Page 78 of That Same Old Love

Then later after a week, she began to receive calls. Mostly from her concerned friends and family. Her mother-in-law had also called to bemoan the fact that people have started to spread rumors that she and Sidhu were getting a divorce.

She had been avoiding calls from Sidhu since she wanted a proper break from him and to rethink their relationship. Srishti had been visiting her regularly from the past few days, and told her that she and papa missed mummy a lot, and to please come back home.

She was annoyed at the emotional blackmail from Srishti thinking that Sidhu must have put her up to it. So she answered Sidhu’s call on her second week.

“Yes, your mother called me several times, telling me that people have started to gossip that I left you,” she told him when he asked her if she was talking to anyone on the phone.

Sidhu sounded annoyed. “I don’t care for people’s gossip. I want my wife back with me. And Srishti misses you badly too.”

“She is already spending some time with me and can visit me anytime,” Ananya stated.

There was silence on the phone.

“What about me? Can I visit you anytime, too?” Sidhu asked her huskily.

She shivered, recognizing his voice from during their intimate times. It was very hard during the nights, missing his closeness and his touch, but she tried very hard to stick to her resolution.

“No Sidhu. I still feel that you have unresolved feelings for Mahi that is stopping you from loving me the way I want you to. Maybe… you should seek her out and see if you love her still. I-I won’t stand in your way if you want to make it official. In this day and age, everyone will understand,” she whispered to him.

There was silence on the phone and then, “Are you saying that I should start an affair with Mahi to see if I love her? And that you will be willing to give me a green signal for cheating on you and then possibly give your blessings if I marry her?” he asked her coldly.

She broke into a sob. “I don’t know. But maybe that’s for the best,” she said.

“You are a fool!” he shouted before hanging up on her.

***

That evening Samrat met Sidhu at the construction site. Both of them were going crazy not being able to be close to the women they loved. Samrat told Sidhu of a plan to get his sister to meet or at least talk to her husband.

“Why would Mahi help me and what if she misunderstands me?” Sidhu asked Samrat in puzzlement.

Samrat wasn’t too happy about not being able to sleep with Mahi during the nights since his sister was home, and because they hadn’t still told her about them.

In fact Mahi didn’t come to his house since the day Anu had come. He had to sneak into her house for a few hours like a burglar and steal some precious moments before sneaking back to his house. Mahi said it was cute that they stayed up late in the night on their phones like teenagers, sharing things about their day and then talking dirty like adults.

Samrat wasn’t amused.

He had to do something. Something that would prompt his sister to get back to her husband, and also for him to be able to announce that he and Mahi were in a serious relationship as a couple.

“Mahi won’t misunderstand you. And maybe to keep it natural, we shouldn’t let her know either,” Samrat suggested.

Sidhu still looked uncertain. “Okay, but I think it will really be strange if I turn up at her place all of a sudden. What if she thinks I want to start a relationship with her? I don’t love her anymore and she’s not even a close friend.”

Samrat brushed off Sidhu’s concerns. “Don’t worry. She won’t be interested in you. She will just think it as a strange, but random visit.”

Sidhu was not really convinced. “I don’t want to play with her emotions Samrat. Even if I don’t love her anymore, I still care for her as an old friend.”

Samrat took a deep frustrated breath. “Okay fine. She won’t misunderstand you, and even if she does, she will not feel anything for you. Because she is with me! We have been together for a while,” he told Sidhu abruptly.

Sidhu looked shocked and then stared at Samrat blankly. “What? When did this happen?”

Samrat shook his head. “It doesn’t matter when. It just happened. Mahi and I are in a serious relationship and we already told everyone from her side. She wanted to keep it quiet from my family because she thinks it would hurt Anu.”

Sidhu just blinked. “Okay.”

“I need you to lure back my sister from my house so I can be with Mahi. And also tell my parents and everyone about my relationship,” said Samrat impatiently.

Sidhu grinned. “I can’t wait to lure back your sister, either. She is being foolish. She even told me that I should go start an affair with Mahi and then later marry her. She also said that she wouldn’t be in my way and that society will understand.”

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