《The Man She Betrayed》34. Elephant In The Room
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I did overtime today because I didn't want to go home. Ava and Mark would be there and right now, I was too mentally exhausted to deal with any human being, even if it was my best friend and her fiance.
Seeing Aaron with Crystal hurt the deepest parts of my heart. I haven't felt like this before, as if an animal had dug its claws inside my chest and was now tightening its hold around my heart.
The reason was that before, when I knew he hadn't moved on yet, there was a chance for us. But now seeing him with her made me realise that our marriage had ended a long time now and we were beyond the mending point.
The lights of Aaron's office were still on, indicating that he was inside. I wanted to go to him and confront him about this but I didn't have any right. No matter how much I try to better myself, I would always be the girl in his eyes who left him and cheated on him with his brother.
When the fourth cup of coffee in the last two hours failed to keep my eyes open, I decided that it was probably time for me to go home. Arranging all the files and folder on the desk, I picked up my purse and threw my mobile and diary into it.
Turning the lights off, I made my way to the elevator. Unfortunately, Aaron left his office at the same time and for the third time in the same day, we were stuck inside the elevator together.
An uncomfortable silence prevailed inside the elevator and the only sound that could be heard was of our breaths.
Just one minute. Bear the awkwardness for one minute.
But it proved longer than one minute. Suddenly, the light in the elevator went our and it stopped with a jerk, stumbling me to a side.
"What happened?" I asked nobody in particular, panic spreading throughout my body. "Wh.. Why is the elevator not moving?" I said.
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Moving forwards, I tapped the elevator door haphazardly, my movements slightly bordering on hysterical.
"Calm down Clara. It would open up soon." Aaron said from behind me, a hint of worry in his voice. But he didn't know that I always had a phobia of closed spaces. Plus, the dim light inside the elevator just added to my panic.
"No it won't. There are no signals inside the elevator. Shit. It's weekend. Nobody else is here." I again thumped my fist against the door. My heart pounded against my chest and inhaling air became a bit difficult. "Nobody knows we are trapped. God, we are stuck here for three days."
He put his hand on my back, trying to comfort me but I was getting sweaty. I tried to breathe but it took lot more effort than I had. "Just breathe. Listen to me, just breathe." he ran circles over my waist, his other hand gently gripped my chin and lifted my face up.
"I... I am trying. There is no... There is no oxygen in here." I said, trying to inhale some deep breaths but it just added more exertion over my lungs.
"I can't... I can't breathe. I'll die Aaron... There is no oxygen." I said, supporting my hands on Aaron's shoulder and letting strange noises from my mouth.
In front of me, Aaron was doing everything he can. Panic was clearly written on his face, even in the dimness of the elevator. "Try to relax Clara. You're having a panic attack. Fuck, I don't know what to do. Shit."
I closed my eyes. Tears had appeared in front of my eyes and everything looked blurry.
"I need to divert.... Divert my... My attention. I can't... I can't.." I was cut off by a kiss on my lips. At first, I felt even more breathless but then, it didn't matter anymore. The fear of losing oxygen moved to a smaller corner of my brain because all my focus was on the lips that were slowly brushing against mine.
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They were soft, plump and slightly wet, just like I remember from our first kiss. That night, I didn't appreciate them but now I know how much I have longed for his touch and how precious he really is. My heart was close to exploding by now and I just wanted to preserve this fluttering sensation in a jar.
Not knowing what to do, I snaked my fingers into his silky hair and that's when he pulled away, leaving me wanting more. Blinking at him in confusion, I observed his flushed cheeks and darkened eyes.
"Um.. There was a movie scene where.. um.. the heroine distracts a boy having a panic attack by a kiss. So that's why.... I did... Um.. I kissed you." he didn't look into my eyes while doing so. A strange wave of disappointment hit me that he just kissed me because I was having a panic attack, not because he wanted to.
"It's fine. Thanks." I said, licking my lips that still had his taste over them.
The awkwardness inside the elevator increased hundred folds because of what just happened. Neither of us looked at each other for the next few minutes, the tension almost visible in the air.
"The security guards check all the floors once before shutting the building at 3 am. So we just have to wait for few hours." he broke the silence, moving his mobile up and down to check if he can get the signal.
"Four hours." I whispered, gulping hard.
"Yeah. Four hours." he said and slid against the wall, sitting cross-legged on the floor. I copied his action and sat down beside him, hugging my legs.
His scent filled the elevator and his presence beside me was overwhelming. And the fact that we just kissed didn't help either. I don't know if it meant anything to him or not but for me, it broke all the stony walls gathered around my heart, left me craving for him.
I felt something for him, it was obvious but I didn't know if it was love. I don't even know if I was capable of loving someone. The first time I thought I was in love, it proved to be just lust and immaturity. I don't want to make the same mistake again.
And not to mention, he was with Crystal now. There was nothing surprising about it because she was there for him when I was not.
"Aaron!" I called his name, deciding to address the topic I have been avoiding for day one. "I know I don't have the right to say anything about you and Crystal but-"
"Yes, you don't have any right. Now think again before saying what you are going to say." his tone was hard, so was his facial expressions.
I swallowed before continuing, "We... We are still.." Every part of my brain was stopping me from saying that. "We are still legally married."
His expressions told me that he didn't expect me to bring that up.
"So you remember?" he chuckled humorlessly, hit face contorted in hatred. My face heated up at his words and I lowered my gaze to the ground.
"Please Aaron!" I said after a pause, my voice breaking due to the onslaught of emotions.
"Don't worry. I'm not planning on stretching this further." he said, turning his face to the other side.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I said I am not planning to stay legally married to you anymore." he said and I actually felt my heart break at his words.
_______________________
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