Toxic But Mine

Chapter 5 - Hate to Disagree

I hated to realize that he was affecting me like that. It was as if he left a perpetual mark on me that reminded me of whatever he did. I needed to do something about it but I couldn't put a finger on it. I wanted his attention somehow and for that, I needed to see him again. From his reaction at the airport, I knew getting his number would be challenging but Instagram was going to be my savior. I wouldn't know if he was active on it but I had to take a swing.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, found his account on my block list and unblocked it, hoping he hadn't blocked me. Just as I had hoped, I could see his profile. Did he ever block me or did he unblock me now?

Just then, I noticed a new photo on his feed, posted only a few hours ago. It was a picture of Swetha and him that she showed me on the flight. He had announced their engagement to the world with a caption that quoted, 'The best love is the kind that awakens the soul; that makes us reach for more; that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. '

I remembered those lines instantly. I had once given him a Valentine's Day card with the same lines. They were our favorite lines from "The Notebook".

And in that instant, I was sure he was provoking me for god knows what reason. I quickly checked the comments on the post and noticed a few of his friends congratulating him, while one of them stood out. Swetha had commented, 'I miss you already. See you in a week, darling <3'.

Do they call themselves darlings already? I cringed away.

I was glad I came across the post, though. I now have information that he would be alone for a week - just enough to plant an atomic bomb and create havoc—probably sweet and memorable revenge.

Maybe I can seduce him once again and let Swetha catch him cheating. Maybe I will make him fall in love with me again and reject him once again.

I was tempted to do a lot of crazy things but I flipped back before stooping so low. I would have to come up with something but first, I needed to send him a message. And he needed to reply back.

Hi Noel

It was good seeing you after so long.

I sent the message. I didn't want to look needy so I kept it short. But maybe I was already ruined by reaching out to him beyond what my pride let me. I put the phone back and crashed into the bed, hoping to go back to sleep and thankfully, I did.

When I woke up the next day, it was already late but the first place my hands went to was my phone. I opened my eyes with difficulty, expecting some notification from Instagram but instead, there was an SMS from Rupa.

'Hey, Anu. When are you coming home?'

I was actually relieved to have received a message from her. I became guilty that I hadn't reached out to her earlier but since she preceded me, I couldn't keep my excitement any longer and called her immediately.

"Rupaaa". That's all I could manage.

"Hey, Anu! I wanted to call you but I thought you might be sleeping. When are you coming home?"

"I'm so sorry, Rupa. I was too tired yesterday and I couldn't call. I'm coming over today. For sure. Maybe I'd come a few hours early so we could catch some alone time withoutPavan."

"I like that. That is a good plan. I can't wait to see you"

"Me too. I'll meet you soon."

As soon as the call ended, I rushed to get ready and head to the office. I had another day left for the presentation and today we were supposed to visit the Tesco warehouse. We were making big changes in their marketing strategies and were instructed to check out the existing processes in person. When I reached the office, a team was ready to leave immediately. So I hopped cabs and went quietly with them, snacking on some granola bars I had stuffed into my bag.