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  "You remember this?" She was giving me an emotional shock now.

  "How can I forget? You used to fight over that t-shirt. I bought you so many t-shirts, and still you wore that old, dirty one." She giggled.

  "I still wear it sometimes." I smiled. I didn't know what happened that day, but I felt like I was connecting back with her. All those years vanished in a split second, and I was with my old mother, who used to take care of me.

  "Okay. Come on take these pills and lay down here. I will brush your hair."

  I raised my eyebrow."Hmm." I didn't expect that from her. She was making me emotional, and surprisingly it was working on me. I laid down in front of her and closed my eyes. Her warm hand touched my forehead. I felt like; I was a small, ten-year-old girl and she was brushing my hair, like the old times. "Thanks, Mom." Her hands moved slowly over my head, releasing every tension from my brow. I was my mom's little girl again. It was the peace I hadn't felt in so many years. I was slowly flying into my dream world, but my dream was snapped away by a warm tear. I opened my eyes to find that she was crying silently. "Hey, Mom! What happened? Why are you crying?" I tried to lift myself up.

  "Please, don't get up. I am not crying. I just remembered your childhood."

  "That's exactly what I was thinking, Mom." A smile lightened on my face automatically.

  "I saw you running in your first race, when you won that medal and I was there to watch that. I miss those days, Eva. I wish I could be there in every race you won." Tears were flowing from her eyes. She was emotional and true to her heart. My heart filled with sorrow and happiness at the same time. We were connecting after so many years; I didn't remember seeing her like that after my childhood.

  "Mom..." I spoke with heavy heart and chocked throat.

  "I'm sorry, my child. I thought I was doing everything for you. I never realized how far I walked leaving you two behind. I realize now how big a mistake it was." Her heart was speaking. I got my old mom back and I was very happy for that.

  "Mom, you know I love you for everything." I hugged her tightly.

  "I love you too, Eva. But I lost your childhood in my business. I wish I could travel back in time and be there for you and your brother. I wish I could turn the wheel in a different direction."

  "You don't need to, Mom. We love you for anything and everything." My heart was filled with lots of emotions. I didn't know what I was feeling in my heart. It was good. I wanted to say so many things, but I couldn't.

  "But Eva, if I hadn't taken the control of the business from your Dad, we would have been on the streets now. I hope you understand."

  She spoke the truth. She saved the dying business and took it to new heights. "And we are thankful for that, Mother."

  "I did that for you and your brother, Eve. I tried to manage both lives, personal and business. But I couldn't do that." She put her hands in front of me. "These hands couldn't bear all the pressure. It was dire situations. I don't remember how many nights I spent in the office, going over the financial documents and new designs. Your father screwed everything up, Eve. I am sorry to say this, but he ruined my life."

  "But see, Mother, you both are still together." I attempted to raise her mood.

  "We are, because I care about social status. Our married life was finished the day he declared bankruptcy for the company. He brought my father's company to its knees. He destroyed everything." I kept quiet; my father was not a favorite topic of mine. "I expected a lot from you and your brother. But it seems that he is going his father's way." She started sobbing hard.

  "Mom, please don't cry." I sat in front of her and wiped her tears.

  "For ten years I have been doing this. But now, I am fed up with all of this, Eva. I'm fed up with the responsibilities, the pressure." Tears continued flowing from her eyes. She looked older and more vulnerable, the exact opposite to her image in the past ten years. She exhaled. "I wanted your brother to take this from me. Treat it like a small tree and water it to new heights. But he failed, too, just like your father. He thought of this as his own playground. I didn't tell you this earlier. But do you remember when our business in South Asia failed miserably?"

  "Yes, I know." Two years ago, my family had started a business in South Asia, but it failed, big time.

  "It was your brother, who ruined it. He lost our market share, liquidity and prestige. I had to take over the operations myself."

  "But it is still up there, right?" I knew it had failed.

  "Only a few stores. We will be closing them soon. I tried my best, Eva, but I alone cannot take care of the States, Europe and the Asian business."

  "Why don't we go public? We can get good people on board."

  "No, going public is the last thing I will do before I die," she said in firm voice. "Your grandfather set a vision for our company, and it's my duty to fulfill it."

  "But not at the expense of your health and emotions." I felt like I understood her after so many years.

  "That's why I want you to join the business. You are my last gamble. If you fail, I will go down with all this. But if you run this, I can die peacefully."

  "No, you are not talking about death here." I stood up and shook her furiously.

  "What other hope do I have?" She asked me a question that I didn't want to answer.

  "I don't know. We’ll find out something." I had no idea what I was going to do for her. I felt bad for her. The way she changed herself for us was overwhelming for me. If I was in her place, maybe I couldn't have done it. She sacrificed a lot for me and my brother.

  "I don't want to manipulate you, Eva. I just want your help and this is for our own good," she said in a heavy voice, and walked outside. I laid down on the bed, thinking about what she just said. She changed my motivation of fighting against her. In the wee hours of the evening, she turned me into a villain. By refusing to join the company, I was doing bad things to her and my family; at least I thought that way. "I'm sorry, Mother, for everything," I muttered.

  Chapter 14

  Eva

  "Taxi." I had shouted four times already, but none of the bastard yellow cars were stopping; they just never stop when you need them. I wanted to catch a cab and get into Nathan's arms as soon as possible. The pressure was killing me. My mother had left me on the edge of a cliff and I was dying to spill it out, all in front of Nathan. I couldn't hold it inside me any longer. I needed my boyfriend to listen to me and advise me.

  Last night had been sleepless, thinking about my conversation with my mom. Nathan was the person with whom I could share this all. My heart was racing faster with the thoughts of telling this all to Nathan. Only he could give me an unbiased opinion. What I did with my mom over the years, was it bad or good? My head was going to burst if I didn't tell this all to Nathan.

  Finally one yellow cab stopped. "Please, hurry." I told him the address. It felt like an eternity in the cab. I cursed the driver a thousand times before I stepped out of the cab.

  "Keep the change." I gave fifty bucks to the cab driver and ran up the stairs. I must have pressed the bell ten times before my Prince Charming opened the door.

  He was ready in his skin tight t-shirt and track pants. His Pecs grabbed my attention. I wanted to lick them, but my mind was filled with something else. "Eva?" his expression turned to surprised. "What are you doing here?"

  "I have something to tell you, Nathan. It's about my mom. I can't hold it inside anymore."

  "I'm sorry, sweetie, but I really have to leave. I have a training session scheduled." He turned back to pick his gym bag.

  "But..."

  "I'll drop you back home. We can talk inside the car," he replied while closing the door. "I know you have something important to say, but please understand me." He made his puppy face.

  I dropped my shoulders. "Okay."

  "Are you all right?" he touched my shoulder.

  I snapped out of my thoughts about my mother. "Yes." I looked at him with a confused mind.

  I asked, "Why didn't you cal
l me? I told you my training is starting today. But you didn't respond.”

  "Nothing. It's just..." I decided to skip the talk. "Can you drop me off at Chloe’s?" She was the second person in the world I could share my feelings with.

  "Okay. But you didn't tell me anything. Why did you come so early?" He stepped down.

  "Nothing, just thought of surprising you," I lied and followed him.

  "Oh, my sweetie." He turned back and hugged me tightly." I love you, babe." He kissed me on my cheek.

  "Love you, too." He drove the car faster than I had expected. Chloe's dorm was on a different route, and he had some schedule to follow.

  "Here you are." He kissed my cheek. I hopped out of the car and waved goodbye to him.

  I picked up my key from the mailbox and opened the dorm room. I expected Chloe to be asleep. But I heard crying sounds; somebody was crying. I walked in Chloe's room to find her in tears. "What happened, Chloe? Why are you crying?"

  She looked at me with surprise, but then she started sobbing again. Moving near her, I wrapped her in my arms. "Hey, what happened? Why are you crying so early?"

  "It’s nothing." Her voice sounded half-hearted. She tried to wipe off her tears and clear her throat. "Nothing. What are you doing here?"

  "Nathan dropped me off." I looked at her face, and dark circles covered her eyes. Her cheeks were wet and red because of lots of crying. "Tell me first what happened?"

  "Martin."

  "What did he do?" I had thought it was going fine between them.

  "He is the biggest jerk I know on the earth. He said he needs time to think about our relationship." She started sobbing again. The Chloe I knew was always jolly and happy. The one I was seeing that moment was someone different. Martin must have really broken her heart.

  "But why?" I pulled her closer.

  "He thinks we are..." she cleared her throat, "not compatible," She said in a low voice.

  "Did he break up with you?" I asked straight out. I didn't know their version of break-ups.

  "No, he said he just need some time to think. He was all upset after that river rafting event..." She couldn't speak any more.

  "But what compatibility? What did he mean by that? And I thought you had fixed things with him, a few nights ago."

  "He thinks I'm too up-beat, a happy-go-lucky person. He thinks I don't take things seriously."

  "Damn, you are the most mature person I know. How can he say that you are not serious?" I didn't understand Martin’s logic.

  "He broke my heart, Eva. We had a huge fight last night and that bastard messaged me this." She handed me her phone.

  Sorry Chloe, I need some time to think about our relationship. I don't see this going smooth. - Martin

  "What the hell?" His message raised my temper to the new levels. "Why didn't you call me earlier?"

  "I thought you had enough tension in your plate." She was worried about me in her grief as well.

  "Chloe, my friend, you don't have to think like that. I love you more than any of my problems." I kissed her forehead. "Now get up and wash your face. Don’t cry over this. Look at the bright side. He isn’tt giving up on the relationship and he is willing to spend time thinking about how to improve it." I pulled her to stand up. "Now come on, hop in the shower and we’ll go for breakfast."

  "But your classes?" She wiped her tears.

  "I’m taking a break today. Now, go and get ready." I pushed her to the bathroom. She walked away slowly. I felt heavy-hearted. I came to unload my baggage, but her baggage was heavier than mine. Mine could wait for some other time. I just couldn't see her in that condition. 'I have to talk with Martin.' I muttered.

  A shadow of sadness touched my mind. I had expected better from Nathan. But maybe he didn't understand my dire situation. It wasn't his fault, though. I hadn’t told him anything about it.

  Chapter 15

  Nathan

  Training: Day One

  I dropped Eva at Chloe's, but the question kept hitting my mind. 'Why did she come so early.' She wanted to say something, I felt that. But I acted like a jerk and told her training was the reason. I should have listened to her. But I already dropped her off.

  "Good morning," Mason welcomed me. There was no one in the club. It was too early for anyone to come at that time. Memory of my training with him at college flooded my mind. "It's different."

  "What?"

  "We were immature that time. Even the opponent was a college student. But this time, we are up against the national champion."

  "True. Do you think we can pull this off?"

  "Do you believe in yourself?"

  "Yes, I do."

  "You have lots of surprising moves, Nathan. We just have to polish them. Treat this as your last fight and we will win." He smiled and patted me on my shoulder. "Let's get to squats."

  "Let's go. I’m ready." I dropped my gym bag in the locker and came out, ready and flooded with adrenalin.

  "We are going to do lots of squats. And then more squats."

  "Why?"

  "I’ve noticed that you lack quick actions in your legs. To move fast, you must have good balance and core strength. Squats are the best for that."

  I threw my shoulders the in air and followed him to a corner. We started doing squats in sets of forty each. At first, it was easy. But after five sets of forty, my legs started giving out. After the sixth set, I dropped to the floor. "Dude, you're killing me with squats."

  "Okay, we’ll do some punching now." He gave his hand to help me.

  "How am I supposed to walk now?"

  He laughed. "Just like this." He dragged me with him to the punching bag. We started hitting different punching bags simultaneously. We trained for almost two hours; the whole floor around us was wet with our sweat. "Let's take a break. And we will continue with squats again," He commented.

  "Are you crazy? Squats again?"

  "Yes. Squats again. Same five rounds," he commanded.

  When we were done with training, I couldn't lift my legs anymore. I don't know how I drove back home. I called Eva before falling in bed, but she was busy with Chloe. For the whole evening, I slept like a dead man. Eva called me that night, but I was half asleep and when I woke up next day, I didn't remember if we had talked.

  Training Day Two:

  "Good morning, my sweetest heart." I greeted Eva.

  "Sorry, but I'm not your sweetheart," Eva's mother answered.

  "Sorry, Mrs. Clark. Can I talk to Eva."

  "Are you going to listen to me if I say no?"

  "Not a chance," I replied in a firm voice. I didn't like the tone that woman was using. I listened to her only because she was Eva's mother.

  "Eva, some jerk is on the phone." Eva must have been near her.

  "Hey, baby." After a few seconds I heard Eva's sweet voice. "Sorry about her."

  "No worries. Your mother doesn’t particularly like me. "

  "She didn't have a good experience with my past boyfriends." She giggled. "What's the plan for the morning? Coming to the college canteen?" she asked with lots of hope.

  "No, babe, second day with Mason. That guy is killing me."

  "Take it steady, sweetie. You were talking like you were drunk last night."

  "Was I? Sorry. I was so tired."

  "Yes, you told me that. Take it easy today. Don't get hurt."

  "You don't know what kind of training I had when I was in college."

  "Oh. I have to go now. I'm going to be late for class. Talk to ya tonight." She hung up the phone.

  I drove to the club. Mason was already there, waiting for me. I admired his discipline. That man hadn't participated in fights, but learned every ABC and D of the game. Every day he woke up at five a.m. and practiced kick-boxing. "You should get into the matches, dude. You know I don't have your hard working ethic." I said.

  "I don't have your talent and quick thinking." He chuckled. "And I don't have a girlfriend like yours."

  I punched him hard on his chest. "Keep yourself
away, or else you will die this time." I chuckled. "Which way you are going to try to kill me today?"

  "Squats first, then lower training."

  We did five rounds of forty squats each. My legs were hurting like hell, but I followed his instructions and before the fifth round, I was feeling normal.

  "Okay, now we will go through eccentric lower, concentrating on explosive lower movements. Like hard drop, plyo lounges and many more."

  We started our training. He showed me the movement first and then I followed him. It was hard at first, but in time I gained momentum. I could feel the balance developing inside me slowly. His ways always worked quickly on my body.

  We finished our training in two or three hours. My legs were again sore and I was tired. I went home and slept until somebody rang my doorbell again and again. I opened the door to find Eva standing outside.

  "What a pleasant surprise. Don't you have classes today?"I was still half asleep.

  "Mr. Brown, It's seven thirty in the evening. "

  "Shit, I slept like five hours straight. Damn Mason. He killed my legs and my energy."

  "Good for you. Let me in now."

  I smiled and let her in. She went to kitchen and started preparing dinner. I remembered Samantha. In the initial days of our marriage, she used to prepare lunch and dinner for me. I loved Eva for her attitude. "I love you, baby." I grabbed her from behind.

  "Let me cook first." She pushed me away.

  We ate dinner and sat on the couch watching prime time television. I didn't know when I fell asleep on the couch. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I had a sheet over my body. I looked for Eva; she was inside the bedroom, sleeping like a small child, innocent and peaceful.

  Training Day 3:

  The clattering sounds of pots and pans disturbed my sleep. "Who's there?" I shouted. For a moment, I forgot that Eva was with me.

  "It's me, Eva." Her sexy body followed after her sensual voice. She came closer and twirled my hair. "Good morning, Prince Charming. Get up, I've breakfast ready."

  "Oh, you don't have to do that, Eva," I replied. I didn't want her to take care of me. I liked the messed up way I lived.