Boxset: Destiny Decides.. & Destiny Embraces..

by P. G. Van

  Nick’s sister, Ann, sat next to their dad holding his hand.

  “Nate, look at them. Such genuine love doesn’t come by very easily,” I said referring to how Nick’s dad was looking at Ann.

  Srini, Nate, and I sat together as Nick and his brother moved around to make sure everything was happening as planned.

  “Srini, how come you are not helping out with the stuff that Nick and Sam are working on?” I taunted Srini.

  “I have been tasked to keep an eye on you,” Srini mocked smiling at me.

  “Srini, what’s the deal with Nick? He better not be messing with Meera,” Nate said sounding like a mama bear.

  “Wow, that’s intense Nethra. I have never seen this side of you,” Srini noted rather shaken by the tone in her voice.

  “Okay guys, stop talking and focus on the ceremony,” I hushed both of them.

  The ceremony went on for an hour, and there were at least a hundred people attending the ceremony. Dinner was arranged on the estate grounds that were fully equipped with the required lighting and heat lamps to keep the guests warm and comfortable. The ceremony included various offerings of flowers and fruits to the gods, and the ceremony concluded by Nick’s mom and dad offering their gifts and blessings to Ann and her new husband. Sam and his fiancée followed suit, and when it was Nick’s turn to get his parents blessings, he appeared out of nowhere and urged me to go with him. I resisted initially and eventually complied to avoid drawing attention.

  On my way to the podium, hand-in-hand with Nick, my eyes met eyes that looked at me as if I was some princess. When Nick and I reached the podium, we bowed to touch his parents’ feet for their blessings and they said, “Happiness and health be with you forever.”

  As I was thanking Nick’s mom for the gifts they gave me, Nick’s dad waved to Srini and Nate to join them. Srini and Nate made their way up the podium, and I smiled to myself glowing from inside at the sight of them taking blessings as a couple. I saw wedding bells in their near future.

  When we were back to where we were initially sitting, I briefly pulled Srini aside to give him a hug and said to him, “Thank you for coming back into my sister’s life, Srini. I have not seen her this happy in such a long time.” He was taken aback for a second and then said, “You are the reason we are together,” and smiled.

  I looked at him with surprise, and he smiled and said, “You will know what I mean very soon.” I smiled back at him even though I didn’t understand what he said.

  *****

  “Sameera, I need to show you something,” Nick whispered as we were finishing dinner.

  “What is it?” I asked with excitement in my voice.

  “Srini is going to take Nethra home, and I will take you home a little later so you can see what I am talking about,” he said smiling.

  “Did Nate approve this plan?” I asked teasing Nick and turned to look at Nate.

  Nate laughed and said, “I am cool with the plan. It’s pretty safe since Nick’s parents are around.” Nick and I both turned crimson at the same time.

  “Nethra and I are going to head home now,” Srini announced a few minutes later.

  “Meera, I am going to go home, change, and head to Srini’s place. Do you have the house keys?” Nate asked.

  “Yes, I do. I will see you later,” I confirmed hugging her.

  Nate and Srini walked towards the parking area, and Nick and I walked in the same direction.

  As we reached the shrubbery in front of the house, Nick guided me away from the main entrance and took me along another path that looked like another driveway that led to a multiple car garage.

  “Where are we going Nick?” I asked curiously.

  “To my wing of the family house,” he said softly.

  “In a car?” I giggled as I saw him punch in a code on the side door of the massive garage.

  “No, silly. Let’s go,” he said as he guided me through the dimly lit garage towards a set of blinking lights. Another key code and biometric recognition and two sliding doors opened and filled the garage with light that made me squint.

  “This is an elevator,” I stated in awe and added, “Super fancy Nick.”

  After another series of codes and validations, we were transported to what seemed like the third and the top most floor of the house.

  “Why didn’t we go through the main entrance? Isn’t that simpler?” I peered.

  “Too many people and it’s very easy to get pulled into a conversation,” he said shaking his head.

  The elevator beeped and stopped, and the doors opened directly into a spacious living area. A living area that was completely different from the Georgian colonial style that the house screams from the outside and other common areas. This part of the house was a contemporary gem with very modern and simple furniture. It was very clear that a lot of thought was put into the shapes and the straight lines, and the use of very unique materials. I looked around in awe as Nick guided me to what looked like a kitchenette with a small table and two chairs.

  Next to the dining table were wide-glass double doors through which I could see a dimly lit roof garden. The selection of the greenery on the roof garden extended the contemporary style into the garden. Nick came up from behind and put his arms around me as I was admiring the beautiful roof garden and whispered in my ear, “Do you like my place?”

  “Its amazing Nick, I am in awe of your roof garden,” I said as I reached backwards to put my arm around his neck.

  As my body arched to put my arm around him, he moved his arm to find the gap in the fabric so he was touching my bare skin again.

  “Ohh, Nick,” I said and clung to him.

  Nick bent forward to pull my body against the length of his structure and said, “Do you see what is in the middle of the roof garden in that area?”

  I looked towards the small patio area formed by four pillars and strong beams going across, and to those beams hanging by thick brass chains and hooked to carved brass links was a traditional wooden swing. This was no ordinary swing. It is over six feet in length, almost three feet in width, and the plank itself was a few inches thick.

  “You have your own Jhula (swing)? Do you remember how much time we used to spend fighting over who gets to go on the swing first?” I asked my voice filled with excitement.

  “And for how long we got to use your swing,” Nick teased.

  “Nick, it was so much fun when you were in India,” I said in a soft voice and released my hold on Nick’s neck. I separated his arms that were around my waist to get out of Nick’s embrace to go check out the massive swing. I heard Nick groan as if objecting to me leaving his embrace. He reached for me as I stepped away and grabbed on to the scarf firmly and tugged at it. I felt the scarf being pulled away from me, and I was back in his arms facing him in a flash. My scarf was completely off my shoulders, draped to the floor, and my clutch hit the floor in a soft thud.

  I stood in his arms looking into his eyes, barely anything covering my upper body. The blouse I had on was designed to please a man as it barely covered my torso. Nick took a sharp hissing breath and tightened his grasp on me. He started planting tender kisses on my cheek and whispered apologetically, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pull your scarf.” I was almost bare-chested in the cropped, fitted blouse and yet felt very comfortable in his arms. I reached up to put both my arms around his neck deepening my cleavage.

  I felt him tighten against me, and he slowly reached out and touched the delicate area of my chest with his fingertips. He traced the split line on the neckline of the blouse as his lips caressed mine. I moaned with pleasure against his lips and felt my body conform to his being. I fit perfectly in his arms as if I was made for him.

  I felt the waves of pleasure hit my body as he traced my cleavage with his finger and followed that downwards towards my navel. He very slowly moved his finger while making unpredictable patterns with his fingertips along my waist. With every millimeter, he moved along my midriff, and I felt the desire build inside
me and my knees weaken. As his finger reached my belly button, I lost all control of my legs and moved my lips away from his to be able to tighten my grasp around his neck for support. As my face hit his chest in an uncontrollable desire, I nipped at the taut muscle on his chest. I heard him groan in pleasure, and he dug his chin into my neck holding me with all his strength.

  Nick and I stood holding each other in a tight embrace as we steadied our breathing. The feeling of Nick’s tightened muscles against my toned body sent me on a sensory rollercoaster, and hearing Nick groan with the sweet pain was a free fall experience.

  As our heavy breathing continued, Nick gently released the hold he had on me, brushed his lips against mine, and said, “You do have a wild side, Meera.”

  It was the first time ever he had called me with the short form of my name. “I didn’t know I had this wild side in me until now,” I said blushing and looking down.

  “Do you want to sit on the swing?” he inquired.

  “Yes, I would like that very much,” I said and started to move away but held back looking up at Nick.

  “Now, that’s like a good girl,” he teased.

  “Are you cold? I can turn on the heat lamps in the patio,” Nick asked as he opened the double doors.

  “I am okay,” I said and turned to Nick as he took off the silk kurta that he had on revealing a muscle fit t-shirt underneath. I took a sharp breath at the sight of his broad shoulders and his tapering waist. He caught me checking him out and smiled. He put his arm back around my bare waist and pulled me to him possessively.

  The majestic swing was made of seasoned teakwood and had the classic rosewood polish. The swing was also pretty high up for me to get onto it without any help. It was obvious that Nick had that height set so he could sit on it without any effort.

  He gently lifted me holding me by my waist to give me the boost I needed to get on the swing. He came from behind the swing and slid onto it as he planted a kiss on the back of my head. As the swing moved slowly, I lay on the six-foot long plank with my skirt draping down on one side. Nick lay next to me in the opposite direction with his shoulders next to mine with our feet hanging on opposite ends of the plank. I lay next to Nick with my eyes closed and my hair draped on his chest. I could feel him touch and caress my hair.

  “You have beautiful hair, Meera,” he said kissing the ends of my hair.

  I turned to lay on my side so I could face him and said, “You make my heart race every time you say my name like that,” and planted a reverse kiss on his lips. He reacted very sharply to my kiss, pulled me to him, and brought my lips down to his.

  I tasted him as he slipped his tongue through my lips and caressed the inside of my mouth. With his lips in contact with mine, he pushed me back onto the swing gently and moved downwards along my body with his lips. I caught my breath and ran my fingers through his hair. I grabbed on to his t-shirt with my other hand as his lips reached my cleavage and ran his tight tongue through it as if he were slicing through my body.

  “Nikhil…” I said through clenched teeth. I heard him take a sharp breath and head further down with his lips leaving a trail of fire along the way. I started feeling the ripples through my body centering way down below.

  Nick very methodically moved downwards caressing my breasts over my blouse and worshipped my body with his hands. When his lips met my belly button, a fire ignited internally, and I could feel my lungs begging for air. I forced myself to take a deep breath as Nick dug his tongue gently into my belly button, and took the thin layer of skin between his teeth and tugged on it gently.

  I lost all control of my senses, let out a cry of pleasure, and tightened my hold on his hair.

  “Sssh, baby. We still have people outside,” he said, his voice hot and soothing.

  As his mouth continued to caress my navel, he slid one of his hands further down gently pulling my skirt up. I felt the swing rocking to my sudden movement as I felt his hand run along my inner thigh and stopped right outside my sweet spot as if he was waiting for my permission.

  “Nikhil…” my voice was barely audible as I felt my body freeze and shut down at the memory of the night with my ex-boyfriend. As if he felt the chills that cut through my body, he instantly retreated and took me into his arms.

  “Meera, are you okay?” he asked sounding worried and added, “I am sorry if I pushed you. I know you wanted to take it slow.”

  I nodded and put my arms around him and clung to him as I fought back the pain that was resurfacing.

  “Let’s go back inside,” he said getting off the swing. As he came around the swing, I expected him to help me get off the swing so I reached out with my hand. Instead of taking my hand, he swooped me off the swing and took my entire weight on to his arms.

  Chapter Seven

  “Nick, please put me down, you will hurt your back,” I urged as he carried me away from the swing. I put my arms around his neck for support.

  He kissed me on my forehead and asked, “Are you okay?” I nodded and placed my cheek on his chest.

  Nick walked with ease as he carried me to the bedroom that was at the far left of the wing with a king size bed in a very modern setting.

  He placed me gently on the bed and said, “Hang on, I will be right back.”

  As I watched him, he walked back to the double doors, locked them securely, picked up my scarf and my clutch that lay on the floor, and came back into the bedroom. He opened up the scarf, draped it around me like a blanket, and put the clutch on the bedside table.

  He bent down and gently pulled my feet towards him and took off my sandal and followed with the other foot. He stretched out both my legs and sat on the bed facing me with my feet in his hands, gently massaging them.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked softly looking at my feet.

  “No, I am okay, maybe later,” I said looking at him.

  “Hang on one more minute,” he said and got up to go into his closet. I heard the faucet run briefly and then he emerged from the closet with a white V-neck t-shirt. He came towards the bed, sat down at my feet, and said, “I will look away if you are uncomfortable, but put this t-shirt over your blouse so you can relax.”

  “Okay, thanks, and you don’t need to look away if you don’t want to,” I said smiling at him.

  As I unwrapped the net material scarf that Nick had draped around me, I remembered how he very quickly had pulled it off me earlier that night. I smiled at the memory as I slipped on his t-shirt over my crop blouse.

  A few minutes later Nick asked in a gentle voice, “Are you ready to talk about what happened on the swing?”

  “Yes,” I said, my voice suddenly very weak.

  “Was it something I did?” he asked looking into my eyes; his dark eyes looking worried. I shook my head and said nothing.

  “What is it, Sameera?” Nick asked.

  My body jerked gently as I thought of the agony I went through during my junior year in college. I spoke very softly but held my voice steady and said, “My boyfriend in college caused me some trauma, and that memory was what caused the reaction.”

  “What happened Sameera?” he asked with concern in his eyes.

  “I can’t talk and breathe at the same time when you look at me like that,” I said looking down at my hands.

  “Ohh, baby, I am so proud of myself that I have that effect on you, but I need you to talk,” he said as he stood up and sat down next to me leaning on the headboard. I moved towards him, sat next to him gently resting my head on his shoulder, and hugged his arm.

  “I liked this guy when I was in college, and we were together for over a year,” I said in a soft voice and added, “He was very nice to me initially, but I soon realized that he was not right for me.”

  Nick placed his palm on my cheek but did not say anything.

  “My friends did warn me about him. They were pretty sure he was cheating on me, but I had my blinders on,” I said in a flat tone and added, “I failed to see that side in him an
d since then I have avoided any kind of relationship.” I looked into Nick’s eyes and said, “I broke up with him and found out later that he was sleeping around with every other female on the campus.”

  Nick put his arm around me and held me close to him. “I am sorry you had to deal with an ass like him,” he said comforting me.

  “I fell for his sweet demeanor and was emotionally invested in him. When I found out he was cheating, I was heartbroken when I realized I was just one of the girls on his checklist.”

  “What a prick,” Nick said gritting his teeth.

  I shook my head and said, “I was a total mess and poor Nate had to deal with my sorrowful silence for weeks.”

  Nick planted a kiss on my forehead and held me in his arms.

  “I still don’t get it,” he said after a moment of silence and added shaking his head, “never mind, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

  “Nick, what are you talking about?” I asked puzzled at his expression.

  “We all have crappy relationships but why did that relationship scar you?” he asked as he hit the nail on the head and asked, “What was it that made you freeze to my touch on the swing?”

  I took a deep breath and said, “He came to my apartment one night when I was by myself. I knew he was drunk and should not let him into the apartment. He went on and on about how important sex was for a relationship and that we needed to take the next step.”

  Nick took a deep breath, tightened his hold around me as I paused to steady my heartbeat, and added, “When I told him I wasn’t ready, he tried to force me into having sex with him and when he did that, I felt like I was drowning and felt helpless.” I tightened my hold on his hand and continued in a trembling voice, “He behaved like an animal and it took all the strength in me to fight him and get him out of my life.”

  “What?” Nick asked with anger brewing in him.

  “It’s not his fault, Nick. I was just dumb to see what he needed from a relationship,” I said angry with myself.