A bend in the road - Vol 1

11. Summer Mist

He woke up to the mother of Hangovers dancing on his head. The slight crack of sunlight streaming through the curtains irritated the hell out of him, and his voice boomed from the top floor asking for coffee...

What he didn't remember was the household help; the two brothers went to visit one of their daughter being born, and he had approved their leave the previous evening, which was before him knocking down a bottle of whisky.

The door creaked open and he got up from his bed, and leaned against the head rest, as he shielded his eyes from the enormous amount of sunlight that lighted up in his room. It was way past morning, and he woke up in mid-day, he concurred with all the enormous amount of Sun and heat and glow.

He was beginning to think his room was relocated on the Sun himself, what's with it glowing like he was in heaven?

He got down from his bed and groaned at the pounding headache and prowled around like a wounded lion, a growl emanating from the base of his throat for the servants to get his morning coffee, while he was entering the hallway.

His growl was not answered with a usual "Yes Sir" of his faithful servants. Rather, the house looked deserted, almost painfully silent.

His brows furrowed, at the strange calm around the house, and as he started remembering that neither of the household help was at home, had he heard something that totally distracted him out of his musings.

A low cham cham of payals he had heard, and he need not look to know who it was.

Her fingers pinching the folds of her cotton Sari, holding it slightly up for her to climb up the steps, her hair wet from a previous wash, leaving trails of water droplets that are rolling down from her right shoulder, where her hair rested now, misty and curling; her other hand holding the saucer gently, as she walked towards him, the aroma of the coffee casting a strong spell, she stood there before him, extending the coffee cup to him, while he looked at her, as if in a spell, and took the coffee offered automatically, slightly burning his fingers on the process and saw her flinch.

"I will fix lunch. Come down after bathing" she said, and he wondered if her voice was always so, husky and enchanting or is it something to do with the strange day.

He stood there with the coffee in his hand and watched her leaving form with the intensity that could burn holes, with a slight tilt in his head, and when he raised the coffee cup absent-mindedly, he was jerked awake suddenly by something about the coffee. It was not sickly sweet like she was in the habit of making, but was bitter like he liked. Yet, it managed to trigger something rare; a smile on his lips and he walked back to his room, the coffee now drained, and placed on the top of his study table, as he went to take a shower.

–

He walked into the spacious kitchen, after a bath, a towel around his neck, half wiping the moisture in his wet hair, with just a pair of jeans and a vest as he stopped at the threshold of the kitchen.

The sun still shined through the window and her golden Jari Saree caught the rays and shimmered like golden dust around her, as she pushed a few wet tendrils off her face, and went on her toes to open the top cabinet, her fingers falling slightly shorter, not further reaching the silverware she was trying to.

It caught her by surprise when she felt a lingering sense of warmth on her back, and she took a sharp breath in, when she felt his arm extend next to the length of her arm, his body standing right behind her, skin to skin, quite not touching, but enough to melt her into a puddle.

He reached for the silverware, and in a moment slightly surprising, coiled his fingers around her hand that was extended, and together, they bought the silverware down, on to the counter.

She couldn't raise her eyes for the life of her, and he let his hands linger on the back of her palm for a moment longer than necessary.

As they stood at the kitchen counter, her back pressed against his chest, his body not quite touching her, but still enough to make her toes curl, no words escaped her lips, nor had she tried to turn and push him away.

She felt him coming closer and took a breath inside.

"Anything else I should help you with?" his voice teased her with a note of husky whisper, and all she could manage was a head shake, barely noticeable that she was surprised he even noticed.

He took a step back, and before she could say anything, took the vegetable cutter, walked to the fridge and took out the vegetables and got to work.

On any other day she would've told him that she would take care of it. But with all the breath leaving out her system, she could hardly look at him, let alone speak something coherent. So she did what she was good at. She took the dough, and got to work, pretending his presence wasn't overpowering her and that she wasn't feeling his gaze at her now and then.

–

Her hair which was tied up haphazardly into a messy bun, still looked beautiful with the curly mop they formed.

A sweat bud finds its way down from her ear to the side of her neck and rolls away and disappears in the blouse at the shoulder.

She wasn't unaware of the gaze that followed the innocent moisture. Nor was she unaware of the slight whiff of cologne every time he walked closer to her, to fetch something. It would be an accidental touch, an innocent brush up of the tip of his fingers, but it would make her slow down.

It was a tough game they were playing, she knew, and she had no idea where it was going. All she knew was that in that room, at that moment was no boss and secretary. That was long gone.

In that now vacant house now remained a man and a woman. And that's about it.