by Brandy Blake
“I told you I felt a strong connection with you the first night I saw you. I just feel better when I’m with you. I do feel like you are my other half. I’ll be honest… before you… I thought the love at first sight idea was pure crap. I also didn’t believe in soulmates, but you’ve changed my mind about both things.” He kissed her and the passion was quite evident to her.
Still her mind screamed, he’s lying, he can’t feel this way. He’s a guy, they aren’t like women. Don’t believe him. She tried to push these thoughts from her head, and finally succeeded. “I really don’t know what to say, I’m stunned.”
“Well, I would love to hear that you felt the same way, but if you aren’t comfortable with it yet, I’m okay. Just agree to spend as much time with me as possible, and still think about extending your stay. That’s all I ask.”
“I can think about it, but I’m not going to make a decision right now,” Amanda stated.
“That’s all I’m asking you for.” Mike smiled. “So, are you hungry?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Great, there is a little place close to my house. We will go there, and afterwards, I’ll show you my house. If you want, that is.”
“Sounds good,” Amanda said.
The restaurant served Indian food, and the smell of curry when they walked in tantalized her senses. “It smells so delicious in here.”
“They have the best Indian food you can find in London, in my opinion.”
“I have no idea what to order,” Amanda said as she studied the menu.
“Well, how spicy do you like your food?”
“I can handle pretty hot food.”
“I have the perfect dish for you. You aren’t vegetarian, are you?”
“No way, I love meat far too much.” She laughed.
Mike ordered for them when the waitress came, and then he explained to Amanda what he ordered for her. “I got you Phaal curry to begin with, just a little sampling of it, and then Laal Maas for your meal.”
“What is it?”
“For a simple explanation, it’s mutton with a red gravy that is very spicy, and it’s amazing too. I got us both that for our meal. I was tempted to order something else, so you’d be able to try another dish, but this is my favorite meal. However, I did get Chicken Chettinad as an appetizer for us both. It’s extremely spicy, but quite wonderful.”
“Sounds amazing. If they smell as good as the whole place does, I can’t even begin to guess how tasty it will be.”
“Just as a warning, these are all extremely spicy foods.”
“That’s fine, I eat these wings at home that have a ghost chili sauce. It literally will burn your skin around the mouth, if you get too much on it,” Amanda stated.
“You should be good!” He chuckled.
“So, tell me a bit about Arizona, what is it like?” Mike asked.
“Well, it gets hot, but not really humid. If you’ve ever been to a location that is hot and humid, you would appreciate the dry heat you get when you visit Arizona.
“But, you also have four seasons, if you are in an area like Flagstaff, you can see snow. Every once in a while, we may get a dusting of snow in Phoenix, but not all that often. It usually is decent year-round. Though, since I grew up there, I get colder than someone who might just be visiting or has only lived there a few years.
“I personally love it, it has desert areas where I live, and there are also plenty of trees too, so I get to enjoy two types of environments in one location. I consider myself quite lucky,” Amanda explained.
“Sounds nice, not at all like London. We get a ton of rain here, and often don’t see the sun. But, I bet you see the sun all the time.”
“Yes, most of the year, though we do have the monsoon season. Then it will rain almost every day of the week, but it’s a quick and hard rain. It floods during that time, but the ground will often soak it up within a couple of hours at the most.
“When a monsoon hits they warn you not to drive through low lying areas, but, every year people do it anyway. They and their cars get swept along the current of a newly formed river.”
“Oh no, how many die from this?” he asked.
“Surprisingly not as many as you think. I mean the rescue crews are used to it, and they often are ready for it to happen. So before anything more serious than just a few bumps and bruises take place, they are already in the process of saving the stranded motorists.”
“I’d love to visit one day.”
“You are more than welcome to visit. I would show you around.”
“I’d like that a lot. I might just plan that very soon. So, what else can you tell me about Arizona, especially compared to London?” Mike asked.
“We have tarantulas, scorpions, and some other poisonous snakes, and spiders.”
“Have you seen them all?”
“Not all the poisonous snakes, but I have seen a tarantula walking across the road in the desert. Needless to say, I didn’t stop and didn’t get out of my car, but just kept driving!”
Mike laughed. “I’d do the same thing; I’m not a huge spider fan!”
“I had a black widow spider take up home in my laundry room. I walked in and found her in the middle of a huge web she had spun. I called a company to come and spray that day.”
“No doubt, a good idea. Did they kill her, or did you?”
“Oh no, I couldn’t do it. When I said I’m scared of spiders, I mean I scream and run like a chicken with my head cut off!”
Mike laughed. “I’m sorry, but I am picturing this right now, and it is far too funny!”
“Well, I don’t think it is funny when I’m face to face with any spider, even a non-venomous one. I also had a scorpion crawling on me one time. I didn’t know what it was, so I just ran my hand over my arm.” She showed him what she had done. “I looked on the ground and saw a scorpion. I freaked out, and yes, called them to come and spray again. I moved out of my place for a couple of weeks, until they insured me it was safe!” She laughed.
“Well maybe I don’t want to visit!”
“No, you don’t often run into these creatures, I have lived there for 32 years, remember.”
“Okay, I guess that’s not too bad. Now if you told me you ran into one of them every day, I would say I’ll just bring you to visit me all the time!”
She laughed. “I think you’ll be safe if you visit me.”
“Here comes our food,” he said and pointed at the waitress approaching their table. “I think it’s the appetizers only, but the rest of it should be out soon.”
Amanda bent down and took in a deep breath of the Phaal that was placed in front of her. “Oh, it smells absolutely delicious!” She picked up her spoon and took a bite of it. “This is wonderful, one of the best things I think I’ve ever tasted!”
“Yes, it is wonderful, as is all of their food here. Try this chicken.” He handed her a piece of the Chettinad and then he handed her a piece of the spicy chicken.
Amanda took a bite. “That is spicy, but what an explosion of taste! They must use a variety of spices to cook this.”
“Yes, it has a lot of different spices, I think it is one of the spiciest foods they have on the menu and possibly in the Indian culture.” The rest of the food was delivered as they finished their appetizers. Amanda looked at the Laal Maas, her mouth watered from the wonderful scent coming from the dish. “I think this is going to be marvelous as well!”
“It will be, I get this almost all the time when I come here,” Mike admitted.
“Do you come here a lot?”
“Maybe three times a week, sometimes more. It really depends on what kind of food that I’m in the mood to eat. It is very close to my house, though, so it makes it easier than a lot of other choices.”
“It makes a lot of sense why you would eat here a lot, though. Besides the fact that the food here is so good. I can’t even really explain how wonderful it is, but I’ll try and tell Janice the best I can. She would love this food as
well.”
“She likes hot food too?”
“Yes.”
“How long have you known her?” Mike asked.
“We met in college, but we actually grew up about 7 blocks from one another. We never knew about that until college. We both feel like we missed out on tons of years of being best friends!” Amanda stated.
“You grew up that close to each other, and never met before college?” Mike laughed.
“I know, but Phoenix is big and we just hung out with different crowds. She went to a private school, and I went to the public school. So, from the start we were living in a different world. However, I won a scholarship to Arizona State University, and she also went there. We had several classes together and found a place together. She’s a great friend, and my best friend in the whole world.” Amanda smiled.
“What does she do again?”
“She’s a corporate lawyer, and a very good one. But, I think she’s part bloodhound too. She’s always trying to solve mysteries. Even if it is a small thing, like where did the keys go?”
“Is she married?” Mike asked.
“She is engaged, they will be getting married at the end of next year. Her fiancé is another attorney at the firm she works at, his name is Jason.”
“Let me guess, you are the maid of honor?” Mike laughed.
“But of course.” Amanda smiled.
“Would you like some dessert?” Mike asked. “You should try the Sutarfeni.”
“What is it?”
“Delicious!” He laughed.
“Okay, but I don’t know if I will be able to eat a lot, I’m pretty stuffed,” Amanda said.
“Okay, we can share an order of it, then.”
He ordered the dessert and it was brought to the table. She looked at it. “So I still can’t really tell what it is.”
“They roast rice flour in ghee, and make it to a cotton candy consistency, then add pistachios to the top. Well at least that is a simplified explanation of this amazing dessert!”
“It is amazing, I’m glad you talked me into trying it.” She smiled at him across the table.
He tipped his wine glass to her. “Thank you for accepting my invitation to dinner, and to take you to see Big Ben.”
“Well, you know I really didn’t feel like doing homework, and you drove a hard bargain.” She blushed at the memory of the other part of the deal to not have homework. Her insides squirmed in response, and her whole body shivered as she remembered his tongue, when it plunged inside of her and made her orgasm like crazy.
“That is only because I really wanted to be able to spend more time with you. Now, if I can only talk you into staying a bit longer, so I have more time. I will feel like I’ve accomplished something!”
She sighed. “You know I want to, but I’m just not sure about you paying for the change on my flight, and how would I explain to everyone that I’m staying longer?”
“Who do you have to explain it to?” Mike asked.
“My parents, Janice, and well… no one else,” she admitted after thinking a few moments.
“Just tell them that you met a great guy, and you want to spend some time with him. Or if you want, just tell them you want to see more of London.”
“But, I’m not used to other people paying for me, especially a ticket change. I have no clue how much it would even cost?”
He stopped and looked at her. “I know you are scared, it is okay. Honestly, I’m shocked by how quickly I fell for you too. But, I want to enjoy our time together. I don’t know how soon I will see you again after you leave. I am just hoping to squeeze in as much time as I can from this,” he explained.
But, I don’t want to pressure you either, and I can see by the look on your face that you feel pressured. So, for now, I’ll drop it.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that. But, I will think about it, I promise.”
“Good enough. Let’s go, I want to show you my home.” Mike pulled her chair out and helped her up. He walked behind her, his hand on her lower back. She enjoyed the feeling of his strong, warm hand on her body.
She craved much more from him, but, she was so scared then. He had drawn his line in the sand and told her exactly how he had felt. She just didn’t know if she was ready to admit how she felt, she wanted to run from it instead of facing it head on.
Chapter6
Mike pulled up his car to the front of a modest house. Amanda looked at it, the place was nice. Two stories, painted white, with black trim. Nothing outrageous, not that she would have expected that. She just hadn’t been able to really picture what his place would look like.
“Come on inside, I’ll give you the three-cent tour.”
“Three-cent tour?” Amanda asked.
“I honestly have no clue, but I thought it sounded better than I’ll show you around.” Mike laughed.
They walked in the front door to an open living room. It had plush and comfortable-looking brown couches, and the carpet was a light brown. He had a few pictures on the walls, they were all nature shots, showing animals in their natural habitat.
He pulled her into the hallway that led to the kitchen. She looked around, it was modestly decorated, and not much color there either.
“Come here, I’ll show you the greenhouse that I built last year. I grow herbs in it for cooking.” Mike led her out the back door from the kitchen.
She looked at the greenhouse that was fairly large, and appeared to be well-built, not that she knew much about construction.
“You did it by yourself?” she asked.
“No, a few of my friends helped me, one is an architect, and another owns a construction business. So, we made sure it was up to code, and wouldn’t need to be knocked down.”
He pulled open the door and she saw many green plants growing. “So what herbs do you have?”
“Parsley, mint, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, basil, and I just planted some chives and tarragon last week. They haven’t sprouted yet, but I’m hoping they will. I hope to try and use them in a variety of recipes. I like to think of myself as a bit of an amateur chef.”
“Really? That’s interesting. I don’t think I would have ever imagined you were into cooking.”
“Why not? I love food, and I love to try new things.” He smiled broadly at her, the look on his face hinting to something besides food.
She blushed. “I know… but you are in great shape, and a lot of people who cook, well, I always seem to think they weigh more.”
“I also exercise a lot, so that I can keep my weight down. My cooking is the type with a bunch of butter and other things that will make it unhealthy. But I try and make healthy meals that are low-fat, and low-calorie, but big in taste. I know it’s hard to imagine, after all the food we just ate.
“But, I do watch what I eat, normally, and the only thing that was super fattening was the dessert. I don’t eat those often myself. But, I really wanted you to try it,” Mike explained.
“You are a man of many talents. What else do I not know about you?”
He laughed. “Stay longer, and you’ll learn all you want to know about me!”
She looked at him and rolled her eyes. “You aren’t going to give up on that, are you?”
“Not until you agree to it!” he admitted.
“When we get back, I’ll see how much the cost will be, and talk to Janice and my parents. I need to make sure they are able to take care of my cat until I return.”
“You have a cat?”
“Yes, she’s been with me for around twenty years now.”
“Wow that is a long time.”
“I rescued her, she was thrown out of a car. I was walking one night in my neighborhood, and I saw a plastic bag on the side of the road. It was sitting in a rain puddle, it was monsoon season. I saw the bag move as I walked closer, then I heard a tiny meowing sound. I had to look, and there was an adorable little black and white kitten.
“Sadly, her jaw had been broken when they threw her from the car. I
couldn’t leave her to die. So, I took her home, washed her up, and took her to the vet the next day.”
“You are a sweetheart, not a lot of people would have done that.”
“There are plenty of animal lovers out there, I’m not special. But, I do love this cat, she’s grown up with me, and is now quite old.”
“What did you name her?”
“It isn’t very creative. I call her Bow Tie.”
“Oh, that’s cute. I had a cat at one time, but she died about two years ago. I haven’t been able to bring myself to get another one. However, if I found one that needed to be rescued, like you did, I would take it in a heartbeat.”
“I knew I liked you for a reason!” She kissed his cheek.
“Let’s go see the rest of the house.” He led her back into the kitchen. “Come this way.” He took a left down another hall. “This is the second bathroom.” He opened the door.
She peered in, no color, but a simple bathroom stood in front of her. “You don’t do a lot with color do you?”
“No, I’m color blind, so I’m horrible with colors. If I tried to do something, I’m sure it would be all different versions of a color, but none of them would match, and it would look very bad.” He laughed.
“Still another thing I learned about you. Interesting. How do you do graphic design so well, being color blind?”
“Simple. If you’ve seen most of my work, it is black and white. The few colors I use, I don’t use a lot, and very limited.”
“Hmm, makes sense. But, what if someone asks you for a colorful design?”
“Then I give it to my other workers. None of them are color blind, and I’ve made sure I only hire the best. That one guy, Matt, in class, he’s coming to work for me next month. He’s truly brilliant. Did you see his homework? I’m sure the colors were most likely more stunning to the normal eye,” Mike commented.
“Oh yes, it was fantastic. But, you acted like you could see it so well. How do you do that?” she asked.
“Well, I’m not completely color blind, but my vision is limited. I still see colors, they are just muted, and some don’t look as bright as they would to you. So, it’s not as bad as being color blind. I guess it would be more like color challenged.” He laughed.
