by I. T. Lucas
For some reason he expected one of the nurses to open the door, but it was Wonder, looking even more stunningly beautiful than he’d remembered.
Anandur took a step back.
She waved a hand in front of her face. “Too much perfume, right? I had a feeling that I’d overdone it.”
He was such a dumbass. Way to make the girl feel self-conscious.
“No, you smell terrific.” He took a step forward and leaned to kiss her cheek. It was the first of many he was about to rain on her tonight. “It’s just that you’re such a knockout that you actually knocked me off my feet.”
Wonder smiled. “Thank you for the compliment. You look awesome yourself. Did you get a haircut?” She followed him down the steps.
“Yes, I did.” He stopped at a spot that was well illuminated by the moonlight.
There were no street lamps in the village, and the windows were all covered with blinds, but the moon shone brightly enough tonight.
“Do you like it?”
Personally, he thought that Amanda had gone a little too far with her shears and her hair products. His beard was reduced to a quarter of what it had been before, and his curly mop was wrestled into an orderly, combed-back style. She’d insisted on applying a straightening cream, transforming his tight curls into soft waves. He must've lost an inch or two in perceived height. Not that he needed to make himself look taller, but he didn't want to look like he'd shrunk either.
Giving his jaw a quick glance, Wonder lifted her eyes to the top of his head. “I like the shorter beard, but I’m not sure about the hair. Maybe I just need to get used to it looking so tame.”
Anandur ran his hand over the soft waves. “It feels nicer.” He dipped his head. “Here, touch it.”
As Wonder’s hand smoothed over his hair, Anandur closed his eyes. He liked her touching him.
“It feels so soft.” Her hand trailed along the waves, starting at the front and going all the way to the back. “You look less wild like this.”
Had he imagined it, or had she sounded a little breathless?
Anandur lifted his head back up. “So I’m no longer ruggedly handsome?”
“You’re very handsome.” She put her hand on his chest. “Nice shirt, by the way. You just look a little less rugged and a little more polished.”
“I can live with that.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer against his body. “Did you miss me?”
It felt so good to go back to his flirtatious persona. That was who he was. He’d been stifling this side of himself for far too long. Acting all righteous and proper wasn’t like him. Anandur considered himself a gentleman, but that didn’t mean he had to impersonate a dry stick, throttle down his charm, and abstain from flirting.
And sex.
But that was in the future. Right now it was all about the flirting.
Wonder blushed and dipped her head to hide her face. “Yes, I did. Why didn’t you call me? Or text me? I thought you didn’t want anything to do with me.”
Yeah, he’d been an ass, while Wonder had been brave enough to admit her true feelings.
She deserved no less in return, but with a dose of self-deprecating humor. “I did a lot of thinking, which is a strain for a simple guy like me. That’s why it took so long.”
She slapped his forearm. “You’re a smart guy, so stop pretending like you’re not. I’m not buying your act.”
“Okay, okay. Just don’t hit me.” He pretended to be hurt.
Wonder rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. “So what were you thinking about?”
“I’ll tell you after dinner,” Anandur said as they climbed the steps to Brundar and Callie’s place.
Wonder whispered, “You’ll make me wait that long?”
To reassure her that all was well, he hugged her closer to him and kissed the top of her head. “All good things come to those who wait.”
“As long as you promise that it’s good, I have no problem waiting.”
“I promise.” He knocked on the door.
57
Ruth
“All done.” Nick turned off the vacuum cleaner. “The living room is ready for guests.”
“Thank you for doing the vacuuming,” Ruth called out from the kitchen.
Holding the device, Nick walked in and stored it in the broom closet. “Anything else I can do?”
She handed him the salad bowl. “You can put this on the dining table.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Nick was so excited about the dinner get-together she’d organized to celebrate his return from Rio, that it seemed as if he could sense it was about much more than that. Although a more obvious and less mystical explanation could be that he might have picked up on her excitement, or rather apprehension.
A lot depended on the success of tonight's experiment.
Except, it was also possible that he was happy about her inviting Tessa and Jackson and Sylvia and Roni to dinner. Unlike her, Nick loved to socialize even though he wasn’t great at it.
So what. With a smile, Ruth repeated Nick’s mantra in her head. Everything felt much less stressful when that little two-word sentence was said enough times.
“Can you get the door?” Ruth called when she heard a car pull up into her driveway.
Nick shook his head. “I swear that you have bat ears.”
Oops. She’d done it again.
A moment later the doorbell rang.
“I’m coming!” Nick called out, and then winked at her. “Not yet, but later for sure.”
Ruth flicked him with a dishrag. “Just go open the door already.”
As he rushed to the living room, she pulled the roast out of the oven and started transferring it to a serving platter. It was good that her guests were arriving on time. Heating up the food would have spoiled its taste.
For the best flavor, it needed to be eaten right as it was done.
Walking into the dining room with the platter balanced on her hand, she warned, “Keep clear, this is very hot.”
“Hi, Mo…,” Sylvia started, stopping herself on time.
Luckily, another knock on the door distracted Nick.
“Careful,” Ruth whispered.
“Yeah. Sorry about that.”
Roni waited for her to put the tray down before pulling her into a hug. “Hi, Ruth. Thank you so much for inviting us to dinner. I missed your cooking.”
She hadn’t cooked for him and Sylvia in a long while. Ever since she’d started working at the café, her visits to her daughter had dwindled down to no more than once a week, and then to none at all when she and Nick had gotten closer and were spending most evenings at her home.
“Then I should invite you guys over more often.”
“That would be nice. Although it’s a schlep getting here from the village.” He leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “Hopefully, you’ll be joining us there soon.”
“What smells so good?” Jackson walked in and bee-lined straight for the dining table. “Can we eat? I’m starving.”
Behind him, Tessa shook her head. “Sometimes he behaves like a caveman.”
Jackson turned around. “What did I do this time?”
“You should wait to be invited to the table and not ask if you can start eating.”
“That’s okay.” Ruth patted Tessa’s arm. “He is right. Everyone is here and the food is getting cold. Let’s eat.”
“Yeah.” Roni rubbed his hands. He was already seated with a napkin draped over his knees.
Even though everyone other than Nick knew what this was all about, the conversation at the table wasn’t strained. In fact it flowed naturally.
“Do you remember that you promised us songs?” Jackson asked Roni.
Forking a second piece of roast, Roni transferred it from the platter to his plate. “I didn’t forget. I’m still working on it.”
“Do you have anything ready?”
“I have one. But I’m not happy with it. Besides, do you guys
play at all since Gordon left?”
“Vlad and I jam from time to time while we are waiting for you to fill the drummer’s position. You said you’d have the drums mastered in no time. What happened with that?”
“Life.” Roni sighed. “It seems like there is never enough time.”
“Are you guys still playing at clubs?” Nick asked.
“Not since Gordon left for college and Vlad started studying while still working part-time at the café.” Jackson shook his head. “It’s tragic. I feel like my youth is over.”
“Do you need a bass guitar player? I’m not great, but I’m decent.”
“Sure, but without a drummer there is no band, and Roni is taking his sweet time to get ready.”
Roni threw his hands in the air. “Okay, people, enough with the guilt. I’ll step up the pace.
Ruth was getting impatient. It seemed to her that Jackson was dragging his feet about the test, and she nudged his foot under the table while lifting her brows at the same time.
Reluctantly, he put his fork and knife down and looked at Nick. “So Nick, what was the last rock concert you saw?”
“A bitching cover band for Pink Floyd. But it was like six months ago. Last November, I believe.”
“What’s their name?”
“Brit Floyd.”
Roni lifted his fork. “Not original, but easy to remember.”
“Are they any good?”
By the way he was focusing on Nick’s eyes, Ruth could tell Jackson was attempting a thrall.
“As I said, they are bitching. You should go see them the next time they are on tour here. I can check for you if they have anything planned for this year.”
“Thanks.” Jackson went back to eating.
Five minutes later he put his utensils down, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and turned to Nick. “I forgot. What was the name of that band?”
Nick frowned. “What band?”
“The cover…” Roni started. A kick under the table shut him up quickly.
Jackson smirked. “Never mind.”
Rubbing his brows between his thumb and forefinger, Nick grimaced. “I feel a headache coming on. Do you have ibuprofen, Ruthie?”
“No, I’m sorry, but I don’t. Would you like an icepack?” She’d seen it in a movie once. Supposedly applying ice to the forehead helped with headaches.
“Do you have Advil?”
She shook her head.
“How come you don’t have any pain medication? Did you run out?”
“Ruth believes in natural remedies,” Sylvia came to her rescue.
Nick waved a hand. “I prefer a quicker solution.”
“Do you still want the icepack?”
“No, I should have some Advil in the car.” He pushed to his feet and headed out.
“Well.” Jackson puffed out his chest. “It seems your guy is not difficult to thrall at all.”
Ruth wasn’t sure about that. “Wait a little and then ask him again. I want to make sure the thrall holds.”
“Good idea. I will do that.”
58
Nick
As Nick clicked open the driver side door, he tried to figure out what had caused the throbbing headache, which was getting worse by the second.
It came out of nowhere, right after Jackson had asked him about the name of the band he’d supposedly mentioned before.
Nick hardly ever got headaches. The only reason he had Advil in the glove compartment was the wrist he’d twisted during surfing a couple of months ago.
The headache had something to do with Jackson, he was almost sure of that. The guy had been looking into his eyes so intently that if Nick hadn't known better, he would’ve thought that Jackson had been coming on to him.
What the hell had the guy done? Had he tried to pull some hypnotist crap on him?
And what was that about a band?
That bothered Nick even more than the headache. In fact, he had a feeling it was the reason for it. He was still straining his brain, trying to bring the elusive memory up. But the more he struggled the worse the headache got.
He remembered talking about Jackson's band. But that couldn’t have been what the guy had been asking about. He’d said that band, not my band. And then Roni said ‘cover’ and stopped as if someone had kicked him under the table.
Were they all playing a prank on him?
A couple of pills in hand, he got back inside and looked at Jackson.
The guy always looked kind of smug, but he definitely looked smugger now.
“Okay, out with it.” Nick waved his hand. “What did you do?”
“Who, me?” Jackson pretended innocence, looking at Roni and then Sylvia and finally at Ruth, then back to Nick. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
By the guilty looks on everyone’s faces, they were all in on it.
Assholes.
He didn’t care that the others were playing a prank on him, but it bugged him that Ruth had agreed to take part in it.
He and Ruth were a team, and partners were supposed to watch each other's backs.
“Time for dessert!” Ruth chimed and pushed to her feet.
There was definitely a guilty undertone to her fake excitement.
Sylvia jumped up after her sister. “I’ll clear the table.”
“Let me help,” Jackson said.
Nick sat down, filled a glass with water, popped the pills into his mouth, and washed them down with a long gulp.
The only ones at the table with him were Tessa and Roni. Tessa got busy brushing crumbs into a napkin, and Roni whipped out his phone and was pretending to read something. Or maybe he was really reading, who gave a fuck.
Nick was pissed.
He was disappointed with Ruth and his head felt like it was inflating and deflating with every heartbeat.
What band?
He remembered them talking about Jackson's band and about the song Roni had written but wasn’t happy with. He also remembered offering to join their band.
Then Jackson had asked him something, but he couldn’t remember what it was. In fact, he didn’t remember any of the conversation from that point on until Jackson had asked him about a name of a band.
Ignoring the headache, Nick pushed harder. He had to remember the rest of it. If Jackson had hypnotized him as a prank, he was going to prove to the jerk that Nick was a much tougher nut to crack than Jackson had given him credit for. He was going to break through that barrier and remember what the hell they had been talking about.
Ruth came back with a loaded tray. “I have fruit bowls for the health conscientious, and a chocolate cake for those who are not.”
Jackson followed with a coffee carafe, and Sylvia with another tray of mugs.
“Coffee, anyone?” she asked.
“I’ll have some,” Nick said. “And the fruit bowl and the chocolate cake.”
He wasn’t hungry or in the mood for sweets, but he was mad and didn’t want the bunch of jerks to notice. He was going to play it cool until that memory resurfaced and he would prove to them that he wasn’t an easy target.
Play it cool. Play it cool. Something about this sentence tickled his memory.
Play it cool. Band. Cover. All of these were trigger words. How about changing the order. Play it cool cover band.
Cool cover band.
It felt like a dam bursting inside his head, with all the missing memories rushing in to fill the void. And just like that the headache was gone.
Nick leaned back in his seat, crossed his arms over his chest, and smirked. “Brit Floyd. That was the name of the cover band I was talking about.”
Ruth gasped, Jackson paused with the coffee carafe suspended in midair over Tessa’s cup, Roni looked down at his cake, and Sylvia looked sad.
What the hell? Why were they taking this so hard?
So their prank hadn’t worked, so what?
“Don’t look so glum, people. It’s not a big deal that I’m on to you. What was that? An at
tempt at hypnotism?”
Jackson was the first one to recover. “Yeah, sorry about that. I’m taking an online course and I made a bet with the others. I won and they lost. That’s why they look so heartbroken.” He smiled at the others. “Pay up, people. You each owe me a dollar.”
Nick cast Ruth an accusing glance. “You bet against me?”
She forced a smile. “I just did it to encourage Jackson. He didn’t believe he could do it with so little training. Apparently, he was right.”
Well, that put everything in a different perspective. Nick was all for helping out a friend. But they should have told him instead of using him like a patsy. He would’ve volunteered.
“Don’t give it up, man. You’re pretty good. It took a mighty effort to pierce through the block you put in my head. Next time, though, you should ask first. It’s not cool to hypnotize someone without his or her permission. You can get in a lot of trouble doing something like that to some unsuspecting dude, or worse, a dudette. You can get sued.”
Jackson nodded. “You’re absolutely right. It was stupid of me. Are you up for another round?”
“No way. You’ve given me one hell of a headache. I’m not up for another go. Maybe next time, or try Roni. Eh?” Nick looked at Sylvia’s boyfriend. “How about it, dude? Are you willing to get hypnotized?”
Roni grimaced. “Not really.”
“Wuss.”
Roni shrugged. “See if I care.” He pointed a finger at his head. “This baby is all I have. That’s what pays the bills. I’m not jeopardizing it by letting an amateur in there.”
He had a point. Nick was in a similar situation, depending on his smarts for his job, and therefore shouldn’t allow it either.
Except, he’d already committed himself and couldn’t back off. But he could put up conditions.
“Roni is right, Jackson. So until you get your certificate as a licensed hypnotist you’re not getting anywhere near my brain, is that clear?”
Jackson grimaced. “Crystal.”