"And all those things I didn't say

Wreckin' balls inside my brain

I will scream them out tonight

Can you hear my voice this time?"

Arundhati's POV

Penelope was staring at me again, with that strange frown on her face. I've known her for years, and I've never seen that expression of her face before.

"What?" I asked, tired of this game.

We had just returned to our hotel after the meeting with the architecture team. The team supported us, thankfully. Their studio-head, Ciaran I-don't-remember-the-rest seemed surprised that the idea had come from an interior designer. Thought we were idiots?

"That structures guy...."

Uh oh. I didn't like where this was going. I turned over from where I was lying on my bed at look at her face. She was lazing on the corner armchair, playing with her hair, as exhausted as I was.

I bit my tongue once before I spoke again, "What about him?"

"If I heard correctly...he asked you out for dinner...."

Shit.

"And I know I heard it right...but you nodded a yes...."

Oh crap.

"Penny..." I began.

"Don't get me wrong", she cut me off, "I totally support you. After that last idiot screwed over your head, you need this. Definitely."

"Listen –"

"Just...why Indian again?" she looked at me directly, "The last one screwed up so bad. All that family shit. It'll happen again, won't it? Just...why?"

"Penny..." I hid my head in the pillows.

Of course Penny knew about the engagement fiasco. I've known her for years, since Boston. She was there when Michael and I fell apart. She was there when Seth and I decided to call it quits. She saw me break apart after...Neil.

"That screwup hurt you so bad" her voice sounded distant, "In a way, it was worse than with Mickey."

"Pen" I sat up, shaking my head. I had to tell her. She would have a few things to say after that, I was sure. "It's the same guy, Pen."

She sat up to attention at my words. She knew what I had gone through. She had been the first one to drop in my apartment when I had returned back to New York a week earlier than planned. I was a weeping mess. She held me close and rocked me back to reality. Took me out of my apartment, arranged girls' nights, made sure I never laid my hands on any chick flicks, or my secret indulgence, chicklit. Took me running, gymming, to karaoke session. She knew exactly how much it took to get over the idea of Neil and I.

"Him?" her voice came out as a whisper, "HE is the infamous Neil?"

I nodded, preparing for the yelling.

"Damn" she breathed, "He's cute!"

My mouth fell open.

"Damn, girl, no wonder you were crushed." She raised an eyebrow, and then cracked a smile. I started laughing.

"You knew he worked here?" she asked at length.

"Yeah" I wiped my happy tears, "Although I didn't expect him to be a consultant in this project."

"Left it to chance, did you?"

I nodded again.

"Why do you think he wants dinner?" she asked again.

"He's human, Pen. Humans feel hungry" I was really not in a mood to get serious tonight. My life was too serious.

She threw a cushion at me in reply.

"Thinking of giving him a chance?" she asked. Girl could never stop asking.

"I don't know, Pen. For all I know he wants to yell at me over food."

"Naww, girl. He's too cute for such ugly behavoiur."

She was smiling at me, a special conspiratorial smile that I didn't appreciate too much.

"Don't meddle, Pen" I warned her.

"I won't, Hattie" her smile grew at my discomfort, "Cross my heart and hope to die."

**

Neil's POV

I knew her team was in the office for the rest of their meetings today. I stayed at my cubicle, nursing a coffee and a bad headache. These headaches have been getting progressively unbearable lately. I was a little confused as to what I would say to her tonight.

Why exactly had I asked her out? Good Lord above, did she think that I was asking her out on a date? Wait, what else was I doing? No...no, I just wanted to talk. Well, what about?

I hated it when my brilliant mind decided to play devil's advocate on me.

Should I see her again? Should I remind her again? Should I ask for her room number? Her colleagues would think me a freak. Hell, my colleagues would think me a freak.

I stood up a little unsteadily. It would never hurt to get my information from Annie, keeper of all keys, also known as a receptionist. Now, there was one very easy method to get any information out of this little blondie – flirt. Casual flirting always got her to spill, it was common knowledge at our firm.

So that's what I did.

"Hey there, blondie" I cracked a smile as I approached her.

"Hey yourself, Indie" her eyes lit up. I grimaced at the nickname. "My, my, have you been working out more frequently?" her hands went onto my really-not-that-impressive bicep and I continued stretching that smile.

"I got a little problem I'd like to solve" I said.

"And may I be of help?" she whispered back suggestively. I chuckled a bit, "You might. I think you have some of just what I'd need."

*Cough cough*

She let go of my bicep immediately and stepped back. I turned to see one of my best friends and head of team Ciaran Williamson staring at me with a raised eyebrow. Blood left my face when I saw – Holy mother of God – Arundhati standing next to him, disbelief painted on her face. Ciaran's arm was resting lightly on her back, as if he was showing her around.

"Neil, my man, this is our Interiors person on the Seattle Exhibition project" Ciaran looked flustered.

I stared at her mutely. Her face turned expressionless and she turned to Ciaran to whisper something. He nodded, waved me a goodbye and made off with her in another direction.

She didn't even glance back.

Shit.

***

My headache was worse than ever before when I stumbled onto her hotel floor at seven o'clock. I hadn't talked to her after...that...supremely awkward incident, but she had said yes, and seven o'clock seemed to be a perfect time to take someone out to dinner. I hesitated outside her door, not really sure if I should proceed. There was no way this evening would pass with zero emotional turbulence.

Damn, I should've gotten my aspirins.

I checked by watch. 7:21. How long had I been standing there? What in the world was wrong with me?

With apprehension clogging my throat, I raised my hand and pressed once on the bell. I heard it ring. I waited.

No reply.

Okay.

I pressed again, harder this time.

"-----bloody----why the hell-----wait!"

I stepped back immediately. The lady sounded furious. One more thing I didn't think I could handle with a pounding headache.

"Penny, I told you –" the door opened with a jerk and the speaker stopped speaking.

"Who's Penny?" I managed a feeble smile.

She eyed me for a minute, and closed the door. I thought she was unchaining it, but it didn't open back. Alright. This is so not expected.

"Arundhati?"

"-----dressed, damnit!"

Funny woman.

The door opened about a minute later, with a confused-looking Arundhati checking me out. It seemed to take her a minute to remember that we were supposed to go out for dinner.

"Come on in" she said suddenly, a blush creeping up her face as she realized that I had noticed her checking me out.

Standard hotel room. Tiny room, cramped washroom, stuff all over the place, the mandatory laptop and charger on bed, coffee cup on the bedside table. It kind of resembled my own room. She pointed at the solitary armchair for me to sit as she hustled about, stowing things away.

"Has your team left?" I found myself asking.

She turned to eye me once before she went back to her cleaning-and-stowing. "Just about, I guess."

Her energy made me feel so weak. This god-awful headache was killing me.

"Do you have an aspirin?" I asked.

This time she dropped everything and turned towards me. "Are you unwell?"

"Headache" I pointed at my forehead.

"Migraine?" she asked, cocking her head.

"Stress" I grimaced. It really was getting out of hand.

"Meeting me gives you a stress headache?" her lips twisted into a bitter smile. I opened my mouth to protest, but she shushed me, "Chill, I'm kidding." A minute later, she handed me a tablet and a bottle of water. I chugged it down thankfully, and lowered the bottle to find her looking at me curiously.

"You're not looking okay" she said slowly, hesitantly, "Are you sure you'd like to go out for dinner?"

I nodded, wincing at the shooting pain in my head.

"Arundhati, I –"

"Hattie" she interrupted me, "Everyone calls me Hattie out here."

Something clicked. About five years ago, this very social man of British gentry had married into common folk. It was big news back then. What was more, the wife, Hattie Grey was a big hit with the society. She was on all types of media almost every day. And within a year of that, Hattie Grey and her husband had split in a horribly messy, public divorce.

What had she told me about her ex? Michael Grey? Half British?

Oh dear.

"Really, dinner out?" her voice got me back to Earth.

"Hattie....Are you THE Hattie Grey?"

There was a sea change in her expression. It went blank. Eyes went cold and unexpressive. Skin smoothed over and jaw clenched.

"Yes" her voice was tinny, "I'm THE Hattie Grey. Why do you ask?"

Silence. What could I say? She had already made up her mind about what I thought of her, because she immediately went on the defensive.

"Nothing" I shook my head, "And as far as your question goes, I don't know."

She didn't seem to want to believe that it was just a casual question. The clasped hands on her lap twisted, indicating that there was an emotional battle on in that smart little head of hers.

"How did you come here?" she asked at length.

"Drove" I replied, "Although I don't know how."

The twisting increased. I had no idea what she was aiming at by asking me questions of this sort.

"Do you...I..." she seemed at a loss, "Should I...drive you home? You need some rest."

"I did ask you to dinner." I said quietly.

"I'll make some at your house, if it's okay" she shrugged like it was no big deal, but her eyes said that yes, this indeed was a big deal.

"You want to take care of me tonight?" I felt a small smile curl up on my face, a smile in the memory of chances lost.

"I would be doing it now had we gotten married." She took the bull by the horns, this girl did. I chuckled pensively. Yeah, that was true. Had that incident not ruined our chance...we would've probably been married by now.

"What do you say?" she asked again gently, and I saw the same sadness on her face.

"You can stay over if you want" I offered, "I've got a spare room and all that."

"Rich, aren't you?" she had an odd smile as she stood up, "Give me five minutes, I'll throw in something into a bag."

"You want to take care of a douche who couldn't even protect you from horrible people on the day of your engagement?" I don't know what possessed me.

She seemed pale to me when she turned. "You didn't say those words, Neil" her voice was thick, "I never once held you responsible."

"I should've said something" I muttered dejectedly.

"It's alright" she sighed and got on, "What's a life if it has no regrets?"

"Hattie..." my voice was low even to myself, but she looked at me. "With you around, my –" I pointed at my mouth – "Doesn't listen to my head."

She chuckled. "You say the oddest things, Neil."

"Hattie makes me feel like the Mad Hatter." Alright, I sounded cheesy even to myself. It was no wonder that she was staring at me like I had grown another head.

"Your eyes are red, Neil" she sounded tense, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"No, no I'm not" I held my head in my hands. I knew what was going to come and this was going to be bad. "I'm so, so sorry, Hattie" my voice cracked a bit, "I really am. For everything that happened two months ago, I am deeply sorry."

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Hi reader!

I told y'all it wasn't a traditional story:)

Read, vote, share or simply comment so I know who you are:) its lovely when people take time to read your words, but I need names to thank them for the same:)

Ciao, Ellanie.