THIRTY ONE (2)

I STOOD THERE DUMBFOUNDED, as the blonde woman with a little red body fitting dress wrapped around her, carried Theodore upstairs. He wasn't even able to hold himself straight while giving slurred words as directions to the little girl underneath this armpit. She had big electric blue eyes and she was blonde too, Theodore's ideal type. They walked away as if I was not even standing there in the first place. And I knew that I shouldn't have been expecting anymore yet, it hurts.

The clicking of the heels of the lady faded till it wasn't audible to my ears,overpowered with the confusion echoing in my head.

I rushed to my room, banging the door shut behind me. Standing in the middle of the room, I looked at the fan above. Deep breaths weren't helping anymore. Everything felt clustered and in chaos and I was going restless, somewhat suffocated. I was doubting my own thoughts. 

Was he having sex with that blue eyed woman?

And after this thought my imagination stopped, as if stuck at that thought. 

Why was I breathless?

I pulled out my laptop from the cover and turned on a dance video. Maybe doing some Zumba would help my brain to think. And if I exercise properly then my mind might be too able to sleep due to exhaustion.  In a vague way I wasted fifteen minutes, trying repeatedly and getting distracted by the single thought repeatedly which was biting my head like leech. Shutting the lid of the laptop rather forcefully, I pushed it further towards the middle of the bed and started pacing in the room. Agitation. Something seemed to eat my brain cells, again.

It was as if I could hear the faint colliding of their bodies together, lapping into each other and the high pitched moans and frustrated grunts. A sequence of images flooded my mind of them moving with each other in sync, with their breaths coming out as pants simultaneously. Sweat glistened on his back and her eyes closed in ecstasy, biting her lower lip to suppress the flooding of chains of moans but it eventuated anyway.

I rubbed my hands over my face to erase the unholy, disturbing sight and grabbed my towel from the chair. No, I wasn't sexually frustrated… or was I?

Jesus, why the hell am I not able to think straight?

But I knew one thing… Whatever happened tonight wouldn't stay behind his bedroom door. I wanted a legit explanation and I wanted something more too. 

*THEODORE RAYMOND'S POV*

'Where the fuck am I?' Was the thought I woke up to. I looked around to find that it was my own room but the curtains weren't drawn, letting the sun's rays dominate the air. She must have forgotten to draw them shut last night.

Ugh… the rays of the sun make my headache worse. Oh fuck, why was my head thumping so bad? How much did I drink?

Rosalie!

With a single name on my tongue, all the memories of last night flooded. 

The way she flaunted her wide hips while walking with her new boyfriend, who looked just time pass so she could draw a reaction out of me. And when none came, then she started playing with my tie, whispering slutry things in my ear. Thank God, Clarice, my high school friend came to my rescue dragging me away else i might have just punched her on her jaw. But,  I don't raise my hand on a woman… 

And you almost abused Aurellia sexually in the middle of the street. This thought was the reason for my rough, restless nights, keeping me awake and I was a man who didn't apologize to anyone. It didn't come that easily to me.

I sighed, rubbing away the sleep off my eyes. 

Rosalie's red tinted lips still came in front of my eyes. I didn't know if I was sexually frustrated for not having sex for almost six years or it was her spiked perfume that I couldn't get rid of since last night. Getting off the bed, I made a mental note to call Clarice and say thank you for dropping me home last night but more importantly for rescuing me from the slut. 

After calling Christian to inform him that I was taking a half day leave and would be at the office past lunch time, I had a long, cold shower. Throwing over a pair of joggers and a cotton shirt, I made my way towards the kitchen to take an Advil and also prepare my breakfast.

I saw a woman dressed in grey suit pants, sitting on the couch. Making my way towards her with a confused face, I discovered Aurellia. She lifted her eyes to glance at mine, 'we need to talk' was written all over. 

Frowning, I sat down opposite to her, forgetting my pain killer and breakfast because I knew I owed her at least an explanation for my reckless behavior. There was enough I had already damaged and every day she was proving to be better than what I thought. She definitely wasn't what I took her to be. But I had trust issues and my brain needed time to fully digest a fact that I have been believing since ages. 

There was silence for almost five minutes and I had no clue what to say. When I looked up to meet her eyes, she was waiting for answers without questioning them out loud with a straight, serious face. 

"You want to ask something, I can see it. So ask…" I cleared my throat.

"There isn't anything to ask after seeing your deeds last night. And no I don't have any questions. But I am listening if you want to say something…" she trailed off, her posture surprisingly composed as if she had rehearsed it before. 

Unlike other women who would literally go haywire after witnessing her husband come to home with another mistress at such an late hour, she seemed totally unfazed about it. And moreover, I doubt if she even considered me anything, let alone her husband.

She shouldn't ….

"I…" I pressed the nerves on the sides of my skull and hissed.

"Tsk tsk, what a headache it might be…" She bite out sarcastically. She pushed her coffee mug towards me in a teasing-sympathetic way. "Let me put the picture in front of you," she quoted me, I noticed.

"So, you broke a rule of the contract and got into a physical relationship with other women during the period of our fake marriage. Now, what you would have done if I had committed the deed like yours. Be honest, I won't judge you." She shrugged feigning noncommittal behavior. And I knew she wasn't acting. She is a strong headed woman who prefers to stand up to her beliefs and teach out for her goals.

"I didn't sleep with-"

"Ah ah," she shrieked, "you don't have to lie. I said I won't judge."

"But I am not lying!" I whispered harshly, eyeing her dangerously. Ugh, my headache.

She just laughed humorlessly, an act which increased the level of headache of my already pounding head. "I don't need to hear you lying, if you are guilty then you should just shut our mouth." She spits out.

"Are you jealous?" I blurted out. 

She seemed to be taken off guard just like me. Then she coughed out heaps of laughs very dramatically, if you ask me.

Filling her lungs, she spoke, "Let me just reframe your question and you answer on my behalf." 

"Stop the chase!"

But she ignored me again. "How can I be jealous of a person who abuses his wife in an unknown country and that also in the middle of the road plus the apartment? Should she be jealous? Or should she be hating him with every ounce in her system who don't even feel sorry for his misbehavior and inappropriate acts. And the next day? He makes her work like nothing happened? And above that when she comes home, she finds her husband supported over a tiny woman and he enjoys a night with her when his own wife, only for name I know, is in the house, under the same fucking roof?" She paused to catch a breath and my heart shrimped because of the amount of venom which spills from her mouth.

"Should she be jealous?" She whispered the last part, still maintaining eye contact as if she could read my mind and doesn't need any excuse of words from my mouth. And then I imagine, if her hatred would blanket those wordless interactions.

Her eyes were glistening with determination yet accusation under the numerous lights and guilt coated my heart, again.

"What do you want me to do?" My voice coming out gruff. Even if I want I can't just be soft to her, yet. My brain isn't giving me the green signal. 

She shifted forward in her seat with interest. "So you have broken a rule and slept with someone-"

"Which I haven't." 

"So I also have a right to break a rule. Or you will have to pay leverage for your misdeeds. And if you are a man, you won't run away like a coward." She voiced out with confidence. Her eyes dared me to reject her plan. I knew she must have been planning this the entire night. 

And the alcohol in my system wasn't helping either.

"Why did you stop? I see you already have a plan chalked out. So go ahead…" I urged, mockingly. 

"I will start racing again." She took a breath. "And you shall return my license."  

I thought about it. Very hard. But, I couldn't. If I said no, there wasn't a strong reason behind my choice as in her eyes I broke a rule. And also, whatever she has been going through after our wedding was also difficult for her but she kept up. 

"Okay." I said with a firm nod.

"Okay?" She repeated in a questioning way. I stayed silent. Her eyes seemed to search for any fouls in my eyes and I gave away the truth cutting the chase. She frowned and said,"Okay."

"But, your salary will be deducted if you aren't present when you are required. And also, for today you shall be paid for only half a day because you are late." I said sternly. 

"Do I get paid extra if I work overtime?" She smirked.

This turned me speechless. She took that as an affirmative opportunity and slaughtered out of the gates, her car keys chiming in her hands. 

***

If you take a single step forward,
I swear I am never letting you go,
Ever.

***

One thing that I wanted to talk about will be that you guys are hating Theodore. And I feel so bad to say that my readers aren't mature enough to consider his part as well. I have weaved this character with utmost care, love and regards. He has lost his teenage days, his mom, his dad too and his real dreams and he's forced to be a CEO. He has been made ruthless and stoic as a result of the events of his past life. But still, he has built his reputation and fame, standing high and kissing the sky. 

I hope you guys will be more understanding and have a wider range for considering things. And also have a little bit of trust in me.

Till then…

Take care.