Boxset: Destiny Decides.. & Destiny Embraces..

by P. G. Van

“Later, I promise,” I said urging him to let me go.

  He smiled and ran his fingers through his hair to fix his now messy hair. I looked at him smiling while suppressing the urge to mess up his hair again. I answered the door before Nate opened the door with her key.

  “Nick, all good with the call?” Srini asked as he walked towards the dining area referring to Nick’s hour-long call.

  “All good. Let’s talk about it on Monday,” Nick said winking at Srini.

  “Do you and Srini work in the same team?” I asked curiously.

  “It’s more like Nick is my big boss at work,” Srini clarified. Nick shook his head uncomfortably.

  “What? It’s the truth, Nick,” Srini said grinning at him.

  “Okay, enough work. I am starving, can we eat now?” Nick said looking at me with his hungry eyes.

  “Meera, why is your neck red on this side?” Nate asked looking concerned. I jumped out of my skin realizing that I might have some redness associated with the burn from Nick’s stubble coming in contact with my delicate and sensitive skin on my neck.

  “What? No it’s not,” I said touching my neck. I felt the residual warmth from the initial contact with Nick on my palm when I touched my neck.

  “I will go take a look and put some moisturizer on. It may just be a patch of dry skin,” I said and left the room.

  Nick’s eyes and my eyes met for just a split second as I headed to my room. He winced slightly as I glowered at him, and he smiled to himself. I smiled back at him in response to his sweet smile and those dimples that would make any woman swoon. I checked my neck in my bathroom mirror and it was, in fact, pink along my collarbone where Nick dug his chin into me with so much passion. Just a faint memory of being with him was sending waves of excitement through my body. I ended up applying some tinted moisturizer to cover up the redness. I used a hair tie to pull my hair into a ponytail to inspect the rest of my neck for any other evidence of my passionate encounter with Nick. I decided to leave my hair tied up in a ponytail, which I rarely do, so I didn’t get any of that tinted moisturizer stuck to my hair.

  I took a deep breath before I headed back into the living area. Srini and Nick had the basketball game on and cheered the home team as they took on the New York team as visitors.

  The four of us spent the rest of the evening talking about everything and anything possible. Our discussions went from international politics to poker tournaments. Nick and I would look at each other amidst conversations, and the warmth in his eyes made my heart cartwheel. At half past ten, we all suddenly became aware of the sound of rain hitting the windowpanes.

  “What? It started to rain already?” Nick asked looking out of the window.

  “Did you ride your motorcycle here, Nick?” Srini asked guessing why Nick sounded irritated.

  “It wasn’t supposed to start raining until tomorrow morning,” Nick complained.

  “Is your bike in the underground guest parking Nick?” Srini asked.

  “Yes, and I am not worried about the bike but about the driving conditions,” Nick replied.

  “Nick, you are more than welcome to stay the night as long as you are okay with sleeping on the couch,” Nate offered.

  “That’s alright, Nethra. I will wait for the rain to subside a bit and head back,” Nick said to Nate as he pulled out his phone to check the hourly weather. Nick waited another hour before deciding that it was best not to ride his motorcycle home. Srini had planned to spend the night at our apartment so he insisted that Nick stay back so we could go out for brunch the next day. Nick settled in on the sofa with a pillow and a quilt, Nate and Srini in Nate’s room, and I hit the bed a little after midnight. I lay in my bed unable to sleep as a million thoughts ran through my mind. At some point during the night, I dozed off fully aware of Nick sleeping only a few feet away from me in the living room.

  *****

  I woke up to the sound of a distant beep amidst the rain gently slashing against the window in my bedroom. I slowly opened my eyes and looked for my phone to check my messages. I had a message from Nick. I smiled wondering why he sent me a message instead of knocking on my bedroom door.

  Nick: Are you up?

  Me: I am now. Thank you for the wake up message.

  Nick: Coffee?

  Me: Coffee shops are not open yet. Go back to sleep Nick.

  No response.

  A few minutes later, I got another message.

  Nick: Pls meet me on your balcony.

  Me: Okay. I will be out in five.

  I lazily got out of bed, put on my robe, and opened my bedroom door. I saw Nick on the balcony standing with his back to me. Nate and Srini were obviously asleep like normal people. I waddled to the balcony door without making a sound and stood at the open sliding door adjusting my ponytail. Nick turned to look at me and smiled. He slowly approached me as I stood at the balcony entrance looking at him with squinted eyes.

  “Good morning, sleepy head,” Nick whispered in my ear as he put one arm around my waist and the other hand caressing my face. He pulled me gently towards him and pressed my body along the length of his muscular frame. I closed my eyes automatically in response to the intensity in his grasp and in his eyes. His lips came down firmly onto my lips with both his lips caressing my lower lip and then felt his teeth dig into my lower lip. I gasped at the fierce yet passionate act and tightened my lips over his upper lip taking in the sweet taste of his mouth. I felt his internal vibration that seemed to have been triggered by my action as he gently released my lips to look at my face.

  As I opened my eyes to look at him through my lashes, I felt him pulling the hair tie that was holding my hair in a ponytail, making me look directly into his eyes.

  Nick smiled and asked, “What were you going to tell me last night before we had to break up our party?”

  I smiled and took in a deep breath and said, “I was going to tell you that I was running low on oxygen because I can’t breathe when I am this close to you.”

  Nick’s eyes filled with pride, and he laughed softly.

  “You better get used to it then,” he said kissing the hair that was covering my ear.

  Chapter Five

  The wind was blowing strong as I stepped on to the platform to take the commuter train to San Francisco on Thursday morning. The cold weather made me long for some warmth, the warmth of Nick’s embrace. I had not seen Nick since Sunday, but he had managed to create an emotional uproar in me with his actions on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

  On the patio on Sunday morning after he kissed me passionately, I managed to push him slightly away to look up at him and said in a firm voice, “I don’t want us to rush into anything that’ll hurt us.”

  “Okay. I will behave myself,” he promised smiling.

  “Coffee?” he said looking at the steaming mugs of coffee that were on the patio table.

  “Yes, please,” I said settling into one of the four chairs around the patio table. He handed me my coffee and asked as he sat down in the chair next to me, “What are you doing on Saturday?”

  I blushed and looked at him and asked, “Why do you ask?”

  “I would like to invite you to a ceremony at my place. I am pretty sure Nethra and Srini were planning to attend,” he said very coolly.

  “Ohh, what is the significance?” I asked curiously.

  “Well, it’s a family thing. Our family started this yearly ritual many decades ago back in India,” he said shaking his head and added, “It is believed that performing this ceremony will lift the curse on the family.”

  “What curse?” I asked almost falling off my chair.

  “Ohh, Sameera,” Nick said mockingly and added, “Our family believes that the actions performed by someone in the prior generations was the reason for this curse.”

  “Ohh my, what is the curse?” I asked catching my breath.

  “Sameera, I don’t know for sure if it is a real curse, but I see why our ancestors felt the need to start the ritual,” he s
aid laughing at my eagerness to find out more.

  “Nick, what is the curse? I am dying to find out.” I said restlessly.

  “What curse?” Nate asked as she stepped into the balcony with Srini right behind her and added “and why are you guys sitting outside in this weather?” It was drizzling but the balcony was built in such a way that we could stay dry.

  “Nick, please ignore Nate and continue,” I said to Nick, as he was about to respond to Nate’s question.

  Nick laughed and said softly “Well, it is believed that we do not have any girls born into our family because of this curse.”

  I looked at him puzzled and said, “That’s ridiculous. You do have Ann in your generation?” Ann (Anuradha) is Nick’s older sister.

  Nick looked at me in painful silence. The pain I saw in his eyes caused an intense pain in my chest.

  “Ann…” His voice trailed off for a second and then continued, “is my mom’s sister’s daughter. My mom and dad adopted her when she was a baby after my mom’s sister passed away during child birth”.

  Nate and I gasped in unison, and tears started to well up in both our eyes.

  “I don’t care what people say, Ann is my sister and that is one of the main reasons I don’t really want to be part of the ritual. When I was sixteen, I got into an argument with my dad about not doing this ritual and it was then that I was told that Ann is my cousin,” Nick said through clenched teeth. “I started attending this ceremony only recently for my mom and Ann’s sake, and the only thing I ask for is their happiness and health.” Nick continued looking away from us. By then, Nate was sniffling and Srini consoled her.

  I looked at Nick, who was looking down at his coffee, and I said through the salt-water screen in my eyes, “Ann is very lucky to have a brother like you Nick.”

  “Thanks Sameera,” he said looking at me with love for his sister overflowing in his eyes.

  “It will be an honor for us to attend the ceremony at your place for your mom and sister,” I said looking at Nate and she nodded in agreement.

  I kept thinking about what Nick’s mom did for her sister’s child long after Nick and Srini left after brunch. Nick’s mom is most definitely an epitome of motherly love, and I just couldn’t wait to meet her. I had called my mom later that day to tell her about Nick’s mom, and how she took in her sister’s child as her own.

  “Nick’s mom reminded me of dad. I cannot begin to imagine our lives without him,” I said to my mom about my stepdad.

  I stood on the platform on that cold Thursday morning with a sense of warmth building up through my body as I thought about what Nick’s mom did for Ann and what my stepdad did for us. I got into the train and settled down with my reading material for the hour ride to work. The train I was on is an express and it stopped in only a few stations before the final stop in San Francisco.

  I was completely lost in the book I was reading until I heard a male’s voice.

  “Good morning, may I sit next to you?” he asked.

  The train was more than half empty at that time of the day, and I was annoyed that this guy wanted the seat next to me. I picked up my bag that was on the seat and put it on my lap without looking up at the person. I looked up when I realized that the guy was still standing and staring at me even after I moved my bag. My eyes met mocking dark eyes and saw the familiar face with the dimples that sent my heart on a rampage.

  “Nick, what are you doing here?” I said stunned. I opened my arms wide smiling at him. Nick slid right into my arms, kissed me gently on my lips, and sat down next to me.

  “I just could not wait until Saturday to see you,” he said and reached for my hand and took it into his hand. I smiled and looked down at our clasped hands. He took the back of my hand to his lips and planted multiple feather light kisses. I smiled and touched his cheek with my palm.

  “Are you stalking me?” I asked taunting him.

  “Yes, I am,” he confessed.

  “How did you know I was on this train?” I asked puzzled.

  “Okay, so here is the stalker in me talking,” he said laughing and added, “I started off with the first express train that stopped in Sunnyvale and checked every car until I found you,” he explained.

  I smiled and asked, “What if I wasn’t on this train?”

  “I would have hopped off at the next station and tried the next train,” he said sounding determined.

  I laughed loudly, but covered my mouth with my hand realizing that I was in a train where almost everyone was catching up on their sleep.

  “You do realize how silly this is, right?” I asked smiling.

  “I blame you for my actions,” Nick said nuzzling my hair.

  “Nick, stop,” I said moving away from him and added, “I am not comfortable with displays of affection in public places.”

  “Very interesting,” Nick said mocking and added, “We need to move slowly, no public display of affection, and which century are you from again?”

  I giggled and said, “I was actually thinking about you earlier today.”

  “You were huh?” he teased.

  “I am really looking forward to meeting your mom and sister at the ceremony on Saturday,” I said enthusiastically.

  He smiled and looked at me with affection in his eyes.

  “Where are you headed now?” I asked Nick.

  “Seriously? Is that even a question?” Nick taunted and said, “This train goes to San Francisco right?”

  I rolled my eyes and said, “I asked to make sure you weren’t planning on following me to my office.”

  “Sounds very appealing, but I will stop stalking you after we get to San Francisco,” Nick teased.

  “Are you going to San Francisco for work? I thought Srini and you worked in San Jose,” I asked curiously.

  “Srini leads our R&D Department that is in San Jose, and we have our corporate headquarters in San Francisco,” he said with humility.

  “Wow, interesting,” I said smiling.

  “How come you never asked me what I do?” I asked and he smiled and said, “I already know almost everything about you except for what you think about me,” he teased.

  “How do you…” I didn’t bother completing my question. I was pretty sure that Nate would have provided the guys with every single detail at some point.

  I blushed and responded to his question in a taunting tone. “I think you are okay, Nick.”

  I saw him enjoy the mischief in my voice, and his eyes darkened as he took my face in his palms and kissed me lightly on my lips.

  “If you are wondering what I think about you, you need to know that I am crazy about you,” Nick said against my lips sending electric waves through my body.

  Nick and I got off at the San Francisco station, gave each other warm hugs, and stood on the platform looking into each other’s eyes.

  “Should I expect to see you on my way home?” I asked Nick.

  He laughed and said, “I would love to, but I have a last minute meeting scheduled for later tonight.”

  “Have fun. I have to go now,” I said smiling at him.

  Nick bent down to give me a kiss on my cheek and whispered in my ear, “I can’t wait to see you on Saturday. I will send a car for you at five. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  I never thought my commute to work could also be fun and memorable. Nick had a car waiting for him outside the station and offered to give me a ride, but I decided to take my ten-minute walk to work. I needed that time to calm myself down before I start focusing on work.

  *****

  “I am home,” I said with excitement realizing that Nate was at home that night.

  “I am in the kitchen, Meera,” Nate yelled back.

  “Nate, do you realize how long it has been since the two of us spent time together after work?” I questioned her.

  Nate blushed and said ruefully, “I know. I have missed hanging out with you too.”

  “Right, I am supposed to believe that you actually missed hanging
out with me,” I teased her and predicted confidently, “You are home because Srini had to go to a last-minute meeting in San Francisco.”

  Nate was taken back, and she asked, “How did you know that?”

  I laughed thoroughly enjoying myself at Nate’s expense.

  “Nick told me, Nate,” I told her with no variation in my voice.

  “I didn’t realize you and Nick were talking regularly,” Nate added sounding watchful.

  “We text sometimes but today I met him on the train,” I clarified.

  Nate almost choked on her drink when I mentioned that Nick took the train to San Francisco.

  “Nate, are you okay?” I asked concerned.

  “Why did Nick take the train when he can be chauffeured to work in comfort on his schedule?” she wondered out loud.

  I watched her as she put the pieces of the puzzle together, and I saw her face light up with excitement as soon as she figured out the connection.

  “Nick took the train for you,” she stated almost in a whisper.

  I laughed and told her about my conversation with Nick about him stalking me.

  “Do you like him, Meera?” Nate asked with excitement in her voice.

  “Nate, I obviously like him. He is my friend,” I mocked her even though I knew what she meant.

  Nate gave me the stink eye and said, “You know what I mean.”

  It was my turn to blush and look down at my hands.

  “Oh sweet heaven, I am so glad to see you blush,” Nate hugged me and added, “I thought you wouldn’t let another man in your life especially after what you went through with that idiot in your junior year.”

  Surprisingly, the memory of my heartache didn’t bother me as much as I thought it did. “Nick is probably capable of making me forget the pain from my heartbreak,” I said to Nate sounding dramatic.

  “Meera!!!” Nate squealed suddenly as I sat down at the dining table.

  “What is it Nate?” I asked surprised and wondered if she was reacting to my dramatic comment.

  She looked at me quizzically and asked, “Did Nick have anything to do with the dry skin on your neck the other day?”