by Atul Todi
Feeling the intoxication of the wine slowly taking over her senses, she wanted his strong farmer arms around her waist and his lips dancing up and down her neck. Staring into his dark brown eyes, she wanted to experience the philosopher hiding behind those mean and cold appearances. Looking at his long curly hair, she imagined her fingers entangled between them, like a bee happily stuck in a spider’s web.
Without saying a word, she allowed the looks on her face do all the talking. Abhay, on the other hand, even though he had noticed her, chose to ignore.
After entertaining the guests for a short while, Abhay excused himself and disappeared in his big mansion. He had some urgent work to take care of and asked the guests to stay back and enjoy the evening. Two male helpers, who were incharge of catering, gave company to the visitors. They answered Anna’s questions regarding their strange boss and life in the beautiful valley with smiles and nods.
The French team lingered around for a bit, looking at the abstract artwork around the house. Anna tried to look around for Abhay, but he was nowhere. Finally, after an hour and a couple of more bottles of wine, the group was escorted back to the guesthouse.
Cumbum valley wine was unlike any other; it had a strong aftertaste and strangely more intoxicating than most other wine from other parts of the world. Maybe, it was the location and the weather, along with the alcohol that left the drinkers in a very calm state of mind. Everyone was happy.
The happy feeling the wine was giving seemed to have had no effect on Anna. Upset with Abhay's peculiar behaviour, she was clearly not pleased. He did not have to disappear without talking to her. Back in her room, sitting next to the fireplace, she wondered if Abhay remembered his offer to take her on a ride in the morning. Unsure about the early morning plan, she tried to not overthink. Twisting and turning in bed, she helplessly fantasized about the wild, mysterious winemaker.
----x----
At dawn in Cumbum Valley, the sun was still hiding behind the hills, making its presence felt by an orange reflection in the drowsy grey night clouds. The dark night was slowly scampering away, leading to a bright new day. The birds were awake and filled the air with their whistling and chattering. Morning dew covered the entire landscape, making the air outside chilly.
Snuggling inside the warm blanket, Anna was fast asleep when there was an unexpected knock on the door.
Falling out of bed, wearing nothing but her tiny nightgown, she was clearly not expecting an early morning visitor. Wrapping the blanket around herself, she opened the door.
Standing outside was a man who was wide-awake; ready for another day in paradise.
"I am sorry to wake you up.” Abhay said. With a hint of sarcasm in his voice, the look on his face showed that he was not sorry for having caught her by surprise.
Abhay stood outside the door in his tracksuit and sneakers; he looked fresh and beaming with life. The early morning had transformed him into a ball of energy, like a carefree child.
Seeing the confused look on Anna’s face, he continued “Guess you didn't take my offer too seriously." He teased Anna for not being ready with his snarky comment.
With her messy hair and dazed morning eyes Anna looked adorable. Fumbling with her words, her French accent became more prominent early in the morning. In her broken English mixed with French words, she asked Abhay to come in and give her a second to get ready.
Trying to wake herself up, she tried to take deep breaths. Abhay smiled but did not say a word.
While she helplessly looked for her glasses in the room, the big blanket she had wrapped around her body slipped and fell on the floor. Leaving her in a state of embarrassment, she stood there in front of him in her tiny satin nightwear.
The silhouette of her beautiful, voluptuous body was clearly visible through the translucent fabric. Being rude, Abhay did not care to look away and admired the French goddess in her morning beauty.
Finally, sensing that she was embarrassed he said, "I think I will just wait outside; please take your time."
Abhay excused himself to allow Anna to gather herself together.
Even though Anna's confused state of mind made Abhay smile, his strong overpowering persona made her nervous and excited at the same time. He, on the other hand, found her amusing. Besides being extremely pretty, the curiosity in her eyes, made him want to get to know her.
Taking a few minutes to get ready, she came outside in a loose pink track pant and a sweatshirt. With her hair tied back and running shoes on, she was ready for the adventure Abhay had planned for the morning. But she carried her phone along to be on the safe side; the winemaker could not be trusted yet.
Standing outside brushing the long mane of his white horse, he said, "Hope you don't mind riding a horse."
Taking a moment, Anna said, "Oh no, not at all. I would love to ride a horse."
Anna smiled, as Abhay helped her up on the horse. It was unexpected, but the offer was exciting.
Sitting behind him, she held onto him tightly as the horse soon took off in the direction of the plantation. It was quite dark outside; the early morning air had a charm as they rode through the vineyard. It felt like the grapes had intoxicated the whole surrounding; the sun was slowly rising from behind the hill in a drunken, lazy state.
Trotting through the meandering vineyard, up and down the slopes of the valley, Abhay took her through some dark parts of the nearby forest. With long pine-trees, hanging weeds and loud early morning animal calls, Anna felt shivers all over her body. She was scared thinking about the murder stories she heard about him. Breathing heavily, she used her hands to make sure he did not have any knife on him.
She did not know what to expect from the strange winemaker, but was anxious to know where he was taking her. With drops of morning dew falling on her warm skin from the tall trees above, she felt strangely aroused. Her breast bumping against his back as they rode and her thighs rubbing against the leather saddle, made her moan silently.
Holding on to his wide shoulders, wild thoughts ran through her mind as she sniffed his manly odor. She imagined everything inappropriate: a dangerous mix of fear and carnal desires. To be with a stranger in the middle of a forest, halfway across the world from home, was not the smartest thing to do. But her curiosity got the better of her; the control-freak inside her had to let go.
There was no one to judge her, and no one had to know what happened in Cumbum Valley. Excited but scared, she had no one to call and nowhere to run; the wine maker could do anything to her.
Her father would not have approved of her risking her life with an unsophisticated winemaker.
Finally, the sunlight pierced through the dark forest; Abhay had taken her to a secluded lake, north of the plantation. There was no motorable road that could bring tourist there, only a dirt road through the hills and the forests. With the blue lake, surrounded by jungles, hills and a beautiful waterfall in the backdrop, it was a hidden treasure.
The place looked magical.
Anna held on to Abhay's chest tightly, anticipating his next move. Her nails dug into his skin, and she said, “Are we safe here?”
Thinking she was scared of wild animals that might be around, he stopped his horse and said, "This place is safe; I come here every morning. It is part of my property, but I have left it untouched to preserve its beauty. This place brings me peace."
After an invigorating ride through the forest, she was not expecting him to be serious. She had imagined him throwing her off the horse and making love to her on the wet grass, but he seemed lost, oblivious of her aroused state of mind.
Jumping off the horse, Anna stretched and took a deep breath. She tried hard to hide her sexually aroused state. Looking around in disbelief, she said, "This is unreal. The air has so much sweetness here. It is really fabulous: wild yet peaceful. I can see why you like it here.”
Stepping towards him, she got really close. Looking into his eyes, she whispered, “Thank you for bringing me here, makes me feel special."
&
nbsp; Smiling at her, Abhay asked her to follow him.
Walking around the lake, he took her to a small wooden bridge that ran across a narrow part of the lake. Taking off his shoes, he went and sat on the wooden floor; Anna followed him. Taking out his whiskey flask, he took a swig, lit a cigar and quietly watched the sun rise over the hills, from behind the white waterfall.
Taking a sip of whiskey from his flask, Anna sat beside him, giving him company. She wanted to put her head on his shoulder and hold his hand, but she controlled herself. Wondering what sort of a man starts drinking early in the morning, she tried to decipher the deep thoughts that occupied his mind.
Soaking in the morning air, neither of them spoke. Soon, fishes appeared in the clear water around their feet. Golden, silver, black and white, the colourful fish shimmered in the morning glow. Anna watched them in surprise as Abhay took out a packet of bread crumbs from his pocket and started feeding them. Offering it to Anna, he asked her to join him in that surreal experience.
Watching the fish swim around her feet, she asked, "This is so sweet, you do this often?"
Coming from an aristocratic French family, her life had always been too proper and showy. Small things like sitting by the lake and feeding the fish was like a dream. She felt happy just being there. It was a change from her usual life, where it was all about business and moneymaking.
Taking a moment, Abhay said, "Whenever I am lost and lonely, which is quite often. It gives me some peace of mind. These fishes and me have a long story; we go long back. It's like they have nothing to lose, happy the way they are, not chasing anything. For them the moment is everything."
Seeing Abhay lost in his thoughts, Anna could not help asking, "Why are you so lost and lonely? You are good-looking and quite charming; why have you confined yourself here, living all by yourself."
Abhay did not respond, but she continued, "You look a little troubled about something; do you want to talk to me about it? I am very open-minded. I won't judge you.”
Getting no response from him, she explained: “You might only know me for a day, but you can trust me.”
She was curious to know what happened to him and why he had confined himself to the plantation. At the back of her mind, she wondered if the rumors about him killing his wife were true. She was hoping to hear his true story.
They both sat there quietly as Abhay did not want to tell her about his past. He had learned to live in his loneliness and fight his devils. Still, that morning he was a little disturbed and lost.
The reason for his being upset was a wedding invite he had received the previous evening. His closest childhood friend Jolly was getting married. While it was something to be happy about, there was an issue. He had not met his friend for twelve years. He had cut himself off from all his friends and family long ago, and no one knew where he was. He missed them every single day, but refrained from going back to the life he had left behind.
The wedding invite reminded him of all the good times he had with Jolly and also some bad times from his past. Despite his strict instructions to his parents, they had mailed him the wedding invite. Hoping that he would give up on his stubbornness, they wanted him to stop living like a recluse and go out in the real-world. Still, Abhay was not ready to give in; he liked his solitude too much. He had started enjoying his loneliness or at least he convinced himself of it.
The world outside the vineyard had become alien to him.
Seeing him not respond, Anna did not push him. She simply sat there watching the sunshine in his eyes and admired the calmness in the lake in front. Even though he had the rough look of a man hardened with rigorous physical labor, there was a positive aura around him like a mystic. He looked like a man whose heart had been broken and who needed to be loved again.
Sitting there quietly, she still hoped he would make a move on her, maybe take her in his strong farmer arms, kiss her and just hold her. But he did nothing; he simply sat there sipping on his whiskey, admiring the fish in the lake and staring into the deep forest in front.
After a while, frustrated with his being unresponsive, she got up, ready to go. But before she could leave, he held her hand and looked at her. His staid eyes had softened up a little. She looked back at him and gazed into his eyes, trying to read his mind, wondering what he was thinking.
It was a web of mystery, too complicated for her to make any sense of. But, she wanted to give him a chance to explain. Her curiosity made her want to get to know the winemaker.
Sitting back down, she got closer and put her hand on his face. Feeling the scar across his right eyebrow, she let her fingers play with his beard. Breathing heavily, her heart pounded with anticipation. She really wanted the winemaker; it was a strange feeling she had no control over.
Finally seeing him not make a move or resisting hers, she ran her fingers down his neck and asked him to kiss her.
Staring back at her, he contemplated stopping, but gave into her honest and harmless request. With the sun rising in the background and no one in the close vicinity, on that fine morning, they made love on the wooden bridge.
After spending hours by the lake, they rode back to the vineyard. Neither of them spoke a word. It was a very different experience for Anna who was clearly very attracted to Abhay. He, on the other hand, looked indifferent like nothing happened. He clearly did not want to attach any deep emotion to it.
Later that day, while having lunch with Abhay, Anna revealed to him that she was the daughter of Louis Philippe, who wanted to buy his property. However, she understood how attached Abhay was with his property, so she suggested a way to help him.
She proposed that her father would be willing to invest in Abhay's vineyard and market his wine across Europe if he would be willing to open a wine-tasting facility on the vineyard and promote wine tourism. Her plan was to build a little lounge overlooking the lake, where people could relish the rich wines of Cumbum valley in the serene surrounding.
Anna's proposal did not make much sense to Abhay; he was very protective about his vineyard and his privacy. He didn't see why she had put forth such a condition for forging a partnership. While Abhay just thought about the quality of the wine, for Anna, it was all about marketing the wine. And, according to her, an exquisite wine-tasting facility was the first step in marketing premium wine.
Behind her unusual proposal, the intention was to have a reason to be around him and get to know him better. It was the only way for her to make her father agree to allow her to be in Cumbum Valley, away from her luxurious life in France.
She was indeed smitten by the rugged wine-maker; there was something mysterious about him that she was highly attracted to. The only daughter of Louis Philippe, Anna was used to having what she wanted, and she wanted Abhay. She wanted him all to herself. And she knew that Abhay could not say no to her proposal. He needed her help to keep his vineyard and make the winery financial sustainable.
Skeptical in the beginning, Abhay gave in to Anna's request. He did not see any harm in opening the wine-tasting facility. In fact, he did not mind having someone around; someone who could give him company and Anna seemed intriguing enough to keep his attention.
She was different from other women who found their way to the vineyard. Arrogant at times, a little high-headed and pampered, but other than that, she seemed like a nice person who meant well.
With Abhay’s consent, all formal paperwork was done and the process of building the wine tasting facility started soon after their first meeting. It gave Anna a reason to move to India for an extended period and spend more time with Abhay. She made the blueprint for the project, and funded the facility. In return, Abhay agreed to sell only through Anna's father's company for a period of ten years.
The construction for the lavish wine tasting facility started and time passed quickly. Meanwhile, more time Abhay and Anna spent together, closer they got to each other. Her quest for adventure and his loneliness helped them bond in a deep way.
For Abhay, she was an
acquaintance he was happy to have around; for Anna, her initial infatuation was quickly turning into love. Aware of her one-sided relationship; Anna only hoped that Abhay would eventually open up to her.
Hidden amidst serene nature, far from any social expectations and prejudice, they lived in the moment. Crawling out of their dark past, both searched for a ray of hope to guide them.
CHAPTER 2: SURPRISE AT THE WEDDING
It had been four months since Anna started the process of building the wine-tasting facility. She also helped Abhay with creating some new wine blends that she was going to market through her father’s company’s global distribution network. She was very particular about how everything was done around the vineyard and brought in new techniques for making wine that she had grown up learning from her father.
Even though she was a control freak and had her own ways of doing things, Abhay did not mind it too much. She had an eye for making sure things were done correctly, and instructions were followed. She put in place some much needed processes to ensure smooth functioning of the whole business.