While she tried to dial him back she was seething inside. "This has better be a matter of life and death not one of his routine calls in the middle of the night to whisper dirty things to me". She sat straighter in bed with the phone clutched to her ear. "He had better not be planning to have phone sex with me at such a time or else he'll definitely have to take his blue balls with him to work in the morning".
Just then IK picked up the call. "Hello boo" he said. His tone was quiet unlike his usual effervescent easy demeanor. Jane immediately sensed something was amiss. "Hi darling, are you okay?" she queried. IK replied "i'm doing well. I'm so sorry for waking you up at this time. I just couldn't sleep and something has been bothering me so I hoped we could talk about it, hope that’s okay?"
It wasn’t okay because she felt really sleepy, but she replied "oh it’s alright. Since I am up already we might as well talk. So shoot".
He cleared his throat and began.
"I just received a text message from my grand aunt Stella. She sent me something that has got me thinking and I knew I just had to let you know". Upon hearing that name Jane’s mood got even fouler. Aunty Stella had been against IK's involvement with her since they went to her house for lunch 4 weeks prior. She treated Jane with quiet aloof that were Jane not a woman she probably wouldn't have had an idea that she didn't like her. She seemed to act as if Jane didn’t deserve IK, like he was too good for her.
Ik was still talking trying to find his voice to say what exactly it was Aunty Stella told him so Jane managed to clear her throat of the bile that was rising. "She says she's hoping to leave the entire family wealth to me and make me the family patriarch since my dad is gone now". Jane thought that was a good thing but felt a 'but' coming". It was then he dropped the bombshell. That can only be if he broke off his engagement with Jane and married the granddaughter of a friend of hers.
Jane was so weak upon hearing that she sat immobile, barely breathing. A thousand thoughts were running through her mind. “This couldn't be happening, IK is thinking of breaking up with me? what do i tell my parents?”. Those thoughts held precedence amongst others.
"Darling say something. Why are you going mute on me?" Ik queried. It was then Jane finally found her voice. "Honestly, what do you want me to say to such a preposterous situation?” she asked. “Do you want me to help you decide if you should break off our engagement or not? U can’t be serious!".
"Oh no baby what i'm trying to say is...." Ik tried to say something but she cut him off. "You know what? Let me make this easier for you, I quit! no more engagement, come by and take your ring tomorrow, I don’t want it!". Then she thought for a nano second just before hanging up the phone "On another thought I’m keeping the ring, after all I helped pick it out". Then she hung up.
Seething inside and her face scrunched up in a scowl, palms clenching and unclenching to try to calm her nerves. She pulled the gorgeous ring off as if it was burning her skin and threw it into her side drawer.
Since Jane’s sleep had been disrupted she couldn't go back to sleep. She strolled into her kitchen and made a cup of tea, went into the parlor and sat on the couch, turned on her tv and her favourite cable channel 'Style' came on. A wedding preparatory programme was showing and so she began to cry uncontrollably. "Why is this happening to me? Why????" she soliloquized. She sent a text message to her close friend Amanda telling her what had happened.
She cried some more until it seemed like she was drained of tears.
She was startled awake to her door bell ringing. Somehow, she must have fallen asleep lying on the couch. She got up from the couch and went to answer. It was Amanda who had rushed over as soon as she had woken up to Jane’s text. In fact, she came in her pajamas. Jane was so glad seeing her she quickly opened the door, hugged her and began crying again.
"Hush now sweetie" Amanda cooed. She led her back to the couch and they sat side-by-side. Jane explained to her all that had happened while Mandy tried to reassure her. "Did you give him an opportunity to explain to you what exactly his aunt's proposition meant to him? Don’t you think maybe you were a bit rash in calling off the engagement?" Mandy asked.
Jane replied her "w--well, I didn’t really let him talk after he dropped the bombshell. It just felt like I was so inconsequential to him that he would even listen to the rubbish his aunt said and that he would even in turn tell me! Like seriously, doesn’t he have respect for my feelings?"
"Hmm I understand you, but you really need to talk to him, hear him out first, please don’t destroy this amazing thing you two have going on". Amanda admonished Jane.
As if on cue, the door bell rang, Mandy stood and went to the door, she peeked at the hole to see who it was and lo IK was standing at the other side. She turned to Jane and silently asked if she should let him in..... Jane was reluctant but soon acquiesced. So Amanda opened the door and let him walk in.
"Good morning Mandy" he said as he walked past, while Mandy ignored his greeting. She had always had that "you hurt my friend, you have to face my wrath" attitude that endeared her to Jane. You know she has got your back anytime.
Immediately IK walked in, he knelt beside Jane and noticed she had been crying. He began to apologize sincerely. "I love you too much baby to ever let anything come between us. What aunt Stella said is just gibberish, I could never take her opinion over you. you’re the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Please forgive me for ever making you doubt my love for you". Mandy stood at one corner observing the couple at the couch. It was so obvious they were really in love, so she wondered why they would even let such petty talk come between them even for the briefest of times.
"It’s okay baby, maybe I over-reacted a bit. I love you so much. Please let’s not fight again" Jane said.
They kissed and kissed while Jane was teary-eyed a bit, but it was mostly tears of joy. Mandy excused herself and left the love birds alone. IK noticed Jane wasn’t wearing her ring, so he picked up her ring finger raised his eyebrow in question. "i see you were darn angry". Jane giggled a bit and then stood, holding hands they both walked to her room. She pulled out the ring from her drawer and showed it to IK. While she was trying to put the ring back, he collected it from her, knelt on one knee and said "please don’t ever take this ring off again, not in anger anyway. Except if you must when taking a shower. I love you Jane, forever and always". He rose up and they kissed some more groping at each other.
When Jane came up for air she said... "Oh, talking about shower, it doesn’t seem like you’ve had one this morning. Come on, let’s. They ran into the bathroom shedding their clothes as they went.
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