He Sold Love for Rs 500 - Part 3

He Sold Love for Rs 500 - Part 1

He Sold Love for Rs 500 - Part 2

Great huh? I was in a relationship with the man I had been crushing on for 3 years; he is in love with me; and here I was thinking how things are wrong.

I’m impossible, I know.

The phone had been buzzing continuously; it was elevating my headache. I put my glass of wine down.

It was him. 

“Yes?”

“Baby, where are you? I’ve called you so many times. You weren’t picking up. I’m outside. I’ve been here for the past hour. Are you alright?”

Wow, did he just say that in one go, did he even stop for breathing?, I thought. 

“I’m just……I just want to be alone right now. Okay? I’m sorry. I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”

“You’ve been behaving different since that office retreat.”

“What? No. Look, let’s talk tomorrow.”

“I know you’re upset with me. I don’t know why, but you are”

“No” I sighed.

“Let me make everything alright.”

“How?”

“You’ll see. Tomorrow night, dinner”

 My head was throbbing. “Alright”

What could he possibly be up to? I wondered as I put down the phone.
____________________________________________

The next day, we met at my favorite restaurant. 

I poked at my food, barely speaking. He was looking at me longingly. 

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, he cleared his throat. I glanced at him.

“Baby….” He reached for his pocket “You are important for me, more than words can ever say. And there is nothing I would want and nowhere I would rather be, than with you”.

I gulped, what was going on?

He took out a small box and popped it open. There was a ring inside.

“Will you marry me?”

I stared at him, opened my mouth, and then closed it again.

I had imagined this scenario so many times. Him, me, the ring. And now when it was finally happening…….

His eyes look at me desperately. Almost ready to burst with excitement. 

Isn’t this what I had wanted all along? Me and him? Us? To be together? 

Should I say yes?

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. There was a sudden lump on my throat.

“No.” I croaked. 

“What?” His face fell. 

“I’m sorry I can’t do it” fresh tears were streaming down my face as I stood up and left him there. 

I knew; I understood, that he felt heartbroken at that moment, but I was more heartbroken, more than he would ever know. 

It took everything in me to walk away.
__________________________________________

I frantically searched my call log as soon as I got home. 

Damn it! It was all him, every single call! Where was that number? 

Finally I got hold of it, thank goodness, it was still there!

My hands shook as I dialed.

“Hello?” there was that raspyness of an excuse for a voice. It was more of a demand than a question.

“What should I do?” my hand on my forehead, pacing around the bedroom, dried tears on my cheeks.

He laughed. “The time has come, huh? His laughter sounded more like cackling. 

I ignored him. “What should I do?” I repeated. “Please”

There was loud knocking on the door now. 

“Baby?” it was him. “Baby I know you’re in there. Open up!”

“The answer lies within the bottle”

He hung up.

The knocking was getting louder, they were bangs now. “Baby!”

I stared at my phone. “What on earth did he mean? The answer lies within the bottle?”

“Baby, what is that you want?” bellowed a voice outside my door.

Where was that bottle anyway? I thought to myself. 

“Baby, I can’t live without you! Please. I’ll do anything!” 

I rushed to my nightstand drawer as I remembered.

I picked up the little pouch. The bottle lay inside, as I had left it there, innocently.

“Baby, I swear if you do not open the door this instant…..” 

My heart leapt. 

I looked at the bottle, turned the bottle, looked for signs, a notice, anything. There was nothing, no label. What did the man mean?

“Baby, I swear I’ll do something to myself” there was another bang on the door.

And then it hit me.

Of course! 

The answer lies within the bottle.

I heard one more loud bang on the door.

I took a deep breath and dropped the bottle.
____________________________________

The bottle shattered all over the floor. And with its destruction, the remaining liquid just vanished, evaporated? I don’t know, it just went poof. 

I remembered every moment with him as I looked at the shattered pieces of the bottle. All the hugs, all the times he picked me up, all the dates, all those late night telephone conversations; everything. 

It was still him, it was still moments with him.

It took me a moment to realize, that the banging on the door had stopped. 

Slowly, cautiously, I made my way to the door.

I counted to three before turning the knob. 

I peeked outside, no one. The corridor was empty.

He was gone.

Relief swept in at first. It was over. And then came in the tears. 
___________________________________

I didn’t want to go to work the next day, I didn’t want to face him, but I couldn’t bear to be alone with my thought. I shuffled over to work.

“Did you guys break up?” Luna peeked over to my cubicle curiously. “I mean the other day, he’s slobbering all over you and today, he’s barely given a glance”.

“Actually yeah, we did” I gave a small smile.

Her eyes bulged wide “Wow….. I’m so sorry. What happened?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

“And now, he’s ignoring you like nothing happened” she rolled her eyes “Ugghhh, these men I tell you…...”

She went on rambling but I barely listened to her.

How could I tell her?

How could I tell her that even though I had wanted this to work all along, it had just not seemed right.

I wanted a partner, not someone who catered my every need and worshipped me as if could do no wrong. 

I wanted someone who walked with me, not walked behind me.

It was the same person, but just not him.

How could I force this? 

How could I be this unfair to him? 

I had a go at it, and I’ve realized now how wrong I was.

And if we couldn’t do this the real way, then I’d rather not have it at all.
_______________________________________

So this was the story I found in the tucked diary in that old library.

I don’t know about you, but I was hooked to the story.

Anyway, the reason I’m bringing this up is….. she didn’t post the full number in her diary. 

Did any of you guys happen to see the same notice somewhere on the road?