Boxset: Destiny Decides.. & Destiny Embraces..

by P. G. Van

“Nate, don’t be ridiculous,” I snarled at her, and they started laughing.

  “I know he got her something else,” Srini said completely side tracking the conversation.

  “Meera?” Nate said sounding upset and asked, “When were you planning on telling me?”

  “Nate, calm down. It was Nick’s mom who gifted me the anklets,” I said frowning at Srini.

  “Anklets?” Nate said looking amused and asked, “Why anklets?”

  I realized that the information I was trying to get was not going to come out, and I had to tell Nate that I performed a classical dance bit and she was not there to see it.

  “Nate...” I paused and said, “Let’s sit down.”

  “Meera, what are you not telling me and why is Nick’s mom buying you gifts?” Nate said, becoming agitated and blurted out without any sense of filter, “Are you pregnant?”

  “Nate,” I said completely shocked at her question and realized that I had lost total control of the conversation. I heard my phone ring at a distance, and I stood up to go get my phone and said, “Nate, I am not. Hang on.”

  I was happy to see it was Nick calling.

  “Nick,” I said excited into the phone.

  “Hey babe, you really missed me huh?” Nick teased.

  “Where are you headed Nick?” I asked without responding to his question.

  “Meera, is everything okay?” Nick asked his voice firm.

  “If you are not too tired, could you please come to Nate’s apartment?” I asked Nick.

  “Hang on, baby,” Nick said and a few seconds later said, “I will be there in twenty minutes.”

  “See you Nick,” I said smiling.

  I walked back into the living area and announced, “Nick is going to be here in twenty minutes.”

  Srini got up from the couch and said, “Oh my. It’s going to be a long night,” and asked, “Do you guys want coffee?”

  Nate and I looked at each other, and I shrugged my shoulders.

  “So, why did Nick’s mom give you anklets?” Nate asked not letting go of the conversation.

  I told Nate about the series of events that followed the photo shoot and her expression changed from shock to sadness and ended up crying her eyes out complaining that she didn’t get to see me dance.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Why do I get the feeling that I am stepping into a war zone?” Nick said as he came through the front door almost thirty minutes later.

  “Because this is war,” Srini said dramatically closing the door and added, “and there is no escape.”

  Nick and Srini started laughing, and their laughter subsided and eventually died down when they realized Nate and I were not laughing.

  Nick looked at me and asked, “What’s the matter, Sameera?”

  “Nick…” I said and paused looking at Nate.

  Nick very quickly realized that Nate was upset about something. I watched as he set his computer bag down on the floor to go sit next to Nate and said smiling, “Nethra, my sister-to-be, my information goddess and the best sister in the world, what is bothering you?”

  I saw Nate’s anger subside by a few degrees as she said, “What do you mean by information goddess?”

  Nick laughed and said, “You are an information goddess because you bless me with all the information about Sameera without expecting any offerings from your devotees like me.”

  Nate burst out laughing covering her mouth and said, “I am not telling you anything ever again.”

  Nick had managed to crack through Nate’s anger and sadness within minutes, and she was laughing out of control completely forgetting about why she was angry in the first place. Nick signaled Srini to take his spot as he stood up and said looking at both of them, “Srini and Nethra, I want you guys to be happy at all times. I cannot bear to see either one of you unhappy,” and asked, “Nethra, are you ready to tell me what you were upset about a few minutes ago?”

  Nate smiled and said, “I was upset because I didn’t get to see Meera’s dance performance.”

  “I am sorry you missed that performance, but I am sure she will perform at your wedding,” Nick said smiling at me.

  “What?” I asked shocked by Nick’s comment and my voice fell on deaf ears as Nate and Srini were cheering loudly at the idea.

  Nick looked at me for a few seconds and turned back to look at Srini and Nate and said, “Meera brought my mom out of a post-operative depression with her dance performance,”

  “Wow, good job Meera,” Nate said smiling at me.

  “So, Nethra, are we cool?” Nick asked smiling at her.

  “Yes, we are,” Nate said standing up and hugging Nick.

  Nick turned around looking at me smiling, and came towards me and asked, “Why are you standing far away from me, love?”

  “I am not,” I said as he put his arm around my waist and asked, “What is bothering you?”

  I looked up at Nick and asked, “Srini tells me that Nate and he met because of you and me. Is that true?” and added looking at Srini, “and I can’t get him to explain.”

  Nick looked at Srini smiling, and said to me, “Srini is way too trustworthy,” and added, “There is, in fact, something you guys need to know but are you up for this tonight?”

  “Yes,” Nate said sounding impatient and added, “I won’t be able to sleep if I don’t know what you guys are talking about.”

  Nick looked at me and said, “I will tell you everything and will answer any questions you may have.”

  “Nick,” I said sounding worried and said, “I don’t want to know if this is going to change the way I feel about you.”

  “I am not sure how you are going to feel about it, but I am not concerned,” Nick said in a calm voice.

  “Meera, we will be part of your conversation as long you guys don’t discuss your sex life,” Nate said laughing.

  “Nate,” I said feeling my cheeks burn up and declared laughing, “You are horrible.”

  Nick and I joined Nate and Srini in the living room. Srini and Nate were on the couch, and Nick and I settled into the loveseat with our teas and coffees as per Srini’s suggestion.

  “Nick, remember I am here only in a supporting role. The show is all yours,” Srini declared.

  Nick looked at Srini and asked running his fingers through his hair, “Where do I start?”

  “Start off with the reunion,” Srini chimed.

  “What about the reunion?” Nate asked curiously.

  Srini said without waiting for Nick to respond, “The reunion had nothing to do with bringing our friends together. It was a gathering fully funded and planned by Nick to get some clues from the people who showed up.”

  “Clues?” I asked and added in a shaky voice, “about?”

  “About your whereabouts, baby,” Nick said softly.

  My mouth went dry, and I felt the pain in my gut as if someone punched me as I looked at him in silence.

  Nick gently took my hand in his and said in a calm voice, “Sameera, please let me explain.”

  “Nick, this is ridiculous. Why were you trying to hunt me down?” I asked raising my voice.

  “Nick and Meera, this is something you guys need to discuss in private,” Srini said and added, “Nethra, we should go.”

  “I am not leaving Meera all by herself,” Nate said stubbornly and added, “Srini, let’s stay in the apartment but we should go to my room.”

  Unable to connect the dots, I sat on the loveseat next to Nick with my face buried in a pillow.

  “Sameera, please look at me,” Nick begged.

  I looked at him, as I felt sick in my stomach. “Nick, what is Srini talking about?” I asked my voice shaky.

  “Srini is referring to the eleven months I spent searching for you,” Nick said in a calm but firm voice.

  “What?” I asked in a state of confusion.

  “Yes,” he said his voice weak, “and every single day of the eleven months I spent looking for you seemed like an eternity.”

>   “You spent eleven months looking for me, why?” I asked unable to handle the suspense.

  “Because I needed you back in my life,” Nick said, his voice firm and added, “I realized how much you influenced me even when you weren’t around me.”

  “I don’t understand, Nick,” I said shaking my head.

  “Last year my mom was in surgery for five hours. I sat in the waiting area tormented by everything that could go wrong with her surgery,” he said and added, framing my face with his palms, “At one point, I closed my eyes and forced myself to think of happy thoughts to block out the scary thoughts, and the face that flashed in front of me was your loving face.”

  I looked at him in silence as Nick took a deep breath and continued, “I kept wondering why I was thinking of you when I had not seen you in almost a decade. The more and more I thought about it, I realized that you were my strength and my support those few years I was in India. I remembered the time when you stayed up all night to help me with my high school project just so I could submit it on time. You inspired me to start my own company. It did not take me long to realize that I was who I was because of you.”

  “Nick...” I said and Nick put his thumb on my lips and said, “You are the only reason. There is no denying this.”

  Nick took another deep breath and added, “It was then that I decided that I needed you back in my life. I had no idea where you were, what you were doing, or who you were with, but I had decided that I needed you back in my life.”

  I looked at Nick overcome by the sheer dedication and intensity in his voice and stared at him unable to find my voice.

  “I would think of you from time to time but never thought about why I thought of you specifically when I didn’t think of anyone else the same way. When I was brainstorming for a name for my company, I reminded myself of how you and I came up with the team name and decided to use the name to mark your contribution to the company. Even at that point, I did not think to look for you. My legal team attempted to find you when I listed you as a partner and then gave up when they hit the wall. I realized that you were and always have been a part of my thoughts and my actions,” he said smiling at me.

  “How did Srini get roped into this?” I asked in a soft voice.

  “Srini was my go to and my most trustworthy guy. I called him right after mom came out of surgery to talk to him about you,” Nick said smiling at me.

  “Why?” I asked my voice almost a whisper.

  “I didn’t know then why you mattered so much to me, but the day I saw you, I knew we were meant to be together,” he said running his fingers through my hair.

  “You barely talked to me at the tequila bar,” I said looking at him and added shaking my head, “Nick, I am still confused about everything.”

  Nick smiled and ran his fingers through his hair.

  “Remember how you told me that you actually enjoy the spooky stuff I do?” he asked and when I nodded in agreement, he said, “Tell me that you still feel that way after this piece of information.”

  “The first time I saw you was at the farmers market the same weekend we had the reunion in Las Vegas,” Nick said smiling.

  “What?” I asked unable to believe what I heard.

  “Sameera, please. Breathe and be calm,” Nick said in a calm voice and added putting his arms around me, “I saw you walk to the farmers market and go about your shopping.”

  “Why didn’t you come talk to me?” I asked surprised that he waited almost two months to talk to me.

  “I couldn’t,” Nick said in a calm voice.

  “What do you mean?” I asked shaking my head as I felt my heart racing again.

  “Sameera, when I saw you, I saw my best friend all grown up, but what I also saw was the pain in your eyes,” Nick said running his palm along my cheek and added, “I saw you smile and laugh as you chatted with people around you at the farmers market. The smile on your lips never reached your eyes. I knew how your eyes sparkled when you smiled. I knew something was wrong, and I didn’t want to come back into your life without knowing what caused the pain.”

  “Nick, what are you talking about?” I asked overwhelmed by what I just heard.

  “I promise to tell you everything, but not today baby. There are many things we need to talk about. Can we go home now?” Nick asked.

  I looked at him in disbelief and said, “Not yet,” and added in a stern voice, “I am almost numb from what I heard, and you will tell me everything tomorrow morning.”

  “Yes, I will,” Nick said softly.

  “So, what did you do after you saw me? Stalk me to find out more?” I mocked.

  “I did do a little bit of that when I felt like seeing you,” he confessed sheepishly and added, “I was focused on knowing what was causing you the pain.”

  “And?” I prompted.

  “I put my best friend to work. Srini was able to find out from Nethra how you were after your dad passed away and your heartbreak in college,” Nick said looking into my eyes and added, “I realized the real reason for the pain when you told me what you had to deal with after your dad passed away and what that asshole did in college.”

  “What else did Srini find out from Nate?” I asked.

  Nick smiled and said, “Things that would make you think I am cool.”

  “Like?” I asked shaking my head.

  “We should talk about this later. Let’s go home baby,” Nick urged.

  “Hang on,” I said and called out to Nate and she responded immediately, “I am coming Meera.”

  Nate came storming into the living room and said fuming, “Nick, are you making her cry?”

  “Nate, sit down. Ask Srini to join us too. This is pretty interesting,” I said looking at Nick.

  “Nick, sorry I interrupted you, please continue,” I said smiling at him.

  “I am very happy to see the smile back on your face,” Nick whispered and asked, “Are you mad at me for not telling you?”

  “We will talk about this later and in more detail,” I whispered back.

  Srini and Nate settled into the sofa in the same positions as Nick looked at me and asked, “Where were we?”

  “We talked about where you saw me for the first time and when,” I said smiling and added looking at Nate, “Nate pay attention.”

  Nick looked into my eyes and said smiling, “I saw you for the first time at the farmers market on a Saturday morning the weekend of the reunion.”

  I looked at Nate as the blood drained from her face, and she looked at me and asked, “What?”

  “You are driving Nate insane. I am the only one that can handle your spooky stuff,” I said winking at Nick.

  In a quick brisk move, he leaned forward planting a tight kiss on my lips and said, “That’s why I love you.”

  “Guys, stop it!” Nate said and added annoyed, “Can someone please explain as to what is happening?”

  “Nethra, as soon as you arrived in Las Vegas, I knew you were the information goddess that would lead me to Sameera,” Nick said. Looking at Nate with a smile he added, “During the welcome dinner on Friday night, Srini was able to find out Sameera and you were roommates, and that was all I needed to know so I Ieft Las Vegas that night.”

  “No wonder I don’t remember meeting you at the reunion,” Nate said shaking her head looking at Nick.

  “Please continue, Nick,” I said smiling.

  “Wait, how did you know where we lived and that Meera goes to the farmers market?” Nate asked curiously.

  I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing, as I knew exactly what Nick had done, but I let him explain the whole thing to Nate.

  “Good question, Nethra,” Nick encouraged and explained, “I took the jet back from Las Vegas and landed in San Jose on Friday night. I called Mitch and Raj to come get me from the airport and came straight to this apartment”.

  “What, you came here?” Nate asked and added, “How did you know the address?”

  “Srini’s brilliant idea of asking
people for their address to mail out the reunion pictures worked out perfectly, and my information goddess gave me everything I needed,” Nick said smiling at Nate.

  “See Nate, nothing is free. You were so excited about the fully paid reunion trip, and we are stuck with these guys,” I said planting a kiss on Nick’s cheek.

  Nate looked at Nick and Srini and asked, “Who are you people?”

  “Nate, it’s okay,” I said comforting her and added smiling, “Whatever these guys did, they did it for love. I am willing to let go of the fact that they kept us in the dark all this while.”

  Nate did not respond, and I looked at Nick and asked, “What did you do after you reached my apartment?”

  “Mitch, Raj, and I camped outside on the street in the estate grocery van all night waiting for you to come out of the house,” Nick said looking at me and added smiling, “and then my angel showed up with grocery bags, and that was by far the best day in my life.”

  “Nick you are crazy,” I said, and he responded, “Crazy for you, my love.”

  “Meera, this is insane,” Nate said fuming and added, “He stalked you for I don’t know how many days before he…” her voice trailed off, and then she asked Nick in a firm voice, “Was that you on the bike on New Year’s Eve when Meera was on her way to work?”

  Nick smiled at me and said, “Yes, I had to see her before you guys disappeared to Dallas for a week.”

  “Srini, what did you do?” she scowled and said, “You were the only one who knew she was on her way to work at that time and you published her whereabouts on the Internet for Nick?”

  “Nethra, I knew how Nick felt about Meera, and I did what I could to help him out,” Srini confessed.

  “Thank you Srini,” I said smiling at Srini.

  “What else did you tell Nick about her?” Nate snarled at Srini.

  “There was nothing new that I was telling him, Srini said smiling.

  “I was so glad to find out that the girl that was my friend was still around,” Nick said softly.

  “Am I the only one who has a problem with this whole thing?” Nate asked annoyed leaving the living room and went into her room.

  “Nate,” I said getting up from the loveseat, but Srini signaled me to stay and said winking at me, “I got this, she is my fiancée now.”