Christmas Miracle

Chapter - 7

Just how charming could a man get? Riky wondered as she sat in Tilak's rented SUV. The man had got her to agree to have breakfast with him at a local diner. Damn. There for one second she had been contemplating telling the man to stop bothering her and then the next second she had felt his warm smile and quick humor melt all her protests.

She wasn't tired now. She had been last evening with a lot of things weighing her down but right now she was fresh. And for some reason she realized she wasn't feeling a lot of animosity towards him. And that he looked different today. His hair was neatly combed as compared to yesterday when he had had a more disheveled look. His black jeans topped with a cream sweater and black wool jacket gave him a relaxed air. He seemed...ummm...handsome somehow. Was that even possible? Maybe. He had seemed good looking yesterday but this morning he did fit the bill of being handsome. Not that she told him that. The second he had wished her good morning she had felt her lips curve into a smile. The warmth he brought with him, which for sure was the kind of person he was, had quickly dissolved her coldness. She was still not sure he could be trusted. Nor was she sure exactly why she had felt his presence chase away the loneliness she had felt seconds before she had spotted him but a certain part of her was grateful. She wouldn't admit it. Neither to him nor to herself. Because then she would have to wonder about reasons. And she wasn't going to do any more thinking. She had of course asked why he was there to which he had quickly told her, 'to have breakfast, with her', in no uncertain terms. It was only when she had opened her mouth to protest he had quickly taken out something from the pocket of his black jacket. It had been her scarf, from yesterday.

"You had forgotten it in my car," he had said with a smile that was warm enough to melt a few flakes of snow, "I found it on the floor where you sat last night, when I was checking if I hadn't left anything important inside before I gave the keys to the valet," he said and gave a little shrug.

"It wasn't that important," Riky had said even as she had taken her scarf from him. She hadn't even realized she didn't have it with her. Blame it on tiredness. She should thank him. It was sweet of him to come back to return it.

"I didn't know," Tilak had replied with a twinkle in his eyes, "plus it gave me a reason to come see you again," he told her.

"Tilak..." Riky had started to give him one of her famous answers to that sentence when he had started laughing.

"You know it doesn't take much to get you all riled up," he had said with mirth, "though you look better with a smile," he had said.

Riky hadn't been able to help but smile at that. His tone had changed from being mischievous to sincere in about one second. Oh, so he was charming. It always took time for Riky to get warmed up towards people. Call it habit or call it cautiousness. She took time before she would even say a polite hello to anyone. But it seemed her frigidity, as people often called it, was melting away rather fast with him. What was it about him that made her want to smile? With him. Not good. She had told herself. Maybe it was guilt, for behaving the way she had last evening and all when he had only helped her. Yup, that was it.

"See, you look gorgeous," he had told her when he had seen her smile.

"Thank you," she had said shaking her head at him, "and that is for returning my scarf to me," she had added in case he thought anything else.

"Okay, so how are you going to pay me since you are feeling so grateful," he had said with humor.

For a second Riky had felt her heart skip a beat. And not out of excitement or any other sentiment but she had been reminded of something. Someone, rather. Someone who had broken her heart to pieces a few years back and then danced over it. Her brother had pulled her out of that mess before she had drowned in despair. She hadn't forgotten it. She couldn't. Life had moved on. And she had too. But the pain of that mess still remained. Then she had seen the humor in his eyes. The wide smile on his face. It was meant to be a tease. And she had relaxed.

"What kind of payment are you looking for?" she had asked challenging him.

"Breakfast," he had said quickly and before she could have protested he had gone on, "I am really hungry, and before I turn into a grouchy old bear for lack of food, will you do me the favor and have breakfast with me," he had said flashing that dimpled smile at her, "I hate eating breakfasts alone," he had added.

"Right," Riky had said raising her eyebrows indicating she knew he was lying, "what would you have done had I not been here," she had asked. She couldn't resist it.

"Well, I would have suffered through one," he had said with a groan, "alone," he had said.

And Riky had smiled even as she had shaken her head.

"Alright," she had agreed although she had dragged the word so he knew she wasn't eager, "what do you want to eat," she had asked as she had started to settle down back in her chair.

"What? Here?" he had said in disbelief.

"You don't want to eat here," Riky had asked in confusion.

"Are you kidding me," he had said even as he had taken her coat from her hands and started to help her put it on, "you are in Chicago lady, you need to get to a diner to eat some scrumptious breakfast," he had said and then linked her arm through his even as she had struggled to keep up with his words and actions all at once, "and lucky for you, I do know a really good one, just round the corner," he had said and winked at her as he had started to walk and she had to walk with him in order to keep up and not make a spectacle of herself.

"We are going out for breakfast, in the snow," she had said a bit loudly.

"Come on, a little snow never hurt anyone," he had said with a smile, "beside the storm doesn't hit till tomorrow night," he had said.

"There is a storm tomorrow," Riky had asked.

"Yes, not a big one, but a lot of snow and wind," he had confirmed, "wow, a gingerbread house, cool, did you visit it yet," he had said and as she had shaken her head he had led her to it.

It was beautiful. The executive chef and his team had done a great job. Everything was made of edible stuff. Right from the gingerbread bricks in the walls to the whipped cream frost trimmings on the windows. The smell of bread and cinnamon had filled her nostrils and she had inhaled deeply. The aroma was soothing. She hadn't realized how big the decorative house was. You could walk in and out of it. There were chocolate ornaments, a cookie train and marshmallow hangings. It was festive and it had definitely made her hungry. Once they were out of there he had gushed at the tall giant Christmas tree with lighting and ornaments. There were little kids running around it singing jingle bells. Tilak had laughed and she had found his laughter infectious. Her smile had broadened. Her worries and hurts and pains seemed forgotten for the time being. He had then steered her towards the parking outside. It was freezing. Well, it was winter right. She had immediately tucked one gloved hand inside her coat and the other...well, the other was still snugly wrapped around his arm where he had placed it earlier. How come she hadn't removed it yet? It had felt awkward at first but then it had felt natural. As if she was used to keeping it in the crook of his arm. As if her hand belonged there. She had wanted to remove it then and there but there hadn't been a need, the valet had brought his car around and he had dislodged her hand all by himself. He had opened the door and she had sat inside.

As he drove out of the hotel, she wondered, a few minutes ago she had been thinking over how to spend her day and the feeling of loneliness that had crept up with the thought, and now she was on her way to having breakfast with a man she barely knew. She glanced at him as he took a turn onto the road mindful of the traffic coming both ways. She couldn't explain it, not yet anyway, but she felt something flicker inside her. A spark. What it meant she didn't know. The real question as did she want to know? Especially after everything that had happened in the past few years of her life? Maybe destiny was guiding her footsteps this time round. But what if she wasn't?

And that thought made Riky bite her lip and look away.

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