Bound by Law || 28- Out in the Open

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"Aisha..." he let out a shaky sigh, "was Aman's girlfriend."

My fidgeting stopped and I stared in shock at a stoic-faced Jai. My jaw went slack and my eyes bulged out.

"You mean ex-girlfriend?" I asked, my voice shaking.

He scoffed. "No. I mean his girlfriend; they never broke up," he replied with a sardonic smile.

"What do you mean?"

No, don't ask that.

But I had to know. I didn't want it to be a secret, I wanted to know the truth. My fidgeting was now uncontrollable as I searched his eyes desperately, trying to find any trace of humour.

Yet, I found none. Since Aisha was also his lover, I knew this would be crushing him too.

"I mean," he echoed, biting the words out, "I was in a relationship with my brothers' girlfriend, and I didn't know."

Raising both my hands up to cover my mouth, my eyes fell downcast at the un-touched pizza that had probably gone cold.

What?

"You helped her cheat on Aman?"

Jai sucked in a deep breath, clamping his eyes shut. His face was twisted in pain.

"I said I didn't know," he growled defensively. "He never fucking told me he had a girlfriend in the first place because we hated each other. We've never even had a civil conversation."

His lips curled up angrily. "If I had known about this, I would have broken up with that cheating slut ages ago."

I flinched at the insult but said nothing as I didn't want to make him even angrier than he was.

He didn't know? So he wasn't doing anything intentionally?

My eyes glanced up to look up at Jai, his eyes glazed over, looking lost in thought. My stomach swirled with guilt for accusing him of helping someone cheat.

"It's not your fault, Jai." My voice caused him to snap out of his thoughts, his amber eyes trained on me. "You said you never knew, so what could you have done?"

"I don't know." He clenched his jaw. "I should have told him and we could have worked things out together. Instead, he heard it from his girlfriend who wanted to keep us apart. And as soon as Aisha told me the truth the day before our camping trip, I broke up with her instantly. That's why I was so off that day when Sanaya came over. She had called right after and told me shit and I demanded to see her to get the full story."

Everything finally makes sense...well, not everything.

"But why did she decide to tell you?" I asked, suddenly confused. "She didn't have to. She could have kept it a secret for a long time and you never would have known."

"She didn't want to hide things from me anymore, apparently. She wanted to start fresh with me because she wanted to run away with me and get married even though I'm with you. It was fucking stupid."

He shook his head, scoffing to himself. "And I was even more stupid. Even when Aman blamed and attacked me for seeing Aisha, I just thought it was because he was jealous of our relationship. I didn't know it was because they were together and that I was the reason they had become distant because he never told me. I think he thought it was deliberate and that I was fooling around with her despite knowing she was his. He probably wanted to hear the truth from me, but I didn't know. I know what he was assumed was far from the reality of what had happened. But, if he had just told me..." Jai sighed, running a hand down his face. "If he had told me, I would have gladly stepped out of the way."

The confusion within me was hard to describe. I didn't understand how Aman hated his own brother to the point where he believed Jai was with Aisha deliberately to get back at him.

I knew how Aman felt, but I didn't understand why or how he came to that conclusion.

"So, he never asked you for your side of the story?"

His eyes turned cold as his gaze met mine. "His mind was obviously set on believing that I had deliberately stole his girlfriend. So, do you really think he'd have believed me?"

I bit my lip and stayed silent as his words rang in my brain.

Oh, right.

This Aman probably wouldn't have given Jai the time of day if he was to defend himself.

"The bitch I loved and who I thought loved me, didn't even think to tell me or Aman the truth that she was fooling us both. We always had a rocky relationship but she tore us apart completely," he spat, bitterly, his stubbled jaw working as he ground his teeth.

This news caused my eyes to widen, my heart-breaking for Aman.

"So...she knew he figured it out the entire time?"

His eyes snapped up to mine. "She confessed she did and admitted that she wanted to be with me because he was getting boring. She didn't even have the guts to break up with him, nor did she feel guilty for breaking my brothers heart. Instead, she made me cheat on my brother with her. All the times we would come home together and see Aman, I didn't even know he was hurting." He scoffed, a look of disgust falling over his features. "My brother may have been an asshole, but no one deserves that. She's fucking heartless, that's what she is."

I was aghast with horror and swallowed hard as I thought; however, one peculiar detail didn't add up.

"If this was the case, why didn't Aman just leave her?"

Jai shut off. His usual cold and blank expression appeared and he tore his gaze away to stare down at the table, animosity settling in his eyes.

"She was his first love and always had been. They'd been together for a long time so I guess to have it end like this and so cruelly...he probably didn't want to give her up so soon even though he knew he couldn't win her back."

My eyes welled up with tears as I tried to speak.

"But if he was always in love with Aisha...then, why did he want to marry me?" I whispered, brokenly.

His eyes softened as he stared at my face, arms folded across his chest.

"Karishma...it's best if you don't know."

I shook my head, stubbornly.

"No, I need to know." I looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please."

A pause.

Jai sighed, running a reluctant hand through his hair as always when he was annoyed or exasperated.

"Fine." He rubbed his jaw and cleared his throat. "He only wanted to marry you to get back at Aisha for what she did. It was to make her jealous. Plus, by marrying you, he'd get a dowry from your family so he could buy more of the shit he was on. At that point in his life, he didn't care who he hurt."

My heart shattered.

Even though I didn't think about Aman anymore or feel anything towards him, it still hurt to know that he was using me.

At one point I did admire him.

He was the one person who had made me feel loved and special when no one else seemed to. And to find out that that person was a liar and was manipulating me, crushed me.

"H-he—what?" I choked out.

The place I had found lovely, now felt like it was trying to cut off my oxygen; I was struggling to breathe as I tried hard not to let my emotions take over.

Jai studied my face before sighing in disgruntlement.

"Look, I don't wa–"

"No, tell me, Jai!" I said, losing the tethers of the self-control that I had.

I was furious. All the rage was bubbling up inside me; my life, my marriage, my purity, my dignity as a woman–everything had been ripped away from me.

It seemed like life just wasn't in my favour and that God hated me.

And today was the day that I realised it.

Jai didn't seem surprised by my outburst and simply stared. My lips were trembling as the tears threatened to fall, but I held them in. I didn't want to make a scene.

He gave out a loud sigh.

"He never liked you like that. It was all a part of his psychotic revenge plan. Why else do you think you got that marriage proposal from him so quick? Didn't you ever get suspicious?"

My breath hitched and my chest constricted painfully in realisation. It sounded too good to be true–we had only met after years of not seeing each other after all, and suddenly I was being given a marriage proposal.

But I genuinely thought it was because he liked me for me.

It was all just a lie.

In the end, it was always Aisha.

It was never me.

I covered my mouth with a hand, trying to stop myself from sobbing.

Why, Aman? What did I ever do to you?

Without a second thought, I got up and ran out of the Pizzeria as if I was being chased. I didn't know where I was running to or what I was doing, but I ran.

I stopped when I was too tired to continue. A soft sob escaped my lips as I tried to control my breathing from the running but it proved to be a difficult task.

My heart clenched painfully as I thought about what Jai said. The pressure in my chest became larger and I reached up to place a hand over it, clutching the shawl to somehow stop the pain I was feeling in my heart. I let the tears run down my face as I sobbed quietly, taking deep, shuddering breaths.

"Karishma."

A deep voice came from behind me, making me freeze. I didn't know how he had come after me so quick but I hurriedly wiped my face and plastered a small smile before I whipped around.

"Can we go, Jai? I'm feeling a little bit tired."

Trying not to cast any suspicion on myself, I walked past him slowly. I didn't get very far, though, as warm fingers wrapped themselves around my wrist and tugged, forcing me to stop.

I turned around slowly and met his fixed gaze.

His face was stern as his eyes roved my face. "He's not worth it, Karishma. We both know the truth about the people we thought we knew. The best thing for us is to move on."

He tugged on my wrist again, but this time he was pulling me to him. Suddenly, I found myself face-to-chest with him and I was engulfed by a heat and warmth I wasn't used to.

My body tensed as his big arms wrapped around me tightly. His large, calloused hands were placed on the small of my back, pushing me closer to his firm body, giving me a sense of security and protection.

Jai's...hugging me?

I stood stock still and was as stiff as a board. Any sort of physical contact was not something I favoured.

The only person I ever hugged or touched was my Ma because she was the only one that could comfort me.

Other than that, physical contact terrified me to no end. Panic rose within me and I tried to swallow it down but it was too hard.

My head was buried in his chest, and the bitter wind that furiously slapped me didn't matter anymore.

I was blanketed by the warmth Jai was willingly giving me out of pity. He made me feel secure, but I itched to push him away because I was scared.

Regretfully, I brought my hands up finally, not being able to fight the feeling, and pushed at his chest.

I was hurt at what his brother did to me. And what Jai did too.

It seemed like they were both conspiring against me and I didn't want him touching me.

As if he suddenly realized what he was doing and that I was resisting, he let go and stepped away with lightning speed.

With an expression of aloof indifference, he walked past me briskly.

"Let's go."

"Jai, wai–"

"It's getting late."

I watched his retreating back, guilt settling within my stomach. Even though he hurt me, I liked this side of Jai. I liked how he was trying....but I couldn't conform to it.

We were finally going to start getting along with each other, and I ruined it. My own self wouldn't allow it, and I hated myself for that.

I hated myself for it because I always seemed to be the reason that the relationship between us worsened.

***

"So, are you going to work now?" I inquired softly.

I had to go and walk Archie an hour from now, and I was trying to get everything ready so I could come back to a clean house.

When the silence was too much to bear, I had turned around only to see Jai fixing up his tie.

He ran a hand through his hair when he turned to me upon hearing my question.

"Yeah," he mumbled, his voice gravelly. He yawned and rubbed his temple gently, looking a bit lethargic.

"Do you want me to make you some coffee or tea? You don't look too good, Jai," I said, unintentionally letting worry seep into my voice.

He stilled, his hand on his temple as he glanced up at me with amusement.

"I'm fine, Karishma. I'm getting late for work anyway."

After the other night, things were the same. Nothing had worsened, like I had expected it to, or gotten better.

I guess it was a good thing, but it was still unnatural that we were finally talking to each other normally and with civility.

I always waited for him to snap at me. Even though I felt like that time would come soon, I didn't want to be cautious around him and wait until he did. But it was too hard to stop.

After he left, I just browsed through the laptop before heading to grab Archie and head for a walk.

Meeting Archie always brightened my mood. He jumped up, wagging his tail excitedly and I giggled.

"You won't need to walk him much today—I'll be going out tonight so I'll just take him with me," the owner, Sheila, told me.

I smiled and nodded as I grabbed the leash from her. We walked for around thirty minutes before I went back. It didn't pay that well but it was flexible. It wasn't a nine to five job which allowed me to relax afterwards so it was worth it.

As soon as I got back home, I put everything where it needed to be before walking past the kitchen.

My eyes cast a look towards the packed lunch of cutlets and rice with chicken jalfrezi on the kitchen table and I froze.

He had forgotten his lunch.

Grabbing my phone, I dialled his mobile. Luckily, this time he picked up.

"You forgot your lunch here, Jai."

"Oh. Right."

"Do you want me to come give it to you?" I asked.

"Don't bother. I'll just buy lunch or something."

I bit my lip. "But, eating out all the time isn't good for your health. I'd rather you eat good home-cooked food."

There was silence and I was slightly afraid I'd overstepped and sounded too worried or obsessive.

He sighed. "Well, if you really want to then I guess you can come over and give it to me."

"Really? Okay, then. I'll be there soon!"

Shoving the lunchbox into my satchel, I left the house. After I trudged onto the bus, I couldn't help but think about the changes that were happening between us. It was strange, but it was a good strange.

My lips curved up into a small giddy smile as I thought about how nice things were now. We weren't fighting anymore and there were no hateful looks filled with rage or disgust.

Jai was showing a side that I never knew he had. I liked it, but then as soon as a thought popped into my mind, a frown overtook the smile that I had.

What if it doesn't last for long?

I shook my head softly, trying to shake those unwanted thoughts away. After a peaceful bus ride, I was headed to the office, going up to the top level where he worked.

As I walked through the busy crowd of workers, my eyes met with Aisha's. Her eyes were sunken, the once bright green eyes now dull and grey. Her hair was put into a messy bun and her clothes were crinkled.

The look didn't suit her.

She clenched her jaw as she found the energy to glare at me, and out of nowhere, Rahul emerged from behind her, causing me to gasp instantaneously.

An arsenal of guilt swirled around in my stomach as I took in the state of his face.

He had a black eye, a bandage on his swollen nose and cuts on his lips and cheeks. The both of them stared at me furiously, pausing what they were doing to watch me, menacingly.

I quickly shuffled over to Jai's office and knocked. His gruff, masculine voice came from the other side.

"Come in," he said.

I opened the door slightly, turning my head to shoot a guilty glance in Aisha's and Rahul's direction when she showed me her middle finger, causing my eyes to widen.

Quickly, I rushed in and shut the door, stepping away from the closed door and staring at it. My mind drifted back to what she did and my stomach clenched up in knots as her gesture hit me like a bullet.

I was emotionally hurt and I couldn't find it within myself to turn around and face Jai.

I could hear his footsteps come closer and internally panicked.

Turning around slowly, I held out the lunch box to him, hoping my face didn't betray what I felt.

"Here you go."

He chuckled deeply, making me jump a little.

Looking up, I met his amused eyes. He kept them on me as he reached out and took the lunch box. I looked at him with wide eyes but he didn't say anything, just opened the lid silently.

A small lop-sided smile graced his face as he fixed his eyes on me again.

"Thanks, it looks good."

"It does?" When he nodded, I internally sighed in relief, my shoulders visibly loosening. "I thought you wouldn't want to eat it."

He raised an eyebrow. "What, like the last time you were here?"

I nodded meekly, and he sighed exasperatedly. "You don't have to worry about that. I want to eat the cutlets that I helped you make."

That comment made me laugh, causing him to grin a little, the tiniest of dimples making its appearance on his left cheek. The sight almost made me freeze.

I..never knew he had a dimple.

I blinked and looked away, embarrassed.

"Um–well actually I made them all. Except for the one that you broke," I said, with a large smile.

His amber eyes shone as he chuckled, nodding his head slowly.

"Fair enough." He shrugged nonchalantly and looked up at me, the corners of his mouth curving into a haughty smirk. "Still helped you make them though."

I shook my head at him and he took a large bite out of the beef cutlet. I contemplated leaving, but the curiosity of what he thought kept me waiting eagerly.

There was silence between us for a few seconds and all of a sudden, any traces of mirth faded from his face instantly.

My mouth drooped into a curious frown as I studied him.

"Jai?"

"It's nothing," he dismissed, spooning some rice and chicken in his mouth, keeping his mouth occupied. "This is actually pretty good."

He looked at me appreciatively, and though he wasn't yelling at me like he would weeks or months ago, the air was still tense and his body language was hostile.

He walked over to the window, taking his lunch with him. His back was facing me and had become rigid. His foot tapped against the floor restlessly and he shoved his free hand into his pocket.

"Jai?"

"I should get back to work," he stated. Though I scolded myself for it, I was hurt by his derisive tone. I merely nodded.

"Um, well, I'll see you in the afternoon?" I asked.

He simply nodded and hummed lowly in response. Feeling deflated, I turned to leave when he stopped me.

"Wait."

I looked at him curiously over my shoulder. He stared at me.

"Are you okay?"

H-huh?

"I'm fine. Why?"

He stayed silent for a couple of seconds. "No reason." He examined my face carefully. "You just looked upset when you came in."

"Oh," I whispered, as realisation at what he was talking about seeped in. I hoped my reaction didn't give anything away.

"Karishma," he warned, "something happened, didn't it?"

I snapped my head up to meet

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