9 His Love

At the other end of the phone line, Vivan was beaming. His lips nearly kissed the phone screen.

Although she didn't speak for long, the tone was the gentlest he had heard. Ira's call relieved all the burdens he felt. Filled with mixed emotions after yesterday night he couldn't concentrate on a single thing throughout the day.

When Vivan saw her break down, as lovely as he felt he was perplexed. He didn't know whether it was tears of joy or agony. Vivan was uncertain about what response Ira expected from him. She was on medications for a year to improve her fertility.

She wanted a baby, didn't she?

Besides, he still held doubts about why she had looked for abortion clinics.

It was only when he called his mother and told her the news that he felt calm. "Pregnancy is a new life for a woman. It's certain she would change. Give her time to accept." 

If she didn't want a baby she would have told him. He sighed and decided to trust her. 'I should have a good talk with her.'

Yes, he wanted a child! Not just his baby, it's their baby! He wanted… no, needed their child.

'Baby, for two years, I couldn't tie your mom down with me. Now, you do it for me.'

What he heard on the phone wasn't a mere invitation for a meal. It meant Ira disclosed the pregnancy to her parents.

'Doesn't this mean you are happy about the baby?'

Yes! He loved her.

He wanted to tell her, 'I like you. I have always liked you!' He also wanted to try to kiss her, but he was almost sure that it would disgust her.

She was a stubborn and arrogant woman who acted like a queen. Precisely this queen had made him fell in love to her. He fell in love with a strong woman and her flaming aura.

However, he was a coward—a coward who couldn't even confess his love to his own "wife," in fear that she would leave him.

'Now with the assurance of a child, I will audaciously and shamelessly pursue you,' Vivan decided.

It was an arranged marriage for Ira, but it was love for him.

She believed that they only met twice before their wedding, once in their blind date and the next on the day of their engagement, but she had been wrong. They had run across each other much earlier. 

However, the day that she had forgotten about was specifically the day he got bewitched by her.

_____________________

Their first meeting.

At the signal, a car screeched as the brake was suddenly pressed.

A woman had come in front of the car in the last second. Vivan hurried to get out and check on her. 

As he hadn't heard a cry for help, Vivan carefully asked the woman, "Are you hurt? Do you want to go to the hospital?"

The woman sat up, opened her purse, retrieved a Band-Aid from it, and applied it calmly but swiftly on her knees. It was only then he found out about her scraped knees and bruised hands. She was wearing a formal suit with a knee-length skirt.

"Do you need help?" he asked when he saw her get up. 

"No," she said. She took off her shoes and held them in her hands. And then she suddenly broke into a run.

Despite the scrapped knee, she ran in haste. Didn't it hurt?

By the time he could react, she was long gone.

Then, the very same day, Vivan saw her for the second time at her office.

He was hired to design and renovate the office.

While he looked around the place, he saw the woman in the conference room, right across the glass.

The woman who had just gotten into an accident was standing proudly in front of 10 middle-aged men, giving a presentation. Oddly, it seemed like a teacher giving a lecture to her students.

When he saw her constantly moving around, he was distressed.

Vivan's eyes could not help but fall on her bandaged knees. Her brows furrowed in anger.

One of the band-aids was oozing blood.

All eyes of the men have focused on her radiant face; no one noticed her wounded knees.

She bewitched him!

She was a strong woman.

She was a woman who wore her pain as diamonds on her neck. Proud and noble.

Like his mother Tara Shah. Vivan was only 5 when his father left their home. His mother single-handedly raised him while, at the same time, became a distinguished designer. He wanted a woman like his mother.

That woman came to him, but he could not win her over.

Now, he would risk it all! 

Lost in his thoughts, he realized the phone was still in his hands touching his cheeks. When he looked up, he saw his secretary Mr. Om staring at him with a weird expression. He kept the mobile down and smiled.

"Are you married?" Vivan asked all of a sudden. 

"No."

"Girlfriend?"

"No." The man was confused or rather horrified by the questions. It never appeared in his widest beliefs that the ever so serious boss would ask him such questions.

"You won't understand." Vivan shrugged and smiled revealing a perfect arc. He stood up and patted his shoulder "You did well recently. This month take a few days off." The soul that had left Mr.Om hasn't even returned and the boss gave him a bigger blow.

The workaholic person who worked overtime every day was giving him a break. 

Not many people knew of Vivan's marriage. He didn't mention his private life in the company. Mr.Om always thought that his boss who stayed in the company most of the times even during the Sundays was a lonely soul. A perfect bachelor who lacked emotions for the opposite sex! That was his evaluation of Vivan. 

So it was inconceivable to see his boss kissing someone on the phone! 'Did a woman enter the boss's life and made it blissful?' 

He recognized as long as their relationship was good, the serious boss would give him holidays and no more overtime. With more time he could find himself a girlfriend as well. Somehow his future relationship seemed to be linked with the relationship of his boss. He decided to visit shrines and temples to pray for them.