04

DANIEL HUNT

Dan breathed a sigh of relief the moment Kayla excuses herself and walked into the bathroom.

Kayla seemed in shock and Dan thought she might need some space. Besides another girl in his life needed his attention as he had cut the call rather abruptly.

Dialing the number back he smiled as she answered on the third ring.

« I’m still not talking to you. »

He could imagine her sitting on her bed, her hands folded across her chest, her lips pursed and a cute little scowl as she wrinkled her nose.

« But you answered my call. »

« I still don’t want to talk to you. » She repeated.

« What do you want ? »

« I want you to spend some time with me. » She said quietly.

Daniel’s heart broke.

He had been away from her for over two months now.

« I’ll be back sweetheart. I promise. »

« But that’s what you said last week. »

« Will a box of ferrero improve your mood ? »

« That and many other chocolates. »

Dan chuckled.

« Okay. Now, go get some sleep. I love you. »

« I love you daddy. » She mumbled and pressed a kiss to the receiver.

With a smile Daniel hung up.

His kid would grow up to be the smartest, most beautiful woman there ever will be.

Maya had been a result of his one night stand nine years ago.

He had found her on his doorstep while he was in India. One look at the angel and Dan knew she was his, even before the DNA test. He held her and he promised himself he’d never let her go.

He had bought a house in India and for the past eight years he had been living there. Nobody knew that Daniel was actually the person that had a kid and a house and a stable job of a history professor in one of the best colleges in Mumbai.

He had a decent pay and was happy with the way his life was going.

He used to call his kid angel what with her skin so smooth and soft and fair. And she looked so innocent that she might even have a halo on her head.

He had been strolling in the park when one of the parent had been calling out her daughter, Maya. Instead his angel had sat up in her stroller as if someone had called her.

« You like it, angel ? » He had asked and she had gurgled and clapped her hands which he deemed was equivalent of her being happy.

So he named her Maya.

Maya was everything to him and he would do anything for her.

A movement caught his eye and he peeked towards the hallway to see Kayla walking in their bedroom.

Kayla was the only girl he had ever cared about. She was the only girl who understood him or so he thought ten years ago.

Ten years ago, until she had left him without a word in Vegas with the ring tossed on the bed.

He did feel guilty that he slept and married his eldest brother’s girlfriend at the time. But not so much since everybody could see that Kayla and his brother just didn’t look so into each other.

It ended a week later.

Dan had hoped that she would come back but she didn’t. She was the one who left him so he wanted her to take that step.

Lucky he didn’t or else he would have made a bigger fool of himself as she forgot all about him and turned a blind eye to the night they had spent in each other’s arms in Vegas.

Back then, he couldn’t chase her because of his mile long ego. Now that he had her, he wanted to see where it could go.

He wanted Maya to have a mother in her life. But besides that Dan needed a life partner. With whom he could spend his rest of his life contently

When she said that she came to him about divorce, it dawned on him that she didn’t know about the wedding at all.

And she wanted a divorce since she was getting married to a man named Rory.

Dan couldn’t let that happen.

He couldn’t let go that one woman who made him feel things that no other woman ever did.

« So what’s for lunch ? » Kayla strolled in, in an ugly pair of black pajamas and two size big a shirt.

But why it still attracted him was beyond him.

« Aren’t you a chef ? » Dan retorted.

He loved how he could easily rile her up.

« Listen here mister –«

He slipped a hand around her waist and shut her up as he pressed his lips to hers.

He groaned since he loved the way she felt in her arms, her body fit against his as if they were puzzle pieces that fit each other perfectly.

« Stop talking. » He murmured as he let her go.

His kisses definitely shut her up. Shocked her enough to not resort to violence either.

« You cook. I’ll help. I’ll do the dishes later. »

Their mother had taught all the three boys how to cook but Daniel had learned to modify her recipes since his daughter was very selective when it came to food.

He had learned quickly how to cook Indian but for once he would love for someone else to cook for him.

« I-«

« It’s been ages, Kay. You know you love to cook. And if I did, you’d just criticize it. So just do it will you ? »

With a huff, she stomped over to the kitchen but he did see a ghost of smile right before she turned her back on him.

Winning her back seemed definitely easy right that moment.

Boy was he wrong.