Broken Verses 2

So this is a spin-off to my story "Broken verses". My friend Yolanda and Prateeksha wanted to know what happens next. They were intrigued by the story. So this story is for them in a literal sense. And please do read "Broken verses" before reading this.

Hope you enjoy it.

The frame's glass was embedded on the side of my forehead. The glass had pierced my skin above my brow. A strange numbness blocked my senses and I felt the room spinning. I felt the blood trickle down towards my cheek and making its way towards the nape of my neck. I saw a few drops of blood on the cuff of my shirt and felt that my collar absorbing the bloodstream. I revived my senses and picked my phone and called my secretary, she immediately picked it up.

"Sir are you okay?" is the first thing she asks.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Can you please call Mr. Jones and tell him to postpone the meeting?"

"Okay, sir anything else?" maybe she's waiting for something.

"And please send a doctor in my cabin."

She cuts the call and when I see my phone the glass of the phone is already stained by blood.

I hear the door opening and my secretary screaming.

"OMG Sir are you okay."

I pass out.

It took 20 stitches to close the wound and the pain intensifying with each second.

My phone buzzes, it's a call from Ajay.

"Hey, Ajay."

"Aryaman did you see the news?"

I respond "No why?"

"There's an exit poll from CNN, they are predicting that you will lose."

Thank god it's not about Rox.

"I will check it out later." as I was going to cut the call.

He asked.

"Is everything between you and Roxanne going fine?"

"I will talk to you later dude." I cut my phone.

The doctor prescribes me some painkiller and sleeping pills.

I reach my home and open the door, everything seems so empty.

"Hey, Rox are you there?"

No one responds to me.

I search my home with baby steps, her whole room is empty.

"She already left." I hear a voice from behind.

I turn and see its Rosa our cook.

"There's food for you on the table." and removes her apron.

"And I resigned."

"Why Rosa?" I ask.

"Because I was connected to Roxanne. And where she will be I will go there."

And walks away.

The food is cold just like my feelings.

The sunlight is blinding my eyes. I prop myself on my elbows its daylight. I see my watch it's 9:30 am, I slept more. I turn to the other side of the bed and find it empty. I rise up in jolt and shout.

"Rox where are you?"

The pain on my forehead kicks in and I come back to reality.

For a long time, I lay down in my bed remembering Roxanne.

I clean my wound and get ready to take shower. I see her shampoo, essence oil, and bath salts on the bathroom shelves. It's the only thing that she has left behind I pour everything into the bathtub.

I love her smell lingering on my skin.

I reach my office I see everybody glaring at me. I go to the desk of my secretary.

"Good morning Jules."

I see that she stare for the bandage sometimes and then says

"You have some calls from Mr. Jones."

"Hey Jules has any phone come for me." she must have tried to call me.

"No sir, no call has come for you."

"Will you please check it again." she must have called me at least once.

"No sir, no call has come."

Today is the day of the result. Many polls have said that I might lose, but still, I have some hope left in me.

During the counting of votes, the news channel runs an investigatory report on the candidates.

They show all the cases that were on the name of Roxanne I really betrayed her.

"MR ARYAMAN HAS LOST THE ELECTIONS BY 4 SEATS."

Everybody was calling me but I didn't pick it up. I hear a knock on the door. I go and open the door.

Its Roxanne.

I immediately hug her and let a few sobs pass away.

"Hey big boy, you played the game well. You won the election of people's hearts" her words were like a soothing lotion for my bleeding heart.

"I'm sorry Rox."

"Why don't we talk inside?" she instructs me.

She grabs my wrist and guides me towards the sofa.

"Come sit here," she says.

She notices the bandage and lightly brushes her fingers over it.

I grab her waist and kiss her.

"I think a lot of time has passed away, I think I should go." she stands up from the sofa.

I grab her wrist and said, "even this is your home, why don't you stay here"

"Aryaman you have lost the right to live with me."

"No, I still love you Rox."

"You know Aryaman, my mother used to say me one thing, that if you want to know who is your well-wisher then count the times they have wiped your tears when you were sad".

She left.......

I stalk her everywhere. Instagram, college, parties but she doesn't know it. I read her columns and articles.

Her new book is on self-love, she has written a masterpiece.

I want her in my life back.

I run for another election, today there is the candidate faceoff.

It's a new law, that we have to have a debate at the beginning of the election. We don't disclose our identity that we are going to run the election until this debate.

I really want to see my opposition counterpart.

I arrive at the stage, and the name gets announced of my opposition.

"Here let have a huge round of applause for Roxanne Smith."

And I freeze it is my Rox.

The announcer shouts "So let the debate begin."

And the audience shouts.

I check my mike and say

"I pull myself out from this election." a silence runs in the stadium.

"And all I want to say is that the cases that are on the name of Roxanne are a lie. I'm the culprit who has done all the scams. And I pushed it all onto her to keep my image clean but I cant live with a lie. So I surrender myself to the judiciary."

The audience gasps.

"And I have to confess I love you, Roxanne. Please come back into my life."

I see tears running down her eyes, some police officials come from behind and put handcuffs around my wrist.

I'm sitting in the police van but I'm happy that I spoke the truth to my country and to my Rox.

A police official opens the door and calls me out.

I see Rox waiting for me, her mascara has smudged from constant crying. She comes and hugs.

Dang, these handcuffs.

"Why did you do that?" she asks and lets a teardrop slip away. I brush it off with the help of my fingertips.

"Because I love you and I'm sorry for my mistake."

"I love you too" and kisses me softly.

"But I don't want you to go to jail."

"I won't Rox whats Tanya for then" and I point towards her.

Rox smiles up seeing her and kisses me again.

"Come home soon, next time I want to see you tied up in pink feather handcuffs." and she winks.

I sit in the van and it moves.

I'm the only culprit who is smiling ear to ear while going to jail.

The cop who is sitting in front of me frowns.