Page 11 of No Other Love
What did he have to be angry about? He was living the life he always planned for. In the big house he’d been able to rent for his parents in thesmall townwhere he was the big deal doctor. And, best of all, his angry, rebellious, citified wife was nowhere in the picture.
Ilost everything. I bet on a man after what my father had put my mom through because I thought Vikrant was different. And look where I was now. Angry and resentful with premature grey hair before thirty. For shame!
‘Yes,’ I said softly. ‘We’re officially done.’
‘Good.’
‘Excellent.’
I nodded. I made to get up when Vikrant caught my wrist. ‘Dammit, wait, Anika.’
‘What?’ My skin burned, it actually burned where he touched me. Like I was a wilting plant, and he was the sun, and I needed his touch to bring me back to life. ‘And don’t touch me without my consent.’
He dropped my wrist and closed his eyes.
‘I’m sorry. I’ve been an ass. The truth is…’ He hesitated. ‘The truth is, I came here to see you. Only you.’
My stupid heart leaped at the words I’d longed to hear all year. But I schooled my expression into a mask of indifference and sat back in the seat. ‘I’m listening.’
‘I…’ Vikrant ran a hand through his hair, disturbing strands of it. ‘I need you back, Anika. I need you to come to Aronda with me.’
My mouth dropped open in unattractive shock.
Five
Vikrant
I stared openly at the woman I’d not been able to forget or forgive for eleven months, twenty-four days, six hours, and thirteen minutes.
I knew it was a cowardly thing to do. Not informing her of my plan to visit and then hiding out in the cafeteria instead of manning up and seeing her the second I got here, like my defenseless heart wanted to.
But I needed time to compose myself. To find the right words. To build my walls back up.
Of course, everything had changed the second I saw her.
Walking toward the group with a determined, almost stalking stride.
Anika was of average height for an Indian woman, but she always appeared taller because of this air of ruthless confidence she had. The way she tossed her head in the air, like an arrogant thoroughbred who didn’t need to win any races.
And seeing her undermined all of my defenses, cracked open my heart like someone had taken a rib-cutter and physically put me on the operating table. Ihurt.Every part of my body - bones, blood, the corpuscles that made up my flesh hurt.
How could she have stayed away for a whole fucking year without even talking to me? Did she not love me at all? Was our relationship based on chemistry and nothing more?
Was my mother right?
‘I don’t understand,’ Anika said carefully, disrupting the tragic train of my thoughts.
‘What?’ I asked thickly. Then I cleared my throat and looked at the worn Formica table. It was better than looking at the most unreachable woman on planet Earth and pining for her like a pathetic bastard.
‘We’re…we’re done. I signed the papers. But you want me back now?’
I nodded. ‘Yeah. Exactly that.’
She stared at me with wide eyes. ‘Have you lost your mind?’
I shook my head. ‘No, I’m perfectly sane. ‘My mother had me tested’.’
Unwittingly, a smile twitched at her kissable lips as I quoted the most famous geek in pop culture. Lips that were plumpy with gloss. ‘Stop trying to be funny or confuse me, Vik. Get to the point already. I have to go back to work in…’ She made a show of consulting the time on her phone. ‘Ten minutes.’