Chapter 5
Sharon that evening gathered all her courage together so she could finally call her mother, it went much better than she expected, thanking God that Swayam had already broken the news leaving little dialogue for Sharon to fill in with more lies. She just calmly talked through the entire conversation, trying make sure not to sound too depressed with the whole idea. That became more and more difficult when her sister Kriya, called her up. Her family was all the way back in India, they were of the leading industrialist of Delhi. Growing up in Delhi was the best childhood that she could have ever imagined, she missed it allot when once she got accepted into Columbia. Swayam's family lived not too far from her family house, making their ties almost inseparable. They were leading industrialists themselves, but Swayam moved out to the States quite early because of his own career. They both always knew that they had responsibilities back home, but right now they knew their parents were managing well, and it wasn't their time yet. Sharon made an excuse to cut the call before Kriya could get too much out of her, because she knew lying to her sister was almost impossible unless the situation was dire, which it was. She pretended to be tired, which actually she was, and then made her way to her own bed.
Sharon's next two weeks were packed and piled with work; her bosses and her clients had kept her at her toes. Swayam had tired calling her again but she refused to pick up his calls at all, she would talk to her mother every now and then, just to hear her exasperate about the fake wedding, but what choice did she have. Swayam was in the loop from Sharon's family but he just couldn't get a hold of Sharon. He wanted to properly talk to her and discuss their arrangement so both of them were clear on why he wanted things this way, but only if Sharon would actually listen to him. On the Friday of her second week, Sharon finished work late and decided that she needed some time to cool off. She took the cab to her favorite club to let off some steam and let go of everything for one night, not realizing how much it would cost her. The first thing she put her eyes on were the bar in the club, she deserved getting smashed tonight. It was time she earned it.
"Bourbon, neat please." The bartender looked impressed and finished up another order.
"You don't look like the Bourbon type." She smiled, "believe me after the week I've had I would be any type."
The bar tender smiled, "Bourbon coming right up."
She started to loosen herself, and the music in the bar definitely helped.
The drinks kept coming, she was enjoying herself too much, and the feeling of being intoxicated was wonderful for a change. How time passed she didn't even realize, and how badly she was drunk she probably wouldn't remember. But it felt good, and that's all that mattered.
The bartender was getting concerned, "time's almost up, and I hate to see you not make your way back home. Would you like me to call a cab for you?"
Sharon just slurred her answer, "iii bee ok, youuu should caaarrry on."
She couldn't even lift her eyelids let alone get up from the barstool. Her hands weren't stable enough to hold a glass anymore; she had spilled most of her last two glasses on her clothes.
Just at that moment Sharon's phone started to ring, she was too intoxicated to even notice as her head was flat against the bar table. The bartender realized the phone ringing and took it upon himself to get his customer to safety.
"Sharon thank God you picked up. Look I know it's three in the morning but I need to clear a few things with u, I was hoping we could meet tomorrow."
The bartender panicked that he was going to keep talking, "hey hey man stop, your friend here is heavily intoxicated and almost passed out. If you could, then it would be better if you could pick her up, cause she's in no condition to walk, let alone do anything else."
Swayam immediately got jealous at hearing the voice of another man answer her phone at three am in the morning, and then he tried controlling his anger to listen carefully to what he had to say. From what he could gather it seemed like Sharon was drunk somewhere.
Swayam at that moment had no choice but to be terribly concerned, "who is this and where is Sharon?"
The bartender then spoke again, this time calmer and slower. "This is Mike I'm the bartender at Hell's Canary, and your friend has been here for over the past 4 hours, and that too has been heavily drinking. She's incapable of talking and almost passed out on the counter."
Swayam immediately got up from his bed and grabbed his jeans to change into as he spoke, "I'll be there in 20 minutes, and please note down my number so you know whom to contact."
Running to grab his keys and then too the car Swayam hurried to get to the club, he was well aware where she was since it was one of the most popular night clubs in New York, but the idea of Sharon drunk, beyond control didn't digest very well with him.
Stepping into the almost empty club Swayam saw Sharon smashed onto the counter while the bartender was packing up his liquor.
"Hey man, I guess this is your girl." The bartender suggested.
Swayam just nodded and thanked the bartender.
Snaking an arm around Sharon's waist and somehow using her intoxicated form to lift her up as much as possible, Swayam took her out of the club and immediately into his car. There was so much he couldn't digest about the situation; for starters Sharon was never a heavy drinker but all she reeked of in that moment was of bourbon. He couldn't encompass how she developed such a manly taste instead of the usual perfume wines and martinis she used to have. Secondly Sharon's dressing sense had drastically changed, just like the wedding Sharon screamed sexy to almost skanky in volumes. Her deep plunging necklines revealed the black lace of her bra as he placed her in his car. She was thin as a stick, probably thinner than the wedding if that was even possible.
Swayam drove back to his place; he didn't know where Sharon kept her keys and neither did he want her to be left alone in such a horrendous condition.
Reaching his Manhattan villa he parked inside and got out to carry Sharon into his house. Generally a scene like this would be what he wished under much more romantic circumstances, instead he was carrying his drunk ex girlfriend/forced fianc into his home. Slowly and carefully carrying Sharon up the stairs Swayam took her to one his guest bedrooms, and then lightly placed her on the mattress. The next part he wasn't at all excited about, but he knew he couldn't escape it either. Sharon's clothes were reeking of bourbon and they were soaking wet. He took off her heals first, and then her skirt and blouse, quickly covering her up in sheets he left with turning off the lights. As much as he wanted not to look, he obviously couldn't restrain such self-control. Could anyone blame him though, first that was the love of his life and secondly she had every attribute of a supermodel. Her body drover any man nuts, and this was him. Taking off her clothes he headed to the laundry to put them in the machine making sure for them to be dry next morning.
Just then he remembered that she would have nothing to where next morning so he quickly went to his room and grabbed one of his shirts, leaving the shirt at the foot of her bed, he left once again.
Going to sleep that night was difficult for him, he wasn't sure what to expect next morning, from being accused of kidnapping and God forbid rape, he had to be prepared for it all. Their mutual hatred for each other was toxic and he was sure so many things that they might say will never be taken back. Amidst some form of thought and wish he drifted to sleep for the few peaceful hours he had left that night.
Next Morning
Sharon's eyelids hurt from simple movements, trying to flutter them to eventually open as ray of sunlight hit her, and the worst possible headache began. Her hand automatically reached out to grasp her aching temple and then slowly her surroundings started to register. An unknown crisply furnished room was never a good sign of waking up in. Her head pounding and her heart sinking by the second, slowly she realized the lack of clothing on her body as her other hand scraped her abdomen. She couldn't even think of all the possibilities that she could have happened, this headache was too much. Pushing herself up she somehow got off the bed and to the worst of her fear looking down all she noticed was her underwear. She couldn't even scream that's how scared she was, the room was so random and she knew she had never been here before. She saw a shirt on the foot of the bed, a black one and without even thinking further she slipped it on and buttoned it up. The only scenario, and the only reasonable scenario she could think of was that she went home last night with some stranger to have a one-night stand. It wasn't the most flattering thing to think of, but it was the best considering circumstances.
Getting a grasp on her legs she opened the door to see whose house this was and what in the world was she doing here. She saw a staircase leading downstairs in uniquely familiar house. The house was designed from the inside as a warm and welcoming place unlike her apartment, which was cold, proper and sophisticated. This house almost seemed like someone's home. Reaching the bottom she heard the kettle go-off and then whom she saw shocked her the most.
There in front of her was Swayam seated reading his newspaper. The grey sweatshirt clinging to his body wasn't a good sign. So intensely concentrating he took a long sip from his coffee until he felt there was an absolute unnatural silence. Looking up he saw a very scared Sharon, in nothing but just his shirt.
She didn't know what to say but started somewhere, "How the hell did I get here?"
Swayam kept the newspaper aside and got up, "you were so smashed last night that even the bartender didn't know what to do with you. I was calling you and he picked up, told me you needed to be taken home and clearly I took you here. Don't worry you're clothes are in the dryer and they should be dry soon enough, as for you're head I'll get you disprin and water."
Swayam was so monotonic, like he was disappointed in Sharon and her lifestyle. Sharon stuttered before asking something that had been terrorizing her mind.
"Did anything else happen last night, I mean between you and me?" She looked down hiding her head in shame, or maybe the fabric of his shirt.
He walked up to her, almost with a sympathetic face and then he tried to lightly grasp her by her shoulders, she shuddered under his touch. Coming close to her face she breathed in his scent, which was all over his shirt that she was wearing. He was close to her ear and then whispered.
"I did consider playing a joke on you, but then I thought what's the fun in that since I've already experienced the real thing, been there and done that." He smirked. Sharon was getting angry again
"Calm down Sharon, like I said its not like I haven't seen anything of yours before. I just took off your clothes and put them in the washer. Anything else you're imagining is entirely in your head, but I sure as hell would love to make it come true."
That's it, he hit a nerve, "you're disgusting."
He laughed out loud, "Like you're a sati sawatri. So tell me Sharon getting drunk and s**tting up your new thing? "
She swore under her breath and then walked over to the counter and saw the disprin, taking it with the glass of water situated on the bench.
The next 10 minutes had been quite awkward, but she didn't know where else to go unless she had her clothes back. He was seated in front of her and pouring her coffee.
"Relax Sharon, I'm not going to bite though I am hurt that you didn't contact me in past two weeks, truthfully I was concerned for you."
She looked up, "What more do you want, my mother has taken over the preparations, ask her for dates and formalities of the wedding, and then send me card when it's sorted out." She laughed at her own hopelessness.
He raised his eyebrows, " I suppose the bride needs to be a little more active, don't you think? "
She wasn't amused, "Like I said, what more do you want?"
He took a sip of his coffee again, "well for starters I thought we should go through the do's and do not's of our marriage?"
Now her eyes and ears perked up, "What do you specifically mean?"
"For starters I want what you took away from me."
Sharon's heart started to race unnaturally again, sinking with every beat, "what does that mean."
Swayam touched the rim of his coffee mug, "it means that I want a child. I'm not marrying you to waste my time, or pretend to be in love with you when I'm not Sharon. I'm doing this because I want what you took away from me." He paused, "and for that you have one year to give it to me. If you fail to conceive then don't worry I'll leave you myself."
He looked at her in the eye, she knew he wasn't joking and this was no empty threat, it was a hard and cold threat.
"So what if I have the child you won't dump me? Is that it? I can't believe I ever loved you." She flatly said. This deal with Swayam or more like blackmail was going to be a never-ending road until he had all he wanted and she was left with nothing. He knew exactly the position he put her in, she would never want to disappoint her parents by just breaking a marriage for which Swayam would make sure that she got blamed for.
Sharon's eyes welled up, her breathing hardened, "tell me Swayam will you enjoy raping me every night? Just so you can have what you want?"
His insides cringed at even the mention of the word rape, he couldn't dare think of such a thing, let alone go through with it.
Somewhere down in her mind she knew that this was his end goal; for them to conceive a child again. But she never thought that he would be that straight forward with his demands or so forceful with his tactics.
He looked straight back at her, "Sharon I want to move forward in my life again. And for that I need to make sure that you know exactly what I expect of you as my wife, because loyalty and trust are some things you flushed down the drain a long time ago."
She finally let a tear drop, "Just give me my clothes back you bas***d."
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