The Reluctant Matchmaker by Shobhan Bantwal

Author:Shobhan Bantwal [Bantwal, Shobhan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Published: 2012-05-22T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Saturday afternoon, I got a call from Prajay. Ignoring my ecstatic heart leaping like a toad, I managed to keep my conversation on an even keel. “Hi, Prajay.”

“Meena, I’m hoping you’ve calmed down a little since last Sunday. I wanted to call you earlier in the week but—”

“What stopped you?” I asked tartly.

“I decided to give you a few days to think about what I’d said that night.”

“What you’d said, Prajay?”

“You know exactly what I said.”

“Oh, you mean that stuff about how you’re old enough to be my father, and so big that one touch is likely to shatter my fragile body?”

His sigh was clearly audible. “I didn’t mean it that way, Meena. And sarcasm doesn’t suit a charming and refined lady like you.”

“Charming and refined? This after you made it abundantly clear that you found me repulsive?” I tried hard to keep the bitterness out of my voice, but it was impossible. The emotions I had suppressed for nearly a week were churning in my gut now and threatening to erupt.

“I most certainly didn’t say that.”

“But you implied it.”

“I suppose there’s no point in arguing over it when you’ve made up your mind to misinterpret my words and actions. Since that’s beyond my control, I just want you to know that I value our friendship very much. I think you’re a smart young lady and will do well in your career. I want to thank you for all the work you do for Rathnaya. And for me personally.”

The conversation was clearly leading to some sort of conclusion. It had all the signs. “Is this a way of saying good-bye, Prajay?”

“Not good-bye but so long. I’m leaving for Washington tomorrow. The negotiations here are completed, and the acquisition is going through nicely.”

“Good for you.” I said grudgingly.

“We’ll be adding all the new company’s employees on to our payroll as of next week. Nishant will take care of that. My job here is basically over.”

And I’m over, too. “I see.” My throat was closing up. I’d never see him again. If he happened to come back for other business-related trips, I might run into him. Maybe. There was nothing more to keep him here.

“I wanted to say a proper good-bye to you before I left,” he said. “I waited a whole week to let you cool off.”

“Good-bye, then.”

“Not like this, Meena. Too much has happened between us for a telephone farewell. May I stop by your house this evening?” He paused. “Or if it’s more convenient, can we meet somewhere?”

He was afraid to ask me over to his house. He was scared that I’d throw myself at him again. That’s why he wanted to meet in a public place. I wasn’t going to let him humiliate and hurt me further. “I have a date this evening.”

He remained silent for a second. “I understand. Take care of yourself and stay in touch. You know my e-mail address and my phone number in the Washington office.”

“Sure.” The Washington office, but not his home.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.