Temptation in Paradise

by Jyoti Singh

  Engrossed in what Jude was saying, Niki was surprised when Sid spoke from behind her. ‘See, I told you… he’s a fount of little known facts.’

  ‘Should I be taking notes?’ Niki asked in good humour, despite the tiring journey.

  ‘Absolutely not.’ Sid came alongside her. ‘That’s what this trip is about—leaving your usual way of processing information… just soak it all in. It’ll be there in your memory somewhere and some day, when you least expect it, you’ll remember and wonder at the places you have been and the things you have seen.’

  This was a different Sid from the one she had come to know. This place was magical and transformative and the change had already begun. Niki smiled at Sid as they trooped into the reception area of the resort, tired and hungry. The next hour went in the motions of checking in and taking cottage allocations in a melee, at the end of which Jude announced they had the rest of the day to recover from the travel and explore Kasol on their own. The next morning they would begin their trek into the mountains.

  ‘How knackered are you?’ Sid asked Niki as she made to walk to the cottage she was sharing with one of the female students.

  ‘Quite. Nothing that some food and a short nap wouldn’t cure, though,’ Niki replied, anticipation building up within her at the direction in which Sid would take this conversation. She had gathered that Jude and he were sharing their cottage.

  ‘Likewise… Jude’s organised a communal buffet lunch at the resort’s restaurant. That’s food taken care of. Then we can take our naps and meet up here at four,’ Sid suggested.

  ‘To do what?’ Niki was curious.

  ‘Walk to and explore downtown Kasol.’ Sid smiled and winked as they went their separate ways.

  The walk to the village was reminiscent of their time in the forest. However, this time Sid took the time to stop to allow Niki to breathe in her surroundings and absorb the amazing vistas. It was a pleasure to see her wonder at this place where time had stopped and only the rising and setting of the sun determined the course of your day. The camaraderie was back but Sid was still careful not to cross any imaginary lines. He longed to hold her hand, to kiss her but he held back. His reservations stemmed from working with her after their strange evening. It had been exquisite torture – both physically and mentally.

  He didn’t quite know what to make of all this extra information and insight he now had into Niki. At one level, he felt a sense of satisfaction that she trusted him but, on the other, he was a little wary that she trusted him too much and too soon. Sid had been here before with Gauri. He had been naïve then—taken in by her beguiling smile and mannerisms. He had missed all the signs that were warning him. He wondered if he was doing the same with Niki.

  As he watched her enthusiastically pick up a stone, he couldn’t believe that he was actually comparing her with Gauri. They were so different. In every way. For one thing, Niki was straight and honest. She understood his passion for what he did. The most important thing, though, was the fact that his money didn’t impress her. In fact, she had no interest in his wealth. She did have strong opinions on how he used it, though, which amused him because no one had the gall to call him on it before. Then why did he feel the need to doubt her motives or question whether she had any hidden agenda? That was something he hoped to make sense of… He would be wise to take his own counsel right now. Just be and soak it all in.

  They ambled into the village of Kasol and were pleasantly surprised to see signs in Hebrew, cheek by jowl with the local language. It didn’t take them long to gather that the village not only had a strong community of orthodox Jews but that it had harmoniously integrated all the different groups of people into its fold. They stopped at a small café to have some tea, where the chatty owner told them that in a nearby village the Jewish community actually claimed to be direct descendants of Alexander the Great.

  ‘It’s so shameful that I know so little about my own country. Only when I travel like this do I learn its hidden secrets…’ Sid confessed unabashedly.

  ‘I am absolutely with you about the shame but honestly, right now, I am feeling a certain pride that I belong to this beautiful, diverse country.’ Niki’s eyes gleamed. Sid’s resolve to hold back cracked, just enough for him to lean across the small rickety tin table of the café and place a quick kiss on her lips.

  Niki drew back and Sid immediately regretted his impulse.

  ‘Hey! We’re in public…’ Niki remonstrated and Sid let out the breath he was holding. For a moment there he’d thought she would run into the hills to get away from him… With Niki, anything was possible.

  His only response was to smile… with a wicked glint in his eyes.

  It was Niki who took hold of his hand while negotiating a slightly tricky stretch of road on their way back to the resort. Sid did not let go.

  The group retired after an early dinner that evening. There was much bonhomie and laughter during the meal. Most resisted when Jude called it a night but he was adamant that everyone got a good night’s sleep in preparation for the trek in the morning.

  Niki missed having more time alone with Sid, especially after their walk to the village. Yet she was grateful that she had caught a glimpse of the Sid she had come to know. The kiss was a welcome sign just when she had given up hope of his ever getting past her inappropriate confessions. It was what gave her the confidence to put her hand in his on the way back. Her heart had warmed when he did not let go. This time she did not question or analyse how she felt… like Sid had said, she was going to just be and soak it all in – Sid, the environs… everything. She slept like a log through the night, suddenly at peace.

  The next morning was an assault on Niki’s senses. The speed at which things unfolded was too much to handle despite a good night’s sleep. Jude had started knocking on doors at four a.m. It was pitch-black outside. There was a rush for the loo and to get all the things they had taken out of their bags to fit back inside. They would not return to the resort.

  Come five-thirty, the group assembled and got into Jeeps that took them to the starting point of the trek. Good spirits were in short supply and bonhomie from the night before was replaced by a sullen compliance. But as the sun rose and revealed the beauty of the mountains, there was an elevation in the mood all around.

  Niki wore her new trekking shoes with a pair of khaki pants the adventure shop had recommended. A black fleece over a short-sleeved white T-shirt completed her outfit. The backpack was a little uncomfortable to carry until Sid noticed her constant twitching and silently readjusted her straps. Niki expressed her gratitude with a smile, too conscious of how, while doing so, Sid’s hand involuntarily skimmed her breast. They hadn’t spoken all morning but after this little gesture Sid remained close to Niki. Either trailing behind a few steps or just ahead when the going became tricky. Offering his hand to Niki for support or pulling her across little chasms and slippery rocks in the middle of streams.

  She was a mass of physical awareness, partly because negotiating the path required her complete attention, but mostly because Sid’s proximity was having a remarkably deep effect on her. There was something in his attentiveness, the concern he showed with his body language and gestures that was making Niki see him quite differently. He was not only a great companion, he was the keeper of her secrets.

  After silently climbing for three hours through a pine forest along the bank of the loud river, they reached a small clearing. Essentially a meadow of sorts, it gave the group the first opportunity to see how far they had come. The valley had receded and new mountains suddenly appeared from behind the one they were climbing. The accompanying porters let the mules, carrying their luggage and camping paraphernalia, loose to graze while the group had some refreshments. Niki walked to the edge of the clearing to get a better view of where they were and found Sid already there. He looked handsome and rugged in his well-worn trekking trousers and hoodie, a man truly in his element. Niki held back for a moment but it was as if he sensed her. He turned to
look at her and smiled. Niki could have sworn her heart actually skipped a beat. She walked towards him, mesmerised by some weird power he had over her. She did not know this Sid and she, definitely, did not know this Niki.

  ‘Come here.’ Sid’s voice was quiet.

  Niki stood beside him and waited. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side, kissing her brow before gazing back at the view. It was majestic. That they were sharing it was magical. Niki’s arm moved of its own volition to circle Sid’s waist from the back.

  ‘This is why I love trekking in this region… you look at this,’ he pointed to the mountains touching the sky ‘…and realise how small you really are.’

  Niki nestled her head into his shoulder and nodded. They stood quietly together, soaking in the panoramic beauty until Jude announced the break was over. Sid did not let go of Niki’s shoulders and they walked back to the group linked together. It was only when Jude asked in jest, ‘You two love birds having fun?’ that Niki became self-conscious and disengaged from Sid.

  They climbed assiduously for another three hours. The whining had started along the way. ‘How much longer?’ ‘I can’t walk any more.’

  ‘You said this would be easy.’ Niki remained stoic, revelling in Sid’s attention as they crossed rivers with broken bridges, streams, slippery stretches of wet mud and loose rocks. He never missed an opportunity to touch, although always in the guise of helping or supporting her.

  Niki watched how easily Sid negotiated the treacherous route without breaking a sweat or getting breathless, his muscular body lithely moving like a mountain goat, at once graceful and sure-footed. Who would have thought that this man spent an inordinate amount of time in his other avatar, sitting in front of a screen, making magic with code. Niki was feeling a knot of sexual tension and something else building up within her progressively.

  By the fourth hour, Niki was struggling to keep up the pace. Her feet were really beginning to hurt. She stumbled a few times but Sid was quick to help her up again.

  ‘Something a problem?’ he asked.

  ‘My feet are killing me,’ Niki replied breathlessly.

  ‘Did you break in your trekking shoes?’ Sid stopped mid-step.

  ‘What do you mean?’ she countered as she came up against him before stopping herself.

  He looked disapproving as he said, ‘Oh, Niki… you should never wear new shoes on a trek without first breaking them in! Didn’t you read the instructions I gave you?’

  Niki shrugged sheepishly in response.

  ‘I will have to look at your feet once we get to the campsite. Can you walk for now?’ Sid started hiking again.

  ‘Of course,’ replied Niki as she trailed behind, trying to put mind over body as she took one painful step after another. Despite her agony, she was excited at the prospect of Sid examining her feet. What was wrong with her? She smacked her forehead just as Sid turned to see if she was okay. He chuckled. Niki couldn’t help the smile that spread from her face and through her body when she heard it.

  Just when she thought she could not take another step, Jude led the group onto a meadow at the peak of the mountain they had climbed. There were no trees, just tall wild grass and flowers. The smell of pine permeated the air. Niki took a long, deep breath and just sat down where she stood, resting on her backpack. She looked around to see many in the group had the same response. She smiled and closed her eyes.

  When she opened them again, the meadow had been transformed. Tents stood in a semicircle across the middle. Lovely food smells emanated from the largish tent on one side. The mules’ backs were bare of their luggage as they grazed peacefully on the other side of the semi-circle. There was a buzz of activity in the campsite—the porters coming and going, the more energetic members of the group walking around, exploring, chatting and laughing.

  Niki’s body protested as she tried to get off the ground so she turned to get on all fours to push herself up. She froze as she found herself on a level with and looking into the warm brown eyes of a dog. Screaming was not a good idea but one escaped nevertheless as two strong hands around her waist pulled her up. She fell onto her rescuer, who was laughing uncontrollably. Niki looked dismayed before she caught his infectious laugh. This could actually become their thing – Sid and her. Niki would do something really stupid and they could both laugh together. The dog looked as if it was laughing too, its tail wagging as it bounded away into the tall grass.

  ‘They’re tame and harmless. Jude says they are a cross between foxes and dogs. They tend to come to campsites for leftovers but act as guards against wild animals. They are especially protective of females, for some reason…’ Sid said once he caught his breath.

  ‘But I read somewhere that rabies is endemic to this region.’ Niki’s eyes rounded in horror.

  ‘It is… they don’t usually come this close. You, my dear, are the chosen one.’ Sid let out a chuckle and Niki’s heart, pounding from fear until now, started pounding for another reason altogether.

  ‘So how long was I out?’ she asked, trying to distract herself as they started walking to the tents. It was difficult as every step was pure torture.

  ‘Just an hour. Jude agreed with me to let you and some of the others nap while we set up camp or, rather, the porters did…’ Sid was too chipper for Niki’s liking.

  ‘They did all of this in an hour?’ Her voice carried her surprise.

  ‘Practice makes perfect… How’re the feet?’ Sid hadn’t forgotten.

  ‘Still killing me,’ she replied.

  ‘I have just the cure for you. Why don’t you go and put your backpack in your tent and I’ll meet you back here in five. Bring your slippers with you…’ They stood outside the second tent in the semicircle.

  In five minutes, Niki was walking with Sid to the other end of the meadow. She heard the stream before she saw it. Lined with tall pines and boulders, the clear mountain water gushed over rounded stones only to disappear over what seemed like a sheer cliff. Sid sat her down on a large rock where the water pooled into a little basin before flowing back and joining the stream. He then proceeded to remove her shoes. Niki protested, ‘I can do this myself.’

  ‘Just relax, Niki. I need to see how bad this is…’ Sid’s swift intake of breath confirmed that it was not good.

  ‘This was a very stupid thing to do—your feet have blistered and the socks are actually stuck to the skin…’ He proceeded to push her clad feet into the basin of water before gently pulling the socks off. He then put her feet back in the water. It was ice-cold.

  ‘Just leave them in there for a bit,’ he said as he sat next to her on the rock. Niki grimaced in pain but did not say anything. She noticed Sid was already wearing slippers. He must have come here and checked out the stream while she was napping. That was so sweet.

  Niki felt a surge of warmth for Sid. She had never felt like this about anybody before—this feeling that her heart would explode with… love. Oh, my God! It was love. She had fallen in love with Sid. That explained so many things… As the realisation dawned, joy sang through Niki. She leaned over to kiss Sid’s cheek. She barely managed to say, ‘Thank you,’ before Sid claimed her mouth. His kiss was hungry, as was Niki’s response.

  ‘Niki… God alone knows how much I have wanted to kiss you…’ Sid’s voice was guttural as he moved from her lips to her face and then her neck.

  ‘Then why didn’t you, Sid?’ Niki whispered, her newfound love making her braver than usual.

  He raised his face and for the first time since she had known him she saw naked desire in his eyes. ‘Because I didn’t know if I could stop,’ he said simply.

  Niki felt fearless. ‘What if you didn’t have to?’

  ‘What are you saying, Niki?’ Looking searchingly into her eyes.

  Niki took a deep breath and said, ‘I am saying that if it happens spontaneously…’

  ‘Hold that thought, Niki.’ Sid cupped her face and placed a deep, lingering kiss before letting her go
. ‘First, let’s get your feet sorted.’

  Niki laughed and happily gave in to his ministrations. She was holding that thought and many others. Everything suddenly made sense.

  She floated all the way back to the camp, the pain in her feet forgotten. This time, when Sid put his arm around her shoulders, she did not disengage herself. The half embrace made her feel protected and loved.

  Jude had timed the trek well. A nascent moon made the blanket of stars look like diamonds in the sky. Niki could even see what could only be a galactic cloud. Every now and then, a shooting star would streak across the canvas of the sky, much to her excitement. She had never seen one before. Sid smiled as she squealed when she saw another one and suggested, ‘You should make a wish.’

  They were all sitting around a campfire in the middle of the tent semicircle while Jude regaled them with ghost stories and bear sightings. Niki was nestled into Sid’s shoulder under a shared blanket. The temperature had dropped after sunset. Niki thought about making a wish and realised there was nothing she wanted or wished for… Everything was just as it should be—perfect.

  ‘That would just take away the enchantment,’ she replied and was rewarded with a tightening of Sid’s arm, drawing her even closer to him.

  After the camp had settled for the night, the embers of the campfire still burned, throwing muted shadows into the night. Niki and Sid lingered before calling it a night. Sid stood up and held his hand out to Niki, throwing the blanket carelessly over his shoulder.

  ‘Let’s take a walk,’ he said.

  Niki willingly followed his lead. Close to where he had taken her in the afternoon, where the pine trees rose from the tall grass, Sid stopped and spread the blanket on the grass. Sitting down, he patted the place next to him, gesturing where Niki should sit. When she did, he lay down, looking up at the sky. Niki did the same. It was pure magic as they lay side by side, not touching but acutely aware of each other. Sid was extremely conscious of how he had revealed his attraction to Niki during their encounter by the stream that afternoon. He was not sure if it was too soon but Niki’s surprising acquiescence had been his undoing. Something had changed for her while he’d attended to her feet; he could sense but not put his finger on it. She just seemed less skittish and prickly. It could be the rarefied air, the change in geography or even the falling away of concerns that usually dogged her days. He liked this Niki. He reached over to hold her hand. She sighed. Sid rolled onto his side, pulling her to him, their bodies making full contact and unleashing the passion that had been simmering under the surface all day.