A/N Hello my fine readers! Aren't you great, I love you all, and I especially love your lovely reviews. So here's another chapter for you all!

Chapter 11- Neela

I woke up when I felt Ray getting up. "Sorry," he said, "I'm just getting coffee, you want some?"

I nodded. I felt like crap. My neck was stiff and my hair was sticking up at all angles. I must look such a state. Why do you care? A little voice inside me said. I just do! Was my reply, before firmly blocking the voice out. God, now I was talking to myself, I must be crazy. I got up to go to the kitchen and passed the phone, there were 11 new messages. 11?

I went a pressed the button, "Neela, it's Michael, can we talk please?"

"Neela, please, I just want to talk to you."

"Look, I'm only here a few days, one meeting can't hurt can it?"

"Please Neela."

"Neela, we need to talk, we can't leave it like this."

"Please can we meet Neela, I can't bear this any more."

"Neela. I love you. Please talk to me."

I looked to Ray who was poking his head out of the kitchen. "Are they all like this?"

He nodded, and I pressed the delete button. He came out with two cups of coffee and handed me one. "Don't you think you should meet with him?"

I sighed, "Would you?"

"Would I meet with my very recently ex-boyfriend... hmm," he said, with a smile.

"Shut-up, you know what I mean."

"Sorry, I'm just trying to get you to smile. I think you should meet with him, just to say goodbye, he's leaving in a couple of days right, and you'll hate yourself if you don't even say goodbye."

"You're right, as usual. Damn you."

"Have some coffee, then call him," he said with a smile.

Two hours later I had made an arrangement to meet with Michael the next day, and I'd locked my bedroom door. "I'm not coming out," I said, in reply to Ray's knocking.

"Fine, but I'll get you out tomorrow! Right now I have to go to my rehearsal. We have a gig at the end of the week, hey you should come!"

"I don't think so Ray. Bye."

"Bye," he called jovially, "I'll see you in a few!"

"No you won't!" I replied. I knew it was stupid and childish, locking myself in, but I couldn't bear to face him. He kept trying to cheer me up, and I just wanted to wallow in my own self pity. Michael had been the perfect guy for me, I'd realised that now. He was hard working, ambitious, kind, everything I could ever have dreamed of. But somehow it wasn't good enough for me. And I still couldn't work out why, I just knew it wasn't. I had realised that wasn't the life I wanted any more, I didn't want to get married and settle into a routine. I wanted some fun, and romance. For some reason Michael and I had skipped that part, perhaps because he'd been going to war, but we'd just started going out and then suddenly we were in love. It just wasn't what I wanted.

The next day I heard a small knock on the door and pulled the duvet off my head. "Go away."

"I do believe it's tomorrow. And I said I'd get you out. I've got a bath ready and it has bubbles and everything."

"Forget it, I'm not going. Tell Michael I'm sick or something."

"I'm not lying for you Neela, get up, or I'm getting you up."

I laughed, "And how are you going to do that."

"You'll see." There was a pause and then I heard a tiny sound of metal on metal. Then the door sprung open and Ray was kneeling on the floor, holding a piece of wire and grinning. "Told you."

"You may have got in but you're not getting me out."

He came over and tried to pick me up, I grabbed the bed. "Give it up Rasgotra."

"Never." Then he started tickling me, and I had no choice but to let go, "Put me down, Ray," I shouted as he slung me over his shoulder in a fire-man's lift.

"Never," he said, mimicking me. He carried me through to the bathroom and plonked me on the floor. "Ok, there you go," he said, breathing heavily.

"I'm not getting in there."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm," he interrupted me by lifting me up again and dunking me into the tub, still wearing my pyjamas. I screamed and before he could straighten up I pulled him in after me. Unlike me, he went in head first and went completely under, he came up spluttering as I laughed.

"Oh you're so for it now," he said threateningly, grinning.

"What you going to do about it Barnett?"

He pulled me legs and I slipped under, when I came up he grinned and said, "That."

It was then I realised we were in a bath together. His hair was slicked down, with bubbles in it, and his black t-shirt was stuck to him. I swallowed, "You win."

"What?"

"You win. You go time out of my room and into the bath. Perhaps not the most usual methods, but you did."

"I told you I would," he said with a smile. "You going to have a proper bath now?"

"Yeah I guess, since I'm soaked already."

"I shall bid you adieu then fair lady." He got up, and the water dripping off him rained all over me, soaking me once more, "Sorry." Then he grabbed a towel, and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Two and a half hours after sharing a bath with my room-mate I was having coffee with my ex-boyfriend. Well, I was actually having tea, but you get the point. He looked as bad as I felt, I mean he looked fine, he'd shaved and everything- he hadn't fallen so far he couldn't get up, but I could tell he'd been crying. It broke my heart to sit there with him, it really did.

"Neela," he said eventually, "Can't we give it one more chance. I can change, if that's what you want."

"Michael," I sighed, "I don't want you to change, you're perfect. It's our relationship that isn't. I don't know how to explain it but... it just isn't what I want."

He nodded, "What went wrong?"

I smiled slightly, "Nothing. It just... doesn't feel right. Don't you feel the same way?"

He began to nod again then shook his head, "I'm sorry Neela, I don't, I really don't. I thought it was perfect... but I respect you-and myself- enough not to fight for it when I can see the look in your eyes. We can still be friends though, I know it's clichéd, but I'd like it."

"Of course, can I still write to you? I'll update you on the ER."

He smiled, "Sure." Then he got up, "I'm going to meet Greg. I'll talk to you soon ok?" He bent down and kissed my cheek, then left. I was left staring into my empty cup.


A/N Grins so, what did you guys think? I liked it... hehehe- the bath scene especially! Tell me all in your reviews!