Love And Sweet Kisses

lσvє αnd hєαrtвrєαk

"And one day every week will be enough for you?" She asked, even while knowing she was only trying to inexplicably dissuade him. If anything, they would be spending her evenings together plus the full Sundays. "Besides, I don't always take my off days. There are sometimes emergency cases that can't be ignored."

She thought of her ex boyfriend Bryce, and she shuddered. If there was anything their relationship had taught her, it was that a relationship needed spending more time and dedication to thrive.

When Bryce took over his father's company, work demanded him a lot. She'd tried to be the supportive girlfriend knowing there was a lot with the company he needed to catch up on.

But then a few months later when the work pressure should have mellowed, he said that he needed to prove to his family that he deserved the position he was given. She would only get to see him for a few hours about two times a week. With time, she begun to resent him until she finally ended their relationship.

She didn't want the same thing to happen to her and Abhi. Right now she was buried ankle deep in her volunteer work. If she agreed to a relationship, she would be doing to him what Bryce did to her.

"That's still my choice to make, I believe. Daniella, I love you." He said, making her heart contract, only to bounce back and pound furiously against her chest. "And I did mean it when I said I will wait till you're ready, and then we'll both sign out together."

Warmth flooded through her, but her stomach clenched with guilt. "Don't wait for me. Just live your life. Maybe you would find some other woman."

He was 34 years old, and he'd been working as a volunteer for five years, long enough to decide to finally sign out and find a woman to settle down with. While she on the other hand felt she was still young and waiting to complete two years or more as a volunteer. It just felt unfair to be holding him back when he could rather be exploring to see whether he could find someone better than her.

Or was she just being a coward and afraid that a relationship with him might fail and leave her miserable? Should she let go of her inhibitions and just allow herself to experience a new love with this man?

"I want no one but you, Ella."

It was that fervent declaration that made her suddenly feel light headed, but she held on to her guard. "Know what? I have to go now. My work starts soon." With that, she hanged up. Thankfully he didn't call again.

Sighing she lied on her bed and thought of his last words. Fighting her smile was suddenly impossible.

It wasn't until she'd returned to her hotel room and ready for a good night sleep did his number call again. Excitement, creeping into her belly, she picked up the phone and answered.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" A fierce feminine voice boomed through the speakers before Ella could speak.

"Excuse me, you are the one who called." Ella pointed out.

"Stay away from my boyfriend, you whore."

The woman's words made her freeze. "Your what?"

"My boyfriend, Abhishek." The voice came more snugly. "I know he calls it harmless fun, and I certainly don't expect him not to fuck any woman while he's away from me for months on end, but sometimes, it just gets so annoying you know."

"You're lying." Ella said faintly as she shook her head, denial making her throat constrict.

"Really? Why don't you ask him? I'm sure now that his bubble is bursted, he can't deny it."

Deciding she wasn't going to wait for the woman to spill any more lies, Ella hanged up the call and tossed her phone to her side on the bed, taking a deep breath. It didn't take even a minute for her phone to sound with a notification.

Picking up her phone, she unlocked it. Time stopped when the picture that had been sent to her appeared on the screen. It was of Abhi and a very beautiful woman. She had her left arm around his neck while their lips pressed together. Abhi had the same new haircut he'd had when she'd met him again two months ago. The light slab of moustache and the dark, rough stubble on his jaw made it obvious the photo was taken recently.

Seconds later when she had barely absorbed the shock, her phone rang with his number. Hands shaking, she picked it up.

"Now you see. Abhi is going to quit working for the NGO soon and we're going to get married, so I want every whore out..."

Ella hang up before the spears in the woman's words could do more damage than they'd already done. Her hand flew to her mouth just as a sob escaped her and reality slapped her across the face.

They'd all been lies-his words, his promises, the 'I love yous'. She'd just been one of the women he'd played.

***~***

Less than two weeks after his conversation with Ella over the phone, Abhi made arrangements to travel to Australia. The woman wouldn't answer his texts or pick his calls, so after enquiring at the NGO headquarters with one official, Abhi discovered where she and her team would be by now and decided to surprise her.

He still couldn't understand why she was fighting what they had.

Nervousness wrecked through his body when he got to the hotel the team was checked in and asked for her room number. It was night already, and he was damn tired from his flight. But some things were more important than sleep. Like finding the woman he loved and getting her to let go of her qualms.

Taking a flight of stairs, he rounded the way through the hallway on which her room was located. He was just in front of her door and about to knock when the door suddenly opened and a good looking guy in a button up shirt on blue trousers made to step out.

Abhi blinked and frowned, wondering if he hadn't read the number on the door well. His doubts were however cleared two seconds later when the woman he was after appeared behind the guy.

"Abhi?" Her eyes widened with shock when she saw him.

Ignoring the suspicion seeing another man coming from her room had put in his mind, Abhi gazed at her. She was wearing a casual blue top on a flare blue skirt. She looked stunning as usual. "Ella, we need to talk."

"Uh, I'm sorry. I'm going out with..."

"Her boyfriend." The guy completed for her.

Abhi glared at the guy, then turned his attention to Ella. "I'm in no mood for stupid jokes. Ella, please let's talk."

To his utter shock, she said, "He's being serious. He's my boyfriend."

"What are you saying? Why are you lying?"

"Oh, you think I'm lying?" Anger and defiance flashed in her eyes. "Watch this."

Placing her hand at the back of the guy's neck, she brought his head down and kissed him. Pain burrowed into Abhi's chest so deeply it made him stagger backwards.

Still, his mind whirled with denial as Ella pulled back from the man who looked as if her kiss had stolen his senses from him and locked her door, keys jiggling. Turning, she wrapped her hand around the guy's biceps.

When she looked at him, he expected to see remorse, he expected her to hug him and apologize saying this was all her definition of a bad joke. Instead, she looked him fiercely in the eyes and said, "Now if you'll excuse us, we have a date to go on."

Her words knocked the air out of his lungs as she and the guy begun walking off. It took him a full minute to absorb reality enough to slide down the wall as shock ripped through him.

So she was willing to date another guy while with him she had been so reluctant? At first, he'd thought it was because of her fear that what they had wouldn't work. But now he had reality staring him in the face; she'd never loved him.