A Tangled Affair: A Passionate Love Story

by P. G. Van

“Yes.” He reached for the keys in his pocket and tossed them to her. She caught them in the air.

  She clicked open the trunk and said, “Put your things in the trunk.”

  Samraat placed his bags in the trunk of her car and reached for her duffle bag, taking the strap off her shoulder. She mumbled thanks under her breath before sliding into the driver’s seat. He took a moment to take in her expressions wondering what would happen next. If she took him to a hotel, there would be no way for him to take her back to her father. He needed a way to stay in touch with her. She was angry about what he had done, but he did what he had to do for Monica.

  Samraat slid into the passenger seat noticing that her knuckles were turning white from the way she was gripping the steering wheel. “What’s wrong?”

  “I got suspended.”

  “What?” Samraat was surprised. “Why? Let me talk to the Guru.”

  “No. We should go. I’ll tell you everything later.” She looked at the guard who stared at her car, impatiently waiting for her to leave, so he could check the box on the paperwork.

  “What about Monica? We should take her with us,” Samraat said.

  “She will be fine. Her parents are on their way here to take her home.” Naina started the engine and drove out of the parking lot.

  “Did you get suspended because of me?” he asked after a few moments of silence, feeling guilty and also thinking about how to take this opportunity to take her back to her family.

  “It doesn’t matter.” She kept her eyes on the road.

  “Where are we going?” he asked.

  “Do you have a place to go other than the airport?” she snapped, and he knew not to question whatever she had in mind. Something told him there was light at the end of the tunnel, and he would not be returning to India without his mentor’s daughter.

  “I don’t want to go to the airport.”

  “Good. We are on the same page then.” She sounded angry as she took an exit off of the highway they were on.

  Samraat sat silently formulating his next steps based on the possible options. She was either going to take him to a hotel or potentially another facility considering his irrational behavior earlier that day. It was a novel feeling for him not to know what was happening, but he maintained his silence.

  He looked out the window, and a sudden spark of recognition hit him even as the sun was setting. He recognized the neighborhood, the diner, the cheap motel. Naina was driving to her apartment with him in tow.

  Samraat didn’t know what her plan was and thought about what he would do to stay in contact with her. She pulled up to the entrance of her apartment building garage and punched in a code for the bar gate to lift. She drove through the well-lit underground parking area and pulled into a parking spot.

  She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “Samraat, whatever happened at the facility… let’s forget it and not probe too much into it. The good thing is Monica is willing to go back home to her parents. I want you to get the help you need, and since I was your assigned coach, I would like to continue working together as if nothing happened, but with one change. We will need to use my apartment. Are you okay with that?”

  Samraat nodded having no other options in mind—none that would keep him close to her until he convinces her to go with him to India. Based on how the woman had built her life, covering her tracks, he knew she had no intention ever to go back, so he might have to trick her to go with him.

  No other option. If she threw a fit when he took her to her father, she would be his mentor’s problem, not his.

  Chapter 12

  Samraat had thought of the many possibilities that could happen after being sent away from the facility, but he did not see this one coming. He looked at her for a long moment and said, “I can stay at a hotel. I wouldn’t want to impose.”

  She shook her head. “I wouldn’t want you to spend the money after you have paid for your stay and coaching. I think we will make a lot of progress if we stay focused on your concerns.”

  “As long as I can work with you, I have no issues paying for a hotel. I can pick one close to here.”

  “No. I owe you this. I really do. Let me thank you this way. Let me take care of your stay. I will take the pullout sofa and give you the bedroom.” She smiled and added, “plus I don’t want to keeping driving from my apartment to a hotel every day.”

  Samraat couldn’t help but smile. He was relieved to see her smile. “Sofa bed? Good. Payback time for making me do all that meditation.”

  Was she avoiding the hotel because they have cameras in every corner? What is she so worried about?

  “What you did was insane today, but I don’t want to talk about it.” Naina turned off the engine and opened the trunk before getting out of the car.

  “Why can’t you talk about it? Just say what you want to say.” Samraat reached for her duffle bag and threw it over his shoulder before picking up his.

  “Samraat, that’s my bag.” She laughed.

  He nodded. “I know how to carry bags.”

  “Please don’t…”

  He didn’t let her finish. He hushed her and closed the trunk, bags dangling from both his shoulders and gestured for her to lead the way. “Please.”

  She stood rooted to her spot for a few moments before turning away from him to walk toward the stairs, and he silently followed her. He was not expecting this and was relieved, considering she could have taken him to the airport and put him on a plane back to India.

  “If you have an apartment, why do you live at the facility?” he asked more for his curiosity.

  “Well, it’s better at the facility.”

  “You are a workaholic.” He laughed and almost ran into her when she stopped short at the top of the stairs. “What?”

  He shrugged. “Wouldn’t you call me a workaholic if I lived in my office building?”

  She thought for a brief moment. “You can’t compare your corporate setting to my very personable job.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You live where you work.” He laughed.

  “I have other reasons.” Her voice was suddenly somber.

  “May I ask what those are?” he asked almost hesitantly as she placed the key in the apartment door lock.

  She turned the key on the lock and looked up at him for a moment before looking away to open the door. She stepped into the space he had seen from a different vantage point. “This is my space and will be yours until you are ready to go back to India.”

  He stood by the door, bags hanging off his shoulder as he watched her walk around the space as she showed him around the house, and he noticed a shift in her behavior. It was her apartment, but she looked uncomfortable like she didn’t belong there. He returned her smile when she came to him to take her bag.

  “The sofa bed is good with me, and you can use the bedroom. I can use the half bathroom for the most part. We just need to share the shower in the master bathroom.” The moment the last few words left her mouth, heat crept up her cheeks at the potential implication of her words. “I… I mean we, need to coordinate taking a shower. There is only…”

  He smiled, shaking his head. “I know what you mean, and I usually shower at the gym after I work out. I saw the showers in the gym on our way here. Also, you should not be giving up your bed for me. I will sleep on the sofa bed.”

  “Samraat, look at that sofa bed. There is—” Her words were lost, and a tremble passed through her when he lifted two fingers to place them over her lips to hush her.

  “No more discussions. I will keep my bag here if you don’t mind.” He walked past her to place his bag next to the couch, her skin tingling from his touch. She lifted the back of her hand to feel her lips and felt the trembling.

  “Naina, are you okay?” he asked when she stood rooted to her spot.

  She managed to shrug and smile. “Whatever works for you.”

  “Thank you for letting me stay at your place. It’s a lot nicer than the wellness center. I still don’t u
nderstand why you don’t stay here.” He wasn’t ready to let go and wanted to know the reasons for her actions. It bothered him that he was nowhere close to convincing her to go with him to India but was glad he wasn’t on a plane, homebound without her.

  “The place may be nicer, but you will not get the hospitality you get at the center.” She laughed and added, “I am going to need your help for meals, and I am going to think of everything I need to have fixed while you are around.”

  He smiled, running his fingers through his hair. “I guess I have no choice.”

  She laughed, walking over to where he stood. “Don’t make me sound so bad. To prove that I can be a good host, I will make you dinner tonight.”

  “You have a cooking talent, too. How do you manage to eat the bland food at the facility?” Samraat asked, rolling the pasta around his fork.

  She smiled, chewing her food. “I can cook. I wouldn’t call this a special talent, and the food at the facility is not bad.”

  “Are you from India?”

  She looked at him, surprised. “Why do you ask?”

  “Just want to know.”

  “My parents are from India, but I was born in London.” He knew it was another lie, and it was getting tough to ignore her lies. When she told him something he knew to be false, it bothered him, almost offended him like she still didn’t trust him.

  “Oh, do you not eat Indian food?” His questions were random, but his goal of every conversation was to get her to talk about her parents, especially her father.

  “I do. I love Indian food.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Who taught you how to cook?”

  She shrugged. “Mostly self-taught.”

  “My dad used to make some special dishes better than my mom.” He smiled.

  She thought for a moment. “I don’t know if I can say my dad did a better job at cooking Indian food than my mom, but I loved everything he made for me. Pasta, grilled cheese, quesadillas…”

  “Not Indian food?” He noted it was the first time she said something positive about her father.

  She looked down at her plate. “He was very busy and didn’t have a lot of time to cook.”

  “You should teach me how to make this pasta. I like it very much.” His voice stumbled when he heard a distant sound like a woman being pleasured, but he ignored it.

  A silence fell between them where they were seated on the balcony enjoying their dinner. Between the crunch of him chewing his food and the woman moaning in pleasure, the sounds were getting louder. He shifted wondering if only he were hearing the noises.

  He thought of saying something that would distract the noises coming from the apartment above them. Hearing a man groaning and a woman moaning were making him hot all over. It was torturous. He could not get himself to look at her. It was obvious from the way she made noisy sounds with her fork clanking against her bowl that she was trying to drown out the voices pretending like she didn’t hear what was happening in the apartment above them.

  “The pasta is slightly spicy.” He had no idea why he even said what he said.

  She immediately placed her fork down and got up. “I didn’t get your water. I should go get it for…”

  He didn’t let her finish. “I will get the water myself.”

  In their frenzy, and as the lovemaking noises got louder, they both got up from their chairs and rushed toward the patio door and ended up bumping into each other. He stiffened when he felt her crash into him, and instinctively, he wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her as her body bounced away from his.

  Her feet were wobbly as she clung to him, her body reacting to the sounds she unexpectedly heard. It started off as embarrassment, and then it started to set off something more. As the voices of the woman being pleasured became louder in her head, her inner folds craved the feeling her body was yearning for the touch and not just anybody’s touch—she wanted him.

  “I’m sorry,” she managed to say as he held her to him.

  “I can get my own water.” He smiled, looking down at her. When their eyes locked, everything else was put on mute.

  Her lips parted as they looked at each other, completely ignoring the raunchy noises that continued in the background. In that moment, each of them heard only their heartbeats as the blood rush through their veins.

  His eyes traveled away from hers to look at her trembling lips wanting to calm them with his, but a rumble in his pocket made him jump. He excused himself, letting her go to pull his phone out of his pocket.

  She watched him as he turned away to take the phone call. She took the opportunity to step indoors and closed the balcony door. She felt weak from being so close to him and placed her back against the wall next to the door, her hand on her forehead. Her heart was beating rapidly, and she knew her bodily reactions were out of hand, but she knew what she felt was more than just a response to the daunting physical attraction.

  On the balcony, Samraat saw it was Mr. Sharma calling, and he only spoke once he made sure the door to the apartment was completely closed. “Sir?”

  “Samraat, what is this call I got about you are getting expelled from the facility.”

  He took a deep breath. “I will explain everything later, but I am still on the task. Today is the first time she said something positive about you. Bear with me.”

  “That is wonderful news. I will be waiting for your call.”

  “Okay, talk to you soon.” He turned when he heard the balcony door slide open.

  “Who was that?”

  “Oh, that was my uncle from India.” He stumbled.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be snoopy but was wondering if it was someone from the facility who had called.”

  “No, just my uncle.” He smiled.

  “Is he the one who raised you?”

  “Yes.”

  “He must be missing you very much.” She picked up her bowl of food without looking at him.

  “Yes, he is.”

  “Lucky you. You have someone out there.” She smiled.

  “Not so lucky. What about you? You don’t have anyone out there?”

  “Not lucky at all. Are you going to finish your pasta?”

  Just when he thought he was making progress, she denied her father’s very existence. He smiled back at her and added, “Not now, not after the couple upstairs ruined it for me.”

  She laughed, and he saw the blush creep into her cheeks as he cleared off the table. She left without looking at him, and he joined the laughter. They spent the rest of the evening talking, keeping the conversations to neutral topics. He realized how much he was enjoying her company and how much more beautiful she looked up close.

  “Samraat, stay away from her,” he said to himself under his breath, his eyes on her as she walked away from him.

  Chapter 13

  Naina woke up to unfamiliar sounds right outside her room, and it took her a few moments to remember that she was not alone in the apartment. Based on the sounds she heard, he was doing something in the kitchen, so she walked toward the door in her slippers and stuck her head out of her room.

  He was wearing the same t-shirt but had changed out of his lounge pants into a pair of shorts. He stood with his back to her as he squeezed lemon juice into a glass.

  “Good morning,” she said, standing by the door.

  “Good morning. Would you like some lemon water and honey?” he asked, turning to look at her.

  “Sure. Thank you. Give me a few minutes.” She stepped back into her bedroom, pulling her hair into a ponytail as she walked into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and washed her face while only thinking about him. Samraat.

  His very presence in the apartment made the space seem warmer, and despite the embarrassing experience on the balcony the previous night, she had to admit she had not laughed so hard in years, not even with her best friend. She was glad he laughed and eased the tension because she was getting hot all over having no way to hide how much the sounds of lovemaking had t
urned her on, especially in his presence.

  She took one last look at herself to make sure she looked presentable to him and then virtually kicked herself for even thinking along those lines. She shook away such thoughts reminding herself to be professional and keep her random thoughts to herself.

  Naina stepped out of her bedroom and noticed Samraat was no longer in the kitchen but was standing on the balcony, his back to her. She bit back a smile as she walked to the French doors he had left wide open.

  “It’s a nice day,” she said, her voice husky from sleep.

  “Indeed.” He turned to face her, a smile on his face, his hair perfectly messy from his sleep. Again, his eyes were trained on her face. She could only hold his gaze for a few moments before looking at the two mugs on the small patio table.

  She picked up one of the mugs and smiled at him. “Thank you for my morning drink.”

  “You are welcome. I can’t believe I got used to drinking this crap every morning,” he said, scrunching his nose.

  She laughed. “It can’t be crap if you got used to it.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

  “Why don’t we meditate for a bit this morning?” She looked down at her mug, not wanting to look at him.

  “Sure. What’s the plan?” he asked.

  “We continue according to the schedule at the center until you finish your six-week program.”

  “That’s three more weeks, and how long are you suspended for?” His voice was soft.

  “A month.”

  Samraat took in a deep breath as he was about to make his first attempt to convince her to travel with him to India. “All this because of me. Why don’t we continue my program in India? Would you be willing to go to India for a few weeks? I will be sure to take care of the travel costs and appropriate compensation for you.”

  She almost spewed her drink. “What?”

  “I have been away from work for almost three weeks and…”

  “Samraat, don’t take shortcuts. You need the six weeks, and if you want to continue with the program, it has to be here, or it won’t happen.” Her voice was firm.