Boxset: Destiny Decides.. & Destiny Embraces..

by P. G. Van

  “Pammi has made a yummy looking and smelling Indian curry with fresh rice,” I said with excitement and asked, “What did you eat for lunch?”

  “Nothing yet, but I will be eating the same thing as you for lunch,” he said and before I could say anything else, I heard the elevator door open and Nick emerged from the elevator with a grin on his face as he turned off his phone. He looked hot in a dark patterned suit jacket and light wash jeans. The jacket had a very subtle dot print with a contrasting stab-stitch detail on the pocket flaps. I felt my heart make somersaults at the sight of him moving towards me looking stunning and sexy as usual.

  “Nick,” I called out with excitement and surprise as I ran into his arms. He wrapped his arm around me and kissed my temple. As he gently stroked my cheek, I clung to him with my arms wrapped tightly around his waist just happy to see him.

  “I guess you did miss me, Sameera,” Nick said teasing me.

  “I did.” I confessed and added, “Thank you for the Chai, Nick,” I said looking up at him.

  “Sweetheart, PammiMa was the one who made you the tea, you should be thanking her,” he teased.

  “I did thank her and why do you call her PammiMa, isn’t her name Pammi?”

  “She is my second mom and so the Ma (mother) at the end,” he said in a soft voice.

  “I feel so silly for not seeing that, she really is your second mom,” I said cheerfully.

  Nick smiled and said teasing me, “Are you hungry for what is on the table or for something else?”

  “Stop it Nick,” I said and asked, “Wait…Did Pammi know you were joining me for lunch?”

  “Yes, why else would she set the table for two?” he said sitting down at the dining table.

  “It’s a bit spooky when you do things like this Nick,” I complained and added, “The worst part is, I actually like the spooky stuff you do.”

  Nick laughed and said, “Something about being made for each other, don’t you think?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Nick,” Mitch smiled and said as he opened the back door on the driver side of the Range Rover for me.

  “Ms. Nick? The name is Sameera, Mitch,” I said smiling at him.

  “Well, you are Ms. Nick,” Mitch said smiling back.

  “Please, Mitch,” I objected as I sat down.

  Mitch smiled at me in the rear view starting the engine and drove towards Nick’s office. We were going to pick him up and head to my old apartment for the weekend. As Mitch expertly steered through the local streets towards the downtown, I closed my eyes to rest for a few minutes. I could feel the car slow down as we hit the downtown traffic. I felt myself drifting off into a limbo state as the car inched through the traffic.

  “Ms. Nick,” I heard a familiar voice say, and it felt like the person was very far away. I opened my eyes to see that we were still sitting in traffic.

  “How much longer before we get out of the traffic, Mitch?” I asked looking out of the window at the construction.

  “In a hurry to see me, huh?” Nick said from the driver seat shaking me out of my dormant state.

  “Nick,” I said with irritation and added, “You have to stop dropping these bombshells on me.”

  “Ohh, I am sorry baby, I didn’t bother waking you up when Mitch pulled in to pick me up,” Nick said smiling at me in the rear view mirror.

  I snapped out of my seat belt when Nick stopped at a red light and climbed over the console between the driver and the passenger seat sliding into the passenger seat. Nick reached over to his right to plant a kiss on my cheek as I strapped on my seat belt.

  “You could have sat in the back seat, baby,” Nick said looking at the cars in front of him.

  “This is my opportunity to torment you like you did when I was driving your car,” I said mocking him.

  ‘That’s not fair, Sameera,” Nick said and added, “That was my way of showing you how much I wanted you, you can’t categorize that as me tormenting you.”

  I laughed and said, “Well, I won’t risk my life and won’t put others at risk,” and reached over to my left to take my open mouth to his cheek and gave him a wet kiss when he stopped at another red light.

  “You are on fire. Is this how you are when you take power naps?” he asked squeezing my thigh with his fingers.

  I yelped from his sudden reaction and ended up laughing.

  Nick shook his head smiling and said, “Please continue to surprise me.” It took us another hour to reach the dance studio. Nick got out of the car as I grabbed my gym bag and stepped out of the car. He came around and gently planted a kiss on my cheek and said, “I will come get you in an hour, and I want you to teach me how to give a wet kiss.”

  I grinned with pride and said, “Sure, if you take me out for dinner.”

  “Deal,” Nick said smiling.

  *****

  My phone started to ring as I was wrapping up the workout class.

  “Hi Nate,” I said answering Nate’s call.

  “Meera, are you done with the class?” Nate asked.

  “Yes, I just shut down the studio, what’s up?” I asked.

  “Well, the guys double ditched us for a meeting tonight,” Nate complained.

  “What? Again?” I said sounding irritated.

  “Tell me about it,” Nate said annoyed and added, “I was instructed by your boyfriend to pick you up after class so I am on my way to get you.”

  I giggled and asked, “Where are you now?”

  “I am a few minutes away, and I think we should go out for dinner,” Nate declared.

  “Okay, Nate. Let’s go home so I can shower and change and then we can go,” I said calming her down.

  I checked my phone for messages, and I had a couple from Nick.

  Nick: Sorry, baby. Can’t make it to dinner. I will have someone take you home.

  Nick: Hair on fire. I love you.

  I smiled to myself and responded to Nick’s message.

  Me: You better put out the fire. I love your hair more than I love you. 

  Nate pulled into the parking lot and did not wait to start ranting about the guys. She was visibly fuming at Srini, and I offered to drive to minimize collateral damage. As Nate continued to whine and complain about not being able to go out for dinner, I wondered if I felt the same way about not going out for dinner. I was upset that Nick was not there waiting for me outside the studio, but I was not angry. I wondered if I could be angry with him for anything. I wondered if we needed to be in a relationship for a longer time to be angry with the person in these situations. I had been annoyed by a few things that Nick had done did but not angry. I smiled remembering Nick’s face with his dimples, and I was no longer upset.

  Nate and I ended up picking up sandwiches for dinner on our way home and settled down to watch a south Indian movie. As I turned off the movie, I took a deep breath in preparation for a long and tiring photo shoot day. The photo shoot was very special as I was to pose in my Bharathanatyam Indian classical dance outfit.

  I would be wearing the traditional outfit after almost seven years. I would be displaying the traditional temple jewelry that the classical dancers adorned while they performed in the Hindu temples many centuries ago. Famous Indian female dancers revamped the classical dance in the early twentieth century, and it was at that point the dance was also introduced to the West. Bharathanatyam is one of the many traditional Indian dances, and my father encouraged me to learn this specific dance as it represented the inner fire of the human body. My father always told me that the fire in me would make me a good Bharathanatyam dancer. The movements in this type of dance were all about grace, elegance, and very sculptured poses whereas other traditional Indian dances have more rounded steps. I practiced the dance for almost a decade and just could not continue after my father passed away. Every step of the dance I took reminded me of my father, and I would end up being an emotional wreck.

  I pushed aside the clothes in my closet to reach for the bag
that had my dance outfit. The outfits for the photo shoot are usually preselected to match the jewelry that is to be showcased, but I chose to take my own outfit for the classical dance poses. I looked at the outfit I took out of my closet as I spread it out on my bed. The outfits were usually stitched to fit like a glove on the dancer accentuating the dancer’s curves. My outfit was made with a traditional silk sari with the main body in ivory and the border in deep red and gold thread. I sat on the bed arranging the various pieces of the outfit as Nate walked into my room.

  “I totally forgot about your photo shoot tomorrow,” Nate said with excitement in her voice.

  “I am having second thoughts about wearing this Nate. What if I break down like how I used to a few years ago?” I wondered out loud to her.

  “You will be fine, Meera,” she said with confidence and added, “I’ll go with you if you need me to go.”

  I smiled at her saying, “I think I will be fine,” and added in a teasing tone, “I don’t want to be the reason for separating the love birds.”

  Nate blushed and asked, “Is Nick going with you?”

  “I don’t know,” I said and added, “he will be bored to death if he were to go.”

  “Let me know if you need a ride,” Nate said as she stood up to go back to her room.

  “Good night, Nate,” I said hugging Nate and added, “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too,” Nate said planting a kiss on my cheek.

  *****

  “Meera, wake up,” Nate said waking me up on Saturday morning.

  “Nate, it’s a Saturday, and I am still sleepy,” I said pulling the sheets over my head.

  “Meera, the guys are here,” Nate said in her freaking out tone.

  “What?” I said reaching under my pillow for my bra.

  “Apparently, they felt guilty about last night and showed up with breakfast,” Nate said looking at herself in the mirror.

  “Seriously?” I said and added, “I am not ready to wake up yet,” and pulled the sheets back and closed my eyes.

  “I am going. Remember, Nick is waiting for you,” Nate said and left.

  I heard the three of them talk as I tried to catch a little bit more sleep. A few minutes later, I heard my bedroom door open and without pulling the sheets down, I said in an irritated tone, “Nate, I am still sleepy.”

  A few seconds later, I heard Nate’s voice in the living room. I pulled my sheets down and realized that it was Nick standing at the entrance of my bedroom. Nick was standing with his hand on the door handle looking at me. He was wearing a dark sweatshirt and light blue jeans.

  “May I come in?” he asked smiling at me.

  “Yes,” I said sitting up in my bed.

  Nick closed the door behind him and said, “I take it that you are upset with me.”

  I laughed gently and mocked, “How did you arrive at the conclusion?”

  Nick was standing by the door smiling at me with his hands in his pockets without coming towards the bed.

  “Why are you standing there away from me?” I asked with a puzzled expression.

  “I am trying to figure how mad you are at me,” he said and added, “Srini is taking a lot of heat for cancelling dinner last night.”

  I giggled getting out of bed and walked into Nick’s open arms.

  “I was a little upset, but I am not angry,” I said putting my palm on his jawline.

  “I was angry at myself for cancelling,” Nick said through gritted teeth and added, “I am here now and will spend every minute today with you.”

  I laughed and said, “You have no idea what you are signing up for Nick.”

  “What do you have planned for today?” Nick asked looking surprised.

  “I have a photo shoot today, remember?” I said teasing him.

  Nick shrugged his shoulders and said, “That works for me.”

  “You might want to talk to Nate before you sign up to go to the studio with me,” I warned him.

  “I’ll be fine,” Nick said planting a kiss on my cheek and added, “Ready to eat breakfast?”

  “I will be out in ten minutes,” I said running into my bathroom.

  The four of us spent a fun morning together and sat at the dining table for a lazy Saturday morning chatter. I went back into my room around eleven to get ready for the photo shoot.

  *****

  “Sweetheart, are you nervous?” Nick asked as we pulled into the parking lot of the photo studio.

  “Just a tiny bit,” I confessed.

  “Is this about the Bharathanatyam outfit?” Nick asked bluntly.

  I looked at him in surprise and asked, “How do you know?”

  Nick smiled and said, “My information goddess gave me all the details and the instructions.”

  I laughed as I found the terminology Nick used to refer to Nate completely hilarious.

  “Let’s go,” Nick said putting his arm around my waist.

  Nick and I walked into the gloomy studio and saw the photo shoot area almost ready to go.

  “Sam, over here,” Rhea called out from the other end of the studio.

  “Sam, huh?” Nick whispered teasing me.

  Nick and I walked over to the other end of the studio where the makeup artist and the designer were ready for me. Two security guards stood by the jewelry container keeping an eye on the people in the studio.

  “Hi, Rhea, how are you?” I asked, giving her a hug.

  “Peachy, Sam,” Rhea said with excitement and whispered, “Who is this hot dude?”

  “Oh, Rhea, this is Nick,” I said introducing Rhea to Nick.

  “Nice to meet you Rhea,” Nick said shaking her hand and added, “and yes, I am her boyfriend.”

  Rhea laughed and hugged me and exclaimed between peals of laughter, “I knew it.”

  Rhea looked at Nick and said, “Dude, you better be nice to her,” and added, “Sam has her own army in the Bay Area.”

  “Stop it, Rhea,” I said to her and added, “And Nick is going to stick around for the photo shoot. Can he take over that couch?”

  “Yes, he may,” Rhea said winking at Nick and took me to the green room.

  “What am I wearing first?” I asked looking at the three different outfits that were set up on the dressing table. One of the three outfits was a traditional south Indian bridal silk sari in a beautiful marigold yellow color, the other was a more modern bridal outfit in a bright peacock green color, and the third was a variation of a sari called the half-sari in a more modern design.

  “I think we should get started with the bridal one first as it does take time to put the jewelry on you, and we can close with your dance outfit,” Rhea declared.

  After thirty minutes, I stepped out of the green room feeling thirty pounds heavier with the jewelry that was on my body from head to toe. I held a well-decorated completely green coconut in my hands that a south Indian bride usually carries in her hands for her wedding. I walked towards the center of the studio very gingerly without disturbing the jewelry set-up to where the photographer was waiting for me. Every piece of jewelry that I had on was designed exclusively for Rhea’s family-owned jewelry stores and was paired to stand out and shine on the yellow background of the sari.

  Rhea walked up to me giggling and whispered, “Sam, your boyfriend is about to turn blue from holding his breath.” I looked up to make eye contact with Nick and as Rhea had described, his eyes were dark, and he was clearly holding his breath. I smiled at him as I stepped into the brightly lit area and saw him take in another deep breath.

  As instructed, I sat on the chaise very gently and leaned against the backrest. My hair was braided all the way and was wrapped in a string of jasmine flowers decorated with the matching jewelry. The photographer started with the poses where my braid was hanging along my torso in the front.

  “Sam, look down at your feet and smile like a bride,” Rhea said from the side. I smiled in a hundred different ways, and Rhea kept insisting that she wanted the bridal smile and that I w
as not giving her the smile she wanted.

  “Rhea, I am not sure if I know how to give you the bridal smile,” I said with a puzzled look on my face.

  The photographer took the opportunity to shoot that crazy look also.

  “Hang on one minute,” Rhea said and walked to where Nick was sitting.

  “Nick, I need you to stand right next to the photographer and look at Sam,” Rhea instructed Nick.

  “Sam, I need you to look down at your sari while holding your braid between your thumb and index finger and when the photographer is ready, I need you to very slowly look up and look into Nick’s eyes.”

  “Rhea, what are you doing?” I asked her and she winked and stood next to Nick.

  “Ready,” said the photographer, and I took a deep breath and as I heard the camera click, I lifted my eyelids very slowly to look at Nick through my thick eyelashes. Nick was looking at me with love and admiration in his eyes, and in reaction to what I saw in his eyes, I smiled gently and lowered my eyes not able to hold the gaze.

  “That’s what I am talking about,” Rhea jumped with joy.

  Rhea directed the photographer to capture close-up shots of every single piece of jewelry I had on; that was a walk in the park as I was just a mannequin for the beautiful jewelry. The other two outfits were lighter, and the jewelry was lighter and very elegant.

  “That’s three out of four Sam,” Rhea said from behind the camera and asked in a soft voice, “Do you need a break before you put on your dance outfit?”

  “No, I am good,” I said my voice weak.

  As I walked towards the changing room to put on my dance outfit, Nick came up from behind and took my hand in his. He kissed my palm and said in a firm voice, “Sameera, I want to go with you.”

  Feeling grateful for the warmth from him, I took his hand and led him to the back of the studio. The designer took some time to match the jewelry to my dance outfit and tried various combinations. Finally satisfied with the plain yellow gold on the white and red outfit, the designer signaled to Rhea for the final approval. Rhea walked into the changing room and looked at me in awe.