FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN

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By morning, Mnajari had made up her mind. She needed to leave. Pronto. Somewhere, anywhere, far from him, so that she could breathe and think...she couldn't leave the country but she could drive herself and Aamira some place nice...

She opened her laptop and began searching for possibel places and cursed. Nothing was open...she chewed on her lower lip. She really needed to escape and vaguely remebered Hina mentioning a cottage that her family owned.Before she could second-guess herself, she picked upnher phone and dialled Hina's number.

Manjari put down the phone with a satisfied smile on her face. Everything was sorted. She could stay at the cotatge for as long as she wanted, Hina's words not hers. Manjari staretd to make a list of everything she would need to take. She ordered groceries, packed hers and Aamira's bags, watered her plants, packed hers and Aamira's laptops and books and went to take a shower.

After showering, she prepaerd breakfast, cleaned everything, sent an e-mail to Amaira's teacher explaining that she would not be logging in for her classes today and went to wake up Aamira. Manajari stifled her laughte when she saw Aamira...hair all over, her mouth open and legs all over her bed...not a pretty site at all. She gently woke up Amaiara, determined to leave before someone had a chance to disrupt her plans.

After Amaira had showered and had breakfast, Manjari asked her to go sit in the car. When Aamaira asked why, Manjari replied that they were going on an adventure. When Amaira asked if Neel could come too, Manjari shhokk her head. She had anticipated the question..."He has important work", she told Amaira. "He would come with us next time",hoping that Neel would have left before next time.

After dropping Neel a quick message and sharing the schedule of a few zoom meetings with him to discuss his research, the mother duo daughter left.

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Neel heard the car in the driveway and knew that Manjari was back. He took deep breaths to control his temper but to no avail. He was tired of being pushed into a corner, for being punished for something he had not committed...he checked the time. It was 11 pm at night. He heard her walk all around her house. The front door opened and shut a couple of times...she was unpacking, he was sure, and then there was silence, till he felt her move around in her bedroom, opening drawers and shutting them. Probably getting ready to shower before bed.. She had been gone for two weeks...two long weeks... he thought he had lost her again....but enough was enough, it was not fair to him or to her. He had done a lot of thinking and had come to realize few things. They needed to talk. Sooner than later. Slipping his feet in his slippers, he got out of the bed and made his way upstairs...

Manjari struggeld under the weight of Amaira. She is all legs, thought Manjari wryly. She somehow made it to Amaiar's bed and laying on her bed, struggled to catch her breath. She went to the kitchen and poured gerslef a glass of water and made her way back to her car to bring out all the stuff. After putting away everything, Manjari made her way to her shower. The hot shower water helped her relax and wrapping her body in bath towel she stepped into her room only to stop dead in her tracks. Neel was in her room. She let out a soft groan. The past two weeks had been paradise...

"What are you doing in my room?"

"Where were you?" Both Neel and Manjari spoke at the same time.

"Leave," ordered Manjari, pointing at her door as she moved near her vanity to grab her hair dryer to dry her wet hair. When she didn't hear him leave, she turned around to ask him to leave again. But words dried on her lips. Neel was staring at her...his hazel eyes dark with a certain intent. She tightened her bathrobe wishing with all her heart that she was wearing something else.