Boxset: Destiny Decides.. & Destiny Embraces..

by P. G. Van

  I smiled, looking forward to the fun we were going to have as a family. This was also when Nate was going to tell our parents about Srini, and I knew they would interrogate me!

  I lay back on the back seat and looked out of the window admiring the Texas tollway system. I saw a biker on the other side of the road and just like that, I was reminded of those penetrating eyes that were smiling at me on the California highway earlier that day. I fumed at myself that I was thinking of a random biker on the highway.

  I shook my head hoping to shake off any residual thoughts about the incident earlier that day.

  We reached our parents place around seven in the evening and went straight to shower and get ready for our special family dinner of the year.

  “Girls, especially you Nethra, come down in thirty minutes,” my mom mandated looking at Nate.

  “Ma, call her Nate,” I teased and added, “You know she prefers the name I gave her.”

  “You can call her Nate, but I will call her with the name I picked for her,” my mom teased back smiling.

  I rolled my eyes at her giggling and went upstairs to shower. I showered and decided to wear a fusion Indian outfit. I picked a bright pink full-sleeve georgette tunic and paired it with jet-black leggings. The hot pink color complimented my warm complexion by brightening it. I added some eyeliner and ran a brush through my hair, and went to see what Nate was up to in her room. Nate was running around in her room frantically, as she got dressed.

  “Nate, relax,” I said to her smiling. I could tell she was freaking out about the conversation she was about to have with our parents.

  Nate and I sat down at the dinner table shortly after with my mom and stepdad. We had decided against having a big party or go out to other hosted parties so the four of us could spend time and have a quiet New Year’s celebration.

  “Ooh, Hyderabad biryani. Thank you mom,” I said with excitement, and reached out and hugged her.

  My mom laughed as she saw me load up my plate with the spicy flavor infused rice with equally flavorful tender meat to accompany it.

  “The only time you eat well is if there is biryani on the menu,” my mom said smiling at me.

  “Not just any biryani Ma, your biryani,” I said smiling at her.

  My mom looked at Nate who was sitting at the table without uttering a word and not eating.

  “Nethra, why aren’t you eating?” my mom asked in a concerned tone.

  “Mom, Dad I need to talk to you guys about someone,” Nate spoke up after being quiet for a few seconds.

  My mom and stepdad looked at each other puzzled and sat down at the table. Nate just sat in silence, and I figured she was struggling with the opening statement.

  “Go on Nate, tell mom and dad about Srini,” I encouraged.

  “Who is Srini, sweetie?” My mom asked curiously.

  “Mom and Dad, Srini and I went to the same school when we used to live in Hyderabad, and we met again in November at a high school reunion. He is very sweet and I really like him,” she said smiling at them.

  “Mom, Srini is a very nice guy and is perfect for Nate,” I added cheerfully and said smiling, “He is funny, caring, loving, and a very successful guy,” I said smiling at Nate.

  “This is great news,” my stepdad cheered.

  “When do we get to meet him?” he asked looking at Nate smiling.

  Nate blushed and said, “Next time you guys visit us in California.”

  “Yes, you will. He practically lives in our apartment,” I said smiling at Nate and complained in a teasing tone, “and Nate barely talks to me any more Ma, she is either out with Srini or on the phone with him all the time.”

  “You little liar!!” Nate growled at me, and I snickered.

  “How about you, Meera? Are you seeing someone?” my mom asked smiling but with caution in her voice.

  “Mom, I have too much going on at work right now, and I don’t know if I can deal with another…” My voice trailed off with the memory of my heartache a few years ago from a bad breakup.

  My stepdad got up to comfort me looking at me and said affectionately, “The love of your life will come looking for you sweetie.”

  I sniggered and said, “Dad, isn’t that a bit too heavy?” and added softly, “You guys are all I need in my life.” I smiled at my mom and Nate as I put my arm around my stepdad.

  “You need to be open to receive the attention you get and for all you know, you may find someone interesting,” my mom said smiling at me.

  “I know Ma, and I will keep an eye out for the right guy,” I said smiling at her. The only one I had to keep an eye out on that day was the biker. I cursed under my breath irritated at myself, and wondered why I was still thinking of that guy on the bike.

  Chapter Two

  I woke up to voices coming from the kitchen. Srini and Nate were up and chatting away. I stretched in my bed and was so glad it was a Saturday and for a change, I didn’t have any crazy plans for the weekend. It had been three weeks since Nate and I got back from Dallas after spending a week with my mom and stepdad. We had so much fun there, and it was the best way to start the New Year.

  The weather in the San Francisco Bay Area was very unpredictable and for a January morning, it was very warm. While everyone was either hitting the boardwalk or headed to the beach, I had decided to stay home and do my laundry. The thought of being home and doing chores was very appealing as the past few weekends have been crazy with a lot of post New Year parties and events. I quickly brushed my teeth, stepped out of my room, and walked towards the kitchen.

  “Ready or not here I come,” I warned both Srini and Nate.

  “We don’t really need you to warn us every time you enter the room or the apartment, Meera,” Nate beamed at me.

  Srini and Nate were both dressed and looked like they were stepping out to go somewhere.

  “Where are you guys headed this early in the morning?” I asked curiously.

  “Meera, it’s past nine thirty, and it’s a beautiful day so Srini and I are going to the farmers market and then to lunch after we drop off the stuff at home,” Nate said with excitement.

  “Why don’t you join us for lunch, Meera?” Srini asked smiling at me.

  “I have loads of laundry to do and besides Nate no longer needs a chaperone,” I said winking at Nate.

  “If you can’t make it to lunch, we should go out for drinks tonight,” Srini insisted.

  “Well if it’s for drinks, then I guess I won’t end up being the third wheel,” I giggled.

  “Great, we can either go to the tequila bar or the wine bar in Santana Row tonight,” Srini declared with excitement.

  “I do have my Bollywood class tomorrow morning so I will take a cab back around ten thirty,” I said to Srini.

  “Okay. I will pick you guys up around seven thirty and will bring Nethra home safely,” Srini smiled looking at Nate.

  “Srini, I fully trust you with my sister now. You passed all of my tests with flying colors,” I teased Srini.

  “What? I didn’t know I was being scrutinized,” Srini said sounding taken aback.

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Srini. It’s not scrutiny. It’s how much I love my sister,” I said grinning at Nate.

  Nate came to put her arms around me and said, “And I will do the same for any guy who wants to go out with my sister.”

  Srini looked at the two of us for a few seconds and said, “I am going to wait and watch.”

  “Watch what?” Nate and I asked in unison with surprise in our voices, and Srini just shook his head and laughed without responding.

  *****

  “Meera, Srini just called. He is on his way here. Are you ready?” Nate called out from her room.

  “Almost,” I responded.

  I had decided to pair my black skinny jeans with a white silk shirt and to throw on a royal blue cardigan, just in case it got chilly later. I pulled on my cowboy boots that I purchased in Texas when I visited my parents and grabbed my compact wal
let on a chain for the night. I took one final look at myself in the mirror. I pulled my hair into a loose ponytail, and I had broad hoop earrings on. I put on some light foundation, used charcoal eyeliner, and lined my upper and lower lid and extended it with a few layers of dark eye shadow for my own version of a smoky eye and finished up with a plum lip gloss.

  I stepped out of my bedroom as Nate was coming out of her room. She had a light woolen vine colored dress on with some high- heel boots.

  “Nice, Nate. I love your outfit,” I said and helped her adjust her dress one last time before we stepped out.

  At five foot six inches, Nate had a much smaller frame than mine, but we had identical facial features. One would describe us as typical Indian girls with large and expressive almond-shaped eyes. I had a more prominent yet straight and sharp nose. Nate also had that strong square jaw, and I had the chiseled jaw and pointed chin combination. Nate liked her straight hair just a few inches below her shoulders, and I let my hair grow long enough for my longest layer to hit my waist.

  “I love your boots, Meera. It’s too bad that our shoe size is not the same,” Nate complained as we locked the apartment and stepped into a surprisingly warm January night. Srini was waiting for us in his car at the bottom of the staircase that led to our apartment door.

  “Right on time, Srini. Are you sure you still want me to go with you guys?” I teased, as I got into the tight back seat of his BMW M5.

  “We are taking you because we need a designated driver,” he replied with a smirk.

  “I am taking you so I can watch the fun when you start getting annoyed at all the men hitting on you,” Nate declared getting into the passenger seat.

  Srini had picked a great place to hang out on Saturday nights, and it was an outdoor mall with a mix of brand name stores, local boutiques, and some restaurants. We parked and walked to the tequila bar that was set at the end of the strip and in the center with the street on both sides.

  The bar and restaurant was set under a huge oak tree that spread its branches over patio tables and created the perfect ambience for a relaxing night. I loved the outdoor courtyard style setting with the low sofas that were comfortable and enjoyable.

  As we checked in and sat down at one of the smaller sofa sets, I was pleasantly surprised with the warmth from the heat lamps and was thrilled to see that they actually had some throws for their guests who were extra sensitive to the cold breeze that build up right after sunset.

  “I love this place, Srini. Thank you so much for making me the chaperone,” I said smiling at him. I ordered my favorite mango margarita with the chili-lime powder on the rim to give it the perfect kick.

  I toasted Nate and Srini and added, “I am so glad you found each other after all these years. Muaaah.” I took a sip of my drink enjoying the burn from the chili-lime powder. We chatted away about everything and anything for a while as we sipped our drinks. We loved the place so much that we decided to stay for dinner. We had managed to get in at the right time as the waiting line became very long in a short time. We started discussing food and what to order. Srini excused himself to take a phone call in the middle of the conversation. He stepped away for a few minutes and was back to the sofa with a wide grin on his face.

  “Meera, I think I found you a date,” Srini said winking at me.

  “Srini, no. I am perfectly fine and totally enjoying myself,” I assured him.

  “Who is joining us?” Nate asked surprised.

  “Really, Nate? You knew nothing about this?” I snapped at her.

  “Nope, no clue. This is all Srini. So, who is coming?” Nate asked again looking at Srini.

  “It better not be someone like the guy Nate tried to set me up with a couple of weeks ago,” I growled at her.

  “He wasn’t that bad. I don’t know why Srini was so dead against you hanging out with that guy,” Nate complained.

  “That’s because that guy wasn’t right for Meera,” Srini defended.

  “Okay, I get it that you guys really care about me but this guy better keep his distance. I really don’t need a date for tonight,” I said giving Srini a light warning.

  “Okay, got it,” Srini mocked.

  “I am not asking again, Srini. Who is coming?” Nate asked impatiently.

  “Nick will be here in a few minutes,” Srini said to Nate and added smiling at me, “I am not trying to set up a date for you. I was just teasing you Meera.”

  “Nick, Who?” I asked confused but my question fell on dead ears as Nate had started her series of questions.

  “Is Nick back from his trip to China?” Nate asked and Srini nodded, “Yes, he got back yesterday.”

  “Guys, who is this Nick? Have I met him before?” I asked and before Nate could answer my question, I heard the loud familiar engine roar of a motorbike right behind me on the street.

  “Meera, don’t be so impatient,” she winked.

  “You guys are having too much fun at my expense,” I grumbled and took a sip of my drink.

  We sat in silence for a few minutes as Nate and Srini kept staring at me to read my expressions, and I could tell they were thoroughly enjoying my misery.

  “Nick, over here,” Srini signaled to a tall figure that was walking from the dark entrance to the dimly lit patio area. As he got closer to us, I took a deep breath and held it as the world around me started to spin.

  I saw his eyes and knew instantly that he was the one on the bike on New Year’s Eve.

  As if in response to my deep intake of air, he looked right into my eyes for a split second before he reached out to give Srini a fist bump.

  “Hey dude, sorry about crashing your dinner,” the guy winked at Srini.

  “Hi Nethra,” he said as he bent down to give her a light hug. He then turned to me and asked “Sameera, how have you been?”

  The world around me had just stopped spinning, and then it hit me that the guy standing in front of me was Nikhil. Nick was Nikhil Bhatia.

  “Nikhil?” I said my voice almost inaudible and started to stand up.

  “Sameera!!” He laughed as he swooped me into his arms for a tight hug. I heard Nate and Srini laugh in the background, but my surroundings were blurred as I took in the rugged masculinity of the man holding me in his arms. His sexy cologne hit my nostrils, and I felt that my lungs were about to collapse from holding my breath.

  I took in a deep breath as he released me gently. I clung to him for just a bit longer as I recovered from the shock of finding out that the guy on the bike was a guy I had known for years. I wasn’t sure if I had the strength in my legs to stand as he set me back on the ground.

  “Good to see you, Nikhil,” I managed to say as he looked at me smiling.

  I never thought I could feel petite but standing next to him, I did. I sat back into the sofa as he sat down next to me, stretching out his long legs away from the sofa and leaning back all the way on the backrest of the low sofa.

  “How was your trip to China, Nick?” Nate asked.

  I took a few deep breaths to organize my thoughts and shook off any initial shock of realizing that the guy on the bike was the same guy that was once my best friend. We had lost touch after he moved back to U.S. after high school.

  Srini was observing me keenly as I took a sip of my drink to calm my nerves. Nikhil continued to respond to Nate’s questions about his trip to China.

  “Nikhil, I had no clue you and Srini were friends in school,” I beamed at Srini and added smiling at Nikhil, “It’s good that you guys stayed in touch.”

  “Nate, how come you didn’t tell me that you met Nikhil at the reunion?” I inquired giving her the ‘I am mad at you for not telling me’ look.

  Nikhil laughed and said, “That’s because the only person she wanted to hang out with was Srini and she totally ignored the rest of us.”

  Srini grinned, and Nate blushed looking down at her drink.

  “Sameera, what have you been up to? Long time huh?” Nikhil asked turning to look at me.
r />   “Yes, it’s been such a long time since we saw each other,” I said almost maintaining a calm voice.

  “Yes, almost ten years, and it’s too bad we didn’t keep in touch,” he said in a flat voice.

  “Well, we lost touch when we moved in with our grandparents after my dad passed away,” I said softly.

  As if he realized that the very thought upset me, he put his arm around me for comfort and said, “So sorry you had to go through that at that age.”

  My heart rate started to steady as I felt the warmth from him, and the friendly manner in which he was holding me put me at ease instantly.

  “Nick and Meera, why don’t you guys catch up while we take a walk?” Srini said as he gave a hand to help pull Nate up from the low-level sofa.

  “You guys should stay and save the table for us as we will be eating dinner here. We will be back in fifteen minutes,” Nate said as she got up and added smiling, “Oh, Nick, you better behave, this is my baby sister.”

  I shook my head at Nate in disbelief at what she said to Nikhil.

  “I promise, Nethra. I will be good,” he said laughing and leaned back on the low sofa but left his hand resting on the back of the sofa without touching me.

  “So, how come you didn’t call me right after the reunion?” I teased.

  He looked into my eyes and said, “Because I wanted to see your reaction for myself.” His voice was very steady, but he said it in a tone that I could not decipher.

  I looked into his eyes and said smiling, “I am pretty sure you had something to do with Nate not mentioning you to me.”

  “Yes. I did ask her not mention it so I could get a kick out of the reaction on your face,” Nick said in a teasing tone.

  “I knew it,” I said cheerfully.

  Nick smiled and said, “In fact, I didn’t meet Nethra until after we were back from the reunion.”

  “Nate is toast for not telling me,” I said giggling and realized that Nick was staring at me with a slight smile on his face.

  I blushed slightly and asked looking into his eyes, “So, it was you on the bike on New Year’s Eve that was behaving badly on the highway?”