by P. G. Van
“Stefan, I’m going to the anaconda pit even if you fire me after that,” she stated in a calm tone. Her eyes flashed with a challenge when they clashed with Veer’s, but he didn’t say anything. She didn’t wait for a response and left to go on to the observation deck on the lowest level to get pictures of the endless greenery that lined the banks of the river.
Ariya spent thirty minutes by herself on the deck enjoying the alone time. She was in the middle of focusing on taking a picture when she heard a commotion behind her.
“Stop the engines and stay here,” Veer ordered pulling his t-shirt over his head and tossing it on one of the deck chairs. John followed him with the camera, and Ariya wondered what the commotion was and looked in Veer’s line of sight.
She gasped when she saw the floating, familiar noses in the water. They had to be dolphins, river dolphins. They were such a rare sight, she couldn’t believe they were able to see them—an entire family.
“I do not want them disturbed. Whatever you do, do not disturb them,” Veer growled.
“How do we get the footage?” Andy asked looking at the creatures swimming in the water.
“Just stay here and take the video,” Veer said and dove into the water with Olympic precision. No sound, no splash, and the dolphins stayed put.
“Oh wow, this is what makes him a star.” Stefan clapped softly.
Ariya clicked pictures focusing on Veer swimming to the dolphins, but the pictures weren’t doing him justice.
“We need to get up close,” Ariya said looking around the boat.
“Not with the cameras,” Andy tsked.
“Don’t we have the lifeboats? Let’s use one. John and I can get up close without disturbing them.” Ariya was halfway down the hallway before anyone else could move.
Five minutes later, John paddled the circle lifeboat toward the dolphins. Ariya securely held the video camera in her lap in a certain position as it recorded, and she continued to click her pictures. Veer was completely immersed in interacting with the dolphins and turned around to look at Ariya when they were only a few feet away.
“Seriously?” Veer was surprised.
“It was her idea, Veer.” John sounded defensive.
“Veer, this is such a rare moment, we can’t miss it. Oh my… why are the dolphins that color… almost pink?”
“These are pink dolphins.” Veer looked happy, his eyes shone with enthusiasm.
Ariya felt a surge of happiness just by looking at the way Veer swam with the dolphins and watched in amazement when they started copying him.
“This is like finding gold, Ariya. Good thinking,” John said, from behind the camera.
Ariya put her camera in her lap when she was satisfied with the pictures she took and tried to reach for one of the dolphins, but it slipped away before she could touch one.
“Dolphins are very shy, you need to move slowly,” Veer said getting close to the raft.
Ariya placed her camera inside the empty crate in the small boat and leaned over to one side to pat the dolphin closest to her.
“Ariya,” she heard Veer call out, and the next second, she was in the water and went right under. When she surfaced, she heard Veer laugh, looking at John.
“Ariya, are you okay?” John called out.
Ariya nodded and realized Veer was holding her, his arm digging into her waist. He moved his head closer and whispered, “This is for not staying put, as instructed.”
“You’re an ass.”
Veer had managed to pull her into the water, making it look like she fell off the edge of the lifeboat.
“Smile for the camera, you don’t want Andy dreaming up a drama for the show.” Veer smiled, turning her to look at John and wave.
“You’re horrible,” she hissed under her breath.
“Thank you!” He smiled unaffected by her annoyance.
They spent almost another thirty minutes in the water with the dolphins before Andy waved from the boat, happy with the footage. Ariya and Veer swam back to the larger boat while John paddled the lifeboat to the back of the boat with the equipment.
“How did you end up with him?” Stefan joked as he helped her up the deck.
“I fell in trying to touch the dolphins.” Ariya hoped no one saw Veer pull her into the water.
“Here you go. Dry yourself and shower. We don’t want you falling sick.” Stefan handed her a large towel. She wrapped the towel around her wet clothes and went straight up to shower. Her body shivered even when it was hot outside as she peeled off her clothes.
She stood under the shower refusing to let any of the new sensations consume her and let the water soothe her. She did not want to acknowledge the signals her body was sending in response to the way Veer looked at her and the way he stepped into her space intimidatingly.
Ariya’s breath hitched when she remembered the way his dark eyes followed her curves as her wet clothes hugged her body. She enjoyed the lazy perusal but refused to give in to a superficial attraction. She lay on the bed fighting her body’s reaction and trying to stop her mind from wandering into a land of no return as sleep consumed her.
Chapter 10
Ariya heard grunting at a distance as she came out of her slumber. The sun was setting over the tall trees that lined the river. She wasn’t sure how long she had napped, and when she was getting out of bed, she heard the grunt again. She picked up her phone, and it was 5:30 p.m. She had a message on her phone from Stefan.
Happy Hour @ 5. Come to the lower deck.
She smiled when she heard the happy voices from the lower deck. She knew what had woken her up at that point, but there was something else she heard. She walked toward the sliding doors that led to the deck. The blinds were closed, so she pushed one of the vertical blinds aside and peeked outside.
The sight in front of her made her gasp. Veer was on the deck, bare-chested, his skin drenched in sweat, and he was doing rapid pushups. Her eyes fell on the way his muscles moved. Her eyes wanted to feast on the sight, but she couldn’t miss the opportunity.
She softly walked to the chest where her camera was resting and walked back to the sliding doors. The glass on the door was sparkly clean, and she knew she could get a good shot of him for his profile. People needed to see what he did to have those killer abs.
Excited she was able to capture these pictures, she knew his bare-chested picture always caused a buzz online. The picture of him in a towel right after his haircut caused a riot on his profile and they were close to a million followers.
Ariya smiled at the small screen on the camera as she flipped through the pictures. She looked up from the camera and almost fell backward. She hadn’t realized Veer had stopped working out and was standing right outside the sliding door looking directly at her through the gap she had created.
She laughed sheepishly when she realized she was caught sneaking up on him. She pushed aside the blinds and opened the sliding door but left the bug door closed. Veer was looking at her, his eyes boring into hers.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m trying to figure you out,” he said softly.
“What?” She pushed open the screen door and clicked another picture of him.
“Stop putting the camera in my face every minute.”
“Aren’t you used to it by now?” She looked down at the camera screen and smiled.
“I don’t like it when people take my pictures when…” His voice trailed off when she looked up at him. He looked at her for a moment before talking again. “Delete the pictures you took without my knowledge.”
She lowered the camera and took a deep breath. “Veer, I didn’t mean to invade your privacy… just doing my job.”
“I don’t care… you don’t get to post them.” His voice was gritty.
“Veer, look at you… you look super hot and darn sexy like this. You may not like posting such pictures, but people want to know how you have this rock-solid body. You make me jealous with your killer body.�
�� She winked easing the tension that was starting to build, and she saw the small smile play on his lips.
“Nice try… not working. Delete the pictures.” He laughed.
“I cannot delete art with my own hands, and you can’t make me,” she teased.
“Oh yeah, I can do it myself.” He reached for the camera, and she jumped away from him. He stepped into her room and took one step with his long legs and reached for the camera again.
“Veer… stop. I can’t let you do this.” She started to run around the bed to avoid him, and he came at her laughing.
“Give me the camera now, and I will let you keep one picture.”
“No, these are mine… my pictures,” she growled from the other side of the bed.
“You can keep them if you want to admire my hot body, but you don’t get to post them.”
‘Why would I want to admire your body?” she asked, coyly.
“You just said I have a sexy body,” he retorted, stepping closer.
“Okay, stop. I’m not giving you my camera.”
“You will give me the camera now.” He moved so swiftly she had no room to move but to climb on the bed holding her camera high in the air. She jumped on the bed and barely took a step away from him, and she felt her feet as they swept off the mattress.
She shrieked when her body hit the mattress, and a second later, Veer’s hard body crashed into hers. She laughed, fighting him, holding the camera away from his grasp. He held her to him, his tight grip around her waist as she struggled to keep the camera away.
Their bodies meshed together as they rolled around on her bed, and when he partially fell on top of her, she froze. She felt the moisture from his skin seep through the fabric of her t-shirt. His masculine scent filled her nostrils, and she stared into his eyes as his bore down into hers. His eyes slowly swept her face and stopped at her lips that quivered.
He pulled away slightly and broke the moment by snatching the camera from her. He jumped off the bed without another word and started looking at the pictures. She shook herself out of the sensations that threatened to consume her and got off the bed to grab the camera from him.
“Veer, I said no. No one can tell me what to do with my pictures.” Her voice wobbled, but she hoped he didn’t see how much her body was still trembling from his touch. He did not respond immediately but took a step closer to her. She stood frozen when he brought the tip of his finger to her jawline to wipe off a droplet of his sweat from her skin making her shudder under his touch.
“I will let this one fly for now only because I pulled you into the water. Next time, I will crack open the camera if you sneak up on me like this. I want my time to be private.” He turned on his heels and left her standing in the middle of the room, her heart pounding in her chest, and the rush of blood in her ears deafening her.
She slowly got up and closed the screen door, and then closed and locked the sliding door. She pulled the blinds closed and rested her forehead on the wall next to the door in an attempt to steady herself. She shut her eyes and took in deep breaths. She felt the tingles on her skin from the moisture he left on her when they had their bodies molded together. She never expected a playful moment to become so intense. She couldn’t let herself get carried away.
Veer was undeniably attractive, in more ways than one, but she couldn’t let herself give in and have her personal and professional life mixed together. She made that mistake once, and it took a complete shift in her life to get away from what turned out to be a messy breakup that offered people around her a lot to gossip about.
She put her camera on the bed as she headed into the shower for the third time that day. She couldn’t get caught up in something she cannot endure, and she made a mental note to keep her distance from Veer for the rest of the assignment.
*****
The next day, Ariya had to admit Veer was right about asking her not to go to the anaconda pit. She saw a large log in the distance, floating on the marsh through her camera lens, and bile rose to her throat when she realized it was an anaconda lazing in the waters of the marshland.
She was surprised by how much she was affected by the sight of the slimy snake. Later that day, she pulled out her phone and sent Veer a private message on his online profile.
Ariya: Hey, thanks for saving me from the anacondas
Veer: My pleasure.
Ariya: How did you know?
Veer: ??
Ariya: How did you know I was going to freak out again at the sight of a snake?
Veer: I’m the animal doctor, lady
Ariya: Seriously… how?
Veer: Because I’ve seen it in your eyes. You may not know it, but if you are not a snake person, you never will be.
Ariya: I want to say challenge accepted, but I don’t want to try taking a picture of a snake again.
Veer: I’ll show you how to.
Ariya: I’m good for now, Mr. Animal Doctor.
Veer: Are you avoiding me?
She caught her breath when she read the message, and as if on impulse, she looked up at the sliding door. There he was standing on the deck looking right at her. She smiled weakly, virtually kicking herself for not closing the blinds, but again, she was surprised how much she wanted to spend time with Veer.
“Why do you think I’m avoiding you?” Ariya laughed, stepping onto the deck and shutting the screen door behind her.
Veer smiled at her. “We are less than a few feet away, and you send me a message?”
“Well, I didn’t want to bug you. You’ve had a long day.” Her voice was soft.
“I’m never tired after I’ve had so much fun.”
“I know what you mean. It’s so much fun when you do what you love.” She leaned back against the railing on the deck looking up at him.
“Is this what you want to do? Take pictures of cranky people like me?”
She smiled. “I like working with cranky guys like you because you care. You are cranky because it has to be done a certain way, the right way.”
“I like working with you, too.”
She held his gaze but did not say anything.
“I want to work with you more and hang out with you, too.” His voice was steady, and his eyes riveted on her face.
“Don’t we hang out enough?”
“You know what I mean.” She knew what he meant and was taken aback he was so candid about his interest.
“I don’t hang out with people I work with, you know that.”
‘Why?”
“I just don’t.”
“Enlighten me.” He smiled easing the awkwardness.
“Too much drama. You don’t want to hear it.”
He laughed, and she smiled back.
“What’s your next assignment?” he asked, his voice soft.
“I don’t know. I told the magazine I work for that my next assignment cannot be a travel assignment because I need to be in San Francisco. My sister is getting married in a few months, and I need to be there for her.”
“That’s sweet.”
“Yeah, I need to intervene when my sister and mom can’t get along.”
He laughed. “Your Cinderella-like sister who packed your bags for you?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know how it is to have a sibling.” He looked up at the orange sky.
“Can’t imagine my life without my sister. She sometimes is like my mom.”
“My mom tells me I should have had a sister to set me straight.” He laughed.
“Maybe.” She winked.
“My dad thinks I should have had a brother who would have roughed me up.”
“I agree with your dad.” She ran her fist playfully on his arm.
“What about your dad? Does he help out with the drama?” he asked.
Ariya pressed her lips together. “Maybe… if he were around for the drama.”
“Oh.”
“My dad passed away in an accident when I was twelve.” Her heart felt the loss of her
dad.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… come here.” He put his arms around her in a comforting way. She welcomed the warmth his body offered and put her arms around him.
“It’s okay. I wish he were around to see my sister get married. He would have given her away instead of my mom and me.”
He silently ran his palm over her back to comfort her.
“Thanks, Veer.” She pulled back to look at him. “You are a good guy… not what I had thought you were when I got here.”
He smiled looking down at her. “Is that a compliment?”
“Yes.” She rolled her eyes at him.
“I get complimented two days in a row. I should be buying a lottery ticket.” He gently patted her shoulder.
“Not funny.”
“Thank you!” He winked.
“You are a good animal guy, too… not just an animal doctor.”
“One more compliment.”
“Yeah, it’s amazing how the dolphins were playing with you yesterday.” She smiled enjoying the feel of the cool breeze on her skin.
“I like what I do.” He shrugged.
“Did you always want to be an animal doctor?”
“Do you want me to give you the canned answer or the real one?” He raised his eyebrow.
“Veer. You know what I want to hear.”
He laughed. “I’ve never thought about being an animal doctor until my first year of college. I was set to get a business administration degree and go work with my dad.”
“What happened? Why did you change your mind?”
He took a deep breath. “I had a major accident, and my car rolled off the road. I was barely conscious enough to get out of the car, let alone call for help. My dog, Enzo, was in the car with me and jumped out of the car and caught the attention of one of the drivers passing by. That person called the ambulance, and they took me to the hospital. Enzo wouldn’t let the ambulance leave without him being with me, so they let him ride with me. We got to the hospital, and he jumped out of the ambulance and just collapsed and never woke up.”