Boxset: Destiny Decides.. & Destiny Embraces..

by P. G. Van

  I blushed and said, “She asked me if I was pregnant.”

  Nick smiled and asked looking into my eyes, “Are you, my love?”

  “Nick, stop behaving like Nate,” I ridiculed.

  Nick laughed, and I felt the fumes come out of my ears and nostrils.

  “Are you angry, Sameera?” Nick asked in a teasing tone.

  I took a deep breath and realized Nick was playing with me to make me angry. I smiled feeling embarrassed at how I reacted to Nick’s simple question.

  Nick looked at me with affection in his eyes and said, “The idea of you being pregnant is very appealing.”

  I turned crimson and said almost in a whisper, “Stop it Nick.”

  “Do you not want kids Sameera?” Nick asked and caught me off guard.

  “I do…” My voice trailed off as I looked at Nick smiling at me with mischief in his eyes.

  “Nick, stop messing with me,” I warned him as I realized that he was pulling my leg.

  “Do you want kids, Nick?” I asked mocking him back.

  “Yes, I do, and I want them with you,” Nick said laughing and stretched out on the steps. I looked at him pressing my lips together and took a deep breath trying to calm myself down.

  “Come talk to me when you are done laughing,” I said and stood up to walk away from him.

  “Sameera, sweetheart. Come back,” Nick said sitting up on the steps as I walked towards the pool. I smiled to myself as I heard him grunt and get up to follow me. I turned to look back at him, and he smiled at me and winked.

  “You are still mocking me,” I said and picked up my pace to maintain more distance from him.

  “You have no clue how much fun it is to see you react to such things,” he said laughing.

  “Really?” I said turning around fuming at him and kept walking backwards.

  “Watch your step, Sameera,” Nick warned looking at my feet.

  “You are trying to divert the topic here, I am still angry,” I declared.

  “Are you angry because I want to have kids with you?” Nick asked his voice deep.

  I stopped walking, and he continued to walk towards me as I stood facing him looking at my feet.

  “Please don’t joke about such things, Nick,” I said my voice shaky.

  Nick walked to me slowly putting his arms around me and said in an intense voice, “I want three kids with you some day, and I am dead serious about it.”

  “Nick, please. Why do you make such statements?” I asked hugging him and he responded, “Because, I love you.”

  “Nick, I love you too, but it is overwhelming when you say things like that,” I said looking up at him.

  “Okay, I won’t talk about it again until you want to talk about it,” he promised and added, “For now, there is one thing I need to do for some cheap thrill.”

  I looked up at him puzzled as he reached down to swoop me up in his arms and asked, “Where is your phone?”

  “In my back pocket,” I said and asked, “Why do you ask?”

  “You might want to take it out and put it in my hand to prevent water damage,” Nick said laughing, and it was then I realized that he had carried me towards the pool and stopped at the edge of the pool.

  “Nick, what are you doing?” I asked horrified at the idea of being thrown into the cold water. I tightened my hold around his neck and clung to him closing my eyes.

  “Either you go into the water by yourself or I go in with you,” Nick whispered in my ear.

  “Nick, what are you doing?” I asked confused holding on to him.

  “Looks like we are both going into the water,” Nick said laughing.

  “Nikhil, stop it,” I commanded and opened my eyes and looked at him with anger in my eyes.

  “Ah, there is the fire,” Nick said laughing planting a kiss on my lips and added, “I love to see the fire in your eyes.”

  I looked at Nick with no expression on my face, and he gently put me down and looked at me with a sheepish smile.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Nick said reacting to my expressionless face.

  Nick stood in front of me with his back to the pool. I put my hands on his chest and said, “When you decide to throw someone into the pool, you don’t wait, you just need to do it.” I gathered up my strength to push him into the pool. I saw his eyes widen, and he let out a surprised groan as he went into the pool with his back first.

  Nick went into the pool with a big splash, and I heard him scream my name as he went in. I laughed uncontrollably and said, “That’s what you get for scaring the crap out of me.”

  Nick surfaced and looked at me pushing his wet hair back and wiping the water out of his eyes.

  “You are unbelievable,” Nick said laughing as he climbed out of the pool.

  I laughed and looked at him as he squeezed the excess water from his clothes and started walking back towards me.

  “Are you cold, baby?” I teased.

  “Yes, I am. I am sure you would like to experience the water too,” Nick said with mischief in his eyes.

  “No,” I squealed and started running away from him laughing like a seven year old. I felt Nick catching up with me and turned back to look at him. As I continued to run from him, the next step I took was on a patch of dry leaves layered with just the right amount of moisture. I felt my ankle twist, and I let out a cry of pain as I went flat on the green grass sliding on the moist grass.

  “Sameera,” I heard Nick’s voice and a few seconds later, he was kneeling down next to me visibly freaked out.

  “I am so sorry baby, are you okay?” Nick asked his voice trembling.

  “Nick, I am okay,” I said sitting up and added, “I just slipped on that lovely little patch of leaves.”

  Nick dusted off the leaves from my clothes and stood up. He took my hand and pulled me up into his arms. I looked up at him and said smiling, “How was the pool darling?”

  Nick laughed holding me in his arms and said, “Oh we would have set the pool on fire if you had joined me,” and added shivering, “and now I am cold.”

  “Let’s go shower,” he said, and I took one step with the foot that I had slipped on and let out a cry as an unbearable pain shot through my ankle. Nick caught me as I was collapsing to the ground and pulled me into his arms.

  “Sameera, I think you twisted your ankle,” he said reaching for my phone from my back pocket and dialed a number.

  “Are you calling 911?” I asked surprised.

  He ignored my question and spoke into the phone, “Raj, I need Mishra in the family room in ten minutes.”

  “Sameera, please hold still,” Nick said as he swooped me into his arms again and started walking towards the multilevel deck. He walked up the steps with ease and walked to the covered patio to a set of double glass doors. He made me punch in a code on the sidewall and opened the door to reveal a beautiful sunroom with modern seating in a relaxing setup. He set me down on the chaise in the room and said, “I’ll be right back, please stay put.”

  Nick was back in a minute with a bag of ice. He wrapped a thin towel around the ice bag and placed it on my tender ankle. I felt the cold cut through the pain that was building up.

  “Sameera, Nick, what is going on?” Nick’s mom walked into the sunroom from the family room looking shocked.

  “Good morning Mrs. B,” I said smiling at her.

  “Guys, what is happening and Nick, why are your clothes drenched?” she asked opening the linen closet and giving him a towel.

  “Long story Ma,” Nick said laughing and added, “Raj and Mishra should be here in the next few minutes.”

  “Why is Mishra coming?” she asked looking at me worried, “Sameera, are you okay?”

  “I think so Mrs. B,” I said looking at Nick icing my ankle.

  “Good morning everyone,” Nick’s dad said walking into the sunroom and asked curiously, “What is all the commotion about?”

  “Good Morning Mr. B,” I said and Nick followed with a “He
y, Dad.”

  “Nick, did you forget to change before getting into the pool?” Nick’s dad asked laughing.

  Nick looked at me and said to his dad, “Something like that Dad.”

  “Something doesn’t add up,” Nick’s mom said looking at Nick and then she looked at me and asked, “Sameera, what happened?”

  I blushed and looked at Nick. He looked back at me challenging me to speak up. I looked at his mom and said, “I pushed Nick into the pool, and when I was trying to flee from him, I slipped and fell.”

  “Nick,” his dad laughed out loud and said cheerfully, “You finally got a taste of your own medicine. Good Job Sameera. You are the right one for him.”

  “Stop it Neel, she is in pain,” Nick’s mom said to Nick’s dad and added, “Neel, can you go get her a pain killer, please?”

  Nick’s dad nodded, and he left promptly to get some medications.

  “Ma, we should hold off on the meds,” Nick interrupted and said, “Mishra will be here any minute now, and we can give Sameera medication at that point.”

  ‘Sameera, can I get you some Chai?” Nick’s mom asked me looking at Nick and said, “Do you mind changing Nick, I don’t want you falling sick?”

  “I’ll be fine, Ma,” Nick dismissed her advice.

  “Nick, please go change,” I urged and added, “and I will ice my ankle by myself.”

  “Not happening, just relax,” Nick said looking at me and asked whispering, “Where did you get the strength to push me into the pool?”

  I laughed and asked teasing him, “Did you not notice how graceful I was when I did that?”

  “Nick,” I heard a male voice in the family room.

  “In here, Raj,” Nick called out to Raj and a few seconds later a woman in her early thirties wearing pajamas and carrying a black case came into the sunroom with a man in his late twenties right behind her.

  “Nick, seriously?” the woman said annoyed and added, “Raj didn’t even let me change, what is going on?”

  As she walked towards Nick, she saw me lying on the chaise and said, “Oh my, is this Sameera?”

  “Yes,” Nick said, “You can chat with her later, please check her ankle Mishra.”

  “Hi, Sameera,” she said and added, “I am Dr. Anu Mishra, and I happen to be friends with Nick, and I am paying for it.”

  “Hi, Dr. Mishra. Thank you for coming at such short notice,” I said looking at her.

  “My pleasure and please call me Anu,” she insisted.

  Anu spent the next few minutes applying pressure at different spots on my ankle to check the damage. She finally diagnosed my ankle as sprained and said I should not be putting any weight on my ankle. She sprayed my ankle with some kind of pain numbing medication and wrapped some kinesio tape around it.

  “Please do not put any weight on your foot for a day, and you should be good to go,” Anu said smiling at me.

  Anu looked at Nick and said, “Your girlfriend’s ankle is twisted, your clothes are dripping water, and it’s barely seven on a Saturday morning.”

  Nick laughed and said, “You know how I am.”

  “Sameera, I am very glad that I got to finally meet you. Please call me if your pain increases, and we might need an x-ray at that point,” Anu said gathering her stuff and putting them back in her bag.

  “Raj, take Mishra home please,” Nick said to Raj who was standing quietly by the door.

  Nick walked towards Anu to give her a hug and she put her hand out to stop him and said laughing, “I get it, I don’t want my clothes to get wet. You are welcome.”

  “You are the best, Mishra,” Nick said smiling as she walked out of the sunroom.

  “Nick, please go change. I am worried that you will fall sick,” I begged and added, “Let’s go home.”

  Nick smiled at me and said, “Get comfortable Sameera. We are not going anywhere until the swelling on your ankle goes down.”

  *****

  Nick moved me to the guest bedroom, and I camped out there for the morning. Nick showered in the guest bathroom and came out of the bathroom wearing just his shorts as Raj brought in breakfast for Nick and me.

  “Raj, it is so good to meet you finally. Please join us for breakfast,” I said cheerfully.

  “Same here, Sameera. I have heard so much about you that I feel like I have known you for years,” Raj said smiling.

  Raj stayed for a few more minutes but did not join us for breakfast. I called Nate after Raj left to talk to her and had to tell her about our incident earlier that day.

  "Nate, I am fine," I said trying to calm her down on the phone.

  "How did it happen? It’s not like you to slip and fall," Nate said laughing.

  "I was distracted," I said smiling and looked at Nick who was sitting across from me his legs stretched out on the ottoman looking at his phone. The doctor instructed that I keep my leg propped up so I had my foot on the ottoman next to Nick’s feet.

  “Meera, what do you mean you were distracted?” Nate asked not letting go.

  I took a deep breath and said, “I pushed Nick into the pool, and he came out chasing me, and I was running away from him and fell.”

  “You did what?” Nate said and laughed uncontrollably, and I started laughing too. Nick looked up and rolled his eyes.

  “I know. It was so much fun Nate,” I said making a face at Nick.

  Nick stood up leaning forward and in a swift move, he grabbed the phone from my hand and said to Nate smiling, “Nethra, you guys are having too much fun at my expense. Wait till I throw your baby sister into the water.”

  Nick talked to Nate for a few more minutes giving her the details of my injury and the plan for the weekend.

  “You are welcome to stop by anytime,” he said to Nate and added, “See you soon,” and turned off the phone and gave it back to me.

  “Is Nate coming here?” I asked looking at Nick as he sat down on the floor next to me and rested his head on my knee.

  “They might stop by later,” Nick said putting his arms around my leg.

  “Nick, get off the floor and sit on the chair,” I said softly.

  Nick looked at me and said, “I am sorry I made you fall and get hurt.”

  “Nick, stop it,” I said and added between peals of laughter, “It was so much fun pushing you into the pool. Any amount of pain is no match for the thrill I got when I saw you splash into the water.”

  “My pleasure,” he said smiling and running his fingers through his hair.

  I looked at Nick and said, “You did scare the crap out of me though.”

  Nick laughed and I said, “I was shocked and was starting to wonder if you had a split personality.”

  “What?” Nick said looking at me with a shocked expression and asked, “For teasing you and faking that I would throw you into the pool?”

  “Well, it was a combination of things,” I said running my fingers through his hair as he rested his head on my knee again.

  “I got what I wanted,” he said looking up at me with a grin on his face.

  “What did you get?” I asked surprised.

  “I got you to look at me like you would rip my face off,” he said laughing and standing up to stretch.

  “Not funny, Nick. I was scared. I thought you had a dark side to you,” I said glaring at him.

  “Not funny. I agree,” Nick said putting his palms flat on the arm rests of my chair bringing his lips to my lips and said against my lips, “but beautiful.” I pulled my lips back slightly and looked into his eyes with a quizzical expression.

  He pressed his lips against my cheek and as he traced my jawline with his lips, he said, “Flashy dark eyes spitting desire, flaring nostrils that set my heart on fire, and your mandate of love, just beautiful.”

  I froze listening to his words and as my heart took a roller coaster ride, I put my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me and whispered, “I love you, Nick.”

  Nick put his hands around my waist lifting me off the heavy lea
ther chair and held me in his arms with my feet hanging in the air.

  “Nick,” I said finding my voice as he held me so tight that I could not breathe. He gently released me as he made me sit back in the leather chair. He carefully picked my injured foot up from the floor and placed it back on the ottoman. He stood up and gently pressed his lips against my forehead and said with frustration, “It’s so hard to keep my hands to myself.”

  “Nick, let’s go upstairs,” I asked him completely unrelated to the statement he had just made, and he looked at me in shock and asked, “Seriously?”

  I laughed and said, “Bad timing for the statement because that’s not what I meant. I want to go to your room and wait instead of taking over the guest bedroom.”

  Nick helped me to the elevator as I refused to let him carry me and led me to his wing of the massive mansion.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Sameera,” I heard a woman’s voice from the entrance that connected Nick’s wing to the main house.

  “In here,” I said looking towards the entrance of Nick’s bedroom in the family residence. Nick had gone downstairs to talk to his dad and had turned on the TV for my entertainment.

  Nick’s sister, Ann, walked gingerly towards the bedroom, her long beautiful hair pulled back in a high ponytail. She was wearing a cropped yoga pant and a snug fit t-shirt. It looked like she had just returned from the gym. She had the same build as Nate and looked very fit with a slender waist and a well-toned body.

  “Hi Ann, how are you?” I asked and started to get up.

  “Sameera, please don’t move,” she said smiling and walked towards the bed and asked, “How are you doing?”

  “I am fine. Nick is just freaking out a bit,” I said smiling.

  “It’s surprising to see him freak out that way,” she said smiling at me.

  I blushed and said, “Nick just went downstairs to talk to Mr. B.”

  “I know, I saw them in the study and decided to come check on you,” she winked and added, “and also get the scoop on what happened this morning.”

  I laughed and said, “It’s not that interesting, trust me.”

  “Oh no, you have to tell me,” she said almost whispering and added, “Sam and I have tried so hard to get something on Nick to get back at him.”