Chapter 5: The Other Woman?
So preoccupied was she when she opened the door of the bathroom that she didn't notice the man standing there until she bumped right into him. He caught her as she stumbled back.
"I'm sorry…" she said automatically and then looked up… into the eyes of her new husband.
The bathroom door had held on its hinges before and now it slowly creaked shut behind her.
"What are you doing here?" he asked now.
She noticed that he was still holding onto her and pulled her arms back to turn away and walk into the hallway before she said, "It's a ladies-room Shiv. I know it's been a chaotic day for you, but come on!" She said as she walked away. He took a deep breath to calm his ire and walked up behind her to grab her arm and twist her around to face him.
"What the-!" she started as she tried to pull her arm back from him forcefully. He was of course stronger and she couldn't quite manage it.
She stepped hard on his foot with her heel and he let go of her hand as he yelped in pain.
"I have had a very long day, Shiv! Please don't irritate me. If you are looking for something better to do, you might want to consider going into that bathroom and taking care of your lady-love. Or, one of them, at least. She is crying her pretty eyes out that she had the misfortune to misplace her ardor on such a feckless man. So, if I were you, I wouldn't let her wait." She turned around and kept walking.
"Who is it?" he asked.
"If you don't know who it is, then there is no use in me telling you. Why don't you go see for yourself? And would you please wrap it up quickly? I don't think they'll let me go home without you deciding to leave as well. I would like to get out of these sadistic torture devices they call bridal-wear, if you don't mind!"
He had to admit, she had suffered long enough in them, especially because he had rarely seen her out of her preferred jeans and t-shirts.
"Wait for me then." He said, but she kept walking.
"If
you don't wait, Gauri, I swear I will take an hour in here and then another two
on the dance-floor and I will make sure you won't get to take off one single
ring off your finger until noon tomorrow!"
She finally stopped, but didn't turn around as she bit out, "Ten minutes Shiv!
Ten minutes. After that I don't care who
says what, I will disrobe right here!"
"Is that a threat or an invitation?" He called out now with an amused laugh.
"Aaand now it's 9 minutes and 40 seconds!" She said and finally heard him turn around to walk towards the ladies room.
It was incredible, really, because he came out of the restroom five seconds short of his ten minutes and Neela was with him now, still gloomy, but no longer tearful. Gauri felt badly for the girl, she really did, but what else did she expect when she decided to go after a man like Shiv. That was like romantic suicide. He would never be satisfied with one woman; monogamy was just not in his genetic code. So, it was a sad fate indeed for those poor women who fell for him, and they usually fell hard. Oh well… It was not her problem, as she had already told the girl.
When he walked out of the restroom with a now slightly-better-but-still-upset Neela, he saw Gauri leaning against the wall, tapping her foot… Such an impatient, beautiful, and annoyed bride, he had never seen... He really should have waited two more minutes, just to see if she would make good on her threat. When they were almost close to her, she looked at Neela and attempted a slight smile. Neela's eyes became watery again and Gauri looked up at him with her eyes wide in exasperation and he could clearly read it as Is she serious?! Again??
Thankfully, before he had to think of a way to remedy the situation, he saw Druv sauntering out into the hallway. Great! Druv was always good with fragile females and their tears. Shiv tended to avoid them at all costs, present company excluded of course… Neela had been too pretty, so he didn't resist...
He gestured to Druv with his eyes and saw that Druv was smiling as he looked back and forth between the bride and the other woman, well, one of the other women… God, how many of these stupid conversations did he need to have now? Actually, why should he have them? He himself had told Druv this morning that he had no intention of being faithful to his marriage. So, there was no need for him to cut himself off from other women. There were a few like Neela who were exceptions; they were actually sweet women who would definitely not be okay with cavorting with married men. But then there were others who were less held to strict morality codes, nothing against them at all, really, because evidently he was one of them too…
Druv had finally arrived and said, "Hello Neela…"
She looked up in confusion and asked, "Who are you?"
"Ah, you wound me, my lady. I have met you no less than five times and yet I see that I failed to make an impression." He said now, clutching him heart. Shiv had to give it to him, he was a master at theatrics!
"Well, if you had talked like that, Sir, I certainly would have noticed." She said, tilting her head at him, before turning around and walking away. She had probably had enough of men with pretty words that didn't mean anything.
Druv looked back at them with a surprised glance and then followed Neela back into the wedding hall.
Shiv looked over at Gauri and found that she had a small smile on her face, watching Druv's disappearing form. Well, well, so the woman did know how to make her lips go up…
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edited by sridevi27 - 13 years ago