Boxset: Destiny Decides.. & Destiny Embraces..

by P. G. Van

“That’s a bit absurd, Nick,” I said shaking my head and asked, “So where did you see me after the farmers market?”

  Nick was about to answer but turned to look as we heard a car approaching us from behind. Nick smiled at me taking my hand in his and asked, “Ready to go?”

  “Wait, you haven’t answered my question,” I said and he responded with a wink, “Our ride is here, we can talk on the way home.”

  I turned around to see what Nick was talking about, and I realized that the car that pulled in a few minutes ago was actually the limo. Mitch and Raj got out of the limo. I had no idea what was happening as Nick helped me walk towards the limo and helped me settle down into the back seat.

  “Hang on one second, babe,” Nick said and closed the door.

  Nick handed the Range Rover keys to Raj, grabbed my bags from the back, and moved them to the limo. Nick hugged Mitch before getting into the limo and said something smiling at him.

  “So, what was your question?” Nick asked casually as if the car swap was a regular ordeal.

  “Nick, why are we in a limo now?” I asked utterly confused.

  “You said you wanted to be close to me, and I figured the limo is more comfortable for you,” he responded coolly.

  “I can’t believe I ruined Mitch’s weekend, and I double ruined Raj’s weekend twice in one day,” I said sounding dejected and asked, “What about your car?”

  “Raj is driving my car back to the estate,” Nick stated and added stretching my leg out to rest it on the side seat, “and for ruining their weekend you can give them a day off one of these days.”

  “Nick, how can I give them the day off?” I asked confused.

  “You can, if you stay indoors with me all day,” he teased pressing his lips to mine.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Dad, this is amazing,” Nate enthused as we sat down for dinner in one of the finest restaurants in San Francisco.

  “I know, it’s so hard to find a table, and you managed to get the private room for dinner on a Friday night,” I added my voice filled with excitement.

  “Girls, I cannot take any credit for this,” my stepdad said smiling and added, “One of my patients said they made a reservation for us as I was in town, and I had no clue it was a private room.”

  “Wow, that is so sweet of them, Dad,” I said looking at my mom and added. “Ma, looks like Dad is a celebrity around here.”

  “Are they going to join us Dad?” Nate asked and my stepdad said that they would stop by for a few minutes.

  Nick and I had not talked or seen each other in over twenty-four hours, and it was killing me that he could not join us for dinner. Nate was totally fine with Nick joining us for dinner, but I wanted my mom and stepdad to spend some quality time with Srini.

  “Srini, are you okay?” I asked whispering as he was awfully quiet.

  “Meera, I am not. I am dining with my future in-laws, and I am freaking out,” Srini said, his voice unstable and complained, “I wish Nick were here for support and you didn’t want him.”

  “Srini, this is about you and Nate, and my parents need to spend time with their future son-in-law.”

  Srini smiled and said, “I am glad you joined us for dinner or else I would have completely freaked out.” Srini’s phone beeped at that moment, and he excused himself to check his messages. I turned my attention to the conversation my parents and Nate were having about the jewelry that Nate would need for the wedding. I rolled my eyes and whispered to my mom and dad, “Can you guys talk to your future son-in-law and stop discussing jewelry?”

  Nate giggled as everyone turned his or her attention to Srini who surprisingly seemed to be completely at ease. I smiled feeling happy that I was able to put him at ease.

  The wedding location was the next big topic, and it was decided the wedding was going to be in India as both Srini’s and our families were in India and weddings are so much more fun when everyone can attend.

  “Excuse me girls,” my stepdad said as he pulled out his phone to take a phone call.

  “Dr. Naidu here,” he said answering his phone and spoke briefly and said, “My patient’s family is here.”

  “Are they staying for dinner Dad?” I asked not entirely thrilled with strangers crashing our family dinner.

  “They indicated that they had plans for dinner so they might just be here for a few minutes,” my dad said smiling.

  “Srini, you are still the star of the night,” I teased, smiling at him.

  Srini smiled and mocked, “Not for long, Meera.”

  “What are you talking about Srini? Are you feeling nervous again?” I asked and before Srini could respond, I saw my stepdad stand up to receive his guests. Nate and I were sitting with our backs to the door of the private room, and we both turned to look at our stepdad’s guests. I heard Nate squeal in surprise as I felt the blood drain from my face. I sat in my chair in a frozen state as Nate jumped out of her chair to hug Nick who had walked into the dining room with his mom and dad. Nick hugged Nate and looked at me smiling playfully. I would have never guessed in a million years that Mrs. B was my stepdad’s patient.

  “Nethra, do you know the Bhatia family?” my stepdad asked smiling at her.

  “Yes, Dad,” Nate said jumping with joy and added looking at me, “We all do, especially Meera.”

  Srini and Nick started laughing, and I finally came back to my senses and managed to stand up to look at Nick’s parents and said smiling, “It’s good to see you Mr. and Mrs. B.” I leaned over to give Mrs. B a hug as Mr. B sat down in the chair next to my stepdad. After the initial round of pleasantries, Nate said beaming, “Mom and Dad, this is Nick, Meera’s Nick,” and I saw my mom’s face light up as he walked towards her.

  “Nikhil!!” she said, her voice filled with amazement as Nick hugged my mom and said, “It’s so good to see you Dr. Vaasi.”

  “Same here, Nikhil. It’s been such a long time,” my mom said affectionately touching his cheek with her palm, and added smiling, “and I am Dr. Swaminath now.”

  Nick shook hands with my stepdad and finally came around to sit next to me. He leaned over and planted a kiss on my cheek and whispered, “This is the destiny you were talking about, Sameera,” and added smiling, “I had nothing to do with this meeting.”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Bhatia, you should absolutely join us for dinner now that we have more than the doctor-patient relationship,” my stepdad said smiling and looked at Nick and me.

  “This is just surreal,” Nate stated and asked my stepdad, “How do you know Nick’s parents, Dad?”

  “Mrs. Bhatia is my patient, sweetie,” he said looking at Nate and added, “The hospital I worked for when we were here requested that I perform the surgery for Mrs. Bhatia last year. I have been partnering with her cardiologist to monitor her progress.”

  “Nick, I cannot believe that you, of all people, could not connect the dots,” Nick’s dad teased him.

  Nick smiled and said, “I can’t believe that either Dad,” and continued, “I had to text Srini to confirm that we were talking about the same family when you said we were meeting mom’s doctor from Dallas.”

  My stepdad laughed and said, “The complication with Indian names I guess. The girls and Sunitha chose to take my first name as their last name and caused all the confusion.”

  I was overwhelmed with the discovery of this new connection and what it meant to Nick’s and my relationship. I could see devotion for my stepdad in Nick’s and his dad’s eyes, and Mrs. B and my mom were bonding over jewelry, and all things related to a wedding. I took a deep breath not to let the pressure get to me; the pressure to make sure nothing went wrong with Nick’s and my relationship as there were now more than two people who would be impacted by our relationship. I slowly looked up from my hands and saw that Nick, his dad, and my stepdad were deep in a conversation, Nick’s mom and my mom were admiring the artwork in the private dining room, and Srini and Nate were engrossed in their own lovey-dovey stuff. I decided to step ou
t of the dining room to get my thoughts organized and excused myself to step out of the private dining room. A waiter was standing right outside the door and he looked at me smiling and asked, “How can I help you miss?”

  “Which way is the restroom?” I asked smiling back at him.

  “The common and the bigger restrooms are upstairs but there is a powder room down the hallway to your left,” he said pointing me to the powder room that seemed to be exclusive for the private dining room. I thanked the waiter, headed into the powder room, and closed the door behind me. I stood with my back to the door and took a few deep breaths. I played back the series of events that happened earlier that night. The dinner that was supposed to be nerve racking for Srini ended up being that way for me. I wondered what the odds were that my stepdad who was a cardiologist in Texas to have a patient in California and that patient being Nick’s mom? I shook my head in disbelief and ran my fingers through my hair.

  A few seconds later, I heard a light knock on the door of the powder room and heard Nick, “Sameera, are you in there?”

  I opened the door without responding to his question and stepped back as he came into the powder room and locked the door. I immediately put my arms around him and rested my cheek on his chest. I could hear his heart pounding like mine through the soft sports jacket that he had on that night. Nick put his arms around me stroking my upper back in an effort to comfort me.

  “Nick, this is crazy,” I confessed as a shiver went through my spine and he echoed my emotion in a deep voice and said, “I know. I did not see this coming.”

  Nick tightened his arms around me and said laughing, “This is actually good because our parents seem to be getting along really well. That means we don’t need to worry like Srini and Nate wondering if the parents would get along or kill each other.”

  I laughed and nodded in agreement and when our laughter subsided, I asked looking up at him, “Nick, what does this mean for our relationship?”

  “It just means that we are no longer an independent couple and there are families involved in our relationship,” Nick said in a flat voice, and added, “and I have mixed feelings about that.”

  “Me too,” I said and paused before asking in a weak voice, “Is this really destiny, Nick?”

  Nick planted a kiss on my forehead and said, “I don’t know baby, but it feels like there is something more than our love that has been working on bringing us together, and I want to know what it is.”

  “That’s destiny, Nick,” I said smiling at him.

  “I have to agree,” Nick said hugging me.

  “We should we go back,” I said and he responded smiling, “Yes, we should before they start cooking up stories about us.”

  “Let’s go back and make sure the focus is on Nate and Srini this evening,” I said feeling mischievous. Nick laughed and said, “Lead the way, my love.”

  *****

  “Mom, our apartment never smelled so good,” I said to my mom walking into the kitchen and hugging her.

  “I wish I had some basic spices to add to the chicken curry,” my mom complained and said, “It’s like you girls don’t live here anymore.”

  I started laughing, and Nate almost choked on her green tea. My mom looked at the two of us and asked in surprise, “Did you girls move in with your boyfriends already?”

  “Ma, Srini is technically my fiancée, Meera moved in with Nick in his fancy San Francisco apartment,” Nate said abruptly.

  “Oh, thanks for throwing me under the bus Nate,” I said glaring at her.

  Nate looked at me apologetically and my mom said in a calm voice, “As long as you feel that Nick is the right guy for you, I am not concerned Meera.”

  “Nick is absolutely the right guy for Meera,” Nate said with excitement and added, “and you and dad need to get ready for another wedding in the family.”

  “Nate, stop it. You are being ridiculous now,” I said annoyed at her comments.

  “Meera, why are you reacting that way?” My mom asked looking at me.

  “Ma, it’s too soon. Nick and I have been together for less than a few months,” I said in a calm voice.

  “I don’t think there is a perfect time for anything, Meera,” my mom said smiling and asked, “Don’t you think Nick is perfect for you?”

  “Yes, Ma,” I said raising my voice and surprising Nate and my mom and continued in my elevated voice, “everything is perfect and the last time everything was perfect, Dad had an accident and our lives were shattered. I brace myself every second for another disaster because I somehow can’t hold on to anything that is dear to my heart,” and burst out crying. I saw my mom’s and Nate’s shell shocked expressions as I buried my face in my palms.

  My stepdad rushed into the kitchen from the bedroom in response to my high-tension voice and asked, “Girls, what is happening?”

  He saw me sobbing, my mom and Nate in tears rooted to their spots, and came to me to put his arms around me.

  “Meera, what happened sweetie?” he asked his voice shaking. He guided me to sit at the dining table directing my mom and Nate to take a seat at the table and asked me again, “Meera, are you going to talk to me?”

  I nodded and put my arms around my stepdad and said between sobs, “I love Nick and I cannot think of being with anyone else, but I am worried something terrible is going to happen.”

  “This is not the Meera I know. You were the one that took care of your mom and sister and look at them, they have no idea how to console you,” my stepdad said boosting my confidence.

  “I am sorry for yelling at you guys,” I said looking at my mom and Nate through teary eyes.

  “They will be fine,” my stepdad said consoling me and added, “Just because something bad happened sometime in the past, it doesn’t mean it will happen again.”

  “I know but,” I said and paused looking at my stepdad’s expression.

  “Srini and Nick will be here in an hour, and you can’t be seen this way. It would break their hearts,” my stepdad said urging us to come out of our sorrowful state.

  “Sorry, Dad, Mom, and Nate. I started all this,” I said apologetically.

  “It’s okay sweetie, I think they will be fine,” my stepdad said realizing that my mom and Nate were in no position to say much.

  I stood up and left the kitchen area to get ready for lunch and to pull myself together before Nick arrived at the apartment. My stepdad was absolutely right, it would have devastated Nick if he had heard what I spewed out of my mouth a few minutes ago.

  I showered and put on a crepe tank top with a light cardigan and pulled on dark jeans. I was drying my hair in the bathroom when the bathroom door opened slowly, and I jumped when I saw Nick standing at the door. I turned off the blow dryer and literally ran into his arms. Nick put one arm around my lower back and the other around my shoulders and held me against him until my heartbeat and my breathing were no longer rapid.

  “Are you okay, love?” Nick asked nuzzling my hair.

  “Now I am,” I said looking up at him and asked, “Who told you?”

  “My information goddess will never let me down,” he said smiling and planted a kiss on my lips. I smiled and put my cheek on his chest and asked, “Is that why you got here this early?”

  “Yes, she was really worried and texted me,” Nick said rocking me in his arms and asked in a gentle voice, “Do we need to talk now?”

  I shook my head without looking at him and said, “I want to go home after my parents leave tonight. Can you please come get me from the airport?”

  “Absolutely, babe,” Nick said laughing and added, “I can’t wait to have you back. I need to go now to give my information goddess a hug and then talk to your dad.”

  “I’ll be out in a few,” I said cheerfully as Nick left the bathroom. I smiled to myself after he left and wondered why nothing in this world ever mattered when he was around and as soon as I was away from him the smallest of the smallest worries ended up magnified. I turned off the blow dr
yer and spent a few minutes to put on some eye makeup before I went back into the living area.

  My mom and Nate were in the living room on the couch watching TV and they looked calm. I walked up to them gingerly and when they looked up at me at once, I smiled and asked, “Are you guys still mad at me?”

  “No,” they both said in unison, and I went to my mom first to give her a hug, then sat next to Nate and hugged her.

  “Thanks for texting Nick, Nate,” I said planting a kiss on her cheek.

  “My babies,” my mom said cheerfully and added, ‘I am so glad you have each other here.”

  “I know Ma, I don’t know what I would have done without Nate,” I said to my mom looking at Nate and Nate put her arm around me and said, “Same here. Meera is my pillar of strength.”

  “Really, Sis? Even after the drama in the kitchen?” I asked teasing her.

  “Of course, you needed to let that out of your system so you could feel better,” Nate said looking at me and added with a wink, “plus, now that Nick knows, it’s really his problem to deal with your drama.”

  All three of us burst into laughter, and I suddenly realized that the men were missing in action.

  “Where are the boys and dad?” I asked looking at my mom.

  “On the balcony,” Nate said pointing towards the three men that were in deep conversation.”

  “Why are you guys sitting here then? Are we not going to join them?” I asked surprised.

  “We were asked to stay here, the men wanted to talk,” Nate said sounding annoyed.

  “What, that’s really absurd,” I said sounding just like Nate.

  “Girls, it’s okay. Srini and Nick wanted to talk to your dad in private,” my mom said getting off the couch and walking into the kitchen and added, “The biryani is ready for whoever would like to eat.”

  “Yay, I’ll eat,” I said with excitement and got off the couch.

  “I am going to wait for Srini,” Nate said looking out at the balcony at Srini and said with urgency in her voice, “Meera and Mom, come here fast and look.”

  My mom and I rushed back to where Nate was standing looking towards the balcony. What we saw happen in the balcony was odd and weird in every way. My stepdad was standing holding Nick’s hands looking very emotional and was being consoled by Srini.