by P. G. Van
“Seriously?” A familiar laugh cut through the sound of the rain and startled her. She opened her eyes to see Veer, and when the water rushed under her lids, instinct told her to let go of the wooden pillar and held on with one hand to rub the water away from her eyes.
She squealed in horror when she felt her other hand lose her grip on the rounded wooden pillar. She desperately reached for something and felt her fingers graze over warm skin and then she stopped falling, but only for a second.
Ariya heard Veer swear under his breath, and the next instant she landed but not on the wet, muddy ground but on Veer. He held her to him as she lay on him, the rain splashing on her back.
“Veer,” she gasped.
“Yes, you are welcome.” He laughed.
She pushed her body away from him by flattening her palms only to crash onto his chest again.
“Hang on,” he whispered into her ear. He held her to him for a moment longer, before giving her a boost to get off of him and out of the rain. It was less than a few minutes, but her clothes were drenched, and so were his.
Veer tried to wipe off the mud from his clothes under the rain before stepping under the shelter.
“What were you trying to do?” A small smile played on his lips.
“You startled me,” she growled, and he started laughing.
“You looked ridiculous hanging from the wooden frame.” He wouldn’t stop laughing, and that annoyed her.
“I was doing fine until you showed up.” She turned around to leave, but he wouldn’t stop laughing.
“Andy will have a field day when he hears about this.”
She stopped short and turned to look at him laugh. She came down the stairs to stand one step above him. “You are not talking to anyone about this. It is not funny. We could have gotten hurt if…”
“If, I hadn’t come to your rescue.”
She clenched her teeth and took a deep breath. “I was doing fine, enjoying my solitude until you interrupted.”
“I did?”
“Yes, and remember, we are not discussing what I was doing out here with anyone.”
“Say thank you.” His voice was suddenly soft, and he inched closer, making her lean back. His eyes bore into hers under the dim light.
“No. I won’t. You need to apologize for making me fall,” she challenged, staring at the intensity in his eyes.
“No. I won’t. Because I am not sorry I made you fall.” His voice was a low rumble.
She took a deep breath and leaned away from him. “Fine, we are even.”
“We are not,” he called out, laughing as she turned to leave the balcony.
“Yes, we are,” she called back without turning to look at him. She didn’t have to turn to look at him to know he had his eyes on her. She had started to pick up on something else from Veer’s manner, but she just couldn’t figure out what.
*****
The next morning, Ariya was the first one to pack her backpack and be ready to go on the river cruise. The plan was to shoot for three days along the Amazon River and to come back to the lodge and shoot the surrounding towns to close the show.
Ariya was halfway through her breakfast when Veer and Stefan walked into the dining area. She put away the book she was reading and smiled at both of them.
“Good morning.” Stefan yawned.
“Sleeping beauty didn’t get enough sleep last night?” Ariya teased Stefan.
“Apparently there was rain splashing on his face through the window,” Veer said coolly, and she almost choked on her bite of the omelet.
“What?” She looked at Stefan.
“You guys stop making fun of me,” Stefan pleaded.
Veer laughed and looked at Ariya but did not say anything. His eyes were riveted on her face, and she refused to look away.
“What did you order, Ariya?” Veer finally broke the weird tension that was building between them.
“Custom omelet.” Her voice was soft.
“Do you like it?” Veer prolonged the conversation, and she nodded.
“I’m gonna go order my food.” Veer turned and almost bumped into Andy.
Andy laughed stepping back. “Veer, wait until we get on the cruise to get drunk.”
“I have no eyes on my back, Andy.”
“Veer, what’s that on your arm?” Andy asked pointing to streaks of red on Veer’s skin. Ariya looked and almost choked on her food, for the second time. There were three very telling scratches on his arm, and she knew how he got them. She remembered her nails grazing over something before she fell, but it didn’t register at that time.
Her stomach coiled when Veer smiled and ran his fingers over the scratches. “I got attacked last night.”
“What? When? How?” Andy stepped closer.
“Andy, it’s nothing.”
“I can’t have you fall sick,” Andy grumbled not taking his eyes off Veer’s arm.
“Get over it, Andy.” Veer walked away leaving Andy and Stefan looking at each other not exchanging a single word.
Andy let out a sigh. “I don’t like him when he is so damn adamant.”
“Andy, Veer can take care of himself.” Stefan’s voice was calm, as always.
“Stefan, do you know how many people fall terribly sick because they get exposed to flesh-eating bacteria here in the rainforest,” Andy said, and a shiver passed through Ariya’s spine. She wanted to tell Andy and Stefan what really happened and how she ended up scratching him, but she didn’t want what happened the previous night to be a topic of discussion for the rest of the trip.
“Seems superficial, Andy.” Ariya’s voice wavered.
“I wish he’d tell us how he got the scratches, so we’ll know if he needs to be treated,” Andy grumbled, and Stefan patted his shoulder, nodding his head, indicating he would get the information.
Stefan waited for Veer to set his plate on the table and watched him sit down. “Veer, did you get those scratches when we were in the forest yesterday?”
“Nope.” Veer took a big bite of his omelet.
“So… when did you get them?”
“Last night.”
“Where?” Stefan maintained a calm tone.
“Here,” Veer responded without looking up.
“At the lodge?”
Veer nodded, chewing his food.
“How?”
Veer looked at Ariya only for a split second before shrugging. “Just happened?”
“Veer, why are you so secretive? How did you get the scratches?” Andy insisted, sounding worried.
Ariya felt the twist tighten in her stomach when she realized Veer was not talking about what happened the previous night because she had told him not to, just to avoid any unsavory rumors. Stefan and Andy continued to question him and also joked about him getting attacked by a kitten, but Veer ignored them and finally closed the conversation by walking away from the table. She felt crappy sitting at the table listening to Andy and Stefan continue to laugh about a kitten attacking Veer.
Ariya tried to talk to Veer to apologize and even thank him for respecting what she had asked, but she just could not get an alone moment with him. For the first time in the trip, Veer chose to ride the bus, and she hoped to talk to him then, but he sat next to Jerry, Andy’s assistant director. The three men were engrossed in their discussions all through the ride to the starting point of their river cruise.
She took pictures of the crew and went back to working on her computer. She hoped to start working on organizing the pictures and the outline of her story for the magazine she wrote. She was happy that her pictures she posted online were bringing Veer a lot of new followers and more awareness. The videos and pictures she posted of him got a lot of the environmental preservation groups to start looking at how to improve on the preservation plan of the Amazon rainforest animals.
She checked the pictures she posted every day and by far the picture she took of Veer, just before he got his hair cut, had the most responses. The second best is the o
ne that Andy had posted of her and Veer. The comments on that particular picture were never-ending, and she stopped reading them. Almost every comment indicated how much the women want to be in her place in that picture.
Veer was everything a woman wanted—stunning looks, charming smile, gorgeous eyes. He had all the qualities for anyone to find him attractive just by looking at him. She admired his looks, but what she found more attractive about him was his work ethic, his genuine love for the animal kingdom, and most recently, his respecting her request even if it was like an order.
Ariya felt a strange shudder run through her when her eyes fell on him, and he happened to be looking at her at the same time.
Chapter 9
A few hours of a bumpy, hilly ride, and the bus came to a stop at a clearing. The guide team helped the crew carry the heavy equipment and the extra bags through a path between the trees.
Fifteen minutes of lugging heavy bags and equipment had the crew out of breath. They let out a sigh of relief when they saw the boat anchored to the dock. It was not just any boat, it was a good-sized Houseboat that promised to accommodate the thirty-member crew and guide team.
Ariya stopped at the edge of the water and took pictures as the crew filed into the Houseboat. It had three levels with observation decks on all the levels. From where she stood, she saw a small canopy set up on the very top level, and it seemed to be open for observation on the entire level.
The first and the second levels had rooms with windows, some with balconies. She walked closer to the boat to capture a picture of the balcony and just when she was about to click, Veer pushed open the sliding door and stepped onto the balcony.
“Veer.” She waved to catch his attention and zoomed her lens to get a closer picture of him.
Veer did not wave back or smile at her but kept his eyes riveted on her. Her breath hitched in response to the intensity with which he looked into the camera. She took a deep breath and clicked a few pictures before making her way into the houseboat.
“There you are, where have you been?” Stefan called out to Ariya as soon as she stepped foot on the boat.
“Hey, I was taking a few pictures.”
“I was worried you would be left behind.” Stefan laughed, patting her shoulder.
“Right.” She rolled her eyes at him.
“We are running short on the number of rooms, so we have to do a bit of a sharing… and I don’t need you to share, but I need you to give up your room.”
“Stefan, I’m okay to share. I know all these guys now, I’m part of the team.”
“No, you don’t need to… I need you to give up your room, so Andy and Jerry can set up their office there, and I need you to use this room for the trip.” Stefan pulled out the key card that had his name tag attached to it.
“Stefan, it’s your room. I don’t need a fancy producer’s room.” Ariya laughed.
“Andy and I will be pulling all-nighters during this trip to get some editing done and will take turns to sleep.”
“But…”
“No more arguments. Go settle down. We are not too far from our first stop.” Stefan placed the key card in her hand and walked away calling out to Jerry.
Ariya carried her bag up the stairs and looked around for the room number. It took her less than a second to realize her room was right next to Veer’s room, again.
Was Stefan up to something?
Even if he were, with how she and Veer got along initially, she didn’t want to question his intentions and give him unnecessary ideas. Stefan had, in the past, tried to be a matchmaker until she read him the riot act a few years ago.
She took a deep breath and slid the key card and pushed open the door. She stood at the door, staring in amazement at the sight before her. The room was small with a small bed, but what took her breath away was the panoramic view of the river the room offered with the large windows and the floor-to-ceiling glass sliding door.
“Wow,” she muttered dropping her bag on the floor and shutting the door behind her. She pulled out her camera and took a few pictures of the beautiful view. She slid open the window and took in the warm, humid air. She knew she would have a lot of fun on this assignment but never expected it to be this good.
She put her things away and spent an hour making notes and taking pictures as the boat steadily made it up the river. She also managed to get a few pictures of Veer as he stood on the balcony talking on the phone without him noticing her.
Satisfied with the work she did that morning, she took her key card and went looking for Stefan. As he had mentioned, he was in the middle of setting up the equipment in a room for him and Andy to work. She stepped into the room and affectionately put her arms around Stefan.
“You are the best, Stef.”
“I’m glad you like your room. I want you to have some fun on this assignment.”
“You are being completely unprofessional in giving up the best room for your friend, but I’m not complaining.”
“You’ve been working so hard, you deserve it. The network can use all the pictures you’ve been taking for the preview,” Stefan said, cheerfully.
“Oh… good.” She smiled.
“Yes, we have a four-hour ride up the river. Rest before we get there.”
“I’m fine. How can I help?”
“We are setting up the office. You should rest before we get to our spot,” Stefan said softly almost sounding worried.
“Rest? Why?” Ariya looked at him suspiciously.
“Well… we are going to film the anacondas, and it’s okay if you don’t want to be around for taking pictures.”
“Stefan, it was that particular snake… it was slimy. Not all snakes bother me.” Ariya took pride in her professionalism and wouldn’t let her personal feelings get in her way. A childhood accident made her leery of traveling in a car, but she did when she needed to, drive and even ride a car when required.
“Veer… he is worried you would have…” Ariya didn’t let Stefan finish.
“Why does Veer get to decide what I should be doing?” she fumed.
“He is the star of the show… if he thinks you…” Ariya stopped listening to Stefan. She turned on her heels and was on her way back up the stairs, ignoring Stefan calling out her name. She fumed going up the stairs, straight to the second level, to see Veer.
She turned toward his room at the top of the stairs and almost ran into a wall… no, that was Veer. He managed to knock her off balance and held her when she started to sway backward.
“Slow down.” He laughed into her ear.
She grunted, pushing him away and stepping close to him, intimidatingly. “What the heck did you tell Stefan?”
“What did I tell Stefan?” His eyebrows furrowed.
“That you don’t want me with the snakes,” she growled.
He looked at her for a long moment before responding. “Maybe.”
“Why do you get to decide that? You can’t stop me from taking the pictures.” She was outraged he thought she couldn’t do her job well just because she happened to throw up once on the job.
“I do… because I don’t want you puking on the set like last time.” He was starting to sound annoyed.
“I did not puke on the set. I forcibly threw up off the set, and I did because I knew it would make me feel better,” she fired back.
“I don’t care, you are going to sit this one out,” he ordered and started to walk away from her. She grabbed him by his hand.
“Stop….” The rest of her words were lost in a gasp when Veer briskly stepped closer, so close her back was plastered to the wall. He held her pinned to the wall, his t-shirt grazing her clothes. She felt the warmth from him even though he wasn’t touching her.
“When I say I don’t want you on the set, you will stay off the set, and if you don’t… I will have you ejected from the team.” His breath was warm on her cheek. Her mind was focused on his words, but her body had a mind of its own. She was surprised she was feeling a tw
itching that was starting to become overly familiar, something she felt when Veer came so close to her.
“Veer… don’t act like an asshole.”
“Act? Do you not think that already?” he continued to breathe out fire.
She looked up into his eyes, challenging his threat of ejecting her. “I know you’ve driven a lot of photographers away, but you can’t make me leave an assignment unfinished.”
“I’m not asking you to leave. All I’m saying is don’t try to do something you can’t.” His voice softened.
“Let me do my job,” she hissed under her breath unable to catch her breath with the way her heart was pounding.
“You. Will. Not. Get off the boat. Understood?”
His words made her want to scratch his face, but she refrained. Instead, she looked into his eyes as his deep ones bore into hers.
“Ariya, do you understand?” His voice was gravelly, and it sent shivers through her spine.
She nodded unable to trust her voice. His words offended her, but something in his eyes told her there was more to it. It wasn’t because it would disrupt the shoot if she had to run away because she couldn’t bear the sight of the snake. The moment where she thought his eyes held something else, his expression changed.
“Now. Stop being a child and stay out of my way.” He took a step back from her and started to turn away.
“I should have scratched you more.” She had no idea why she said what she said, but he turned and looked at her, and a small smile appeared out of nowhere.
“I like the feel of a woman’s nails on my back when I am doing things to her. Bring it on,” he said and went down the stairs leaving her breathless.
Ariya stood in the narrow hallway for a few more minutes gathering herself. She couldn’t understand why his words seemed to suck the air out of her lungs.
“Idiot,” she grumbled under her breath and went into her room to get her camera. She was going to do her job and not let some prick tell her what to do. He doesn’t get to eject her, he didn’t hire her. She stuck her head into the editing room that was being set up. Stefan, Andy, and Veer were standing around looking at what Andy was showing them on a tablet device.
