Bourbon & Chai: A Slow Burn Forbidden Romance Novel, Set in Philadelphia.

by Leah Kay

  He has been incredibly helpful all week with preparation and making sure every tiny detail has been mapped to perfection.

  “I need a small favor from you.”

  “You don’t like the color of my slides, do you?” She mocks his perfectionist ways.

  He laughs. “I wouldn’t wait till the last minute to let you know that. Your slides are fine.”

  Taking an exaggerated sigh of relief, she asks, “What can I do for you?”

  “I have a personal appointment Monday afternoon; I need you to cover for me.”

  Keeping her curiosity towards his personal appointment out of it, she replies, “Of course. Mark and I are on the agenda in the afternoon. As long as you can provide the introductory remarks in the morning, we should be good to go.”

  Online stalking aside, she respects his privacy and controls her urge to find out the reason behind his move to Philadelphia, far away from his family. And he respects her for not trying to pry regardless of the countless opportunities. Peeling back the layers over time, he appreciates the kind heart behind her beautiful façade.

  Claire joins them. “Can I just say how happy I am that you two are friends?”

  “Well, it was your dumb friend’s idea to ignore me,” Nathan says, joining Claire.

  “I have my reasons, thank you very much,” says Isha haughtily.

  Claire mouths to Nathan, “She doesn’t, she is just crazy,” and they break into laughter.

  Traveling for work means flying in business class, staying at nice hotels and dining at fancy restaurants. Isha scans her boarding pass and walks down the passenger boarding bridge. Standing in front of 2B, she loads her carry-on in the cabin above her and takes a seat, placing her handbag underneath the front seat. Claire walks in behind her and takes her seat in 3C with Mark taking his seat in 3B across the aisle. Nathan walks in after them and stands in front of Isha, “Looks like we are sitting together, Turner.” He smirks at her.

  Neither of them knew they were sitting together, but he was remotely hoping they would. With only eight seats in business class, the odds were definitely in his favor.

  Noticing his not-so-subtle smirk she yells to embarrass him, “Do you need a hand with your carry-on?” Several passengers turn around to look at them.

  To everyone’s surprise, he responds, “Sure, put it up in the overhead bin, will you?” and quietly takes a seat by the window, leaving his carry-on in the aisle blocking incoming passengers.

  Shocked at his reaction, she quickly loads his carry-on and takes a seat to avoid the scene she started. Fastening her seatbelt, she smacks him in the arm and notices him laughing at her. “What is wrong with you?” she chortles.

  “You asked for it,” he banters back.

  “Man! I thought you were a decent one. Looks like you’ll be a pain in the neck.” She shakes head in disbelief

  “And you have no idea.” He catches her eye for a split second, and they feel a tiny spark.

  An air hostess stops by to take their drink order, breaking their spell.

  Sipping their drinks mid-air, they chat about work, and he advises her on a few difficult personalities she may interact with at the San Diego site. Over another round of drinks, he learns that she is the only child of two hardworking parents whose work ethic she tries to embody. She has a sense of pride speaking about them and is beaming talking about her mother. A moment later, his curiosity switches to Liam. He learns that they met in college, that he is in marketing and he can tell she loves him. He feels slightly uncomfortable watching her eyes light up talking about Liam and cautions himself to keep his reactions in check.

  Having answered a lot of his questions, she tries to quench her inquisitiveness as well. “My turn now.”

  “I need to use the bathroom, order me another drink and then you can ask away.”

  “What do you want me to order?”

  “Your choice,” he says and steps out to use the bathroom.

  Isha contemplates for a second and orders him a fitting drink.

  He comes back and notices a pink foofoo drink waiting for him. Shaking his head in disbelief he exclaims, “That’s what you could come up with?”

  “I figured a man who has trouble lifting his own luggage surely must enjoy a pretty drink.” She smirks at him.

  Playing along, he drinks it with his pinky raised. “For future reference, I prefer bourbon.”

  Isha laughs at his sportsmanship. “Alright sir, ready for your questions while I write down your alcohol preferences?”

  Clearing his throat he replies, “As ready as I can be.”

  “First one, why did you take this job?”

  He did not expect her to go there with the first question. He looks over and notices a smug expression on her face, very well knowing that she got him.

  “So that I can be your boss.” He winks at her.

  She cannot believe that he is trying to wiggle his way out of her first question. “I need a proper answer.”

  “I am being proper. It’s been my goal to be your boss, and I worked very hard for this opportunity.”

  Exasperated with his responses or lack thereof she says, “Fine, no more questions from me.”

  A few minutes go by in silence with neither of them willing to utter the first word. Isha feels foolish answering all his probing questions only for him to turn her away on the first one. She waits patiently in the hopes of him resuming their conversation.

  Irked by their prolonged silence, she turns around to face him. “Are you seriously not planning on answering my question after asking me a hundred of them yourself?” she yells at him.

  She looks like a spoilt brat to him at that moment, and he feels a strong urge to kiss her.

  Enjoying this game a little too much he says, “Wow, I wonder how you got into Penn with those poor math skills.”

  Confused with his response she shouts back, “Why are we talking about my math skills? And they are not poor!”

  His eyes are smiling watching her rage. “I am sure I did not ask you a hundred questions, unless you can count only in tens.”

  She smacks his arm spilling his drink. “Nathan, stop trying to distract me. Answer my question.”

  Wiping the spill on his pants he says, “Alright, what was your question again?”

  “You know it, just answer it,” she retorts.

  “I don’t remember. You see, I am a lot older than you. Can you help me?” He continues to rile her.

  Annoyed that he is still trying to wiggle his way out, she repeats her question. “Fine, Old Man! Why did you choose this job?”

  He is thoroughly enjoying every bit of this interaction. He can tell Isha was raised to be proper. However, she is having a hard time maintaining her composure and is beyond flustered with it.

  “Ouch! That hurts, didn’t know you were such an ageist.” He continues to poke her.

  “Nathan, answer me!” she says, holding on to her last thread of patience.

  “How would you feel if I referred to you by your age?” he asks, unwilling to give her a break.

  “I’d feel just fine, thank you very much. Unlike you, I am not old,” Isha strikes back.

  “You are not very kind either,” he hits right back.

  “I need to use the bathroom before I douse you with my drink.” She unbuckles her seatbelt and takes off.

  He can’t remember the last time he felt this comfortable in someone’s company. For as long as he has known himself, teasing is the only way he has known how to show affection. It surprises him that it comes so naturally when he is with Isha. He enjoys watching her struggle to maintain her poise throughout their banter and can’t get over how lovely she looks fighting with him.

  Curious about her age, he leans into her seat and grabs her wallet and quickly runs through all the compartments looking for her
ID. Once he finds it, he looks up to see if she is coming back, then pulls it out and memorizes her birthday. Watching her come out of the bathroom, he quickly places the ID back into her wallet, snaps it closed and leaves it in her seat.

  Regaining her composure after a small break from him, she takes her seat calmly.

  “Feeling better?” Nathan resumes the conversation.

  “That depends.”

  “On what?” He smiles, looking at her.

  “You bloody well know!” she replies furiously.

  Although he is having a ball irking her, there is a part of him that wants to come clean to her. Having carried his regrets close to his chest for many years, the thought of unloading some of it to Isha makes him feel lighter. His trust in her persuades him to lean on her.

  “Alright. I did it because my wife asked me for space.”

  His honesty surprises her, and suddenly she wishes she hadn’t asked. “I am sorry.”

  “Why?” he questions her, refusing to let the conversation end.

  “For prying. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  He wants to take her hand into his and let her know it is okay. Reining in his emotions, he tries to make light of the situation. “Don’t worry, Isha. Age gives you thicker skin.”

  She looks up at him to the sound of her name and instantly feels his warmth towards her. They go back to sipping their drinks and sit in silence for a while. She wishes she hadn’t asked, but, then again, she wasn’t expecting such an honest answer from him either. She tries to think of other things they could talk about but fails to come up with any decent topic.

  Sitting next to him, she can sense his agony and desperately wants to help him. “If you ever need anyone to talk to, I am here for you,” and offers the only thing at her disposal, her loyal friendship.

  “You won’t ignore me again?” he asks sincerely taking in her kindness.

  “Never.” She matches his sincerity. “I promise.”

  Smiling at her eager promise, Nathan hopes to never lose her … as a friend.

  After landing, Claire, Isha, and Mark take a cab to the hotel close to the site while Nathan takes another to head home. Checking into the hotel, they retire to their rooms to relax before getting together for dinner later. Isha takes in the stunning beach and the quintessential California palm tree view from her window, which she finds instantly relaxing. Texting Liam to let him know that she arrived safely she changes into a pair of dark denim pants with an emerald-green chiffon long-sleeve blouse before joining the others for dinner. They get seated right away at a restaurant called Campfire down State Street and Nathan joins them slightly after. Changed into casual jeans and a grey T-shirt complete with a ball cap, he looks boyish. Isha instinctually lights up seeing him. He says hello to everyone and grabs the open seat next to her. After placing their order, he fills them in on the site, its culture, leadership team and difficult personalities they can expect to interact with.

  The Nathan sitting next to her is her boss; he is all about business and taking care of his team. The Nathan she spent five hours with on the flight was different. He was kind to her, playful with her and vulnerable around her. Since it is a work dinner, he picks up the check, and while Nathan settles the tab, Isha excuses herself to use the restroom. While she is away, the rest contemplate staying for another drink before heading back to the hotel, seeing that it is only 8:00 p.m.

  “Care to join us for another drink?” Nathan asks Isha, hoping she will say yes.

  The eagerness in his eyes warms her heart, and she wants to say yes. “In the interest of making you look good tomorrow, I think it is better I get some sleep. You guys enjoy the rest of the night, and I will see you tomorrow.” She checks to make sure Claire is okay on her own and heads out to grab a cab back to the hotel. Nathan excuses himself and helps her find a cab. Claire finds Nathan’s attention towards Isha harmlessly charming. She noticed their chatter earlier during the flight and felt relieved that Isha gave him a chance after all. She believes that both of them would have lost out on a worthy friendship had Isha stuck to her guns and continued to ignore him. With an expected wait time of five minutes for Isha’s Uber to arrive, Nathan and Isha stand in front of the restaurant to spot the vehicle. Perplexed by their chemistry earlier during the flight, he contemplated not joining the others for dinner and calling it a night instead. But with Lily busy with schoolwork and Sarah working late at the gallery for an event next week, he changes his mind last minute. Nathan hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her since their interaction earlier in the day. He feels vulnerable around her and what should be scaring him away is drawing him closer to her. Maybe it is the summer breeze sweeping her hair away from her shoulders, revealing a delicate face, or perhaps it is the mysterious connection he is experiencing with her; either way, he wants her to stay and talk to him. Spotting her Uber, she takes a step forward to wave to her driver.

  In that instance, moving closer to her, he says, “My turn to pry…” and Isha turns around at the sound of his voice.

  Standing face-to-face, she notices a familiar restlessness in his eyes and nods at him to go on.

  “Why did you ignore me when we first met?”

  The vulnerability in her eyes at that moment reveals more to him than her lack of words.

  She leans in to give him a hug and with a break in her voice says, “Good night, Old Man,” and leaves without looking back.

  Leaving Nathan at the restaurant without answering his question coupled with their connection throughout the day leaves Isha restless all night. There’s a burgeoning fear inside her stemming from the combination of her dream and her growing connection to Nathan. Listening to the rhythmic waves of the ocean through the open windows, she takes deep breaths to restore a sense of calm within her. She chalks up her emotional reactions to empathy, empathy towards him, his situation and nothing more than that. She wonders what could have caused his wife to make such a drastic request. There’s a part of her that hopes he isn’t in the wrong. However, being oblivious to their story, she resolves to withhold her judgment.

  At 9:00 a.m. the next morning, the team formally kicks off Project Nexus. With several key stakeholders sitting in the room, Nathan introduces himself and his team and provides an overview of the project and what they plan to achieve while they are on site for the next two days. Wrapping up his part, he introduces Isha as the implementation lead. Dressed in a mustard-yellow sheath dress with a skinny black belt and black pumps, Isha looks smart. It is impressive what a bright color can do to your appearance that is morphed by sleepless nights, partly due to jetlag and partly due to the old man. Enthusiastic about being at the site to roll out their project, she walks the team through the process and explains the benefits they can expect with implementation. Patiently answering all of their concerns, she feels quite confident with the overall reception in the room. Following her, Mark and Claire take turns introducing their components of the process and the team takes a short break before reconvening to actually draft a plan that is custom tailored to the site needs and preferences. Her adrenaline-driven performance starts to drift south slowly. She steps out to the kitchen area down the hall to grab a cup of much-needed caffeine to power through the rest of the day.

  Nathan watches Isha leaving the room and excuses himself to join her. As she presses the chai button on the screen she hears a familiar voice behind her. “Nice work this morning.”

  Smiling, she turns around to see him leaning on the table across from her. “You weren’t too bad yourself.”

  His eyes light up seeing her smile. “We are no longer calling me Old Man?” He teases her for last night.

  Feeling sheepish, she tries to conceal her blushing. “No comment.”

  “We don’t like answering any of my questions, do we?” He continues to bait her.

  “Aren’t you late for your personal appointment?”

&nb
sp; “Fine, I will stop bothering you.” He takes her subtle hint.

  Making their way back to the conference room she asks, “When will you be back?” hoping he shares more than that.

  “Couple of hours. Today’s is Lily’s debate competition finals, and I promised her that I’ll be there.”

  She likes that he revealed more. “That is exciting! Wish her good luck from me,” she responds genuinely.

  He is helplessly drawn to her. “You should come with me,” he suggests instinctively.

  She notices a mischievous glint in his eyes and with her heart racing, says, “Old Man, Get out!”

  Thoroughly enjoying their interactions, Nathan takes off to see Lily, while Isha joins the others in the conference room to continue with their workshop.

  Twenty minutes before the start of the debate competition, Nathan pulls into the school parking lot. He catches up with Lily, gives her a good luck hug and takes a seat in the audience along with other parents. He watches all the finalists give stellar performances. Ultimately it is Lily’s turn. He watches her with pride as she defends her topic with confidence. She makes excellent points about why the voting age needs to be lowered and how the intellectual capacity of teenagers is firmly in place by the time they are 16 to help them make informed decisions. She relies on data to support her claims that there isn’t a notable difference between adults and teenagers when it comes to making poor choices. She ends her debate by stating that genuine reform will be possible when the youth of this country are given a chance to make a change.

  Nathan, along with other parents and teachers, gives the finalists a massive round of applause for a job well done. With an hour to go before they announce the winner, he and Lily head out for a quick bite. Visibly anxious about the results, Lily remains quiet during their car ride to a pizzeria in the neighborhood.

  Inside the restaurant Nathan tries to reassure her. “Lily, you were fantastic. Stop worrying, sweetheart.” But he notices that there is no change in her mood.

  “Guess who is talking to me now?” he asks, knowing it will distract her.