Boxset: Destiny Decides.. & Destiny Embraces..

by P. G. Van

Wednesday turned out to be a not so bad day at work. Monday and Tuesday were so crazy that all I did after going back home was crash on the living room sofa. Nate did all the cooking and cleaning on both days, and I absolutely had no energy to help her. I promised her that I would make her favorite Indian snack, PaniPuri also called Golgappa, over the weekend to make it up to her.

  I stepped out of my office building shortly after four-thirty in the afternoon on Wednesday on a cold and windy San Francisco day. I changed into a team jersey at work, took a selfie, and sent a mocking picture to my stepdad. He was the one who had taken me to my first basketball game.

  I had not been to a basketball game without him so it felt a bit odd that I was going to the game and he was not. The jersey draped delicately on my shoulders and was longer than what I would have liked but most sports jerseys were that way. I preferred the generic ones than the ones made specifically for women.

  I had a twenty-minute train ride and then maybe a ten-minute cab ride to the arena. The home team was doing so well that season, and it was very difficult to get tickets on short notice. I was impressed that Nick had managed to get four tickets at such short notice.

  I stepped into the train to join the sea of fans that were going to the arena. There was no place to sit, but I found a hand support to cling to and waited eagerly to get off at my station. I smiled as my heart started to race just at the thought of seeing Nick again.

  I got off at the station, and there was no line for a cab. I figured I was the only lazy one around as most people normally walked to the arena, as it was not too far away. The cheerful cab driver dropped me off at the main entrance, and I walked through the parking lot to get to the Will Call area.

  As I got closer to the entrance, I could hear fans cheering the home team and booing the Dallas team. My stepdad would have totally enjoyed this atmosphere. As I made my way up to where all the fans seemed to be headed, I stopped and looked around for the Will Call window. It was only ten minutes after five-thirty, and I was pretty sure I was the first one in the group to arrive. I spotted the Will Call window and headed towards it.

  As I got closer to the window, I noticed someone in a suit standing with his back to me speaking on the phone. I slowed down my walking pace as I wasn’t sure if it was Nick and continued to walk towards the Will Call window with my eyes on the guy in the suit.

  The guy in the suit turned around as if he felt my presence and as I looked at him, my mouth went dry at the sight in front of my eyes. It was Nick. He was wearing a dark gray suit with a black silk shirt, and I noticed that he had undone a couple of buttons on his shirt. He looked dapper in the suit and carried himself very well. His face instantly lit up with a smile as he gently waved at me and continued to speak on the phone.

  “I got to go now, Stan. Please text me if you need anything,” Nick said smiling at me. He put his phone away as I approached him.

  “Hey Sameera, you are early,” Nick said smiling. He gently put his arms around me and brushed his lips across my temple kissing my hair.

  “It’s good to see you Nick,” I said smiling up at him fully aware of his arms around my waist. He let one arm fall off my waist and held me close to him with one hand. Nick pulled out his phone to call Srini and as he spoke to Srini on the phone, I took multiple deep breaths to stay calm and maintain my balance. My body fluttered internally as I was overcome by a deep sense of attraction towards Nick. I tightened my fingers around the strap of my purse so I didn’t reach out and pull him to me.

  “Srini says they should be here in fifteen to twenty minutes,” Nick said looking at his watch. “Would you like to go in and settle down in our seats?” he asked.

  “Sure, it’s better than standing out here in the cold,” I said in a calm voice in spite of the internal tremors.

  Nick nodded in agreement and stepped away from me to talk to the person at the Will Call counter. I saw him collect two out of the four tickets, and he gave Srini’s information for the remaining two tickets.

  “How much do I owe you for the tickets, Nick?” I asked as he came back and put his arm around my waist leading me towards the entrance.

  Nick laughed shaking his head and said, “You owe me nothing.”

  “Nick, I have rules about allowing people to buy me stuff,” I said smiling with my voice stern.

  Nick smiled and said looking at me, “Okay, then you owe me a hot dog for the ticket.”

  “Not a fair deal, but I will figure out a way to pay you back and also, I am very impressed that you were able to get tickets at such short notice,” I complimented.

  He smiled and said, “You don’t need to pay me back, Sameera. I am glad you joined us for the game.”

  “What’s with the suit Nick? Did you forget that we were going to the game tonight?” I teased.

  He laughed and said, “I was wondering when you would say something about my suit, and I am surprised you actually held that comment for this long.”

  I giggled and said mockingly, “So you knew I would say something and didn’t bother changing?”

  “I needed to know if I was hanging out with the girl I knew or if you were someone else now,” he said smiling as he guided me to the event level entrance.

  “Nick, where are our seats?” I asked wondering why we were headed to the lower level.

  He smiled and urged me to keep moving with the group and as we got closer and closer to the court, I turned around to look at Nick and said, “Nikhil, courtside seats!!” I enthused when he smiled and nodded.

  “I hope you enjoy the game.” Nick whispered in my ear from behind.

  Our seats were in the very last row of the courtside seating and towards the center of the row.

  “Nick, this is very cool,” I said as we sat down and added with a wink, “and very impressive.”

  “Impressive?” he asked puzzled taking off his suit jacket.

  “Are you kidding me, courtside seats at such short notice,” I said.

  “Ohh, well. I have my resources,” he said winking back at me.

  I was never a fan of sitting too close to the players as I had seen the players fall on the fans and people getting hurt. The last row was further away even if one of the seven-foot guys decided to take a leap into the audience. I looked around, saw the fans trickle in and take their seats around us, and realized that there was no way I could have afforded those seats.

  “Nick, I owe you a lifetime supply of hot dogs for these seats,” I said looking at him.

  “I will eat all the hot dogs you can give me,” Nick said teasing me.

  “I owe you hot dogs, and I owe Nate PaniPuris. I am in a lot of debt,” I giggled shaking my head.

  “You make PaniPuris? I will take PaniPuris over hot dogs any day,” Nick said with excitement as he turned to look at me.

  “Well, I buy the empty Puris and make all the fillings at home,” I clarified.

  “My mom used to make PaniPuris for me for a few years after I came back from India because I was obsessed with them. It’s been ages since I have had them,” Nick said smiling to himself.

  “PaniPuris it is then. Deal?” I said holding my hand out to finalize the deal.

  “Deal,” Nick said reaching for my hand; in a very quick movement, he took the back of my hand to his lips and very slowly planted a kiss and said with a lot of mischief in his eyes “and it’s sealed with a kiss.”

  I gently pulled my hand from his hold and as I took my hand back, I felt a slight resistance for a split second and he let my hand go.

  He continued to look at me with his penetrating eyes, and I fought my initial reaction to look away and held his gaze and asked in a casual tone, “Saturday night, six o’clock then?”

  Nick took a deep breath and said, “Absolutely. I will be there.”

  I could not believe that I was able to get those few words out of my mouth after that intense moment, and it did seem like Nick had a similar reaction when I looked into his eyes.

  Nate and Srini arrive
d at the arena parking at quarter past six. Nate had called to let me know as soon as they arrived and when I told Nick that they just reached, he said, “It is going to be a while before they get in.”

  “Would you like a beer?” Nick asked.

  “No. I am not a beer person,” I said scrunching my nose.

  “Seriously? You don’t drink beer?” Nick asked surprised.

  “I somehow never developed a taste for beer,” I said shaking my head.

  “I have the right beer for you. One of these days I am going to get you to try it,” Nick challenged himself.

  “Sure, Saturday night then,” I said cheerfully.

  “Sounds like a plan. I am going to text Srini to grab me a beer on his way in,” he said as he texted Srini.

  “Either you are super lazy or you think I need a baby sitter,” I taunted Nick.

  Nick looked at me with a puzzled expression to what I said as he did not understand what I meant for a second and then when he did, he tilted his head back and started laughing.

  “Seriously Nick, I’ll go with you if you want a beer,” I added smiling.

  “No, that’s okay. Besides, I don’t want to be drinking a beer by myself,” he said as he finished sending Srini a text.

  “How often do you come to watch the games here?” I asked Nick.

  “Ohh, very rarely,” he said absent-mindedly as he continued to text with Srini.

  “Hmm…How come you picked this event for us to hang out?” I asked surprisingly. His expression was that of a kid caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. I didn’t understand why he paused for a second before he spoke again.

  “I noticed the other night that you were following the score on your phone when the home team was playing against Phoenix and figured you might enjoy the game in the arena.” His voice was so soft that I felt like he had reached out and taken me into his arms.

  “You did this for me? Why?” my voice was almost a whisper.

  He took a deep breath and did not respond for a brief moment and as he was about to say something, he looked away to wave to Srini and Nate.

  “Let’s talk later,” he said and stood up to take his drink from Srini.

  “Great seats, Nick,” Srini cheered.

  “Meera, I am sure you are excited about the game,” Nate said giving me a hug and settling down in the seat next to me.

  “Yes, super excited,” I said with my widest grin.

  “What was going on between you and Nick?” Nate whispered.

  “What do you mean?” I asked with surprise in my voice.

  “Meera, I am not blind. Srini and I saw you guys staring at each other just before we got here,” Nate said smiling.

  “It’s nothing, Nate. I was surprised that he picked this event because I like basketball,” I said to Nate.

  “I think he likes you Meera,” Nate said almost squeaking.

  “Nate, don’t start off with your imagination. I think he is just being nice for old time’s sake,” I said trying to calm her down.

  “Meera, look at Nick with an open mind. He is a good guy and the best part is you were best friends and knew each other very well,” Nate said encouragingly.

  “Nate, I don’t want things to get complicated and lose a good friend. No more discussions about this as the guys are getting suspicious,” I declared with a fake smile on my face.

  I turned to look at Nick staring at me while I was talking to Nate. I smiled at him and said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you. Nate needed some therapy.”

  The energy at the game was at a different level. Fans cheered on as the home team maintained a steady lead. It was a novelty for me to be able to hear what the players were saying to each other but it was an awesome experience. Srini and Nate were no way sports fans but they were totally enjoying themselves.

  Even as I was fully immersed in the game, I was also very aware of how close I was sitting to Nick. I kept wondering as to how much of my ecstatic mood was because of Nick’s presence. Nick had gone back to being his casual self, but memories of the intense moment we had just before Srini and Nate arrived kept re-surfacing in my mind. We managed to grab some food right after the first quarter and were ready to enjoy the rest of the match.

  The home team at one point was trailing, and the crowd continued to cheer, and the players feeding off that energy was just the best part of the game. By the end of the third quarter, the home team had a steady lead and the crowd eased into their seats to enjoy the back and forth between the players.

  It was half way between the quarters that Nate started shaking me and pointing towards the big screen right above us. I looked up and on the screen in big bold letters were the words ‘Kiss Cam’. My mouth went dry when I saw Nick and myself on the screen. I stared at the screen as Nick laughed and pointed at Srini and Nate. The camera shifted slightly to focus on Nate and Srini, and I saw Nate shriek with joy and pucker up to put on a show. Nick and I laughed looking at the big screen.

  “They look so good together,” I said in Nick’s ear.

  As if the Kiss Cam guys did not get enough action, they pointed the camera back to Nick and me. I just giggled and looked down hoping that the Kiss Cam would move on to the next waiting couple, but Nick moved his arm he had on the back of my seat to pull me closer to him. He brought his lips to my temple and planted a gentle kiss. The crowd cheered at Nick’s sweet gesture and as if encouraged by the cheering, I reached up slightly and managed to plant a light kiss on his jawline. The crowd again cheered on as I buried my face into Nick’s chest. I heard Nate squeal, and Nick and Srini laugh as I wondered what had gotten into me.

  Being in Nick’s arms was the most comforting feeling, and it surprisingly gave me an immense sense of security. I had to gather up some strength to calm myself, and I slowly leaned back into my seat.

  “That was so much fun,” Nate exclaimed with joy, as she leaned forward looking at Nick and me. I laughed and nodded in agreement looking at Nate and then turned to Nick who casually smiled back at me.

  “It looks like Srini had the most fun here,” Nick teased, and we all laughed as Srini nodded smiling.

  The game was a total wipeout for the home team, and the fans cheered on even as we headed out to the parking area. As we stepped into better lighting, Nate suddenly started giggling, whispered something into Srini’s ear, and pointed at Nick.

  “Nate, what is it?” I asked grinning.

  Nate was buzzed from all the drinks she had that night and was giggling and instead of telling us why she was laughing, she pointed to Nick and touched her jaw line. As I looked at Nick closely, I realized why Nate was giggling uncontrollably. Nick was a few steps ahead of us and had stopped to look at us with a puzzled expression on his face.

  “Stop it Nate, it’s not funny,” I hissed under my breath and walked towards Nick.

  “Is Nethra okay?” Nick inquired.

  “Yes, she is just losing it because of the lipstick on your face,” I said in an annoyed tone, reached out, and touched his jawline to wipe the lipstick off with my thumb. His breath quickened to my touch, and he looked down at me with his intense eyes and whispered, “Thank you.”

  Feeding off his reaction, I held my breath wondering if he was thanking me for wiping off the lipstick stain or for giving him the stain. We walked next to each other in silence towards the parking lot.

  As we got to Srini’s car, Nick opened the passenger door, pushed the passenger seat forward, and slid into the back seat.

  “Nick, it’s a bit too tight for you in the back. Let the girls sit in the back,” Srini suggested.

  “Nope, I am good Srini. I think Nethra will want to sit with you,” he said winking at Srini. I realized Nick was totally messing with me. I rolled my eyes at him and slid in next to him in the back seat.

  “Seriously Nick? You are comfortable?” Srini asked chuckling.

  “I am more than comfortable,” Nick said playfully looking at me.

  “Nick, how tall are you?” I
asked as I strapped on my seat belt.

  “I am six foot three and let me guess, you are five foot nine?” he said confidently.

  “Five foot eight,” I taunted.

  “Wow, you are really tall for your age,” Nick said, and I heard Nate burst into uncontrollable laughter. They were laughing at the memory of me announcing to people who thought I was the older of the sisters that I was really tall for my age.

  “Do you ever forget anything Nick?” I hissed at him.

  “You are so easy, Sameera,” Nick laughed looking at me.

  The sound of pure joy and the way his eyes were dancing at me subsided the slightest anger that had built up with all the mockery. I blushed inadvertently and joined the laughter.

  A few minutes into our drive, Nick whispered, “Are we still on for Saturday night?”

  “Yes, we are,” I gleamed at the thought.

  “What are we doing on Saturday?” Nate asked turning around to look at us.

  “I invited Nick to join us for our PaniPuri fest,” I responded.

  “Hey, what about me?” Srini whined.

  “Srini, it’s not like I have to send out an invitation for you to show up at our apartment,” I mocked Srini and started giggling as Nate and Srini started blushing.

  “Sameera,” I heard Nick say my name. I did not mind his sweet voice interrupting my sleep. I ignored what I heard and continued to drift back into sleep. I heard his voice again calling my name with the utmost care and softness in his voice. I felt the hair on my face pushed away by fingertips that were trail blazing along the length of my jaw.

  The latest memory flashed in my mind, and I remembered that we were in the car headed home with Srini. I woke up slowly and saw Nate and Srini looking at me from the front seats of the car. I was sprawled along the length of the back seat with my head and torso resting against Nick. I slowly lifted my head away from Nick’s shoulder and turned to smile at the deep dark eyes that were looking at me with care. I realized that I had passed out due to lack of sleep the past few days at some point during the drive back from the game.

  “Nick, thanks for being a good body pillow,” I said giving him a sleepy hug.