harsha asked.
"Sia happened."
"God, Jay, I've told you—"
"I need to speak with Jo first, Harsha. I'll give you the details later."
Hanging up the call, Ajay's mind still reeled with questions and impli
cations.
He still couldn’t believe it.
Even earlier that evening, seeing her in her designer clothes, looking so cool and unattainable, he recalled she hadn't been that way during their night together. And one another thing he distinctly recalled was—not being careless that night.
All four times.
And so he asked her for the paternity test, in spite of knowing that it was a low blow.
Sia was independently wealthy, and hadn't even shown an interest in him when he had pursued her initially.
One thing he found strange was the way she behaved. As though the pregnancy wasn't big enough news to change her life along with his. Possibly forever.
When she had said that he didn't need to worry about the pregnancy, he had felt outraged, thinking that she had meant that she'd get an abortion. He wasn't going to let anyone harm his child, even if it wasn't born yet.
He already felt protective and no child of his was ever going to be unwanted.
And right then, all he wanted in his life was his baby. He never knew he'd wanted someone of his own so badly until Sia had broken the news to him. He would do anything for his child.
But something definitely felt off about the entire situation. And he was going to find out why?
But first, he had to face Jo, who was going to come to his place soon.
He wanted to break the news to Jo in person, and not through a phone call. He definitely couldn't meet her at her home where she lived with her family that included her parents, grandparents along with her two younger sisters and a brother.
When Harsha's father, a retired military colonel adopted Ajay at the age of twelve from an orphanage, Ajay and Harsha had spent most of their formative years around Jo's house.
Ajay had been a very belligerent child who was generally angry at the world around him. Even though he was treated well, he was never quite satisfied with his lot, especially knowing that there was a whole world outside, waiting for him to conquer it.
The Colonel who was a widower, had always treated Ajay as a second son, and saw a lot of potential in him. He gave him the same opportunities as his son, and sent him to the best schools and colleges.
But while The Colonel had been a great mentor, he wasn't exactly a father figure who was good at nurturing. He was a strict disciplinarian and a tough taskmaster.
And so Harsha and Ajay had always sought out Jo's family for that soft, nurturing touch. Which Jo's family delivered in generous amounts. Ajay was pretty close with all of Jo's family members who treated him as one of their own.
The doorbell rang interrupting his thoughts.
When he answered the door, Jyotika appeared in his doorway with a smile on her face.
But her smile slipped when she saw his expression.
"What happened, Jay?"
"Come inside, Jo," he said gently.
"You are scaring me, Jay. Please just tell me what happened," she insisted, even as she followed him inside and sat on the couch.
He didn't want to beat around the bush. Kneeling down in front Jyotika, he held both her hands in his.
"Sia is pregnant. And there is every possibility that the baby is mine. I'm sorry Jo," he said.
Jyotika looked stunned, and stared at him blankly.
She couldn't process the news. She knew that she had led a very sheltered life, but she also knew that such things happened in the outside world. But not in hers. Never in hers.
"No. It's not true. I don't believe it. Please tell me it's a sick joke, Jay," she whispered as her hands trembled in his.
When he didn't break into a grin, and continued to look at her with a serious expression, she broke down.
"Jo..." He stood up and sat next to her on the couch.
He wrapped his arms comfortingly around her, and began rubbing her back gently as she cried silently on his shoulder.
He had comforted her several times in a similar way since their childhood. But never was he the cause of her hurt.
"I-I don't understand it, Jay. I thought you weren't interested in her anymore. And neither was she, since she turned you down several times."
He didn't answer her. Couldn't answer her, because he himself had no clue why he felt the strong need to pursue Sia.
"How far is she along?" Jo asked, pulling away to look at him.
He wiped away her tears.
"Almost two months," he said quietly.
Her shoulders drooped and she looked dejected with the news.
"So Sia and you must have gotten together a month before we decided to get engaged. I know you would never cheat on me," she said.
"You know I would never ever deliberately hurt you, Jo."
Fresh tears surged up in her eyes. "I know that Jay... I also know that it was all me. You weren't even ready or really interested in me. I emotionally blackmailed you to get engaged to me—"
He wiped away her tears again and held her face gently. "Jo, stop. Sia and I were never in a relationship. It just happened between us a while ago. And you didn't force me into a commitment in anyway. Everything you said to me was true. We both make each other happy, and I was looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you. Any man would be happy to have someone like you as his best friend and wife."
She nodded jerkily, and then, taking a deep breath she asked, "Do you want this baby, Jay?"
"Yes," he answered her automatically without any hesitation whatsoever.
She held his hands. "Then I want the baby too. As my son or daughter. It's a part of you. Our first child," she said softly.
Ajay paused, feeling torn and conflicted at her words. "Jo, you know it cannot be as simple as that. If it turns out to be my baby, then I will have certain... responsibilities."
Ajay distinctly recalled how Sia had subtly emphasized that word. Almost as though she wanted him to make a note of it.
"I know that Jay. But we can still get engaged as planned. We'll just plan our wedding sooner and raise the baby after the birth. And Sia being single must be equally shocked with the news. Maybe she would be more than happy to let us bring the baby up. She can have visitation rights and we will promise her unlimited access to her child."
He didn't reply.
"Please Jay. Promise me you'll think about that option, and you'll discuss it with her too."
He nodded.
"Jo...let me be the one to break this news to your family. I owe it to them," he said.
"Okay. But, let's wait until you get the paternity confirmed."
Ajay knew that the child was his, but instead of going simply with a gut feeling, he wanted to be certain.
Later that night, after Jyotika left, he called one of his lawyers regarding the implications of the latest news.
"Ajay, I know how responsible you are. But before you commit to raising a child for the next eighteen years, please make sure the baby is yours."
His lawyer also thought it was much too early to decide on custody and adoption process without knowing the paternity results first.
After ending the call, Ajay stared at the television screen blindly.
It was only ten in the night, but it felt much longer than a few hours since Sia had broken the news.
Maybe Jo was right. Jo and he should be able to bring up his child legally. And knowing Jo, she would be a natural. She was kind, caring and responsible to the core. She wouldn't care whether the child she would bring up was from her womb or not.
The news from television was getting louder in the background. Every channel seemed to cover the upcoming elections. And also lately religious fanaticism seemed to be the theme everywhere with people wanting to cling to the ancient 'traditions'.
A politician who was aspiring for the top seat in the assembly was giving out a rousing speech on how women were solely responsible for the betterment of the culture.
"If women themselves do not conform to the rules of the society as dictated by our knowledgeable ancestors, then there is no hope for our country's future. I
urge all the women to please abandon the western way of living that is polluting our culture. Stay home. Be with your husband and children. Be responsible for rearing the next generation of well-cultured citizens."
Ajay didn't believe in those antiquated ideas, but he tried to imagine Sia in the role of a doting mother.
He couldn't.
His brain just threw the visuals of her over the last few months.
Beautiful. Cold. Detached. Unemotional.
How did he get caught up with someone like her in the first place? She wasn't even his type. But despite of all that, he had felt an immediate pull along with a healthy amount of challenge to be the one to thaw her cold exterior.
CHAPTER SEVEN
FOUR MONTHS AGO
When Sia turned down his dinner offer, Ajay really didn't think he would ever see her again.
At least not that soon.
"Hey Sia, how are you?" he greeted her as he walked into one of the conference rooms at his corporate office buildings.
She looked up from her phone, and only her pupils betrayed her surprise at seeing him.
"You work here?" she asked quietly.
"Yes. I'm one of the partners."
She stared at him for a couple of seconds as though trying to make a decision.
Apparently, Sia was pretty keen on getting the right kind of security for the new upcoming cosmetic stores in the city. And along with that she had also wanted security installed at her private residence.
Normally, he handled the corporate security and the private security was handled by Harsha. Unless there was a high profile politician or a public figure with a viable threat, he wouldn't be personally involved. But when he heard Sia's name, and then looked at what she was requesting for the security features at her home, he got curious.
"So, how did you hear about us?" he asked.
"I've been scoping a few security companies and decided on Manthena Corp. It's been recommended to me as an upcoming company that has a very good reputation. I have very specific needs. And I would like to work with someone who can cater to my demands within a very short notice."
