by P. G. Van
“Good night Sameera. I will see you on Saturday,” he said as I slid out of the back seat of Srini’s car.
Chapter Four
“Hello, Saturday,” I said to myself only partially awake. I was going to see Nick later that day, and I had waited two long days for today. Nick made me feel special, and I got a very high sense of security and confidence with him around. He didn’t have to give me compliments to make me feel beautiful inside and out. The way Nick looked at me and the way he behaved with me said it all and more.
I had been planning this day for forty-eight hours starting with the ingredients I needed to buy at the local farmers market to how I could prep myself to maintain a calm manner even when my heart was making somersaults. In addition to my Bollywood dance workout to bust any stress that may have built up, I had planned to do an hour of meditation.
The local farmers market started at half past nine. That gave me enough time to make breakfast, shower, and head out for shopping and other errands. Nate, as usual, was at Srini’s place and had texted last night that she would be home by eleven to work on the stuff for dinner. PaniPuri, also called Golgappa or Puchka, has all the essential ingredients to meet the essential nutrition that a regular meal provides but PaniPuri is branded as a snack as it is a very light food.
I stepped out of the apartment to a partly cloudy and calm February morning. This calm would be replaced by a storm that was supposed to hit the San Francisco Bay Area in the early hours of Sunday. The Bay Area most definitely could use some water, and the Sierra would be so much more beautiful with the fresh snow. The weekend storm was predicted to bring more than an inch of rain around the Bay Area and up to two feet of wet snow in the higher Sierra Nevada elevations near Lake Tahoe.
“Good morning Roberto, what do you have for me today?” I asked my favorite stall keeper at the farmers market.
This store is my one-stop shop for all of my fresh fruits and veggies. I pulled out my list that I had made for the PaniPuri and Nate’s list for the stuff we needed for the rest of the week. I started with the stuff for my favorite item to serve. I picked fresh cilantro, mint, habanero chilies, fresh peas, potatoes, red onions, persimmons, and cranberries. After moving to California, I had learned to incorporate the seasonal fruits and veggies into the PaniPuri filling so I could get all the nutrition along with the taste.
I moved on to Nate’s list and the weekday list, and by the time I shopped for all the items and lugged them back to the apartment, it was almost eleven. I had the things I needed for the solid and the liquid fillings for the Puris, which are essentially very light and crisp bite-size spheres of deep fried dough. The Pani meaning water in Hindi is the flavored sweet and spicy water combined with other herbs and spices that makes PaniPuri, the king of Indian street foods. The exquisite combinations of flavors would leave anyone begging for more and usually steaming at the ears too.
Nick texted me that day as I was leaving to go to the local Indian store to get some additional ingredients.
Nick: I am all set to start with my lifetime supply of Pani Puris today.
Me: I am almost ready to meet the demand.
Nick: What time are you expecting me?
Me: Six o'clock should be good. If you come sooner, you will need to work on the tasks that I give you.
Nick: Aah…good to know. See you around six then.
Me: Later..
I smiled at the thought of seeing his resolute face and those penetrating eyes full of mystic messages. I felt like the happy teenager I once was when Nick was in India again, and I wondered if I could count on the feeling to last.
*****
It was way past noon before Nate finally showed up looking very apologetic as I was almost done with all the prep for the PaniPuris and had started working on the stuff for dinner. She changed and joined me to wrap up the prep and the weekend cleaning activities. By three in the afternoon, we were running low on energy and decided that it was best to take a nap.
“I need my beauty rest,” Nate declared and went into her room to take a nap. I was not sleepy but was a little tired so I decided to rest for a half hour and take a relaxing bath. I was so exhausted that as soon as my head hit the pillow, I drifted off into a soothing sleep.
I rolled in my bed and woke up to dusky afternoon light streaming into my room shortly after, and I knew that I had slept for longer than the thirty minutes but no more than an hour. I wondered why it was awfully dark for that time of the day and wondered if it was because of the rain clouds. I took a peek at my phone and in a sudden movement jumped out of my bed. It was past five o’clock and the guys were supposed to arrive at six.
“Nate, it’s quarter past five, wake up,” I said sounding frenzied as I opened her bedroom door.
She wasn’t in bed. She was in the shower already. Grumbling at the thought that she hadn’t bothered to wake me up, I ran into the shower and was out in record time. I had already picked out my clothes so I had one less thing to think about. I had planned to put some makeup on for a change, but I knew that I didn’t have the time to try it. For someone who put makeup on once in a blue moon, a good amount of time was a hard requirement. I put on my black silk tunic with a wide u-cut neck that complimented my broad shoulders, and the snug fit showed off the benefits of being a dancer. I knew picking that particular tunic was a pretty bold move, but with Srini and Nate around, I would be safe. I giggled to myself at the definition of safe in this scenario. I didn’t know what I wanted, and I didn’t know for sure what Nick was up to, but I knew there was some chemistry that was brewing between us. I paired the tunic with light blue skinny jeans and put on my solitaire studs. The gold threading along the neckline on the tunic added the much-needed drama so I had decided not to wear a necklace or even a simple chain around my neck. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I heard Nate in her room speaking on the phone.
“Meera, Srini is on his way. Could you please get the door when he gets here?” she asked through closed doors.
“Got it,” I said and finished putting on some eyeliner. Srini lives about fifteen minutes away, and I was confident that I could dry my hair before he arrived.
Exactly five minutes later, I heard the doorbell ringing right outside my room.
“That was fast,” I said to myself as I stepped out of my bedroom to open the door for Srini.
I opened the door fully expecting to see Srini. Nick was at the door looking super yummy as always in his motorcycle jacket and jeans. Nick stood looking at me with a six-pack of beer in one hand and flowers in the other hand. A second later, his cologne swept over me, and I stood rooted to the spot staring at him with no expression.
“Were you not expecting me?” Nick asked smirking at my expression.
“I thought… it was Srini,” I said in a weak voice and forced out a smile to cover up my internal chaos.
“Well, I am sorry to disappoint you but I would like to come in now,” he said smiling as he moved towards me. My daylong planning to present myself well to Nick came down crashing and burning. My hair was still damp and haywire from blow-drying it.
“Not funny, Nick,” I said finding my voice and gathered myself as I stepped back to let him into the apartment.
“Wow, your place looks great. I wish my place looked like this,” he complimented and asked as he put the beer and flowers on the table, “Where is Nethra?” Nate stepped out of her room just at that moment and asked grinning, “Hey Nick, when did you get here? I thought it was Srini at the door,” she walked up to him to give him a hug.
“What is it with you sisters and wanting to see Srini all the time?” he teased and picked up the flowers and gave them to Nate and in the heaviest British accent said, “For you, my lady.”
I felt my jaw hit the floor as Nate laughed and took the flowers from him and said giving him another hug, “Thank you Nick, they are beautiful.”
Nick turned to pick up the beer from the table, looked at me, and said “For you, Sameera. I am going to
stick it in the fridge.”
“Ohh, that’s nice but I don’t drink beer, Nick,” I mocked.
“Easy girl, this is the beer I said I would have you try the other day,” he said winking at me as he put the beer in the fridge. I smiled and looked away at the stuff that I had set on the counter for the PaniPuri.
“Let me know when you are ready, and I will get the PaniPuri going,” I said smiling at Nate and Nick.
“No hurry, let’s wait for Srini,” he said looking at Nate.
“He said he was on his way almost ten minutes ago. I wonder where he is,” Nate said as she dialed his number.
We heard Srini’s phone go off right outside our door. We looked at each other and started laughing as Nick went to open the door for Srini.
“Finally here!!” Nick said giving Srini a fist bump.
“Well, I stopped to get some flowers for the girls…” His voice trailed off when he saw Nate waving at him with flowers in her hand.
“Nick you…” Srini said under his breath.
“Easy, Srini. I had to bring something for the hostess,” Nick said looking at me tauntingly. I fumed at Nick as my cheeks turned red.
“Meera, here you go. These are for you,” Srini comforted me handing me two bouquets of flowers. Nate and Nick were giving high fives to each other and were going hysterical with laughter.
“We can deal with them later, Meera. I can’t wait for your PaniPuris. Can we please start eating?” Srini rubbing his palms together.
“Absolutely, Srini. You get to start first,” I said giving Nick and Nate the stink eye.
“This is the best part about hanging out with childhood friends. No filters. No judgments,” Nick said cheering.
It took me a few minutes to get the flavored water, the Pani, ready and then I set out the herb, fruit, and vegetable fillings on the table and gathered around the counter-height dining table in our apartment.
I watched as Srini and Nate eagerly filled their plates with the solid fillings, efficiently make a hole on the top part of the Puri to add the fillings and stick the fun-filled PaniPuris into their mouth.
“Amazing!!” Srini said with his mouth barely open.
PaniPuris were always sure to send anyone to the borders of gastronomical paradise. I looked at Nick as I reached for my share of the paradise, and he was at the table but was looking at his phone.
“Nick, your lifetime supply starts today,” I said grinning.
He looked up at me absent-mindedly and said, “Hang on, I will be right back.” He got up to go make a call.
“Is it the overseas subcontractor?” Srini asked and Nick nodded.
“I spent thirty minutes with him an hour ago,” Srini complained.
“I got this,” Nick said as he stepped onto the balcony off the dining area and shut the sliding door.
Srini and Nate continued to dissolve the crunchy flour balls in the seasoned spicy water while Nick continued to talk on the phone.
“Meera, why aren’t you eating?” Srini asked when he was on a break from eating. I laughed looking at the two of them sweating like crazy from the heat of the spices and said, “I am having lot more fun watching you guys eat. Please continue.” I didn’t want to start eating without Nick and decided to wait for him to be done.
Fifteen minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes, and Nick was still on the phone. I could hear him through the French doors as he spoke in a very firm tone. Nate and Srini finished up and decided to take a walk so they could ease their stomachs after stuffing them with every possible combination of fillings that I had set out on the table. I shut the door after they left and looked towards the balcony. Nick was still pacing on the balcony talking on the phone. I took the opportunity to go dry my hair, as it was still a little damp. I went into my room but left the bedroom door so Nick knew someone was home. I started the hair dryer in the bathroom and dried my hair. I ran my brush through my hair, took one peek at myself, and went back into the dining area. Nick was still on the balcony, and he hadn’t tasted the PaniPuris before he had to go make the phone call. I walked slowly towards the balcony moving cautiously not to alert him. I slowly opened the sliding door and heard Nick speak into the phone. The authority in his voice and the command he had over that conversation was very impressive and made him feel very foreign to me. I looked at him wondering how different he was from the guy who was my friend.
Nick saw me standing at the sliding door, smiled, and signaled that he was almost done. I smiled and stood waiting for him. He hung up with a curt note for the person on the other line, and as if a switch flipped, he went from the commanding man to his sweet mode. I stepped back into the dining area to let him in and started to set up a plate for him with the fillings.
“Where did the love-birds go? I saw them walking down the street when I was on the call,” Nick asked as he sat down at table.
“They needed to get their tummies to move a bit for the fillings and the Pani to settle down,” I said smiling.
“Good, I have no competition,” Nick said smiling and reached for the flavored water.
“All yours!!” I encouraged and sat across from him at the table.
I watched as he cracked open the plain Puri, filled in the herbs and veggies and added the spicy water. He held the PaniPuri very carefully as he took it to his mouth. Before he could put the Puri in his mouth, the PaniPuri cracked all the way and he splashed the water and the filling all over his t-shirt.
I laughed watching him, and he cursed under his breath as he wiped his t-shirt.
“Ahem, I guess you need PaniPuri lessons,” I teased as I filled up a PaniPuri with all the fillings and handed him the fully loaded ball of crisp flour. He took it from my hand and instead of putting the entire Puri in his mouth, on impulse, he took a bite out of it spilling some water on him again. I continued to laugh mercilessly and he looked back at me sheepishly with water splattered all over his t-shirt.
“Nick, do not bite. Put the whole thing in your mouth and just let it crack when you close your mouth,” I instructed controlling my laughter.
“This is so bad,” he said looking down at his t-shirt.
“Stop being a baby,” I mocked as I got up to go to his side. I filled up another Puri and asked, “Are you ready?”
“I think so,” he said sounding a bit nervous.
“Just keep your mouth open and let me slip it into your mouth and then quickly close your mouth,” I said and picked up another loaded Puri. Slowly but steadily I placed the Puri at the edge of his mouth and gently shoved it in. I placed my fingertips lightly over his lips to keep them closed as I expected him to leave his mouth open and spill the water on him again.
It was at that point that I felt him shudder to my touch, and his eyes widened as the spice in the Puri hit him. I looked at him and saw a very dark desire creep into his eyes as he looked up at me. I felt an electrifying shudder down my spine, took my hand off his mouth, and stood rooted to the spot.
“Nick, are you okay?” I asked as he took a sip of his beer.
“I am good. That was some PaniPuri,” Nick said smiling at me and added, “That was a blast of spice.”
“I can make you another one. How would you like your PaniPuri?” I inquired in a teasing tone.
“I will eat all the Puri’s you have as long as you are making sure they stay in my mouth,” he said in a soft voice.
“I don’t remember that being part of the deal we made on Wednesday,” I said smiling and turned my back to him as I reached for some more napkins for him.
Nick reached out swiftly and put his arm around my waist from behind. He pulled me back towards him in such a way that I ended up sitting on his lap with his arm wrapped around my waist. Surprised by his sudden move, my arm involuntarily slid around his neck as if to stop myself from falling backwards.
I immediately became aware of his heavy breathing and looked into his eyes with a puzzled expression. His eyes were dark and unreadable. I sat without making a move looki
ng into his eyes and felt the burn on my waist from his grasp. My heart was thumping uncontrollably in my chest. My heavy breathing was the only sound I could hear as my heartbeat deafened me.
Almost in slow motion, Nick reached out and touched my cheek with his fingertips before running his fingers through my silky dark hair. He gently ran his thumb on my quivering lower lip as his palm caressed my jawbone. He leaned forward and gently brushed his lips on mine looking into my eyes. I tightened my hold around his neck and pulled him closer. He trailed his lips lower and brought his lips to my neck. He planted light kisses along the width of my neck while moving slowly. He set fire to my collarbone with his stubble while he drew a cooling track with his tongue along the way. My body arched towards him, and my head fell backwards giving him room to move his lips along the length of my neck. I reached out to run my fingers through his hair in response to the thrust from his tongue on my neck. He took in a deep breath against my neck and as he reached my ear lobe, he whispered in a very hoarse voice, “I wanted to do this at your front door.”
“Nikhil!!” I said my voice barely audible.
Reacting to the enticement in my voice, he gasped and buried his face deeper into my neck hugging me tightly.
As our breathing stabilized, I gently pushed myself away from him to look at his face. I rubbed his stubble with my thumb and smiled at him. He looked at me with his dark eyes filled with lust, as he slowly reached up and brushed my lips with his in a slow and sensual movement. My hold on his hair tightened as he planted very light kisses on my lips. The flurry of kisses set my heart throbbing harder against my rib cage.
“Nick….” I said against his lips and my voice trailed off as I heard familiar voices approaching the front door.
Nick and I both jumped at the realization of Nate and Srini at the front door. I stood up to get out of his embrace and get the door. Nick held my hand in his and said in a hoarse voice, “I want to know what you were going to say, Sameera.”
