Five-Thirty AM - II

Mitul stared at herself in the mirror examining the face that stared back at her. Pixie-shaped face, with large, light brown eyes, thick, long-ish lashes. Neatly shaped brows. Bow-shaped lips. Small nose. Smooth cheeks. A mole stared back at her from just to the left of her lower lip. She hated it. Maybe she’d do something about it soon. Get it removed perhaps. She wasn’t bad looking but, she wasn’t going to win a Miss World crown, either. Being just five-foot-two also ruled out any beauty pageants, for that matter! 

She checked the rest of herself out. Tight blue jeans clung to her shapely legs, finishing in a pair of well-worn cowgirl boots in rust colored ostrich leather. A black tank-top clung to her curves, visible under the brown leather jacket, that hung open. A black leather wristlet sat snugly on her right hand, and a wristwatch with a leather band adorned her left. Her only jewelry was the gold chain that hung around her neck, with a delicate gold Mexican cross pendant. The one thing she loved about herself was her hair. Layered in soft waves, it framed her face like a black halo, thick and shining and almost alive as it moved with even the tiniest shake of her head.

The phone rang disturbing her self-contemplation. She walked out of the closet and picked up the phone by the bedside table.

‘Hello?’

‘Mitul, it’s us,’ she heard her cousin Piya’s voice.

‘Okay,’ she said, holding down a button on the phone to open the secured door downstairs. She left the main door open and walked back to the bedroom, looking for her bag. Two minutes later, Piya walked into the apartment, followed by Rajan and Jiya.

Piya and Jiya were identical twins and her cousins, and the closest in age to her. Rajan was Jiya’s fiance, although how he told the two apart, one could never tell. Yet he never mistook Piya for Jiya! Probably because they were so different in character - on the outside, at least. In true filmy style, Piya and Jiya embodied the Seeta-Geeta type of attitude to life. Jiya was the quiet one. Piya the bubbly one. Rajan was a sweetheart and doted on his fiancee.

‘Hey, guys,’ Mitul smiled broadly, her teeth flashing through her pale bronze lipstick, revealing the slight unevenness of her upper canine teeth, which somehow added to her charm. They hugged each other all around, and she offered them drinks as they waited for Anuj, Piya’s boyfriend.

‘So, Mitul, what’s your latest project?’ asked Rajan, his arm resting along the back of the sofa behind Jiya.

‘A biography. I’ve been wanting to write this for a long time,’ she grinned. ‘But we just got the go-ahead this morning.’

‘Whose?’ Piya was curious.

‘Noel James,’ she grinned.

‘No way!’ Piya sat up. ‘Oh my God! Are you gonna interview him?’

Mitul nodded.

‘You have to introduce me to him,’ exclaimed Piya, fanning herself with her hand. ‘He’s HAWT!!’

‘You better not let Anuj see you hyperventilating over another man like that,’ admonished Rajan, through their laughter at her dramatics.

The phone rang to inform them that Anuj was downstairs waiting for them. Mitul checked her bag for phone, wallet, keys, breath freshener, yup, she had everything she needed for the night - before leading the way out of the apartment. Friday night in downtown Toronto with her best friends. It was a party and she was prepared for it!

****

She woke up lazily to find the sun shining high in the sky. The clock on the bedside said ten-thirty. She stretched. Ten-thirty on a Saturday without much to do except laundry was perfect! The twins were sleeping in the guest room as they often crashed in her apartment after a night in town. Rajan and Anuj had returned home in the wee hours of the morning. This arrangement had been approved by Piya and Jiya’s parents. In fact, they used the apartment even when she was not in town.

She stretched again. It had been a great night, especially since she’d run into some old friends of hers from UofT. It had ended up with a big group of about ten people, lots of dancing, and lots of drinking.

Having brushed her teeth, set up the percolator for coffee and peeped in to check on the twins, she took out her phone and turned it on. Ten missed calls from a number she didn’t recognize and one voicemail. She picked up the coffee pot and played the voicemail on speakerphone, almost dropping the pot, when she heard the voice!

‘Much as I liked listening to your voicemail, Miss Imani, I’d really like you to call me back at this number. I’m here in Toronto and was trying to get in touch with you.’ The husky voice was unmistakable! Noel.

She blinked a couple of times, before replaying the message. Okay. He was here, already? She decided to call him a little later to give him time to wake up.

The twins wandered in just then, yawning in their pyjamas, looking mussed and sleepy.

‘Hey, guys!’ she greeted them.

‘God, Mitul! how can you looks so fresh after a late night, that too after all that drinking?’ moaned Piya.

‘Genes, darling,’ she replied smiling. ‘Coffee?’

‘Sure,’ Piya pulled two mugs from the cupboard while Jiya made herself comfortable on a bar stool in front of the counter separating the kitchen from the living room.

‘So, what’s the plan for today?’ Jiya asked, taking a sip of the hot, fragrant brew.

Mitul pursed her lips and then said, ‘I gotta work.’

‘Work?’ Piya was scandalized. ‘Work on a Saturday? Mitul Imani, are you nuts?’

She grinned. ‘Okay, let me make a call and then we’ll see.’ Picking up her phone, she walked back to her bedroom, before calling the number.

Two rings later, a distinctly Canadian accent answered her call, ‘Hotel Fairmount. How can I help you?’

She raised her eyebrows and said ‘Mr. James’ room, please. First name, Noel.’

‘One moment, please,’ the sing song voice answered, before she was put on hold. She listened to the phone ringing and on the third ring, someone picked it up.

The same frisson ran down her back as he said, ‘Hello.’

‘Hi. Noel?’

There was silence at the other end for all of fifteen seconds before he breathed, ‘Mitul.’ A pause. ‘Hi. I tried calling you last night.’

‘I’m sorry, I was out and just picked up your voice mail,’ she didn’t know why she was explaining herself to him.

‘It’s okay. Ah .. Can you do brunch today?’ he asked.

‘Actually, I have company,’ she answered awkwardly. ‘How about tomorrow? A late breakfast at Diana’s?’ she asked.

She didn’t see him shut his eyes at the first sentence. She wasn’t aware of the frustration that hit him with the words, ‘company’. Of course, she’d have company. She was out on Friday night and probably ... he stopped himself. He had no business trying to figure out her personal life.

‘Sure,’ he took a deep breath. ‘I just thought you’d want to get started as soon as possible.’

‘I do!’ she exclaimed. ‘It’s just that ... ‘

‘I understand.’

‘I do have to drop my cousins off,’ she explained, wondering once again why she was intent on clearing any misconception he might have about her.

Cousins! He smiled to himself. ‘Cousins?’

‘Yeah. Twins. Sisters.’

The relief he felt on hearing that was a little abnormal, but he decided to go with the flow. ‘Tell you what. Why don’t you bring them along and we can do a late breakfast or lunch today?’

She stared open-mouthed at the phone. Jiya-Piya would have heart attacks at this! ‘Are you sure?’ she wanted to question his sanity. ‘Piya is a huge fan, you know,’ she warned him.

‘It’s okay,’ his voice dropped an octave lower, if possible. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

‘Okay,’ she nodded.

‘So, let’s say twelve o’clock? You name the place,’ he said.

‘Diana’s on Front,’ she replied, a sudden craving for pancakes hitting her. ‘They do all day breakfast.’

‘Sounds good,’ he smiled, she heard it in his voice. ‘I’ll see you there,’ and hung up.

She stood there, clutching the phone in her hand for a second thinking back on the call. Such a normal call. They’d talked easily and comfortably. Then she grinned. Piya and Jiya were in for such a surprise!

‘Guys!’ she walked back into the living area. ‘Get dressed, soon. We’re going out for brunch, at Diana’s,’ she informed them.

‘Cool,’ said Jiya, sliding off the stool and heading to the guest bathroom.

*****

It was five after twelve, and Noel stood on the sidewalk outside Diana’s, hands in the pockets of his blue jeans. The white long-sleeved shirt he’d paired with it, was pulled across his sinewy arms and chest, and was rolled up to reveal his forearms. The gentle breeze off Lake Ontario felt nice, lifting the silky strands of his hair. A pair of wrap around sunglasses hid his well-known green eyes.

He garnered quite a few looks and some Indian girls were staring at him, wondering if they were seeing right. But he kept his face straight and determinedly pretended that he didn’t notice their attention. They passed him by, whispering and giggling to themselves. But his attention suddenly focused on a trio of women in the car park across the street. Twins - two of them, and a third one.

‘She’s short!’ was the first thought in his head and he smiled to himself. He didn’t know how he knew for certain that it was her, but he just knew.

Mitul spotted him standing on the sidewalk, and nervousness clutched at her throat, but she covered it up and waved to attract his attention.

He raised a hand in acknowledgement.

Piya and Jiya had their mouths open.

‘Mitul?’ he husked when they were close enough, holding out his hand to her.

‘Hi, Noel,’ she said, putting her small hand in his, feeling him envelop it. A warmth coursed through her at the touch, and she raised her eyes in shock to his.

She couldn’t see the widening of his eyes, as he felt that touch and something inside him fluttered. Her voice was really like that, velvety and smooth. His stomach tightened.

He turned to her cousins and said, ‘Hi!’ to them, waiting for introductions.

Piya recovered first and said, ‘Wow!! you really do say hi like that!’ she sounded mesmerized. ‘I’m Piya, by the way,’ she held out her hand. ‘And this is Jiya,’ she introduced her sister.

He shook hands with both of them, and stepped forward to hold the door for them to enter.

Piya chattered nineteen to the dozen, asking him all sorts of questions, and he answered all of them pleasantly enough. Jiya, he realized was the quiet one, though she did smile shyly every once in a while. Whereas Mitul. He couldn’t quite figure her out. She seemed relaxed, having breakfast, drinking coffee, interrupting Piya if the question bordered on being intrusive, but never really having a direct conversation with him. And for some reason, that annoyed him. He wanted to talk to her and by God, he was going to do it, before they left this place.

‘So, Mitul, tell me,’ he addressed her directly, his voice dropping unknowingly, sounding huskier.

Piya narrowed her eyes.

‘How do you want to go about doing this, writing this book?’ he asked.

She took a sip of her espresso and licked the foam off her lip, not noticing the green eyes darken just a little a that. ‘I thought we could get together, set aside some time each day - at least a couple of hours. I’d like this to be collaborative, you know,’ she added. ‘And we’ll have to figure out just how you want this story told, so that I can do justice to it.’

He nodded his head, his hair flopping a little on his forehead. ‘I’m due to begin shooting next week for the new film, you know. Location stuff.’

‘Let’s work around our schedules, then,’ she said.

‘Sounds good to me,‘ he replied with a shrug. ‘Have you finished your coffee?’

The swift change of topic unbalanced her for a bit, before she looked down at her cup and said, ‘yes.’

He insisted on paying for breakfast before they headed out. Piya received a call and excused herself. They stood around, watching the flow of traffic, vehicular and human around them as they waited for her.

‘What’s that store?’ he asked pointing to a rather minimalistic sign that said, ‘Sen5es’.

‘That’s a pastry store,’ replied Jiya, for once speaking up. ‘They do really good pastry.’ She smiled shyly at him.

He decided he liked Jiya. She was a sweetheart, eclipsed by the brilliant personality of her sister and the dynamic one of her cousin, but there was a center to her, a core of quietness and calm that was soothing.

He nodded his head, as Piya walked over. ‘Mitul,’ she said. ‘That was Mom. She wants to know when we plan to go home,’ she gave a rueful shrug. ‘She’s expecting you for dinner. I told her we’d be home in an hour or so. I hope that’s okay with you.’

‘Sure, no problem,‘said Mitul, but feeling awkward about dumping Noel in the middle of the street.

‘By the way, Noel, Mom would like you to come over for dinner as well,’ said Piya.

Mitul stared at her surprised. Noel just lifted an eyebrow and surprised the heck out of everybody, including himself by saying, ‘thanks, I’d like that.’

They drove to Brampton on the outskirts of Toronto in Mitul’s car. She was a competent driver and drove swiftly, weaving through the afternoon traffic smoothly, yet casually.

He sat in the passenger seat and wondered what the hell he was doing, accepting invitations to people’s homes without even knowing who they were.

Brampton in Ontario, Canada has a large, very large population of Indians. Most of them watched Indian soaps and films on a regular basis. Piya-Jiya’s parents, Mr .and Mrs. Puri were no exception. They’d known about Mitul’s profession for a long time and understood that sometimes she would be hob-nobbing with celebrities. It is to their credit that they also understood that inviting anyone else over for dinner while a celebrity was in their house would be the utmost bad taste. So dinner would be just their family, Mitul and now Noel.

As Mitul parked on the driveway of their detached home, a Labrador ran out, barking in glee, rushing in and out of the house.

‘Tinker Bell!’ laughed Mitul in glee, bending down to pat the dog.

‘Excuse me?’ He spun around, and then smiled to see her unrestricted joy with the dog. She was kneeling down, her arms around the dog, nuzzling him, and scratching him behind his ears. The free unfettered way in which she hugged the dog, made him wish, a little irrationally that he’d be able to do something to make her be that way with him.

Surprised at this sudden thought, he turned away, his face resuming its usual blank mask.

The door opened and Mr. Puri came out, holding out his hand. They shook hands, and they all went inside the cosy comfort of the Puri home.

****

Mitul drove him back to his hotel after dinner.

He sat quietly, looking out at the drab scenery, listening to the soft strains of music from the car’s music system. It had been a relaxing evening, sitting with a family, having an ordinary dinner, and discussing ordinary things. No media, no fans, no nothing. Even Jiya had opened up and talked. Piya had lost her star-struck air and was comfortable enough to make a few jokes at his expense. Mitul had kept mostly quiet, but once in a while she’d thrown her head back and laughed out loud at the jokes, and each time it had surprised him, and he’d chuckled with her only to find her staring at him, with a look on her face that probably mirrored his own.

‘So, tomorrow, when do you want to meet up?’ she asked, her attention fully on the traffic ahead.

He thought for a while and asked instead, ‘have you lived in Toronto long?’

She flicked a quick glance at him and said, ‘studied here, at the UofT.’ At his questioning look, she expanded, ‘University of Toronto. Spent a lot of time in downtown,’ her eyes crinkled up at the corners, thinking of the fun times during her student days.

‘Why don’t you show me around then?’ he asked. ‘Tomorrow?’

She raised an eyebrow and said, ‘What?’

‘You heard me. Show me around, and we can talk at the same time,’ he said.

She smiled then. The first genuine smile she’d thrown his way. ‘Okay.’

They’d arrived at Front Street and her attention was occupied weaving her way in between vehicles, pedestrians and the perennial construction zones. She stopped in front of the doors and said, ‘I’ll pick you up around eleven, then.’

He looked at her, his gaze doing a quick scan of her face and said, ‘I’ll be waiting.’ He opened the door and turned around.‘Thanks for today,’ before shutting the door and walking into the hotel.

She put the car into gear and swung into the traffic heading home with her confused thoughts.

*****