The Bachelor

Chapter 10 : The Illusion Of Choice

And just like that, all my anger and annoyance seemed to vanish into thin air.

I began smiling as I looked up at him. I thought I detected a hint of mortification in his eyes. Maybe, even he was alarmed by his sudden bouts of sweetness.

A ghost of a smile crept up on his face as well, as we looked at each other.

I didn't exactly realize how many seconds had passed, but our little moment was interrupted by a hoarse voice at the door.

"Manik, have you woken up? The production team wants to speak with you. Manik?" The voice at the door said.

Frown lines cropped up on Manik's face immediately when he heard the voice. He set me down on the floor and walked towards the door muttering under his breath. "Fuck! Ab iss ghode ko kya chahiye?!"

I chuckled slightly, but I mentally thanked Manik's docile manager for intruding. If he hadn't...well...best not to think of it!

That's when I realized that I couldn't let the manager spot me in Manik's room! I quickly went and hid behind one of the gargantuan curtains as Manik opened the door ever so slightly.

"Manik...the production team wants to talk to you regarding the elimination ceremony. Especially after what happened last night." The manager said, as he tried to enter.

"Kya maine tujhe andar bulaaya?" Manik asked in an intimidating manner.

"Um...no...nahi..." The manager stuttered.

I stifled a laugh while I stayed hidden. Normally I wouldn't condone bullying, but Manik's habit of bossing his own manager around was really amusing! Besides, these were the moments when Manik let go of his steely classiness to behave exactly as a regular Punjabi boy would.

"I'll be there in one hour! Ab chal phut yahaan se!" Manik exclaimed as he began closing the door.

"But..but..." the manager tried to reply, but he was too late. Manik had already slammed the door shut.

"Why do you talk to him like that?" I giggled as I asked Manik the question.

I stepped out from behind the curtain to face him.

"Because he's nothing but Mr Malhotra's lackey! You won't get it..." He huffed, as he went towards the dressing table.

"Anyway...you better get going. It looks like the elimination ceremony is going to happen soon." He said.

The elimination ceremony...I had some mixed feelings about it. Did I want to go home today? Did I want to stay? I wasn't sure anymore...

I walked to the door as I collected my thoughts. Just as I was about to open the door, I heard Jeff and Rose discussing something outside.

Shit! Now what was I supposed to do? I couldn't let anyone see me coming out of Manik's room! What would they think of me?

"Ugh! Manik! You shouldn't have brought me here! How will I escape without others noticing me?! What will they think?!" I groaned in frustration.

"I don't care what they think. But I know, you do...so you'll figure out a way, I'm sure. I've already shut the door to your room, so that people think you're still inside." He said, with a smirk.

A new wave of irritation went through me when I heard him.

Suddenly, my eyes fell on the verandah and I realized that my room was barely ten to twelve steps away if I climbed out the balcony. All I had to do was climb out of the verandah and walk on the ledge for a few steps, before climbing through the window of my room.