Forever... (Chapter - 3)

############ Chapter - 3 ###########
Before it's too late... 

This is the story of Shobit, Meera and Nikhil. Shobit and Meera were in love, but when Shobit went abroad for a business trip, their relationship changed, and when he returned, Meera broke up with him and soon after that she started dating Nikhil, Shobit's best friend. Shobit still loves Meera, and Meera and Nikhil are in a happy and loving relationship.

It's been 8 months since Meera and Nikhil are dating and 2 months since Nikhil was diagnosed with Corona. He is ok now and was discharged a month back. 

Shobit has a very important business meeting with a client today. His client is a young and successful woman named "Sonam". After the meeting is over and everyone else left except him and Sonam, Sonam looks Shobit up and down seductively and asks him. 

Sonam: "Are you single?" 

Shobit: "You are quite direct."

Sonam: "I don't like to beat around the bush. I just take what I want." 

Shobit: "What if I am single?" 

Sonam: "Then we are going to have an amazing night and maybe a day also." 

Sonam gets up from her chair, moves toward Shobit, grabs his lapel of the shirt and kisses him on the lips. Shobit kisses back for a moment, then stops her. 

Sonam: "You said, you were single." 

Shobit: "I am. I just. I can't." 

Sonam: "Seems like you haven't still gotten over your ex." 

Shobit is surprised how easily she saw through him. 

Sonam: "My bad luck. Anyways get the papers for this deal ready, we'll sign them tomorrow and close it."

Next day Shobit closes his business deal with Sonam and they shake hands. Before leaving, Sonam says

Sonam: "You should tell your ex how you feel about her, before it's too late..." 

Next day, Shobit goes to Meera's house to speak with her. He practices again and again what he has to say. He was about to ring the door bell when Meera opens the door. 

Meera: "Hey, what's up?" 

Shobit: "I was just in the neighborhood, and thought to ask how you were doing and how is Nikhil."

Meera: "We are good. And I am going to his home itself, wanna come with me to meet him." 

Shobit: "No. I was just passing by, I already have some plans. Maybe sometime else." 

Meera and Shobit bid each other bye before she leaves to meet Nikhil. 

Shobit call his best friend. 

Friend: "What's up?" 

Shobit: "Nothing, I just went to my ex's home to confess my feelings for her and I got cold feet." 

A week later Shobit gets a call from Meera and gets excited to hear her voice. They greet each other over the phone, then Meera says,

Meera: "I know things have been weird between us, ever since we broke up and then it got weirder when I got together with Nikhil, but still, me and Nikhil wanted to invite you to dinner at my home, to thank you for what you did to help Nikhil get him recover from Corona. I would be very glad if you could come tomorrow at 7 pm. It will be you, me, Nikhil and my younger sister only."

Shobit: "Ok, I'll be there. I'll bring dessert." 

Shobit calls Meera at 7 pm next day. 

Shobit: "Hey, I am sorry, I couldn't make it. One of my meetings got longer, and there's another emergency one, so please excuse me." 

Meera: "No problem, take care." 

Shobit cuts the call and looks again at the balcony of Meera's home where she, Nikhil and her younger sister are enjoying time together, and he is waiting outside her home in his car, with dessert sitting on the passenger seat, feeling like a loser who lost the girl.

4 months later... 

It's been more than a year since Meera broke up with Shobit and he still can't get over her. Shobit and Meera had a very hot and passionate relationship with sudden outbursts and fights, sometimes over very little things. Even now, whenever Shobit and Meera meet by coincidence, there's always a sexual chemistry in the air. 

Shobit was reading a business report, when his mobile pinged for WhatsApp notification. It was from his best friend. It read "See Nikhil's WhatsApp status." Nikhil checks it out and saw a photo of him and Meera holding hands together with a ring on her finger with caption "Finally Engaged". Shobit drops the phone on the floor. 

A week before the marriage, when Meera was trying her wedding dress in the show room, Shobit walks in and says he need to talk to her. 

Shobit: "I know, I messed up. I should have realized this way earlier, that I have always loved and will always love you. And I know, you love me too. I don't know why I ignored what we had. I am sorry. I should have put more efforts when we were in relationship. I shouldn't have let you go. Believe me, I am willing to do anything to get you back, just don't marry Nikhil. Please give me another chance. I promise you this time we will be perfect." 

Meera: "Shobit, we never had a proper relationship, we always fought over little things. We only had chemistry. With Nikhil, I don't have to always worry if one of our fights would lead to break up or anything." 

Shobit: "But you don't love him the way you love me. You only agreed to marry him because you know in your heart that he loves you more than you love him, so he can't ever hurt you." 

Meera realises what Shobit said was probably true, but she can't leave Nikhil now she has agreed to get married to him. 

Meera: "Just leave me alone, Shobit. It's my choice who I want to be with, and you are wrong that I don't love Nikhil enough. I love him, even more than I loved you. And I don't love you. If you ever loved me, just leave me with my life and don't meet with me ever." 

Shobit is heartbroken to hear what Meera said. He doesn't believe that she doesn't love him, but he can't force her to accept this and he has to respect her choices. 

On the day of Meera's marriage, she puts up her dress and walks down her home. She get into the car with her father to go to the church to marry Nikhil... 

Shobit is at his home and is just waiting for the dreadful moment of Meera's marriage to be over, for him to fully realize he lost her. He hasn't slept for a second for the past night. He picks up his favorite wine from the cellar and head to the balcony to drown his sorrows in alcohol...