The Girl He Left Behind

by Shilpa Suraj

‘But there is something missing.’ She wasn’t Sia. But then no one ever came close. ‘Anyway, that’s not important; there is something else I wanted to ask you about.’

  ‘Not important? She thinks she’s falling in love with you, Ry.’

  For the second time in this conversation, she left Ryan completely stupefied. Feeling the first stirrings of panic, he sat down in the nearest chair he could find. ‘What?’ he asked again.

  ‘Are we back to that scintillating bit of repartee?’ Minty was starting to feel a lot better. Ryan’s reaction was just what she was hoping for. She couldn’t help stirring the pot even further.

  ‘She said that? She said she was falling in love with me? After one dinner and a couple of phone conversations? Is she insane?’

  ‘Never heard of love at first sight? Do you think I’d make something like that up? You know what I was thinking? We haven’t had a chance to show Adarsh the nightlife in town. All of us should go out dancing one night.’

  Ryan was back to parroting her. ‘All of us?’ he asked with a horrified expression on his face.

  Making sure the happy dance her heart was doing wasn’t visible on her face, she said ‘Yes. Adarsh, Sia, Nisha and the two of us. We can add on another guy to make the numbers even. Let me ask Ajay if he is free.’

  ‘That muscle bound dolt? Why do you want to ask him along?’

  Minty batted round innocent eyes at him. ‘He’s been asking Sia out for ages and she keeps shooting him down. I thought maybe a group outing would help her loosen up around him and be more open to the whole thing.’

  ‘What whole thing?’

  ‘For heaven’s sake, Ryan! Don’t be so dense. I’d like her to have a little fun in life you know.’

  ‘With The Incredible Hulk?’

  Muffling an unladylike snort at that very apt description, Minty continued ‘Why not? It’s just a start. I’m only suggesting she get to know him a little better. Who knows, sometimes the most unlikely people end up together.’

  ‘It’s a ridiculous idea.’

  ‘The night out? Why? I thought you liked dancing and I know Nisha definitely does. It’s even listed in her bio as one of her hobbies.’

  ‘Don’t be an ass, Min. You know I mean that guy, Ajay, coming along.’

  ‘It would round off the evening nicely.’ Feigning innocence was easy; moving quickly forward she said ‘You don’t have to talk to him if you don’t want to. I’ll tell Sia to keep him occupied and away from you.’ Ignoring his expression at that last remark, she continued, ‘I have to go now, Ry, meeting coming up. I’ll set the clubbing night up and ring the group. I can’t wait. It’s going to be so much fun. Talk to you soon.’ Deftly manoeuvring him out of the room, she shut the door in his stunned face before he could protest.

  On one side of the door, Ryan shook his head bemusedly before walking back to his cabin. On the other side, Minty sent up a silent apology to Sia for what she was going to dump on her unsuspecting head. It was certainly going to be an eventful night.

  Chapter 10

  ‘We’re going to do what?????’ Sia shrieked.

  Minty winced, ‘You’re going to shatter glass, if you don’t turn it down.’

  ‘What the hell were you thinking?’ Sia’s voice was reaching a pitch that only bats would be able to hear very soon.

  ‘I was thinking we could all go out and have a nice, fun evening together.’

  When Sia continued to stare at her in speechless disbelief, she shrugged ‘Fine, I’ll confess. I thought this would be a great way for Ryan and you to loosen up around each other.’

  ‘You thought inviting Nisha and Ajay along would help us loosen up around each other? Are you insane?’ Sia started to pace around Minty’s tiny living room. It took her about four strides to cover one length of the room. In a matter of seconds, she was starting to make Minty dizzy.

  ‘How does it matter? You’re the one who keeps insisting there is nothing there and that you’ve moved on. This is probably a great opportunity to try and go back to being friends again.’

  ‘Don’t bat those big eyes of yours at me! That is not what this evening will be about and you know it.’

  ‘Fair enough. Then let’s discuss one of the things it is about. You still have feelings for him.’ Lifting a hand to stall Sia’s instinctive refusal, she continued quietly, ‘Why not see where it goes? Either you guys will end up together or you’ll get him completely out of your system. It’s a win- win situation.’

  Stumped by that irrefutable piece of logic, Sia stopped pacing and collapsed onto the only recliner in the room. Grabbing a cushion from a nearby couch, she buried her face in it and took a deep breath. When she stayed like that for a few minutes, Minty ventured ‘So are we on?’

  When she lowered the pillow, her eyes were bleak. ‘I can’t get involved again. There is no way I’m letting another guy into my life.’

  ‘He’s not just another guy. This is Ryan’

  ‘Especially Ryan. He hurt me, Min. A lot more than the asshole I was married to. Just because the scars he left on me don’t show doesn’t mean they aren’t there.’

  ‘Have you asked him why he left? He isn’t a bad guy, Sia and that nightmare of a family of his would make anyone run away.’

  ‘I don’t want to know why. The why of it doesn’t change what he did.’ Shifting restlessly, she changed the topic. ‘Anyway, when is this circus going to play out?’

  Uneasy now with her own machinations, Minty leant forward in her seat. ‘I was thinking the coming Saturday night. Sia, if you don’t want to, I can just call it off. Nothing’s fixed yet.’

  ‘No. It’s okay. We’re all mature adults. I’m sure I can handle it and I doubt it makes any difference to him.’ Mentally crossing her fingers and praying she wasn’t tempting fate, Sia changed the subject.

  * * *

  ‘You’re dating the author?’ Ryan resisted the urge to squirm under Adarsh’s accusing glare. It was nobody’s business but his own what he did with his life.

  ‘One dinner, for heaven’s sake! I wish people would get their facts right. One dinner is not dating. What’s your problem with her anyway?’

  ‘She rubs me the wrong way. She seems nice on the surface but,’ he hesitated trying to find the right words, ‘Underneath all the niceness, there is this whole bitch vibe that she gives off.’

  Ryan hated to admit it but Adarsh was right. There was something just a little off about Nisha. She said and did all the right things but something was wrong with the whole picture. It seemed rather presumptuous to judge someone only on a feeling though.

  Adarsh’s voice jolted him out of his musings. ‘What happened to Sia? I thought she was the one?’

  ‘Well, I’m not the one for her as far as she’s concerned. At least, not anymore.’

  ‘Have you asked her? Had a frank conversation about what happened all those years ago and what you want for the future?’

  Staying quiet, Ryan rolled the beer bottle between his palms. Have a frank conversation and say what? Hey, I told you that I didn’t love you all those years ago because I’d just found out I was a bastard, in the literal sense of the word. And in the not so literal sense of the word, I was a bastard who decided it was better to leave you before you found out the truth and left me.

  When Ryan didn’t reply immediately, he continued ‘Is she supposed to be a mind reader? How the hell is she supposed to know how you feel?’

  Ryan was saved from answering by the Pink Panther tune emanating from Adarsh’s phone.

  ‘Minty!’ Adarsh’s enthusiastic greeting told him exactly what was coming next. Muffling a groan, he stood and went to the mini fridge in the room to help himself to another beer. Maybe an alcohol induced haze would make the thought of the upcoming party evening more palatable. Noting that Adarsh’s beer was almost empty, he grabbed one for him also before making his way back to the couch. He walked in on Adarsh saying ‘That sounds like a fabulous plan. Do we have to invite the writer bitch along?�
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  Shooting Ryan a grin, he continued ‘Nothing in particular, just don’t like her. I never had a thing for the ball breaker type.’ Hooting with laughter at whatever Minty’s reply was, he managed to choke out ‘Oh babe, you have no idea how phenomenal they are!’

  With a small grin, Ryan watched as Adarsh continued to gesture animatedly while talking. Whether in person or on the phone, Adarsh’s entire body participated in a conversation. He’d grown up playing the joker in the pack. What most people who laughed at the joker forgot was that having the joker with you usually won you the game.

  Adarsh hung up and looked over. ‘You’re okay with this plan?’

  Ryan shrugged ‘I’m just going with the flow.’ Draining his bottle, he stood up. ‘Want to go out for dinner? I’m tired of the menu at the hotel.’ Adarsh took a large swig from his bottle before grabbing a jacket and heading to the door with him.

  They were halfway across the hotel lobby when Ryan saw Nisha walking towards them. She was busy chattering away into her phone and didn’t notice them until she almost walked into them.

  ‘Sure, Minty, that sounds like a fun plan. Count me in. I have to go now so I’ll talk to you again soon.’ Shutting the flip top of her phone with a decisive snap, she beamed at them. ‘Just the men I came to see.’ Despite the men in her sentence, she completely ignored Adarsh while inching closer to Ryan. ‘You haven’t called me. A girl could end up thinking you’ve lost interest, you know?’ Pouting, she ran a finger along his jaw.

  ‘That would be a smart girl.’ Stifling a smile at Adarsh’s muttered aside; he grabbed her hand and lowered it before she skewered him with one of her dangerous looking nails. ‘You caught us at a bad time, Nisha. We were on our way out to dinner. Maybe, we could catch up some other time? I’ll give you a call.’

  ‘I haven’t had dinner yet. Why don’t I join you guys?’ She beamed up at them before linking an arm through Ryan and propelling him towards the door. Trying to maintain a straight face through Adarsh’s not so soft mutterings about rhinoceroses and thick hides, Ryan disentangled himself.

  ‘Nisha, Adarsh and I were planning on a working dinner tonight. We wouldn’t be good company and also a lot of what we’re discussing is confidential so we can’t really have other people at the table. We’re all meeting up on Saturday, right? Why don’t we catch up then?’

  Glaring at Adarsh’s blatant smirk, she started to stalk off before changing her mind and coming closer to hiss at him ‘Call me when you’re able to shake off your little dog. I’m looking forward to spending some more quality time with you.’

  They waited till they saw her taillights disappear before heading in the direction of their rented car. Adarsh stayed silent until they got into the car and drove for a good five minutes before asking ‘You can’t possibly like that?’

  ‘Don’t you mean her?’

  ‘No, I mean that. I’m telling you I can hear the theme song from Fatal Attraction playing in the background when she looks at you.’

  ‘Did Fatal Attraction have a theme song?’

  ‘If it didn’t, they should come up with one for this situation. Ryan, that woman is trouble.’

  ‘I’ll talk to her and tell her I won’t be seeing her alone again.’

  ‘Why the hell did you see her alone in the first place? She definitely isn’t your type.’

  Avoiding the question, Ryan slid a glance over at Adarsh’s indignant profile. ‘I have a type?’

  ‘If you think I can’t see through that pathetic attempt at changing the topic, you are extremely mistaken my friend.’

  ‘Let it go for tonight, Adarsh.’ Ryan sighed. ‘I’m too tired to get into this right now. It was a stupid thing to do and it was primarily motivated by anger over something else. I’ll fix it okay? I’ll disabuse her of whatever romantic fantasies she is weaving around it.’

  ‘Anger over something to do with Sia?’

  ‘You really do have a problem understanding the phrase ‘let it go,’ don’t you?’

  ‘Okay, okay, it’s gone. If you need to talk you know where I am.’

  ‘Stuck to my side is where you are.’ Ryan muttered.

  ‘Woof Woof.’ Shooting him a cheeky grin, Adarsh steered the conversation towards the recent cricket match and whether Australia had a chance of winning the current tri-country test series. It was always wise to know when to stop pushing someone.

  Chapter 11

  ‘Why do women always have to be late?’ Adarsh lamented as they made their way into the nightclub. The place was pretty packed and held the promise of getting even more crowded as the night wore on.

  ‘I think it has something to do with not turning up in jeans and t-shirts like us.’ Ryan said before turning to smile at the pretty hostess standing at the entrance. ‘Ryan Mathur, we have a reservation for a table for six.’

  ‘Of course, Sir. Please follow me.’ She led the way to a nice intimate booth which already had Ajay seated at it. After raising a hand in greeting, Ryan left it to Adarsh to make polite conversation with Ajay. He didn’t have anything against the guy personally but the way Ajay tried to cosy up to Sia annoyed the hell out of him. He looked around amazed at how much the city’s nightlife had developed since he’d left town. The clothes had gotten bolder, tighter and tinier, which was an interesting change, he mused.

  He was the first to catch sight of Nisha when she walked in. In a short flared black skirt that exposed more leg than it covered, an emerald green halter top with a neckline that loved gravity and stilettos, she had more than half the men in the club echoing Ajay’s loud ‘WOW.’ Shooting an irritated look at Ajay, the guy really needed to learn to be more subtle, Ryan stood to welcome her.

  After hugging him warmly, Nisha air kissed the other guys on both cheeks and slid into the booth. She ended up practically sitting on Ryan’s lap since she had wedged herself between him and Adarsh and was quite obviously freezing Adarsh out. Pretending to be oblivious to the cold vibes blasting in his direction, Adarsh leaned in to yell over the music into her ear. Whatever Adarsh said had her turning her nose up at him even more and scooting closer to Ryan. At this rate, she was either going to have to properly sit in his lap or he was going to end up on the floor. He was just leaning forward to tell her to move in a little, when Minty and Sia turned up.

  My God, was his last coherent thought before his brains scrambled. He swallowed to wet his suddenly dry throat. After gulping convulsively, he tried to stop his goldfish impression and stand with the other men to greet them. Since grace and composure seemed to have deserted him, his attempt at rising knocked the edge of the table, upturning the pitcher of water right into Nisha’s exposed cleavage.

  After a horrified moment of silence, Adarsh exploded into loud laughter. Ajay was too busy staring in fascination at the widening wet patch on Nisha’s chest while the girls rushed forward to grab tissues and help her up. Brushing past him with barely a glance they headed towards the ladies room. Well, Minty and Sia didn’t look at him, but Nisha threw him a look that promised retribution. It took him two more seconds to realize he hadn’t apologized.

  Turning to glare at Adarsh who was still holding his sides and howling with laughter, he signalled to one of the waiters to have the area mopped up.

  ‘Oh my God, Ryan, I told you to cool things off with her but dumping cold water on her wasn’t what I had in mind.’ Wiping the tears of laughter streaming down his face, he tried to sober up. Ajay suddenly started snickering which set Adarsh off again and the two morons continued to laugh. Apparently they had now found something to bond over. Ryan let his head fall back on the backrest of the booth and waited for the girls to come back so he could grovel.

  * * *

  Half an hour and countless apologies from Ryan later, Nisha had gone home to change in a huff. Ryan let the good natured ribbing swirl around him while he settled himself. He couldn’t stop his eyes from straying across the table in Sia’s direction. In a short, sleeveless, red dress which hugged and skimmed
every curve of hers ending in a short flirty flare above her knees, she was breathtaking. Her hair fell in a waterfall of loose waves almost till her waist. Her make-up and accessories were minimal but then she definitely didn’t need either. Right now, she had her head close to Ajay’s while he whispered something into her ear. In all fairness, the music was too loud for him to talk to her without saying whatever it was into her ear but did he have to try to look down her dress while he did it?

  Tugging on his arm, Adarsh got him to lean over before saying ‘If you grind your teeth anymore, you’re going to need dentures soon. Stop glaring at them and enjoy yourself.’

  Enjoy himself? Now, why hadn’t he thought of that?

  Leaning in again, Adarsh yelled ‘Now you’re just glaring at me!’

  Exasperated, he turned away to find Minty extending her hand out to him. ‘Want to dance?’

  Grabbing her hand like the lifesaver it was, he followed her on to the dance floor. It was retro night so there were some amazing old numbers playing. It felt good to be dancing with Minty again. They’d always ended up playing the fool more than dancing. Adarsh joined them on the floor within minutes leading to it being a complete free for all.

  Grabbing him around the waist, Minty leveraged herself up on her toes to say ‘Either ask her to dance or stop staring at her.’

  Shaking his head at her, he signalled that he was heading towards the bar to get another drink. Leaving her and Adarsh to whatever it was they were doing on the dance floor, it certainly couldn’t be called dancing; he ordered a Scotch on the rocks and turned to get hit with an eyeful of Sia and Ajay on the dance floor. Sia had always been a fabulous dancer and it looked like the Hulk had some pretty decent moves of his own. They did one turn around the dance floor before joining Adarsh and Minty’s insanity. He wasn’t sure how long he stood on the fringes watching the four of them enjoy themselves. Other people were starting to join in and within fifteen minutes they had a coordinated hustle going on the dance floor.

  He went back to their table and settled in to watch them, feeling very much like the party Grinch. As hard as he tried he couldn’t stop his eyes from straying back to Sia. He watched her spin, twist, hustle and groove with a huge smile on her face. Everything about her was so new and yet so heart wrenchingly familiar. He watched her run her hand through her hair and turn to smile over her shoulder at something Adarsh said to her. She took his hand to let him spin her into a fast salsa. They spun, dipped and moved with such enthusiasm, they had the floor clearing around them. People gathered around to clap and hoot while Sia and Adarsh monopolized the floor. Ending in a grand flourish, he bent her low over one arm before pulling her up and into his arms again. Ryan watched her throw back her head and laugh exuberantly as everyone whistled and catcalled around them. All four of them stumbled back to the table after another hour. He’d put that hour to good use loading up on the Scotch. While they ordered appetizers and another round of drinks, he pushed back from the table to get some fresh air. He felt a hand grab his fingers as he rose and looked down into Minty’s concerned eyes. Smiling at her, he leaned in and said ‘I’m okay. I’ll be back in a few minutes.’