“I think you are too busy enjoying the weather, rather than concentrating on these files,” said her boss, looking extremely annoyed. Before she could respond, he asked her to stay late, and complete all the work, before walking back to his cabin, leaving her to sigh with exasperation.
Ria knew there was trouble when her boss asked her to stay a little late. A little late always meant that she would be there longer than others, including her boss. It’d taken her over four and a half hours to finish the “light editing” of the report that he needed by tomorrow. Why he had waited to tell her about this at 4 o’clock when she knew that the meeting was scheduled over 2 weeks ago was beyond her. Sometimes she wondered if her boss assumed that she could always work late because she was 28 and single but that certainly didn’t mean she couldn’t have plans. It didn’t matter if her plans consisted of watching her box set DVD of last season’s Sex and The City® as she munched on some potato chips. It was still a plan.
She’d stopped off to pick up some Indian take-away. It was too late to go home and prepare dinner; with the overtime she’d finished for just staring outside the window, she thought it would be a good idea to splurge on some Butter Chicken and Naan Breads. She realised that this would anyway be too much for just one person but she thought she could have the left overs for lunch the day after.
The weather was cool and lovely, her tiring stay at work was soon forgotten in a pleasant walk to her destination to buy the night’s platter. The restaurant was crowded and she had to wait longer than she would have liked for her dinner. Apparently, Thursday was the new Friday, as far as single dating was concerned, or at least that’s what she had read in a magazine. It seemed true from the happy couples inside. She tried not to be bitter or feel sorry for herself but she was a bit lonely. She had taken a break from dating after going on a slew of mediocre dates with men she’d met online. She sighed and diverted her mind to buying food.
Unfortunately, the delay and the rush at the restaurant had put her in danger of missing her bus. With bags of food in her hands, she double timed it in the direction of her stop. As she turned the corner, she saw her bus pull away and this made her more bitter and angry. It seemed like the only time her bus ever ran on schedule was when she was running late. It would be another half hour before the next bus came, if it was on time.
It was so annoying and frustrating that her stop was one of the few that didn’t have a bench or any other place to sit down. She was exhausted, hungry and angry; as if her day wasn’t crappy enough, it started to rain.
“Ah! C’mon seriously, out of the whole day this is the time you choose to pour?” Ria said frustrated and looking up at the night sky. She looked around for cover or a shed she could use to avoid getting wet.
She spotted a small awning in front of a shoe repair shop a few doors down. It was one of those stores that always seemed to be closed and yet mysteriously stayed in business. She rushed over to seek shelter and she rushed so fast that she didn’t even notice the tall man running behind her.
“Be careful!” he shouted as Ria’s right boot hit a puddle, causing her to lose balance. All she felt was the panic, the beginning of her fall, and strong arms catching her.
“Damn,” she cursed under her breath so softly that only she could hear it. She closed her eyes as she thought she was about to fall. “Oh my God,” she said. She wasn’t sure if she was referring to losing her balance or his amazingly thick biceps wrapped around her. Both were surprising.“I’ve got you,” he said. His voice was reassuring, warm and sexy. He gripped her tight and for a second held his arms around her. He then slowly got her back on her feet. He took off his coat, put it over her head and guided her toward the shop with the awning. She didn’t really get a good look of the man who held her and helped her from tripping and falling as they were rushing towards the shelter. As soon as they reached their makeshift shelter from the rain, Ria turned and got her first glimpse of the mysterious stranger. He was tall, tanned and even more handsome than she had imagined. He was easily 6 foot tall, and had wavy, dark hair. His shirt was soaked through, making it partially transparent, as it clung to his manly chest and his ripped body. He wore grey pants that hung sexily on his hips in the sexiest way possible that she had ever seen on a man. She tried to collect her thoughts and made an attempt to speak but, for the first few seconds, was at a loss for words, seeing the man standing beside her and looking at her with those warm and dark eyes.
“Thanks,” she said. Her voice came out slightly breathless.
“It’s always a pleasure to help a beautiful lady in distress,” he said and smiled.
Ria fought the urge to make a self-deprecating joke but couldn’t think of anything else to say as she was blown away by how handsome he was and how amazing his body looked under his wet T-shirt. Her thoughts kept drifting away towards his wet body and she was again at a loss for words.
“I think we’re going to be here for a while,” he said, giving a slight smile.
“My next bus will be here in a half-hour, hopefully,” she said and hoped it wasn’t on time.
“The 19 Fairfield?” He asked.
She nodded.
“That’s my bus, too. I get off at Clarkin Road.”
“Oh! Really, I get off at Heapy Terrace,” she said. “Near the Momento Café.”
“They have the best Hot Chocolate,” he said, smiling.
He’s hot and he likes hot chocolate.
Ria was all eager to know more about the hot and handsome hunk that just lived in a neighbouring street. She thought her day was getting so much better after all the drama. She instantly started plotting to camp out at Momento Café at every available chance, hoping to run into him.
“I think that’s about to break,” he said, interrupting Ria’s plotting and scheming. She gazed at him, clueless. He motioned to the paper-bag holding her take-out and she quickly grabbed it at the bottom to keep it from spilling.
“Not only did you save me from falling in the street, you saved my dinner too,” she said, shyly.
“What did you get?”
“Indian. Want some?” After the words left her mouth, she instantly felt ridiculous for offering him dinner. He probably thought she was weird and, anyway, why would anyone accept food from a stranger here in New Zealand unless he was homeless or extremely underpaid?
“Well, I do love Indian food,” he answered, as he put his coat on the ground for her to sit on.
“I don’t want to ruin your jacket,” she said.
“What’s a jacket compared to a romantic impromptu picnic in the rain?” he said, as he sat down on the pavement and waved for her to sit down on his jacket. She shrugged and sat beside him. “Besides, I’m starving,” he said with a smile.
“Me too. I’ve had an extremely long and weird day,” she said and laughed.
Ria took in the moment and was jumping with extreme joy and happiness as the handsome guy sat next to her. She caught herself being excited by how close he was sitting, although a part of her suspected that was because there was limited space under the awning as and the wind had started to blow the rain closer. She opened the takeaway bag and was happy to find place settings for 2 people. Normally, she was insulted that the Indian place had always assumed her order was for two people instead of just her. It implied that she ate too much food though, honestly, she never ate it all in one sitting. Anyway, it was a good lunch idea for her.
“My name is Dan by the way,” he said, extending his hand for a handshake.
“Nice to meet you, Dan, by the way,” Ria joked, as she returned his handshake. Even in the rain his hands were warm and soft. For a handsome and a strong guy like him, such soft hands was just another bonus.
Dan laughed. Ria admired his straight white teeth and kept admiring his warm and incredibly strong hands.
They both dug into the Indian food. It wasn’t until she realized the food was almost gone that she started to feel self-conscious about eating so much.
They had barely even talked as they ate but she enjoyed the silence. She wasn’t as nervous around Dan as she normally was around new people, especially men.
“I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I started eating,” Dan said. He pointed to the last chicken piece in the curry. “That last one’s for you.”
“No, you take it,” she said, feeling bad that he was being nice by not pointing out she had eaten it all.
Dan reached for the last tasty, chicken piece and broke it in half. The gooey cheese inside started to make a mess.
“We’re splitting it, and there’s no time to argue. Open up,” he said as he carefully manoeuvred the Chicken piece to her lips.
Ria opened her mouth, and he slipped the food into her mouth. Two of his fingers grazed her lower lip, and their eyes locked. Ria felt her face flooding with the heat of embarrassment and excitement. The contact between the two was different; it was an amazing feeling, like everything around had stopped for a while. Dan kept looking into her eyes as if he was finding something.
She felt relieved when Dan let out a nervous chuckle and ate his half quickly. Was he as affected as she was? That’s all she could think now. Is it just me? Or he is thinking about it too? She couldn’t read his expressions.
“Do you think...,” he started but then stopped and looked out into the rain.
“Do I think what?” Ria asked.
“I know that I’m a stranger but I do live around here. I know a lot of the neighbours. You can ask around and know that I’m not a weird psycho or something,” he rambled. His confidence and sense of ease seemed to fade into a shyness that Ria found adorable. She had no idea where he was going with all this.
Why is he saying all this?
She wondered if he was nervous because he was thinking about asking her out. Her heart sped up with hope that maybe that was happening, maybe he liked her enough and it wasn’t just a one sided attraction that only she felt.
He was rambling some more. He looked nervous but she was having a hard time focusing on what he was saying. Before she knew it, he was showing her his driver’s license.
What? What is he doing? Driver’s license? Why is he showing me that? Maybe he is too nervous…
Taking a look at his license. He looked handsome even in this photo, which Ria thought was kind of unfair. Why was he showing her his license?
“Just so you know that I really do live around here,” he said, as he pointed at the address.
“How do you know that I’m not a weirdo?” Ria joked.
Dan smiled and ran his thick fingers through his hair.
“Oh I know you’re a weirdo already. You’re just so damn cute, I’ve developed an instant affinity for weirdos.” They both chuckled for a minute.
They did not realise that time had passed so quickly and the bus was here. They both stood up and got on the bus. Ria spotted two empty seats at the back and pointed towards them. They both walked towards the seats and sat beside each other.
“Can I walk you home from your stop?” Dan asked with a puzzled look on his face, and Ria got lost in her excited reverie of thoughts.
What? He wants to walk me home? He definitely likes me too.
Putting her thoughts to rest, she quickly replied.
“Yes, please.”
The proximity between the two was building a tension between them and she didn’t understand if it was because they both were all wet or if it was the heat of their instant chemistry. She tried to think of different things to talk about but failed to figure out something to jump-start their conversation.
Both sat in silence until Ria’s stop arrived. She pushed the stop button. “This is me here,” she said.
Dan smiled and stood up with her.
They both got off the bus and it was still pouring with rain. Ria shivered as the cold droplets touched her skin again, and wondered if Dan was cold as well.
Suddenly, Dan reached out and held her hand, stunning Ria for a second, but she still keeps walking. His touch sent shivers through her body and the butterflies in her stomach were fluttering. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this way.
She tried to keep herself composed, even though her heart was thumping wildly inside her chest, until Dan stopped walking suddenly. She looked at him through the falling rain, waiting. What was he going to do? Why had he stopped?
He turned around to look at her. His gaze was intense and piercing, Ria felt her heart beat so loud that it was beating right through her ribs.
“I don’t know why but all of a sudden, I want to hold you in my arms.”
Before Ria could process what he had said, he let go of her hand and put his right hand around her waist. He pulled her close into his warm, wet embrace and Ria was temporarily paralysed. She couldn’t think and she couldn’t breathe, just feel.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” He asked, as he rubbed her back and pulled her even closer. She could feel his perfectly toned abs beneath that thin wet t-shirt, and let out slow deep breaths.
“No,” she whispered, as all her energy was wiped out from her.
“Good.”
The next thing she knew was that his lips were on hers. He slowly tugged her lower lip and she moaned, struggling to move, but he held her very tight and continued to kiss her. Her legs felt like jelly and her mind was incapable of registering anything.
They stood under the rain, lips locked and eyes closed, on the side street in the dark. It was almost like a fairy tale come true. She was helpless and lost in his hot kiss and the warmth of his body touching hers.
After a long minute or two a bus passed by, honking at them and he pulled back from the kiss but didn’t let her go away from his arms.
“This is wrong!” She said, her voice husky and raw from their long and passionate kiss. She tried to register what was going on but failed.
He gave her a half smile and said, “No, Ria. It’s not wrong at all,” he said. “ We both are single and I think we should give the chemistry we shared today a chance. In this little time we spent together, I felt nervous, anxious, excited and still perfectly comfortable. I don’t even understand what it is and I have never shared anything close to it with anyone. Would you give me a chance? Would you go on a date with me?”
Ria was surprised at how his emotions and thoughts were exactly the same as hers. She couldn’t believe this was happening and in the midst of this tsunami of thoughts, emotions and hormones, all she could do was nod.
And his lips were back on hers, as if he had finally found the treasure he had been looking for so long. The emotion was not too different from what Ria was feeling, as they kissed each other deeply, passionately.
She could have never guessed that the crappiest day of her life could turn into the beginning of the most wonderful journey of her existence.
Priya Bhardwaj © 2014
TO THE MOON...
A disk, a globe, a crescent shape;
To dance, to fly on high;
Waxing and waning, waning and waxing;
Endless revolving cycles;
Eternal lunar moods;
Wandering, passing time languidly and aimlessly;
Too distant, alone, far away from our perfect home;
Yearning, pining, amongst ancient stars;
A reliable friend to brighten the night;
Hot Cider, a companion moon, and shelter from the cold;
Together we both lament her loss;
Together ‘til the very last;
Gazing upon the midnight heavens, that autumn weight, tormenting loss;
Queen of the Night;
Protector from the darkness;
Stirrer of passions;
Pass the cider;
A toast to the Moon
P.W Collier © 2014
When Love Came Knocking
By Sonya C. Dodd
Cold.
Dark.
Frightening.
The nightmare was becoming a regular occurrence
now or was it a dream? It always began scarily but I was assured of a happy ending, wasn’t I? I tried to comfort myself that something would eventually have to give and I hoped it wouldn’t be my sanity.
I was trapped in an enclosed space, unable to move and although I kept telling myself it wasn’t real, it was still terrifying.
Abandoned and alone, I waited for the end, never quite sure whether it would be the ‘happy ever after’ which came or whether by some sick twist of fate the ending would change and I’d be left to slowly die in here. Meanwhile time stood still.
The cold crept over me like invading fingers of ice, clawing at my skin. The darkness was silent and kept me oblivious to my surroundings. The fear fed on itself, building the tension without let up until my mind would suddenly thrust me back into the land of the living, reality: the life I knew.
This time something was different though. My bedsit in East London remained out of reach. The darkness was particularly enveloping and dense, almost suffocating in its intensity.
I shivered. The fear was ever present but tonight something had altered. Tonight I knew I was waiting.
I had no idea what I was waiting for but it was evident there was going to be an awakening, a purpose or end to the perpetual anticipation. Tonight time was at a premium.
Why I bothered keeping my eyes open in the darkness, I had no idea. However it now showed me that the blackness was perhaps becoming less dense and I was positive I could almost feel some warmth on my bare arms.
My ears had stopped ringing in the silence too. The distant sound of birdsong carried to my ears. I wanted to smile but my fear was increasing because I was moving into unknown territory.
After a while I knew I was definitely looking into grey nothingness rather than black and a blackbird seemed to be singing right overhead, although I couldn’t see it.
Something bumped against my prison. It was near my feet but I couldn’t move my head to see. Then I saw a shadow moving upwards. It was coming towards me and I prepared myself to scream.
With the sound stuck in my throat, I relaxed as a deer came into view. It was hazy, as though it was surrounded by a thick fog. The animal appeared to be unaware of my presence and fed on grass or roots outside my tomb.
The grey was still getting lighter and there was a hint of blue mixed in with the darker shades. I surmised I must be outside and the blue was the sky. With the deer in close proximity and the birds singing all around me now, I guessed I must be in some wilderness where the creatures were unused to human contact.