A Tangled Affair: A Passionate Love Story

by P. G. Van

  After thirty minutes, she was out of breath and pushed the stroller toward a bench to catch a break. She reached for the water bottle and towel from the back of the stroller and took a big gulp of water. She walked around to face the toddler, who appeared happy with his ride in the park that morning.

  “Was that fun, Dhruv?” she asked, looking at the adorable child. The child waved his arms indicating for her to keep running which only made her laugh. “I’m not running anymore. I am done for the day.”

  Naina handed the child a snack he could nibble on while she sat on the bench, sipping her water. She looked out into the open park taking in the lush greenery on the beautiful late summer morning. Her eyes moved slowly from one person to the next, people walking, running, doing yoga, talking, laughing, and then her eyes rested on a tall figure who was rooted to one spot, and the person was looking straight at her.

  It took her less than a moment to recognize the man, and her heart started a rampage as she let out a sob. “Samraat.”

  She blinked, unable to believe her eyes. She had to be imagining him just like the few other times, but this time, her heart told her it was not an illusion, it was him, and he started walking toward her. She looked away knowing she wouldn’t be able to digest the idea if the image was an object of her imagination. Moments later, she heard his footsteps.

  She hid her face in her hands weeping uncontrollably as he got closer to her. She felt so guilty for leaving, she could not look him in the eyes. She heard the child call out to her like he knew something was wrong with his friend and nanny, but she could not stop crying.

  Her eyes were shut, and she continued to sob as he came to stand close to her. He looked at her for a long moment before gently placing his hand on the top of her head as she visibly trembled.

  The moment he touched her, the tenderness with the way he stroked her hair, she looked up to see him through teary eyes. “I’m sorry, Samraat.”

  He squatted in front of her as she sat on the bench, wiping away the tears from her cheeks before kissing her lips. “I missed you, love.”

  She sobbed, holding on to him, her face buried into his neck as he stood up pulling her with him. “I am so sorry. I hate myself for—”

  He hushed her, running his palm up and down her back. “It’s okay. I know why, baby. Stop crying.”

  She took a deep breath, suppressing her sniffles, and looked at him. “How did you find me?”

  “Baby, you can run, you can hide, but you can’t escape my love.” He planted a kiss on her lips, his soft ones running over her trembling ones when she realized he was saying the words from one of her favorite songs.

  “I love you so much. I was miserable.”

  He hugged her. “I know. Let’s drop Dhruv back at his house and go get coffee. I am sure you missed drinking coffee.”

  She pulled back to look at him. “How do you know Dhruv’s name?”

  “Seriously?” He chuckled.

  She smiled and added, “I can’t go until much later because I can’t leave Dhruv by himself.”

  Samraat chuckled. “It’s taken care of. Dhruv’s mom is back home because she quit her job a few days back.”

  “What?” She looked shocked as Samraat started pushing the stroller.

  The shock from his words was replaced by the sight in front of her. The man she loved to death was pushing a stroller with a child in it, and it made her heart melt. When he moved closer to her, she hugged him and said, “I want this for us. I want our children.”

  He smiled, planting a kiss on her forehead. “You got to stop running away from me if you want to make babies.”

  She blushed, suddenly not worried about anything. Is that because Samraat was with her?

  A couple of hours later, she held his hand as he led her up the driveway of a house as he dragged her bag behind him. “Whose house is this?”

  “Ours.” He smiled as he led her up the stairs to the main entrance.

  “Huh?”

  He didn’t respond immediately, but instead, unlocked the door and pushed it open. “After you.”

  “How did you find me?” she asked, her fingers fisting in the fabric of his t-shirt.

  “Naina, just because I found you, it doesn’t mean someone else will find you. It is my turn to ask you questions.” His tone was firm, and her hold on his t-shirt loosened.

  “I am sorry.” She lowered her eyes, guilty about leaving him.

  “Look at me, baby. I am not angry you left. I am upset that you didn’t even give me a chance to prove to you that I can protect you.”

  She let out a sob. “I didn’t want you to get hurt. That man is a monster.”

  “Nothing could be more painful than waking up to find out you left, not even death.”

  She looked up and placed her palm over his lips like she didn’t want him to talk anymore. “Don’t say that. I was hoping you would forget about me, my past, and move on.”

  He placed his hand over hers that was still on his mouth, pressing it closer to his lips, kissing her palm. She looked at him in silence as he continued to kiss her palm, his eyes locked with hers, the intensity in them sending shivers up and down her spine.

  “I missed you,” she said when his lips trailed along the length of her arm, making their way up to her neck and then her cheek.

  “I haven’t slept properly in months. I had to see you,” Samraat growled.

  “Samraat, I want you, but I can’t pull you into my…”

  He interjected softly. “Baby, you are mine. Everything about you is mine… your happiness, your worries, and most of all, your pain. Let me take care of you.”

  “What if… what if he finds us?” she whispered.

  “He won’t. We will go find him.”

  She pulled back, shocked. “What? No.”

  “Yes. We need to put an end to your fear forever.”

  “I don’t… I will be with you.” She started to panic again.

  “Nayana Tara Ramachandra, relax.” His tone was firm, and she froze when she heard him address her by her full name, her real name, the name her parents gave her.

  “Samraat…”

  “Baby, I know the man you are talking about, and I have seen him.”

  She took a deep breath like she was fighting her anger, but she looked at Samraat in silence.

  “I saw him. He is enjoying what is yours without any remorse and guess how he is doing it?” he questioned, but she had no words. “He continues to run all your father’s businesses and leverage your parents’ assets because he has made the world believe you are still living in his house.”

  “What? How is that possible?”

  “He has made it possible by planting a girl who looks like you in the home. He looked for you for a few years and during that time, he encouraged the board of directors to believe you were suffering from a deep depression, and they could not meet with you. Years later, he introduced the one he planted as the fake you and has been making people believe it’s you.”

  Naina’s head started to spin, and she thought she was going to collapse, but he caught her, and she clung to him.

  “It is time, Naina, time to put an end to your pain.” His breath was warm in her ear, and she knew he was right.

  Chapter 21

  Later that night, she lay in bed next to him, the sheets keeping their bodies warm. He kissed her on the nape of her neck. “Beautiful.”

  “This house is beautiful.” She looked out the open patio doors and the moon reflecting on the lake.

  “Did I get the details of your dream home right?” he asked, nipping on her skin.

  She turned to face him. “Every single bit of it. You really did remember everything we talked about.”

  “Every bit of it. There is no other way I would have found you if we had not spent time together and without Mini’s and Guru’s help.”

  “Mini helped?”

  He nodded. “With the old passport details. Your Guru helped as well. He told me what I neede
d to know about the different names you used for work since he helped you with that.”

  “How did you convince my Guru?”

  “I told him how much I loved you.” He smiled.

  “You do, huh?” she teased and touched the tip of his nose.

  “Yes, I also know how to make you scream my name.” He squeezed the soft flesh on her waist, making her moan.

  She smiled, biting her lip. “I am hoping you will do that again a few more times tonight.”

  “Yes, baby, because I can’t let anyone hear you tomorrow… especially not your best friend.”

  Naina jerked. “Mini is here?”

  He nodded, enjoying the joy on her face. “They will be here tomorrow. I wanted you for myself tonight.”

  She batted away happy tears. “I am so glad you came looking for Mini.”

  “Me, too. The best mistake I ever made in my life… the most beautiful one.” He kissed her lips, making her smile.

  “I can’t believe you were able to find me…”

  He pulled her closer to him. “Remember, you can’t escape my love.”

  “I never want to. I—” She lost her voice when he crashed his lips to hers.

  “We shouldn’t be talking, we should be making up for all the lost time.” His voice was gruff against her lips.

  “How do we do that?” she rasped.

  He chuckled against her chest, his lips seeking her pebbled nipples. “By staying up all night.”

  She let out a moan, arching her back off the mattress when his mouth closed in on her breast as he squeezed the other one, hungrily.

  “Are you going to make me stay up all night?” she rasped.

  “If that’s what you want.”

  “Yes,” she cried when he took a bite of her soft flesh and added, “keep me up all night, every night.”

  “I promise, love… anything you want. I will make it happen.”

  The next morning, she woke up to light streaming through the drapes and the sound of water in the distance. She still remembered the warmth that cocooned her after their lovemaking well into the early morning hours.

  “Samraat,” she called out, her voice barely a whisper.

  Moments passed, the running water was turned off, and she kept her eyes on the entryway to the bathroom waiting for him to come out. She had only dreamed about seeing him the past few months, and when he didn’t appear in front of her eyes, she panicked for a moment wondering if everything was a dream.

  “Samraat,” she called out, this time finding her voice. The low chuckle he let out made her heart flutter. The sound of him was so beautiful she had tears in her eyes by the time he appeared in the bedroom.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?”

  She batted away her happy tears. “When you weren’t there, I thought it was a dream, just like…”

  “I’m right here,” he said, kissing her forehead as he pushed away the sheets to scoop her into his arms.

  “Samraat, my clothes.” She wiggled in his arms as he carried her from the bed.

  “You won’t need clothes for a bath,” he teased.

  “Are you going to give me a bath?” She toyed with the hair on his chest as he carried her into the large bathroom with the double-size bathtub filled.

  He smiled. “Maybe.”

  “Will you take a bath with me?” she purred.

  He shook his head, smiling. “After last night, you need to give your body a rest and recover.”

  “I want you.”

  “I do, too, but not yet.” He lowered her into the warm water like she didn’t weigh anything.

  She moaned when the warmth enveloped her, and she clung to him, not letting the arm drop off his neck. “Come sit with me.”

  “You know I can’t. I won’t be…”

  She didn’t let him continue. “Don’t treat me like a delicate flower. I can handle you.”

  He grinned. “I don’t doubt it, but I am worried we will be late to pick up Mini if I get into the tub.”

  “When is she coming?” She was excited.

  “She lands in a few hours.” His voice was shaky as Naina ran her fingertips over his chest, barely touching him.

  “Give me a bath,” she rasped. He was reaching for the washcloth when she took his hand in hers and added, “with your hands.”

  He smiled, his eyes darkening in response to her hunger, and all he could do was satiate it.

  A couple of hours later, Samraat drove toward the airport to pick up her best friends who were flying from Las Vegas to meet her. Naina sat restlessly in the passenger seat. “Are we going to be late?”

  “I told you that would be a risk if I were to give you a bath the way you wanted.” He winked.

  She bit her lip, smiling. “I think Mini will understand if we are late.”

  “I am sure she will.” He chuckled.

  “So, I meant to ask you yesterday, why did Dhruv’s parents agree to let me leave without giving them notice to find another nanny?” All she did after she saw Samraat at the park was go back to the child’s house, pack, and leave.

  He paused for a moment. “Let’s just say I took care of it.”

  “How?”

  “I made sure Dhruv’s mom doesn’t have to work another day in her life. She can do what she loves most, be a stay-at-home mom.”

  Naina’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hand. “What?”

  “She has the option to hire a nanny if she chooses to go back to work, but she doesn’t have to work if it is for money, not anymore.” He kept his eyes on the road.

  “Why?” Her voice was a whisper.

  Samraat looked at her for a brief moment before looking at the road again. “For you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I love you.”

  “You love me so much? Even after I left you?”

  He reached out to take her hand in his before kissing the back of her hand. “Even more.”

  “I never thought I could ever…”

  He looked at her for a brief moment before moving his eyes back to the road. “Never say never.”

  She smiled, sending silent prayers to every god she had stopped believing in after what happened to her parents. She knew it was a miracle that Samraat came into her life, rather, got tangled with hers.

  A short while later, Naina shrieked with excitement. “There she is. I see Mini.”

  Samraat smiled at the excitement in her voice as he pulled the vehicle over to the side at the arrivals area. She opened the door and jumped out of the car to hug her beloved friend. He watched as the two women hugged and kissed each other like long-lost sisters.

  When Samraat went to meet Mini after Naina had left, he realized how secretive Mini was when it came to Naina. Mini knew everything about Naina, how she thinks and what she would do in certain situations but nothing about her past.

  It surprised him as to how little Mini knew about Naina’s past when she had told him everything the previous night. The fact that she shared everything with him made him want to seek the revenge she had made peace with but would never find solace in.

  Samraat and Mini’s boyfriend were not included in the conversations in the car on their way back from the airport, but Samraat enjoyed the look of joy on Naina’s face. The times their eyes clashed in the rearview mirror as she talked to her friend, he saw a sparkle in them. A warmth spread over his chest when he realized her eyes sparkled for him. He would do anything to keep her happy.

  Later that night, he sat on the couch with Naina cuddled into him. The four of them sat in front of the fire and were talking. A few minutes into the conversation, he heard the soft snore as she slept with her head on his chest.

  “Look at her, passed out on the couch. I told her she needed to rest and not cook an elaborate dinner,” Mini grumbled.

  “There is no stopping her, you know that.” Samraat smiled, placing a kiss on top of her head.

  Mini looked at Samraat pull Naina closer to him on the couch as she s
lept. “Whatever you do, make sure she doesn’t get hurt. She thinks she is going to India to be with you and no other reason.”

  Samraat nodded, knowing why Mini said what she did. He had outlined his plan to Mini, the steps he needed to follow to make the woman he loved stop looking over her shoulder and not be on the run for the rest of her life. The monster of her past and the darkness surrounding her had to disappear, and he was willing to do anything to make that happen.

  “When do we leave for India?” Mini asked.

  “In two weeks.”

  “I am going for Naina, not for my father. I can never forgive him for my mother’s death.”

  “Thank you. I will let him explain everything.”

  “Nothing will change my opinion. I can never forgive him.” Mini sounded adamant.

  Chapter 22

  Two weeks later…

  “I wonder what the immigration officer will say if they see two women with the same names on their passports.” Naina sat next to Samraat, her hand squeezing his nervously as the flight was preparing to land in her parents’ hometown. The city that only reminded her of her loss was now going to be where she was going to start her future with Samraat. When she realized that Samraat had bought a house and made the decision to move to the United States for her, she could not let him leave his only family behind in India. She told him she wanted to move with him, knowing the monster didn’t care for her anymore, and she didn’t want to think about him.

  For Samraat, he wanted her to face her fears and confront the man who kept her on the run for almost a decade. He had done the groundwork for that to happen, but only if she wanted it.

  “Don’t be nervous.” Samraat kissed the back of her hand.

  “I am not nervous,” she grumbled.

  “Good.”

  She turned to look at him. “Where are we going after we land?”

  Samraat smiled. “My place.”

  “Will Mini be with me?”

  “Yes, Mini and Marc will be with us because Mini doesn’t want to be away from you… more like she doesn’t trust me.” He chuckled, leaning over to look at Mini sleeping on Marc’s shoulder on the other side of the aisle.