by P. G. Van
“Have you been practicing for the performance and where have you been practicing?” she asked with excitement.
I laughed and said, “Do not tell anyone, Nani. It’s a surprise and yes, I have been practicing in the farmhouse in the mango farm.”
“This is so exciting, Meera. I can’t wait to see you dance again,” she said cheerfully.
“I know Nani. Thanks to Nick’s mom for getting me started again,” I said to her standing up to stretch.
“When did you last talk to Nick?” she asked out of the blue. I looked at her surprised and asked, “Why do you ask Nani?”
My grandma giggled and said, “I can hear you talk to him from my bedroom, but I did not hear you talk last night and this morning.”
“Nani, have you been eavesdropping?” I whined.
“It’s not my fault the walls are so thin,” my grandma said smiling sheepishly.
I laughed out loud and said teasingly, “He is away on a business trip Nani, and we have been texting. I am sorry the walls are not transparent enough for you to see me texting.”
My grandma blushed and said, “I only asked because it was the first time in three weeks that you did not talk to him.”
“I know, and I feel a little down myself because I have not talked to him. That’s why it is important for me to run this morning,” I said looking up at the antique wooden beams above me stretching out my neck.
“Have you guys talked about getting married?” My grandma asked beaming.
“Nani, it’s too soon,” I said sounding like a little girl.
“Meera, it’s never too soon to get married to the person you love, and there is no point waiting to come together,” my grandma said in her ever-sweet voice.
“I know, Nani. I love him, and he loves me, but I am not really sure how Nick feels about marriage,” I said thinking out loud.
“Well, ask him then. There is no rule that only the guy needs to propose. You can give him Thatha’s ring when Nick comes to India for Nethra’s wedding,” she said with a straight face.
“Nani, stop it,” I said blushing and asked teasing her, “Are you really from the 1940s?”
“Hey, I am a modern woman, and I believe that a woman should propose to a man when she is ready,” she said to me loudly as I shook my head and turned to leave.
“Yes, Nani. I agree,” I said giggling as I walked away from her.
“Meera, take an umbrella,” my granny yelled from the other room when I reached the grand entrance of the almost seventy-five-year-old ancestral mansion.
“Nani, relax. I will be fine,” I said loudly so she could hear from where I was standing.
It was a few minutes after six-thirty in the morning when I left home heading through the side gate towards the mango farms. My usual routine was to run to one end of the farm and then rest on my favorite boulder for a few minutes, and then head to the farmhouse where I have been practicing for my upcoming dance performance. I had been practicing for a longer stretch as the wedding date came closer.
The farmhouse was a more recent construction and was built by my grandpa for outdoor parties at the mango farm. It had a huge circular living area with a bedroom, bathroom, and a full-fledged kitchen. My grandpa would traditionally host a huge party for the entire family once a year, and I remembered the celebrations starting at six in the morning with a huge bonfire and ended at night with another bonfire and just collapsing into the bed at the end of a fun- filled day. He stopped having such parties after my dad passed away.
I employed some help to clean up the farmhouse as soon as we got to the village so I could practice my dance and also to hang out and read a book. The ancestral home had no showers in the bathrooms so I would end up showering at the farmhouse after my run and dance practice before I headed back.
I took a deep breath and looked at the starting point of my running path, which was once an irrigation canal used to transport the water from the well to the rest of the farm. The irrigation canal was replaced by drip irrigation there by drying it up. The canal was about four feet wide and a foot deep, and the soil almost felt like sand as it was softened by the water flow and gave me the feeling I got when I ran along the beach.
I checked to make sure that my anklets’ clasp was on properly and started with a slow jog to build up the warmth. The breeze that hit my face felt like silk. I took in a deep breath and picked up the scent of the rain hitting the thirsty farmland. I picked up my pace as the jingling sound from my anklets encouraged me to keep going, and as I started to feel the droplets of rain half way through my run, I looked at the sky letting the fresh rain hit my face. I decided to enjoy the warm raindrops as they started to build the momentum. I took a diversion to go to the boulder. I gingerly climbed up the boulder and lay flat on top of the boulder, and I felt the light raindrops hit my face. A few minutes later, I took off the t-shirt I had on over my sports bra to feel the cool raindrops on my warm body. The past few days have been so hot that the cool raindrops washed off all the heat as they slid down my body.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, drowning in the bliss of the nature’s touch on my body. I opened my eyes when I felt my phone rumbling in my back pocket. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and hoped the case around my phone was capable of protecting my phone in the rain as it claimed it would. I looked at my phone, and Nick was video calling me. Without sitting up, I accepted the video call and when his face flashed on my phone, I felt the warmth from inside and my body heat up looking at him. Nick had his hair pushed back like he had just come out of the shower, and I had not seen him like that in such a long time.
“Nick, I missed you. Where have you been?” I whined.
“I missed you too baby,” he said smiling and asked, “Why are you sitting on that boulder in the rain?”
I was surprised that he could tell that I was on the boulder even when I was lying down on it.
“Nick, I am enjoying a refreshing natural shower. It is very refreshing,” I said smiling.
“I know, it is nice. I had no idea,” he chuckled and I immediately figured something did not add up. I saw him run his fingers through his damp hair and realized that he had a full sleeve shirt on. Nick would never put on his clothes when his hair was wet.
“Nick, where are you?” I asked suspiciously.
“I am where you are, babe. Look to your right,” Nick said laughing. I immediately sat up on the boulder, and I looked to my right towards the rows of mango trees.
“Nick,” I yelled out looking in the direction and a few seconds later, Nick stepped out into my view from behind a low hanging branch of a mango tree. I immediately put my hands on my mouth and burst out crying. I sat on top of the boulder sniffling as he slowly walked towards me holding my gaze.
“Nick…” I paused unable to speak.
He stood at the bottom of the boulder and looked at me with his eyes filled with a longing to be in my arms as I sat on top of the boulder in shock staring at him.
“Sameera, baby. Are you planning to come down?” he asked teasing me.
I smiled without saying anything, as I could not trust my voice. I put my t-shirt back on and put the phone back in my pocket to keep my hands free. In a few quick steps, I landed on the ground into his arms.
“Nick, I missed you,” I said putting my arms around him tightly in my trembling voice.
“I love you, baby, and you have no idea how glad I am to have you in my arms,” Nick said planting a kiss on my forehead.
“When did you come and how did you know I was here?” I asked regaining my strength after recovering from the shock of seeing Nick.
“I flew into the local airport a few hours ago and had someone drive me here. Your Nani told me where you could be and drew me a map of the farm on my palm,” he said and showed me the map that my grandma had drawn with a pen to get Nick to me.
“She actually recognized you from just looking at a picture of you,” I asked surprised.
“Oh yes she did. V
ery smart woman. She did not let me waste any time with pleasantries and ushered me to go find you with this treasure map,” Nick said laughing.
I laughed and looked up at him reaching up on my toes to take my lips to his cool lips. He gently ran his fingers through my wet hair supporting my head as his hungry lips came down on mine.
“I missed you baby,” Nick said against my lips pulling me closer to him. I immediately felt his hard desire for me against my longing body. He made me lean against the boulder as he pressed his body against me and explored my mouth with his tongue in a gentle probing motion. I moaned against his lips as I felt my internal pleasure building up. The three weeks of waiting, the pain of being away from him melted away with his touch, and the burning desire was now being stroked with pleasure waves initiated by Nick’s tantalizing tongue.
The gentle drizzle turned into a downpour, and it felt like the water droplets were turning into steam with the heat produced from our bodies. I flattened my back further against the face of the huge rock as Nick traced his lips down my neck to my collarbone. The cooling rain was following the path of fire that Nick’s lips were paving as he went from my neck to my navel. He had one of his hands possessively over my breast that had been longing for his touch and with the other hand he dug out my waist chain from under the waistband of my athletic pant. He traced the skin right below the waist chain with his warm tongue.
“Nick…” I said, and my voice collapsed in its tracks as he started to draw a tantalizing pattern with his tongue on my navel. I pressed myself further against the face of the boulder and closed my eyes in sheer pleasure. I ran my fingers through his wet hair gripping him gently. Unable to bear the separation of our lips, I briskly moved sideways to take my waist away from him sitting down on my knees on the mushy soil, and putting my palms on his cheeks and kissing him on his lips.
“Why do you love me so much, Nick?” I asked with my eyes closed.
Nick smiled as I ran my fingers through my hair to push back the hair that was on my face. I closed my eyes as I wiped down my face with my t-shirt sleeve.
“Sameera Vaasi Swaminath,” Nick said addressing me with my full name and asked reaching into his pocket, “Will you be mine forever? Will you marry me, my love?”
As I looked at him through the downpour in utter shock, he presented a magnificent ring holding it between his thumb and index finger. My mouth went dry, my voice was nowhere to be found, and my reaction to what Nick just asked was my head nodding vigorously and bursting into tears. I put my arms around him and hugged him as the endless tears of happiness competed with the rain.
“Sameera, look at me please,” Nick said through my sobs.
I took a deep breath and pulled away from him to look at his eyes as his eyes smiled back at me.
“So, is that a yes?” Nick asked smiling.
“Yes, Nikhil Bhatia. I would like to be Mrs. Nick,” I said smiling and my voice weak as he slipped the beautiful ring on my finger and kissed me on my lips.
“I promise to love you forever and ever,” Nick said against my lips as he pushed me against the base of the boulder. Tears continued to flow down my cheeks being washed down by the downpour.
“Nick, let’s go. It’s raining hard now,” I said amidst the slashing sound of the rain. I took him by his hand and led him to the farmhouse. I unlocked the number lock and entered the cozy circular farmhouse. I closed the door behind us and clung to him unable to let go of him.
“I am so glad you came. I don’t know if I would have survived another week without you,” I confessed as he wiped the water off my cheeks.
“Baby, I got on the plane as soon as my travel documents arrived,” he said planting a kiss on my cheek.
“Did Srini and Nate travel with you?” I asked curiously.
“Nope. I didn’t really get a chance to tell anyone that I was leaving until I got to the airport,” Nick said laughing.
“Ohh, Nick,” I said hugging him and as I put my arms around him, I felt the ring on my finger and I finally looked at the ring that Nick slid on my finger.
“Nick, it’s beautiful,” I said looking at the ring and smiling. The multicarat princess cut diamond projected elegantly and was adorned with smaller diamonds on the yellow gold band.
“I am sure the ring is thrilled to be out in the open after sitting in the closet for months,” Nick said joking, kissing the back of my hand.
“Nick, what did you just say?” I asked to confirm what I heard was actually what he said.
“Yes, you heard me. I had the ring sitting in the closet waiting for the right moment for you. I have been ready from the day I saw you,” Nick said in his deep voice.
“When…” I said and paused as Nick smiled and said, “I bought it the weekend of the reunion right after I saw you.”
I looked at him in awe, shock, and wonder as he smiled at me gently.
“Breathe, my love,” Nick said realizing that I was holding my breath.
I took a deep breath taking his hand to my lips and said in a not so steady voice, “I am blessed to have you in my life, Nick. This mango farm was my dad’s favorite place in the entire world and for you to ask me to be your wife here is just amazing.”
Nick smiled and ran his fingers through his wet hair, and it hit me that Nick and I have been standing in wet clothes all along.
“Nick, let’s go,” I said taking his hand and leading him towards the bedroom. I sat Nick down on the bed pulling out a few towels from the shelf and started drying his hair as he buried his face into my abdomen and held me tightly with his breathing ragged. I put the towel aside running my fingers through his now almost dry hair and wrapped my arms around his head still not believing that he was in my arms.
He looked up at me and asked smiling, “Is this how my fiancée is going to take care of me going forward?”
“Maybe,” I said softly and smiled down at him.
Nick’s shirt was still dripping water, and I quickly unbuttoned his shirt and put it on the floor. I took the towel from him and very slowly but steadily wiped his chest and back. I draped the towel on his shoulder and reached for his belt buckle. Nick put his hand on the buckle stopping me and said, “My turn.”
I looked at him smiling as he stood up taking one of the towels in his hands and started to dry my hair. I clung to his bare chest taking in the smell of his cologne and placed my cheek to his chest listening to his steady heartbeat. Nick wrapped the towel around my upper back and put his arms around me, and I took a deep breath wiping out the pain and despair that had built up in me over the past few weeks.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Nick sat on the bed with a towel wrapped around his waist and another one draped on his shoulders as I spoke to my grandma on the phone from the farmhouse.
“Yes, he did Nani,” I said calming her down as she kept asking if Nick had found me.
“We are at the farmhouse and as you predicted, I am completely drenched and so is Nick. We are going to wait out here and when the rain subsides, could you have someone bring Nick’s bag to the farmhouse?” I said without giving my grandma an opportunity to talk and ask more questions.
“Okay. Should I send you a pair as well?” she asked unable to contain her excitement.
“Sure, Nani,” I said smiling at Nick as he looked at my anklets.
“Sameera, why are you wearing your anklets?” Nick asked in a soft voice as I hung up the phone.
I smiled to myself and said looking at my feet, “I put them on every morning so I…” My voice trailed off as he reached for his jeans that were on the floor into one of the pockets and pulled out a small pouch and said, “I am guessing it’s for the same reasons I have this with me.” He pulled out my tikka, the piece of jewelry that I wore on my head when I attended the ceremony at Nick’s house. I looked at him with surprise and said, “I totally forgot that you had my jewelry.”
“I can’t believe you wear the anklets when you run,” Nick chuckled, and I blushed looking at hi
s expression and sat down next to him.
I put my arms around him and asked, “How is it being back in India?”
“Wonderful. I got engaged as soon as I got here,” Nick said teasing me and nuzzled my neck.
I heard a faint knock on the door and said smiling, “I guess our clothes are here.” I got up to get the door and one of the men that work on the farm had brought me the bag with Nick’s clothes and a smaller plastic bag with my clothes and a thermos flask. I thanked the man, locked the main door, and went back into the bedroom to find Nick lying on the bed. He smiled as I walked back into the room.
I set the bags on the floor sitting on the bed next to him and poured the steaming coffee into the lid that essentially served as a cup.
“Nick, please drink some coffee and then you can change,” I said holding out the cup of coffee.
He sat up slowly reaching for the cup and took it in his hands. I placed the thermos on the floor next to the bed and turned to find Nick staring at me with fire in his eyes. An electrifying shudder ran through my spine as he brought the cup he was holding to my lips. I smiled and took a sip from the cup, and Nick followed suit by placing his lips on the same spot on the cup from where I took the sip. I blushed remembering the times he had done that in the past and asked smiling holding up the thermos, “Do you want some more?”
Nick shook his head setting the cup aside, pulling me into his arms and said in a barely audible voice, “I want you.”
I giggled as he took his lips to my collarbone and started sucking the sensitive skin on the side of my neck.
“Nick, I missed you too,” I said moaning as he tightened his hold around my waist and buried his face into my chest. He released me briefly to take off my t-shirt and my sports bra. He took in a deep breath at the sight of my tender peaks that have been longing for his admiration. He cupped one palm on one breast taking his cool lips to the hardened nipple, and caressed it between his teeth causing a shock wave of pleasure forcing out a cry of passion from me.
