Men at Work [Quick Read] by Mike Gayle Page A

shook her head. “I can’t make you that promise,” she said, not looking at him. “I really can’t, Ian. Because, right now, I just don’t know.”

Chapter 17
    It was nearly a week later and Ian was at his desk. He was preparing some data for a seminar on future funding for the department when Amar appeared at his desk.
    “Coming for lunch?”
    Ian shook his head. “Nah, I think I’m going to give it a miss. I want to get these figures done before the end of the day.”
    “You do realise that you’ve worked through lunch every day this week, don’t you mate?”
    “I’ve got a lot to do.”
    Amar shook his head. “That might well be, but we both know what’s going on here. Look, I’m going back to my desk to get my jacket and then I’m going to come back and you and I are going to have a drink. No excuses, okay?”
    “Whatever,” sighed Ian, turning off his computer. “I’m past caring about any of this anyway.”
    Minutes later, Ian and Amar made their way up to the Sports Café on Broad Street, where he ordered a bitter shandy for himself and a pint of Coke for Amar together with two packets of salt and vinegar crisps.
    “So how’s living at your mum and dad’s house going?” said Amar, his mouth full of one of the ice cubes from his drink.
    “It’s great,” said Ian. “I love it.”
    Amar looked surprised. “Really?”
    “No, of course not,” said Ian. “It’s a nightmare! What else could it be when you’ve got two people who keep asking if you’re okay or want a cup of tea?”
    “They’re just being nice,” said Amar.
    “Well I don’t want them to be nice,” snapped Ian. “I want them to get on with their lives so I can just get on with mine!”
    Amar fell silent at this outburst. He drank his Coke and crunched another ice cube while Ian stared into space.
    “So I take it you still haven’t heard from her?” said Amar.
    Ian shook his head. “Not a word.”
    “Do you think that’s a good or bad thing?”
    “It’s hard to say. On the one hand it means in theory we’re still together. But on the other it could be that’s she’s simply plucking up the guts to tell me it’s all over.”
    “I don’t think it’s all over, mate. Rukmani and I were talking about it last night and we agreed that you guys are too good together to split like this.”
    “And what did Rukmani have to say about my little stunt that got Emma sacked? Did she happen to mention what she would have done if she had been in Emma’s shoes?”
    Amar nodded. “She might have said the odd word about it. Something along the lines of if ever I did anything like that to her, she would set fire to everything I owned and then set fire to me too!”
    “But would she forgive you?”
    “What you’ve got to understand, mate, is that my Rukmani’s quite a passionate woman. It’s in her blood. Forgiveness doesn’t come easily to her. Her dad still hates me for a joke I made about his moustache eleven years ago. But to answer your question, no. In fact her exact words were, ‘Not in a million years.’”
    Back at the office, Ian tried to throw himself into work in the hope of blocking out Amar’s words but the harder he tried, the less he could do it. By three o’clock he had stopped even pretending to work and was simply staring out the window.
    Mostly, Ian wanted to talk to Emma. To tell her how sorry he was and how he would do anything to get her back. A few times he even picked up the phone, but then he remembered how she had tearfully begged him not to make contact until she was ready to talk to him.
    Thinking he would do a shop run for anyone in need of a can of drink or a bar of chocolate, Ian stood up and started taking orders from his fellow workmates. As not even management should be left out, Ian headed to Douglas’s office, knocked on his door and walked in.
    “Hi Doug,” said Ian. “I was just wondering if . . .”
    Ian didn’t finish his sentence. He suddenly knew what he had to do.