by P. G. Van
I glowered at him and turned to walk away from him. Nick reached out and took my hand in a quick movement. I felt his fingertips dig into my arm as he yanked me back towards him.
“Nick, what is wrong with you?” I asked as I crashed into his chest with his arm around me holding me to him.
He looked into my eyes with rage in his eyes and said, “I need to be asking you that question, Sameera.”
My skin crawled with anxiety and fear when I saw the anger in his eyes. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and reached up to place my palm on his cheek and said, “Nick, baby. If I did something wrong, you need to tell me what that is because I have no idea why you are throwing a fit.”
Nick took my hand in his pulling my palm away from his cheek and said, “What was the need to go out of your way to meet your ex?”
I felt the punch from his question in my stomach and winced internally when I realized that Nick was upset about me meeting Sanjay. I looked at him and wondered if all the anger and drama was a manifestation of pure jealousy or something else.
“Nick, is that what you are upset about?” I asked with surprise in my voice.
“Yes, and the fact that you didn’t go there to punch him in the face,” Nick said through clenched teeth.
“Nick, please calm down,” I said taking my palms to his cheeks.
“Sameera, this is the guy who tried to...” his voice trailed off. He took a deep breath as his eyes blazed with sheer rage and added, “And you still went to see him.”
“Nick, I know but I cannot hold on to the grudge forever,” I said in a calm voice.
“Yes, I agree. You talked to him when you ran into him. That was enough for a moron like him, and there was no need for you to go meet him after work,” he snapped.
“Nick, why are you so upset about this?” I asked not understanding what was really bothering him.
He looked at me with fire spitting from his eyes and said, “I am upset because you did not tell me that you were meeting your ex.”
I realized at that point that I had always referred to Sanjay as ‘my ex’ and never once mentioned his name to Nick. I looked at him wondering how he knew about Sanjay when it did not occur to him that he was my ex when I had texted about meeting him earlier that day.
I took a deep breath and said, “I am sorry I did not give you that detail but how do you know if I didn’t tell you it was him?”
“It doesn’t matter. You should have told me that you are meeting your ex,” Nick declared fuming at me.
“Nick, what difference would it have made if I had told you that I was meeting my ex?” I challenged him.
“I thought you were meeting a friend from college. I would not have let you meet the animal that hurt you so badly,” Nick said in a stern voice.
“Nick, it is up to me if I choose to meet him or not. I knew it was important for me to meet him so I chose to meet him after work,” I said in a surprisingly bold voice in spite of the turmoil of emotions that I was dealing with internally.
“No, it’s not up to you, and I would not have allowed you to meet that idiot if I had known sooner. I can’t think of any ridiculously important reason for you to meet him,” Nick said in an elevated voice.
It was at that point I realized that Nick’s anger was a manifestation of jealousy, possessiveness, and his overly protective nature and most importantly, the loss of control he felt over the situation. I took a deep breath fighting back tears of anger and said in a calm voice, “I am sorry I upset you by not telling you, but the reason I went to see him was you, and it looks like you are in no position to understand why.”
I turned on my heel leaving Nick standing in the roof garden and went straight to the exercise studio in the gym. I looked out of the glass doors at the endless greenery as my eyes filled with tears. I could not bear the fact that Nick was angry and upset with me. I stood in the center of the studio hugging myself as I continued to sob quietly. I took a deep breath and told myself that I needed to face his anger and reason with him, but I knew I needed to calm down and get a grip over my emotions first.
I pulled my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans and turned on the songs on the playlist for my classical dance songs. I closed the studio door and connected to the Bluetooth speakers. I stood in the center of the studio and started with the prayer to Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. I continued to move around the studio to match the tempo of the songs ringing in my ears.
I let the dance moves shatter the anger that had built up and the sculpted moves soothe the pain in my heart. As I continued to get lost in the rhythm of the classical music, my mind went into a state of nirvana, while my body fought back with exhaustion. I collapsed to the floor in a prayer pose when the last song ended and stayed in the pose looking down at the floor while I steadied my breathing.
Tears of anger and pain were now tears of joy running down my cheek as I realized the importance of the art form in my life. I sent a silent prayer and thanked my dad for getting me started with the classical dance.
“Meera, that was amazing,” Nick’s mom said from the studio entrance.
I looked up at her in shock and surprise through the salt-water screen in my eyes, as I had not realized that she was watching me.
She saw the tears run down my cheek and came to me and asked in a concerned tone, “Meera, Is everything okay, sweetie?”
I put my arms around her and said, “I am okay, mom. Thanks for being here for me.”
“What happened?” she asked as she wiped the moisture off my cheeks.
I shook my head and said, “It’s nothing. I am fine now.”
“How many times do I have to ask you before you fess up to me,” Nick’s mom said without giving up.
I smiled at her loving face and said in a soft voice, “Nick is upset with me, and I am just not able to stomach that.”
“Oh, Meera. Ignore him. These guys can be very childish sometimes so give him some time to come to his senses,” Nick’s mom said smiling at me. I smiled weakly and did not say anything.
“Ignore him and go pack for your trip. Don’t you have to meet your friends tomorrow morning?” Nick’s mom reminded me when I had completely forgotten about the reunion.
“Yes, but I am wondering if I should go. I feel like I need to stay and address the situation with Nick,” I said in a shaky voice.
“You will do no such thing, Meera. You need to spend time away from your loved ones from time to time for the love to grow. He will have forgotten everything about why he was upset by the time you come back on Sunday morning,” Nick’s mom said in a firm voice.
I nodded in agreement and went back upstairs to our private wing. Nick wasn’t in the roof garden or in the house, but the strong smell of the cigarette smoke lingered in the living room.
I took a deep breath and clenched my teeth when I realized that he was smoking in the roof garden to tick me off when he knew very well how I felt about smoking and the reaction I had to cigarette smoke. I acknowledged that Nick’s mom was absolutely right about needing time away from each other to cool off as I pulled out my overnight bag to pack for the two-day trip with my friends.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I woke up on Friday morning alone in bed. Nick was away last night and nowhere in sight that morning. I looked at my phone and noticed that the message light was blinking. Nick had sent me a message.
Nick: I am going out of town for a day trip. Mitch will take you to Napa and he will be ready to go at nine.
I felt sick to my stomach when I saw that message. I was ticked off at the guy who loved me and remembered about my plans in spite of our argument yesterday. I felt worse when I realized that he had sent that message at four in the morning.
I responded to his message.
Me: I love you, Nick.
I waited minutes and then an hour and there was no response from him. I figured he was still pissed off at me, and I hoped that we would be back to talking terms when I got back on S
unday.
I went downstairs a few minutes before nine with my overnight bag to find Nick’s mom and PammiMa enjoying their morning tea.
“Are you all set to go, Meera?” Nick’s mom asked as I approached them.
“Yes, I am. You guys be good while I am away,” I teased as I hugged the elderly women.
“Have fun, and Mitch has the limo pulled up in the front. You should go out through the main entrance,” Nick’s mom called out as I headed towards the elevator to go to the garage.
I rolled my eyes when I realized that Nick had meant in the limo when he said Mitch was going to be driving to Napa.
“Bye mom, bye PammiMa,” I called out as I headed out the main door to find Mitch waiting for me looking very professional as always in his dark suit.
“Good morning, Mitch,” I said cheerfully as Mitch held the door open for me.
“Good morning, Ms. Nick,” Mitch said in a cool tone as he took my overnight bag from me.
“Sorry about making you work this weekend Mitch,” I said as I got into the back seat.
“Not a problem, Ms. Nick,” Mitch smiled and closed the door.
Our plan was to spend a night in the wine country and then head back to San Francisco and spend Saturday night clubbing. I wasn’t really in the mood for partying, but I wanted to see my friends. Chloe and Nishi were flying in from southern California, and Rhea and I were here in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Chloe and Nishi were my best friends from undergrad, and Rhea and I were thicker friends as we ended up going to the same grad school also. These girls were the only ones to call me Sam instead of Meera or Sameera. This was our first reunion after Nick came back into my life, and I knew I would be tormented with a million questions.
I smiled as I called Rhea on my way to pick her up from her place.
“Sam, where are you?” Rhea asked with excitement.
“I am ten minutes out. Are you all set to go?” I asked laughing at her excitement.
“Are you sure you want to bring your new car all the way to Napa? I can bring mine if you don’t feel like driving.” Rhea asked sounding concerned.
“Don’t worry about it, and you will know soon why I am saying that,” I chuckled.
“Ok, see you soon.” Rhea said and hung up.
I looked at my phone and Nick had not replied to my message. I wondered if he was busy or just not responding to my message.
Mitch pulled up in front of Rhea’s house and held the door open for Rhea as she came out of her house. I saw her jaw drop when she saw the stretch limo in front of her driveway.
I laughed looking at her expression as Mitch took her overnight bag from her when she got into the limo.
“What? A limo?” she asked in surprise.
“Not my idea,” I said putting my arms around her.
“Chloe and Nishi are going to tease you to death when they see the limo, but I think this is very cool. Your boyfriend, I mean your husband, is very cool,” Rhea said with excitement.
I smiled at her and silently checked my phone to see if Nick had sent me a message. I took a deep breath realizing that I was going to be with my friends in person, but my heart longed to be with the man I loved. The man who was pissed off at me and yet thought about making sure I wasn’t driving around for miles.
“So, what’s the plan? Is Mitch going to come back to pick us up tomorrow from Napa?” Rhea asked interrupting my thoughts.
“I think so and that means poor Mitch has to drive back and forth from Napa a couple of times over the next few days,” I said looking at Mitch.
“Yes, that’s true,” Rhea agreed.
“Mitch, are you sure you will be fine driving back and forth to Napa in two days?” I called out to him.
“Ms. Nick, the limo will be at your disposal all weekend. I have been instructed to be your EP for the weekend,” Mitch said in a flat voice.
“What?” Rhea asked not believing her ears as I smiled at Mitch’s statement.
I rolled my eyes and said smiling, “Rhea, this is the Nick Bhatia’s language so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t understand. Mitch is saying that he will be staying in Napa overnight and will not be driving back and forth.”
“What’s an EP?” Rhea asked puzzled.
I laughed and said, “EP stands for executive protection.”
Rhea looked at me with a blank expression and asked, “You mean Mitch is our bodyguard?” I smiled and nodded.
“That is very cool. I feel like a celebrity, Sam,” Rhea said giggling and added, “Nick is such a great guy. I am so happy for you Sam. I knew you guys were meant to be together when I saw him for the first time at the photo shoot.”
“Yeah, he is great, but he is royally ticked off at me for meeting Sanjay for coffee yesterday,” I said scrunching my nose.
“You did what?” Rhea asked in shock and said, “He should be pissed off at you.”
“C’mon, Rhea. I had to meet him for closure. I endured too much pain for too long, and I needed to make sure that I no longer felt that way,” I clarified and added, “I needed to give Sanjay that closure too. I needed him to know that I was happily married to Nick.”
“I hate it when you have a point, but Nick has every right to be pissed off at you,” Rhea whined.
“I do see why he was upset last night. I can’t wait to be back on Sunday,” I said smiling at her.
“Sam, we need you to be present and not lost in your own thoughts,” Rhea warned, and I nodded smiling at her.
As expected, the southern California girls were surprised when Rhea and I sprang out of the stretch-limo at the airport. Nishi and Chloe teased me mercilessly about picking them up in a limo.
The four of us chatted endlessly as Mitch drove us to our destination a couple of hours away from the San Francisco International Airport. We had rented a two-bedroom cottage with a hot tub. The cottage had a good collection of wine from the local wineries. We settled into the cottage and had lunch at a local restaurant.
After lunch, we went from one winery to another tasting the different wines. I kept checking my phone for messages from Nick, and when I did not see a reply from him at five in the afternoon, I debated if I should call him but decided against disturbing him when he was away on a business trip.
“Mitch, where is Nick now? Do you know?” I asked as we got out at the last winery for the day.
“I can definitely find out for you Ms. Nick,” Mitch said pulling out his phone.
I thanked him and followed the girls to load up on more wine like we didn’t have enough already.
“Nick is still at the construction site in Redondo Beach and has been in meetings all day, Ms. Nick,” Mitch said softly as if he knew I was waiting for Nick to respond to my message and added, “He will fly back from LAX later tonight or first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks Mitch,” I said and added smiling, “Please take us back to the cottage before we lose control of these girls.”
Mitch dropped us off at the cottage a little after six and told us that he was going to have food delivered to the cottage for dinner.
“Mitch, you are so thoughtful,” I said to Mitch and asked out of curiosity, “Mitch, have you made arrangements for staying overnight?”
“Yes, Ms. Nick. I have a reservation for one of the smaller cottages. I will be ready whenever you ladies are ready to start your day tomorrow,” Mitch said smiling at me.
I realized that I had not thought for one second what Nick was planning when he asked me for the address of the cottage that we had rented for our stay in the wine country.
It was past one-thirty by the time we finally decided to go to bed so we could head back to San Francisco after breakfast for a relaxing lunch and prep for a night of partying.
*****
“Sam, wake up,” Rhea said shaking me awake.
“Rhea, stop it. What time is it?” I asked pulling the sheets over my head.
“I don’t know what time it is, but you need to wak
e up so you stop chanting Nick’s name in your sleep,” Rhea said sounding annoyed.
“Sorry, did I talk all night?” I asked as I rolled to my side to look at her.
“I am sure the wine blocked out your sleep talking for most of the night. I only started hearing you talk in the last thirty minutes,” Rhea said smiling at me and added teasing me, “Stop worrying about Nick. Think about the amazing make-up sex you can have tomorrow.”
I laughed and checked my phone. It was almost seven in the morning and still no message from Nick. I almost dialed his phone number, but then held back as I wasn’t sure if he was back from LA.
I typed a message telling him that I missed him but fumed at him virtually and deleted the message before I hit send.
I got out of bed and said, “It’s almost seven. Let’s go wake up the SoCal girls,” I said with a wink.
“Sam, I am sorry I woke you and now Chloe and Nishi will be very sorry I woke you up,” Rhea taunted.
“Let’s go get breakfast and get out of the wine country before we buy out all the wine in the area,” I said laughing.
Mitch pulled in front of a local winery that served breakfast on their deck shortly after eight-thirty. We sat in a shaded corner of the deck and surprisingly we were the only ones on the deck.
“Check out the view girls,” I said showing the endless sea of neatly trimmed vineyards that spanned as far as the eye could see and added, “Let me take a picture with the three of you, and we can have the hostess take a picture of the four of us.”
The girls complained they weren’t dressed up for a picture as we were all in shorts and random cotton t-shirts.
“Hang on girls,” I said when the camera failed to focus in the shade, and I was looking at the settings when I heard Rhea call out my name.
“Patience, Rhea,” I said sounding irritated as I continued to look through the options on the phone camera.
“Sam…” Rhea called out and then her voice trailed off. I looked up to look at her and found the girls looking at something behind me with a mischievous look on their faces.