Come...Fall In Love!

29: Here I'm

Thank you for over 15k reads. Btw, I think there'll be 8-10 chapters more, at the most. Can you all please go back and Vote, Comment for those chapters where you haven't already done? It would really mean a lot to me.

Dedicated to: ARS007

Chapter 29:

Have you ever felt the need to run away from everyone? Run away from yourself? Away from the person you love? He lost it when the realization hit him. He thought about stuffs like:
How is that possible? When did this happen? She is my friend and nothing else... I can't fall for her!

She'd once said that love is something that is never planned! I agree. I totally agree with her.

But why did I fall for her? I agree that she is bubbly, sweet, caring, loving, cute, motivating, friendly and super crazy; hell she even has a nice body! There are times when she surprises me by hugging me randomly, like a friend of course...trust me, it takes everything in me to control myself and not kiss her or rather claim her. Argh...what the hell I am saying about her? I really respect her more than anything else.

And why am I talking to myself? I need to stay away from that crazy girl. Yeah, that's the only solution...I should maintain a safe distance from her and protect myself from getting hurt! And that's what he did next: Avoided Kathy!
He really ignored her to the point where Kathy got hurt by his ways, literally. He once, pushed her away physically; making the edges of the table hurt her in the waist. But crying or talking about it was not something that she did. She learnt to live that way and most of the times it was easy as work occupied most of her time! She would practice dancing, bring her friends over to her house and party, go shopping and stuff like that. Ronnie spent a lot of time in the office...his secretary would come home and work with him a lot of times. Kathy saw everything and couldn't help but feel a little bad and hurt. And she did not even know the reason behind him avoiding her. She kept thinking what went wrong or why he was acting so distant. She tried to talk to him but she never got any answers from him.
Ronnie was the one who'd decided this and he was the one who suffered the most; there were times when he'd break down after avoiding her or being harsh with her. He missed her terribly. Every couple hanging together reminded him of her. He spent many sleepless nights and would replay all the good times. There were times when he felt like walking over to her and confessing his feelings but the fear of losing her forever stopped him.

"Ms. Rosie, get that file on my table this minute!" he ordered her secretary who ran over to him with the file.
"Why is this design incomplete? Call Shreya here right now!" he said and the secretary ran towards the phone and called Shreya in.
"Throw away this shit and get me a proper coffee instead!" he yelled. Like always, he was in a bad mood. Everyone was on their heels and tried to make sure that nothing went wrong.
"Sir, are you alright?" the secretary managed to ask him.
"What do you mean?" he grumbled. His phone rang at that time and he saw ‘Kathy’ flash on the screen. He silenced his phone after ignoring that call. He badly wanted to talk to her but he did not want to give in to that temptation. Now his anger reached new heights.
"Come here and rearrange my drawers, I can't stand this mess!" he yelled again. The secretary walked over to the desk and quietly began cleaning the already cleaned desk. She looked at Ronnie from the corner of her eyes and saw him staring at the phone.
"Sir, why don't you take that call?" she managed to squeak out.
"Just mind your own god damn business and get out after cleaning that stuff!" he yelled and got back to working.
She walked out from his room and started working on her assignment when Mr. Narendra Shenoy and his wife came there. She stood up and wished them but they walked straight to Ronnie's room.
"Can't you knock before entering?" he yelled.
"Why are you so upset now?" his mother asked him tiredly.
"Why are you both here?" he asked them.
"I thought you were okay with us now?" his mother asked.
"You think a stupid festival can bridge the gap of 25years? You know I was only being nice back there! Actually you won't know that because you don't know me!" he answered rudely. His parents looked hurt but masked it with a smile.
"We're here to inform you that the Asian associates have arranged for a meeting to discuss about the designs we're creating for the Apex Realtors (*fake name*). Apparently, they think that the design could be even classier and theme based. We'll have to talk it out with the partners and come to a common decision after the conference. There are some other issues too!" his dad said.
"It still doesn't explain why you are here?" he asked.
"I want to let you know that I'm arranging some charity event in Indonesia when this conference is on...so; I want you to convince Kathy to dance for those events. And we also want to inform you that we're leaving today...you both will have to join us by next week!" his mom ordered him.
"Why don’t you tell Kathy about it? And don't go on ordering her like that. I'm neither going to force her or interfere in her career nor let you guys do that. Let her decide that!" he growled.
"Wow...at least you care about her! But we want her to dance for the event...it'll make a good impact if my own daughter-in-law supports the cause and takes initiative!" she further said.
"Just leave before I throw a fit. And no, she won't dance for you. I don't want her to!" he snapped. His mother knew that now wasn't the time to argue or her son would surely flip. She got up and left the room, leaving Ronnie and his dad there. His dad said nothing but kept smiling at him.
"What is it, Mr. Shenoy?" he asked.
"Talk to her, she'll make you feel better!" he said confusing Ronnie in the process.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"She is trying to call you from quiet a long time, I saw your phone going off." he said.
"I'll do whatever I feel like doing!" he said, getting a little cautious.
"I'm glad that you fell for her...she is perfect for you. See, how she changed you without you knowing about it!" he smiled. Ronnie started coughing hearing this and looked away from his dad as he did not really expect that from him.
"I don't understand what you're talking about!" he lied, making his dad laugh.
"You do. I hope you act on it fast. End the fight now and talk to her!" he said and walked towards the door.
"She told you guys about the fight?" Ronnie asked with a little surprise.
"Your face did!" his dad replied and left the office.
He sat there speechless for a few minutes until he heard a knock.
"Come in!" he yelled.
"Sir, these designs are ready! Should I call over the clients now?" Shreya asked and sat next to him. Since he looked a little stressed out and lost, she walked up to him and hesitantly placed her hand on his shoulders, making him flinch. He glared at her, making her feel small and scared. She backed a little and asked him again.
"Should I call the clients now?" she asked, looking down. Ronnie looked at the designs and threw it at her.
"This is what you will show them? I want you to change all the corners and the room layouts. Sit here and do it right in front of me!" he ordered. She was almost teary when he did that. He ignored her and he got up from his chair and stood near the window as he checked out the documents of the latest deal they got. Shreya loosened up a bit when he walked away from her. He heard a door open after a while but he continued doing his work, not turning back to see who had entered without his permission. He heard a few movements after that and then the door closed once again.
Someone ran towards him and hugged him from behind. He could feel his shirt getting wet and he turned around to find Kathy crying on his back. She hugged him tightly when he turned around and she continued crying.
Ronnie couldn't help but hope that maybe she missed him like he did. Maybe she felt the same way, maybe now things will be alright and he would smile once again. The thought alone brought smile on his face.
"Aye, shhhh...tell me what's wrong?" he asked her as her ran his fingers through her hairs. He noticed that she was still in her dance clothes.
"My mom...she left!" she hugged him tighter and began crying. Something broke in him when he heard that but suddenly he got aware of the seriousness of the situation.
"Stop crying and tell me what's wrong, baby!" he asked her, his voice very soft now as he slowly wrapped his hand around her and hugged her back. He could feel the heat, he could feel funny things in his stomach and he was a little excited about the closeness but also worried about her.
"I-I was practicing at my dance classes when my dad called me. He-he sounded tensed and worried... He asked me if I was with mom and I said no. That's when he broke a little and told me everything!" she cried still hugging him. He ran his hands up and down on her back and waited for to continue.
"He said they got in a serious fight this morning and dad walked out of the living room and locked himself in the bedroom." she hiccupped. “He came out and walked to the kitchen late in the afternoon. That is when he found-found a note that my mother had stuck on the refrigerator. It said 'I'm going!'" she explained and began crying.
"I tried calling you but you didn't pick up my call, I left voicemails too but you did not respond to that too and that's when I decided to come here before going to dad's house!" she said and he felt guilty for avoiding her calls.
"I'm so sorry! I-I didn't know that it was so serious and I-I was a little busy!" he lied feeling bad about it and she nodded.
"Please help me find her? We cannot lodge a complaint until next 48hours as per the rules but I can't just sit and wait for bad things to happen!" she pleaded.
"Of course I'll do something. I know a few people...don't worry, we'll find her! But right now, let's go and sit with your dad! He needs you right now." he said and they both left the office. Kathy kept looking around the streets all the time they were in the car. He looked at her and felt helpless seeing her in pain. He wanted to kiss away all those tears but he did not have the courage to touch her. He couldn't do that to her when she was so vulnerable. They reached her house in an hour.
"Dad, where is she? Any news?" she asked as soon as they entered the house.
"No. Your friends are also trying to find her. I called all her friends and relatives but she is no where!" he replied sadly. Kathy cried and hugged her dad tightly. She could see regret and pain in his eyes.
"I've informed the officer. He'll track her cell phone and let us know about her whereabouts. Don't worry!" Ronnie said.
"Thanks a lot son!" her dad replied.
Next few hours were tense as Mrs. Dutta wasn't found. The officers could only trace her up till a certain location after which the phone was out of coverage area and couldn't be traced. Mr. Dutta wept silently, as he sat in the far corner of the living room alone. Kathy sat on the couch and cried on Ronnie's shoulders as he tried to calm her. Ronnie did not leave her alone even for a minute.
They heard a click at the door and the door creaked open after some seconds. Someone's footsteps could be heard and it came closer to where they were seated. Moments later Mrs. Dutta face appeared and she had a lot of shopping bags in her hands.
"What is going on here? Kathy, why are you crying? Ronnie, what did you do to her?" she yelled and Kathy jumped at the voice. She ran towards her mother and hugged her tightly. Mr. Dutta followed her and hugged his wife.
"Where did you go? We were looking for you!" he yelled.
"I left a note saying I'm going- Oh god, I'm so sorry...I was really angry and I needed a shopping therapy. I left in a hurry!" she apologized. Kathy's face turned towards her mom and she stared at her for a few minutes.
"You went shopping? Do you have any idea of how worried we all were?" Mr. Dutta yelled. Mrs. Dutta looked confused.
"Wait-what did you all think?" she asked and that's what it took to make Ronnie laugh aloud.
"You went shopping? You should have seen their faces! They thought you left them and did something terrible! You taught us all a lesson." he laughed like a maniac. Soon, Mr. and Mrs. Dutta joined him.
Kathy was still upset and stormed out of the room and walked into her room, closing the door with a bang. She threw herself on the bed and began crying. Someone entered the room after a while.
"Still upset?" he asked her.
"You found that funny?" she asked him.
"Wasn't it though? She was only shopping." he asked her as he sat down next to her.
"Bloody she was shopping when we were all so worried about her. And she comes in and acts so cool about it, like it’s no big deal! How could she?" she cried as she got up and faced him.
"Stop crying, she is alright. She is here and she is safe!" he pulled her closer and wiped her tears. She looked at him through teary eyes.
"She went shopping and she did not call me!" she pouted and he began laughing all over again.
"Trust you to be upset over this! You and your family are a bunch of crazy people!" he laughed. She hit him with a pillow.
"Aye, don't call my family crazy!" she said but she began crying once again.
"You know, I was scared. I was scared that maybe she left us! I was scared that maybe I lost her...and I didn't even get a chance to see her!" she began weeping. He pulled her closer again.
"She is safe and alright now. She won't leave you like this, trust me!" he said to make her feel better but she began crying more.
"I don't really know how to handle a crying girl!" he told her as he looked for something that could cheer her.
"I can see that!" she replied as she continued sobbing and what he did next surprised her.
"Did you just slap me?" she asked. She stopped crying now.
"I did not know how to make you smile...and you went on crying! See, at least you're not crying anymore!" he said, rubbing the back of neck.
"Very original of you!" she commented sarcastically.
"You can slap me if you want to, I won't say anything!" he said, looking down. She slapped him that very minute, making him stare at her with his mouth open.
"That was for slapping me!" she said and kissed his cheeks immediately.
"That's for slapping you!" she explained as she looked down. An adorable blush covered her face. Ronnie looked like he'd seen a ghost. He blinked his eyes as he took in that feeling. That girl had no idea of things her actions did to him.
"Well then..." he began after coming over that shock and leaned down towards her face and placed a soft, lingering kiss close to her lips. He stayed there, his breath caressing her face.
"For slapping you first!" he whispered in her ears. She looked red and did not have the courage to look at him.
Ronnie noticed how close they were sitting; Kathy’s head was on the head rest of the bed and his body leaning over hers. He looked at the cheek where he'd just placed a kiss when he heard someone clear their throat and he snapped out of their little moment. He looked at the door to find Monish standing there awkwardly. He glared at him.
"I'm sorry to disturb you...I thought you'd need me to cheer you up like always; but I think you don't need me anymore!" he asked Kathy, who was still lost in her thoughts.
'Why did I kiss him...more importantly, why did he kiss me like that? Am I giving him wrong signals? I-The kiss was something though...I wonder, what he thinks about me. But then he was avoiding me...he does not think anything about me!' a battle went inside her when all that happened. Ronnie's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"I'm here for her...I won't ever let her cry, trust me Monish!" his voice was a bit forced but sweet and Kathy’s eyes snapped towards the door.
'When did he come here? Why does Ronnie hate him so much? Why is he so protective about me?' that voice began again.
She looked at Ronnie who looked visibly tense; he ran his hands through his hairs and looked at Monish tiredly.
"I-I'll leave now. I'm sure you'll look after her!" he said and he turned around.
"Oh no Monish wait, I'm sorry! Umm- yeah he made me smile and he looked after me today but we're still best friends, right?" she asked him and he smiled at her.
"Yes babe, of course we are!" he said, making her smile. He left the room after that.
She turned around to see an angry Ronnie getting up from there. She grabbed his wrists in order to stop him from walking out.
"Why are you so pissed?" she asked him in a small voice.
"Are you really asking me that?" he asked her.
"I-We're best friends, I can't stop talking to him!" she said.
"Best friends? Yes of course you are." he laughed humorlessly. She got up from the bed with a smile and stood in front of him.
"Are you jealous?" she laughed at him. She felt weird now that she'd said that aloud.
"Wow...so now you can read me!" he said and walked out.
'What the hell does that mean?' she asked herself and walked behind him.
"Ronnie, what's wrong with you? Why do you act like this...you're all caring and looking after me one minute and the next minute you push me away from you for no reason!" she demanded for an answer. He stopped where he was and stared at the empty space, thinking.

'Will she understand? Should I just let it out? Should I at least try it once, like dad said? Should I tell her that I'm in love with her?'

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