ANA’s POV:
It was good to have finally made up about our misunderstandings. We had been talking for more than an hour. It was the first time I felt heard. And I think that was best part about being with him, I was able to be myself and talk freely.
He would hear.
“I cannot lose you.” I told him, I don't know why. But I did.
“I know its still early to tell this but…” I said as I came to a halt in my balcony, where I was strolling for past one hour, talking to him.
“but what?” he asked, his deep voice giving me the courage to speak ahead.
“I know its still early, we have been together for hardly 2 months and we still ought to maintain a boundary but.. I think I am in LOVE with you sir.” My heart started racing as I spoke those words.
I heard a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the phone. I was scared, nervous of his answer.
“uh, Ana..-” he was about to say something when he was disturbed by a noise from his side.
“what is it?” I asked.
“I guess it’s someone on the door.”
“at this hour?”
he said nothing, probably he got up to check who is it.
“who is it ?” I couldn't contain myself from asking it again. I was getting impatient for some reason.
No reply.
“Eric.” I heard a female call his name and I know who it was.
“I shall call you later.” Eric told me.
For real!
“no.. I want to know what she has got to do.”
“are you busy?” I hear her talk to him again.
“say yes and ask her to leave Eric.” I told him.
“what is it?” Eric asked her.
“umm… I cannot sleep there. There is some problem with the AC in the room.”
“talk to the management about it Jen.”
Did he just call her by her nickname, even while he knew I was listening. Atleast pretend dude.
“I did, they said they can get it repaired till the morning, and there is no other room available.” Jen made another excuse sounding so convincing over call.
“what the hell.” I said over call for Eric to hear
“I’ll call you back later.” Eric said again, his voice very low.
“don’t you dare cut the call.” I don't know where did I get that brave front from especially when I was on the verge of breaking down again.
“whom are you talking to ‘Ric?’”
Is this how she addresses him in private.
“just… um.. a friend” he answered.
I scoffed over call.
A friend.
Is this how he thinks of me. This was painful, more now since I did tell him and accepted myself that I was in love with him. Am I really just a ‘friend’?
He ignored my remarks over call and turned back to his Jen.
“alright you can take this room. Make yourself comfortable.”
WHAT
“I shall stay with Prof Peter for the time being.” Eric sir said.
“come on Ric, why are you behaving so weird, its not as if you have a girlfriend and you are scared to cheat on her with me, and its not as if we are staying together overnight for the first time.” Ms. Jenna said and that was all that took to break me down, for the nth time today.
“hello…” I heard Eric speak to me over call, but I had no courage to hear his excuse anymore.
I cut the call and sat on the floor of the balcony. The cold marble tiles touching the back of my thigh. I brought my knees close to my chest and brought my head to rest on them as I stared down on the empty roads, finding myself crying once again.
Lara entered the balcony almost in a rush and kneeled next to me, “oh my God Ana, what happened?” she turned my face, and her eyes rose in shock after seeing my pathetic condition.
“what happened Ana?”
“I guess I am the third wheel between them.”
“between whom?”
“Prof Eric and Ms. Jenna.”
“what made you say this, this isn’t true, he likes you Ana.”
“no… no.. he doesn’t… he..” I said and started sobbing again.
“ok.. alright.. we’ll discuss this, you get in the room first. Its cold here.”
She helped me rise and we went to the room. I sat on the bed which was comfortably warm, now that I know the cold.
Lara got me a glass of water and sat on the chair in front of me keeping her legs straight on the bed.
“what is it, tell me now.”
“Ms. Jenna, I mean ‘Jen’, had come to his room.”
“for?” her eyes narrowed in confusion
“to stay there for the night, with him.”
“holy shoot… for real..?” she sat straight on the chair
I nodded, looking down at my feet rubbing nose with the back of my hand.
“he did not allow right?”
“he did say a no but….”
“but?”
“Ms Jenna said, that its not the first time they are sleeping together, so why is he being so awkward with it.”
“wtf!!!!!!!” her voice was loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood.
“don’t tell me now, that its nothing between them.” I was audibly sad
She leaned in to hug me and patted my back.
“we’ll talk to him about this tomorrow.”
“no. that’s it. I will not be interfering between the two of them anymore.” I said firmly making up my mind that I have to stop it right here. I cannot let these stupid feelings fool me once again. It took me years to cope up with the betrayal of my parents and I cannot afford one more, especially when I can see the red flags clearly.
“you cannot give up like this Ana. You need to-”
I rose my had indicating her to stop “please.”
“okay…” she said defeated.
ERIC’s POV:
If wrong timing had a residence it had to be in my luck today. I knew Ana was mad at me, and I could not imagine what tomorrow had in store for me.
The way Ana had cut the call, I was sure, the things that we just made up for, is broken again, and this time it really needs a fixation.
I cannot let her go, I cannot lose her.
I tried calling her a few more times after Jenna had gone to sleep, but she wouldn’t pick up until she finally switched her phone off.
Yes Jenna was still sleeping in my room while I was sleeping on the couch which was exactly opposite to the bed.
I did try to make Jenna leave but she wouldn’t budge. And to be honest I couldn’t give her a convincing reason except for professionalism and being teachers, but she couldn’t care less about it.
And she was still right about us spending overnight together, but with that she meant spending overnight with two other of our friends, back when we were together in music school ;
and once, just the two of us, when we got locked in the basement of a building, where we went for our first music performance. We were found the next day when the entire band was about to head home and we were missing.
It was never that we did anything. The way it might have sounded to Ana.
We never even spent a night together in a room like this, so this situation was definitely awkward, for me at least. She made it sound horribly wrong on the call and I was very upset at her for that.
But I was more upset about the fact that I knew how much it bothered Ana. She had been crying the whole day today, just because of me and I was guilty about it.
I tossed and turned and just thinking about everything today, from the bus ride to the the last call, and I realised I spoilt her trip.
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