IV

When Chris had seen Megan getting out of her car he could not stop himself from staring at her. She still looked as she looked during those days, if at all some thing had changed it was that she had become prettier than before. She still had the same effect on him like she had earlier. He was not sure why all those things had happened, things that had pushed them apart but he knew one thing and that was – he still loved her.

When he had called Megan and asked to meet, he knew that she would refuse in the beginning but something in her tone told him that she would agree to meet when asked for the second time. His Megan was not happy with her life, she was not happy with Daniel. Chris knew it and he was going to use it to bring her back in his life. Megan deserved to be happy; she deserved to be with him.

They had grown up together and he had always fulfilled all her wishes. He had given her all that she had demanded from him. He had seen to it that she was always happy and that is what he was going to do now. He was going to make her happy. He did not consider it coincidence that he had seen her at a mall a few days ago. One look at her and he had known that her marriage was falling apart, if not he would see to it that it would fall apart. There definitely were weak walls in it. He had then followed her, tried to know her whereabouts and had finally found where she worked and managed to get her cell number from Megan’s friend in café. One cup of coffee and a few lies was all that had taken for him to get the number from her.

Daniel deserved to be punished for what he had done, Chris thought.

He remembered how Megan and he were happy being together, it was as if they were meant to be that way, neither one of them had ever felt the need to express their love in words; it was evident in their eyes and in their body language. Chris had made up his mind to propose marriage to her after he was well settled in life, but before that Daniel had come in their life and had snatched away Megan from him. Megan failed to understand that Daniel did not really love her. What he called as love was nothing but mere lust. Love did not happen like that. Knowing Megan for all these years, it had taken time for him to know that he was in love with her. He could read it in Megan’s eyes that she loved him too but when Daniel had entered the scene she had been distracted and she fell prey to Daniel’s games. He had heard from his friends about Daniel and Megan; he had even confronted her a few times and she had told him that Daniel meant nothing for her. When he had seen them kissing at the riverbank he was very angry on Daniel because he felt Daniel was forcing himself on Megan and hence he had punched him. He was surprised when Megan had reacted and told Chris that she loved Daniel and he should have not hit him. She had then rushed to Daniel’s side and wiped the blood from the cut on his lips.

Chris had asked her why she had done this to him but she did not have any answers. He tried to make her understand but she did not give him a chance to explain. She had walked away holding Daniel’s hand. That was the last time he had seen Megan for she had left town the very next day. She had left him for Daniel, left without telling him where she was going. Chris had tried to find her whereabouts but had finally given up when he could not find a way to reach her. He considered himself blessed to have found Megan in the mall. It was more than a coincidence for him. According to him, or according to what Daniel would have said – it was meant to happen. He was meant to meet Megan because Megan was meant to be with him.

Chris had smiled as he waited for Megan to arrive at the café. He still remembered their short conversation over a the cup of coffee –

“Hi” Megan said as she walked closer to Chris

“Hi. You look beautiful” Chris said and kissed her on the cheek.

Megan was taken aback but she did not say anything.

Yet another hint that she was not happy how her relation with Daniel had turned out to be, Chris thought.

They walked inside and as they were seated Chris asked her how she was.

“Fine” was her answer but there was sorrow in her eyes.

“You said you wanted to tell me something important” Megan asked as soon as coffee arrived.

“Oh yeah that!” Chris was at loss of words.

“There is nothing to say, right?” Megan asked

“You knew it, right? Still you came.” Chris smiled.

“Are you happy?” Chris asked her

“What kind of question is that?” she asked angrily.

“What kind of answer is that?” Chris questioned.

“Yes of course, I am happy.” Megan replied and took a sip from her coffee.

“Does Daniel know you are here?” Chris asked

“I think I should go.” Megan said finishing her coffee.

“Should I drop you home?” Chris asked.

“No… thanks.”

Chris had watched her leave the café. In spite of trying hard to hide it from him, Megan had told him a lot of things. The prospects of his winning over Megan again were high and he was going to make it possible.

He met Megan many times after their first rendezvous. Most of the times it seemed to her as coincidence, but, over a period of time they had met after making plans! After a few meetings he could feel Megan relaxing in his presence. There were times when he held her hand and she did not even realize what he had done. She was so lost in her thoughts. It was a good sign, according to Chris.

Chris managed to become her friend again. They met, went for movies and took a stroll in a park. All this, Chris was sure, was without Daniel’s knowledge.

When they had met for the first time, Chris had known that Daniel was out of town.

He did things for her, which made her feel special. He still remembered her favorite flowers and had bought them for her whenever they met. Though she was reluctant to take them in the beginning, later on she started accepting with a smile. Yet another good sign, Chris told himself.

Chris knew when it was time to remain silent, listen to her and when it was time to offer a few words of encouragement. To his surprise, he found Megan confiding in him about the rifts in her marriage. He was glad, very glad. Perhaps it had something to do with the timing.

One evening as they were seated in a park, Chris had moved closer to her and kissed her on the cheek. Megan had not reacted. As she sat silently, Chris took her hand in his. She had let him hold it for some time and then she had said that she wanted to go home.

He could feel her nervousness, as if she was worried she would make a mistake if she stayed longer.

Though they had got up and started to walk, they did not leave the park immediately. Once they were in a secluded area, Chris had held her hand and made her face him. She had turned towards him, her eyes fixed on the ground. Chris had then lifted her chin and as she looked at him, he kissed her neck and when Megan did not move back he kissed her on the lips, Chris was sure that she would respond and she had, though after a while. They kissed for a long time and when had they moved back, Megan walked away without looking at him and Chris smiled.

Megan had avoided meeting Chris for a few days after that incident and Chris gave her the time she needed. He called her up after a week and asked to meet again. Megan refused. He insisted. He had told her that it would be the last time they would meet like this because he was leaving. Megan had agreed and they met in the hotel where Chris was staying. He had asked her to come at the reception area and they had planned to go out from there but when she reached the hotel, Chris was not at the reception area. She had called his room and Chris insisted that she come up for sometime till he did the packing. Reluctantly, Megan had come to his room and had found Chris packing his bag. He had seen her watching him closely as he did the packing. He then turned to look at Megan and smiled. Megan had given a nervous smile trying to avoid looking at his bare-chest.

Chris had then moved closer to her and put his arm around her waist and kissed her neck. As his lips moved from her neck towards her jaw line and then onto her lips, his hand explored her body moving from her waist to her back and then towards her chest! Megan had shivered momentarily and as he kissed her passionately, his hand on her breast, Megan had given in and kissed him. He begun to unbutton her shirt and then …

Chris came out of his thoughts.

It was time; he thought that Megan made up her mind. That day, in the hotel room they had a conversation that had led to this day in Megan’s life. He waited for her decision. He had given her the time she wanted. He had told her that her decision to marry Daniel had been a wrong choice and life was giving her a second chance and she should grasp it before it is too late. He had agreed to postpone his plans of leaving so that Megan had the time she needed to make the decision.

She had asked him to come to her house the next day so that he could get his answer.

He smiled as he looked in the mirror in his hotel room. From whatever he had experienced in the past few weeks as he had met Megan, he was sure that she would come back to him. This is where she was meant to be, in his arms! Tomorrow he would have what he had desired all along. His Megan would be in his life, forever.