by P. G. Van
“Nirvan, what did I tell you?”
“Do you really not remember anything?” He seemed surprised.
“I… I…”
“What is the last thing you remember?”
It was time for Kushi to confess to him. She could not understand why he told her about her parents when she hadn’t really talked to anyone about it… heck, she hadn’t given it any thought because she had blocked everything out of her mind.
He reached out and took her hand in his when she didn’t say anything. “Hey, I’m here for you… talk to me.”
“Nirvan… I remember everything on the balcony, until… until I… your neck.”
He gently squeezed her hand. “Nothing after that?”
She shook her head. “Did we… do anything?”
“No… I’m not into taking advantage of incapacitated women.” A slight smile appeared, putting her at ease.
“I remember you telling me that… last night.”
“I sure did… more than once.”
“Did you… did you change my clothes last night?”
“I helped you change after I took you to your room.” He chuckled.
“Thank you! I’m usually not…”
“I know… and I would like to spend time with you tonight… same place?” His voice was soft.
She blushed. “I’ll need to sneak away from the Sangeet ceremony.”
“That’ll make two of us.” He laughed.
She nodded. “I would like that… I’d like to know more about you since I offloaded everything with you.”
“I’m sorry… it’s hard when parents…” She didn’t let him finish. “Did I tell you everything?”
“More than once.”
“Why do I not remember that?”
“You had a lot more to drink after I tried to sober you up.” He smirked.
“I want to meet you when I’m sober.”
He laughed and was about to say something when Megha came back huffing and puffing.
“Nirvan, I want you to punch that wedding planner for me… how dare he ask me to change my outfit?”
“I got it, Meggie.” He patted her shoulder as she sat next to him.
“I’m just so pissed,” Megha whined.
“Come here, silly.” Kushi watched as Nirvan put his arm around his cousin and talked to her in a low whisper that seemed to cheer her.
He wiped the edge of her eyes and said, “It’s silly to shed tears for this.”
“It’ll be fun tonight,” he said comforting his cousin, planting a kiss on top of Megha’s head and looked up to wink at Kushi, making her smile.
*****
Later that night, Kushi stepped into Megha’s view as she sat in front of the mirror getting ready for the Sangeet ceremony.
“That’s a hot outfit,” Megha mumbled looking at her best friend in the mirror as three women worked on her hair and makeup.
“I have a date,” Kushi confessed.
“What?” Her friend shrieked, making the women step back.
“Sorry, ladies. One minute.” Megha got up from her chair and walked over to where Kushi stood blushing. “What are you not telling me?”
“I… I have a confession.” She bit her lip.
“I’m listening.” Megha put her hands on her hips and waited.
“So, when you set me up to go on a date with Nirvan… I… I never made it, and when I texted him to cancel, I asked him to tell you that we went on that date and that he should tell you that he didn’t like me.”
“What?”
“Hear me out, please, before you get mad at me.” Kushi paused to assess her friend’s expression before continuing. “So, Nirvan said he would not do that and that I should tell you that I didn’t like him, and I did, and I’m sorry I lied to you.”
“And why the confession now?”
“Because… the date I am going on tonight is with Nirvan, and the guy from last night was him, too.”
“Oh my God… you two are unbelievable… I knew you would hit it off. This was three years ago, and we could’ve been getting married together, same day, same time,” Megha growled.
“Okay, let me stop you right there… I’m sorry, I didn’t go on the date but…”
“Can you two move quickly with everything and get married soon? You have three full days to decide,” Megha said in the most serious tone.
“Please tell me you are kidding.”
“That would be my preference, and I am making it very clear.”
“Megha, stop with the ridiculousness and go back to the dressing chair,” Kushi ordered, and Megha looked at her in silence for a long moment. “I regret not going on that date… he is a great guy.”
“I will deal with you two in the morning,” Megha threatened playfully.
“Yes, we can talk tomorrow morning by the pool.” Kushi laughed.
“How long are you staying at the party tonight?”
“We are going to meet on the balcony where we had your bachelorette party.” Kushi winked.
“Oh… where you…” Megha bit her tongue and swallowed her words realizing the women around them were shamelessly eavesdropping.
“So, how do I look?” She blushed.
“You look hot in that lehenga. That’s an awesome color for you… you look tantalizing in teal.” Megha looked at her friend in the mirror. The teal flowing skirt had baby pink and ivory floral embellishments and was paired with a fitted cropped blouse showing off her narrow waist and flowing into her wide hips.
“Thank you!” Kushi smiled turning to check her side view, adjusting her long, dark hair.
“I’m not happy about how flat your tummy is…” Megha grumbled.
“I don’t have this for good reasons.” She shook her head knowing it was a result of poor eating from the stress.
“You look hot, and someone is going to have trouble keeping their hands off you,” Megha teased.
Chapter 5
The music was booming from the event location as Kushi, accompanied with Megha’s cousins, walked toward the open-air theatre. Kushi’s eyes wandered looking for the tall man she was waiting to see and be seen by him. Megha got the women to apply some eye makeup to match her skirt making her brown eyes look different. ‘Exquisite’ was the term her friend had used.
As they approached the group of family members who were gathered at the party, Megha leaned in and whispered, “You better not be gone long for your date.”
“Not long… I just want to talk to him.”
“Sure, just talk.” Megha snorted.
“Stop, Megha.”
“Fine, go live your life… leave me all alone here.” Megha pouted making Kushi laugh.
“I won’t be long, I promise,” Kushi said, her eyes wandering and scanning the crowd but no sight of Nirvan.
The party was in full swing forty-five minutes later, but Kushi’s eyes wouldn’t stop looking for him. She was standing to one side of the stage cheering Anurag and Megha as they eased into the night with their first dance when she felt the bare skin on her back tingle. She turned slowly to check what was in her peripheral view. A tall figure moved from her hazy corner view and into her line of sight.
Nirvan looked stunning in a silk kurta that hugged his broad chest, the deep blue color of the soft fabric almost matching her skirt. Their eyes locked, and the annoyance and apprehension from not seeing him evaporated, and automatically her lips curved up into a smile.
His eyes bore into hers like there was no one around when the place was overflowing with friends and family. She broke their gaze when Megha and Anurag started addressing the group who had gathered for the beautiful event.
Kushi continued to feel his eyes on her stripping her with his looks. She felt his eyes scan her body and stop at the rounded section of her fitted blouse. She clenched her stomach when she felt his sight on her bare skin. When she looked at him, he tilted his head sideways and rolled his eyes to one side in the opposite direction of the location they h
ad agreed to meet. It was time for them to meet as he was tapping on his watch indicating that she had to go.
Kushi took a deep breath and looked at Megha hoping she could give her a signal that she was leaving. The discreet wave of her hand caught Megha’s attention, and Kushi signaled that she was leaving. Megha winked and blew her a kiss, and Kushi turned away to walk in the direction Nirvan had indicated.
She walked to the back of the seating arrangement and was about to step into the partial darkness when she felt him. His hand wrapped around her wrist pulling her into his arms.
“I’ve been waiting to do this all day.” He tightened his arms around her burying his face in her neck and trailing small kisses along her shoulder.
“Nirvan…”
“You are beautiful.” He pulled back to look down at her glowing face.
“I’ve been waiting, too.” She had no inhibitions around him and was able to express herself.
“Let’s go.” He took her by her hand and started leading her away from their rendezvous spot.
“Nirvan, the party hall is that way.” She tried to catch her breath as they jogged across the lush lawns of the resort.
“If I’m not mistaken, you told Meggie everything, and my little cousin may crash our party… so change in plans,” he grunted.
She laughed, enjoying the cool breeze on her face. He led her into another event center which was dimly lit and deserted.
“Is it okay for us to be here?’
“The resort is owned by the family making me a rightful owner who can be anywhere, anytime in the resort.”
“You and Megha.” She laughed.
“Yup.” He led her up a spiral staircase and pushed open a glass door and held it open for her. She stood in the doorway looking into a balcony double the size of the one they were in the previous night with a small table set up with candles.
“Wow, this is so awesome.” She stepped into the balcony, and he shut the door behind him.
“Glad you like it.” His breath was warm in her ear as he circled his arms around her from behind, the soft silk of his kurta brushing over the bare skin of her midriff. She placed one arm over his and ran the other hand back to run it around his neck.
“Are you hungry?”
“I want you to hold me like this all night,” she whispered and felt him flatten her back further into his chest, his strong arousal digging into her back. His need for her sent a dirty pleasure wave through her, and she moaned tilting her head back onto his chest. He lowered his lips to run circles with the tip of his tongue on her shoulder.
“You taste so good, I want to eat you, taste every inch of you.” His words were weighed down by a deep desire.
Kushi took a deep breath and slowly released her arm from around his neck, loosened his hold on her, and turned to face him, her eyes looking up into his.
“I don’t know why it feels like I’ve known you for a long time when I know nothing about you.”
“Likewise,” he said softly before brushing his lips with hers, gently parting them. She moaned taking in the painfully slow seduction, her fingers running through his hair. His tongue dove into her mouth exploring her sweetness as his hands roamed her body caressing every curve.
“I think we should eat first,” she murmured against his lips when she felt herself rolling into a state of bliss.
“Good idea.” He stepped away to pull the chair back for her.
She smiled and shook her head. “I want to sit on the floor just like we did yesterday.
He chuckled. “I’d like that much better.”
They spent a few minutes moving the dishes and drinks from the table to the marble floor. They sat next to each other, their backs against the wall, and they looked out into the expanse of the darkness. She hugged his arm and tilted her head on his arm.
“Why are you so quiet?”
“I still can’t figure out why I told you about my mom and dad.”
He chuckled and slowly took the back of her hand to his lips. “No matter what you decide to do, I’ll be there to help.”
“Thank you…” She turned her face to plant a kiss on his bicep.
They sat on the balcony floor sipping on the wine and enjoying the food that was prepared for their secret date.
“I want to see you when we get back to San Francisco. Heck, I want you to move in with me,” he growled.
She smiled knowing that’s how sure she felt about the connection they had between them. “Yeah… moving in seems too hurried, but I want to do it.”
“I want you to meet my parents later tonight.”
She let out a slight gasp. “Meet your parents?”
“Yeah…”
“What will you tell them?”
“That you are my girlfriend.”
“One-day-old girlfriend.” She laughed.
“My hot, smart, and sweet girlfriend.”
“Really? What makes me hot?” She winked.
“Seriously? Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately? Smokin’ hot,” he crooned.
“Thanks to Megha’s makeup artist, I guess. What makes me smart?”
“You are a frigging doc, a hardworking and lifesaving doctor. I love that.”
Butterflies took off in her stomach in response to his words. “And?”
“Sweet?” he said before leaning in to kiss her.
She moaned as she dove into a devouring kiss. “You are the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted.”
Nirvan grunted as he pulled her into his lap, his lips sucking in hers and not breaking the kiss. They were both lost in the sensations and the intimate moment until they heard voices in the background.
They pulled back and looked at each other wondering if they had imagined the voices.
“I don’t care,” a female voice blared, and the voice was way too familiar.
“Meggie,” Nirvan whispered.
“She’s crying…” Kushi’s voice was lost when they heard Anurag’s voice matching the intensity in Megha’s voice.
“What you are about to do is utter stupidity. Who does that?”
“This is how I sort out my priorities, figure out a way to have the things the way I like,” Megha retorted.
“Dammit, Megha… don’t walk away from me.”
“I don’t want any of this if I can’t have you for myself, Anurag. Come talk to me when you have decided what to do,” Megha barked, and they heard her heels click away.
“What are they doing here?”
“My little cousin managed to crash my party. We should go talk to Anurag.” Nirvan stood and pulled her up. He plastered a quick, hard kiss on her lips.
“I’ll make it up to you later. There seems to be trouble in paradise.”
They both headed downstairs and went into the room just below the balcony to find Anurag standing by the window.
“Hey, man. What’s going on?” Nirvan asked softly.
Anurag turned looking devastated. “Talk to Megha, she wants to call off the wedding.”
“What?” Nirvan and Kushi let out a gasp in unison.
Chapter 6
“Did Megha send you guys?” Anurag asked pulling them out of the shock of what they heard.
“No, we were upstairs on the balcony and heard part of your conversation,” Nirvan stated.
“Balcony?”
“We were on a date.” Nirvan smiled looking at Kushi making her blush.
“Wait, you two hooked up last night?” Megha had no filters with Anurag, and she had managed to tell him everything except about their date.
“Yes, we did, and I’ll tell you the entire story of how we met later if you are interested. What’s going on?”
“Megha wants to quit her job, kill her career, and travel with me… the same old story,” Anurag growled.
“Why does she want to do that, Anurag?” Nirvan’s voice was soft.
Anurag hesitated for a moment. “She thinks I travel too much, and she doesn’t want me to travel alone.”
/> “Put a flip on that, Anurag. She wants to be with you. She doesn’t want to spend time away from you at the hospital and be at home by herself when you are traveling,” Kushi chimed in.
Nirvan looked at Kushi. “Did she tell you that?”
“Yes.” Kushi nodded.
“I don’t travel like I used to, and I can coordinate my travel when she is on her shifts. I don’t know what the big deal is.” Anurag snickered.
“Are you opposed to her traveling with you? The company doesn’t prohibit family from traveling with employees.”
“When I travel, it is hectic, and it takes me days sometimes to catch up.” Anurag shook his head.
“That’s what she is talking about. You are checked out even after you are back,” Kushi grumbled.
“Did she tell you that?” Anurag seemed surprised, and Kushi nodded in response.
“So she wants to take a break and travel with you, so what is the big deal?” Nirvan shrugged.
“No, she is ready to quit her job, stop working, and be with me…” Anurag said, and Nirvan interjected.
“Quitting her job to spend time with you… she is doing it for you. What are you doing about it?” Nirvan almost growled, and Kushi saw an angry older brother, rather than just a cousin, who was defending his baby sister, a complete contrast to the calm man who had comforted her when she was panicking about her outfit earlier that day.
“I don’t want her to do anything for me. I don’t want her to change on my account, nor do I want her to throw away everything she has worked so hard for,” Anurag fired back.
Nirvan folded his hands in front of him. “What are you going to do about it, bro… something’s got to give.”
Anurag looked at them in silence.
“She is not going to call off the wedding, Anurag, but you know she will quit everything she is doing to be with you,” Kushi said softly.
Anurag shook his head, running and gripping his fingers through his hair as he looked up at the ceiling. “The easiest thing here is to cut back on my travel.”
“Is that hard?” Kushi asked, innocently.
Anurag looked at Nirvan. “Is your job offer with your company still on the table?”
