Coward!
That was the word that ran through Ella's mind as soon as her flight with her team took off for Australia. It was a word she'd become quite too familiar with since she'd snuck out two days ago on Abhi when he'd been asleep the morning after they'd made the hottest, most passionate, mind blowing love ever.
Before leaving, the quick, impersonal note she'd left him thanking him for a great night would no doubt serve as nothing short of a blow.
But this was for the best. Abhi had been in her erotic fantasies for the past year, and it had just been a matter of opportunity and the right words before her desire got unleashed. The right words had been that he would only step down from the volunteer work if the woman he wanted to be with decided she was also ready to step down and be with him, and she'd given herself to all the pent up lust against her better judgement.
Only to wake up the next morning with a nerve wrecking sense of panic and regret for what she'd done. And that was why she'd left so surreptitiously. It'd just felt so unfair that two days after they'd had such a night, she was having to leave, and she would've felt more guilty had she waited for him to wake up so they could talk about it.
She looked out through the window, gazing at the foggy clouds that whirled by, her heart squeezing with the love she felt for Abhishek. It hadn't been difficult realizing what she truly felt for him over the past months. Not when he'd never left her mind, demanding attention.
***~***
Ella frowned as she stared at the unknown number caller ID on her phone which was lying on her bed. They'd been in Australia for two months already, travelling from one deprived town or village to the other, and it'd been a long time since an unknown number had called her.
Deciding it could he any of her family members since she'd changed her number in Australia, she answered the call and waited for the other person to speak.
"Ella." Her breath caught in her throat when Abhi's gruff voice came through the phone, a shiver of delight streaked through her as her mind sent her back to their night together. "Don't you dare keep quite. I know you are there."
"Hello, Abhi. How did you get my..."
"Thank you for a great night? Thank you for a great night?" He said. From the incredulity and disappointment that boomed with his voice, Ella knew he'd been wanting to tell her this for quite a while. "What the heck do you consider what happened between us? A one night stand?"
"Abhi, I'm sorry." She owned him that much of an apology. "Calm down."
"How can I calm down? We make love, you tell me you love me, and the next day you're gone without even waking me up so we can talk about us."
His breaths, deep and heavy, came to her through the phone, his silence begging for an explanation. Ella swallowed. "I felt guilty, Abhi. I was going to leave in just two days and didn't want wanted to tie you down to me."
"That should've been my choice." He mused. "It was your sister in law who told me you were in Australia and gave me your number. If you'd told me that day, I would've made arrangements to catch up with you there."
"For what exactly?" She groaned, wishing he would understand her. "To be with a woman who would barely find any time to spend with you. Abhi, you've been working as a volunteer for five years now. Other people would've taken like a hundred breaks already. This is just your fourth. Your parents miss you. Your friends miss you. I can't have you skirting this vacation for my sake. You need to meet and spend time with them."
"But I miss you, and I want to be with you. That'll be vacation enough for me. You usually like Sundays as your off days. We could spend those together."
"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.