Five-Thirty AM - IV

Noel came awake, as he always did, with a suddenness that went from complete unconsciousness to full consciousness in a matter of seconds. He opened his eyes, looking around the unfamiliar room. It was still dark outside and he lifted his wrist to look at the time. Five a.m. He was wide awake; too early to get out of bed, and too late to go back to sleep. He got up and used the bathroom, before padding out into the living room/kitchen area.

Mitul’s bedroom door was closed and he hoped she was having a good night’s sleep.

Clad in his track suit bottoms and a tee - he cleared a small space in the living room and went through his yoga routine. This was something he’d picked up in rehab, and he’d found in it the means of de-stressing and dealing with life in general. The mind clears and the body is ready for the day. He finished his routine with fifteen minutes of meditation. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes. To his surprise, the sun was already making its presence felt through the blinds in the living room.

He pottered around the kitchen till he found the fixings, brewed a pot of coffee and poured a cup. The terrace was lower than the living room by two steps and in one corner was a small glass-topped table and two chairs. An ashtray sat on the table, but it was clean and clearly placed there for anyone who wanted to smoke. This was the ‘smoking zone’ of the apartment.

The early morning calm enveloped him. His mind was clear, uncluttered by the daily conflicts of his existence. For now, all he wanted to do was sit and think about nothing. He hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long time. The terrace faced the North, the flat vista of Ontario clearly visible, with the Niagara escarpment rolling into the distance way to the West. To the East, the sun was climbing up the sky, the rosy hues changing into gold before the heat turned on, but the northerly direction of the terrace shielded most of it from the sun’s rays during the hottest hours.

He wasn’t aware how long it was that he sat there. It was strangely quiet for a Monday, with hardly any sound of traffic even. His mind went over their day yesterday. It had been a long day and in truth, they hadn’t really covered much ground about his life - which was supposedly the reason for the meet. He couldn’t help but smile as he thought back over the range of things they’d talked about, though.

This wasn’t just about him talking to her, her interviewing him. This was as much about him getting to know her. Within a week, he’d gone from wanting to see the face behind the voice, to wanting to know the person behind the face! His manager, Dev would have a fit if he knew. Which reminded him...

He was crossing the living room when the land line rang shrilly, breaking the silence of the apartment. He looked at the caller id, saw Piya and picked it up in a flash, not wanting to wake up Mitul.

‘Hello?’ he heard what sounded like Piya’s voice, while he was still trying to figure out how to answer the call.

‘Hi, Piya?’ he asked.

There was a gasp at the other end and silence, which lasted for all of two seconds and then, ‘yes.’

‘Hey, how are you? it’s Noel,’ he said.

‘I know. Sorry for calling so early, are you awake yet?’ Piya asked carefully.

He frowned, trying to understand what she was talking about. ‘I am. Mitul is still sleeping, I think. She had a headache last night.’

‘Oh! Are you feeling better now?’ she asked, stressing on the ‘you’.

‘I guess,’ he answered hesitantly.

‘Listen, why don’t you call me back in an hour or so, when you’re fully awake, Mitul?’ she suggested.

The light finally turned on in his mind! But of course!

‘Thanks, Piya,’ he sighed. ‘I’ll let Mitul know you called, okay?’

He heard Piya sigh in relief as well, as she realized he’d finally caught on. ‘Are you meeting Noel today?’ there was a hint of laughter in her tone.

‘I’m standing in her apartment, Piya. Of course, I’m ... dammit! are you teasing me?’ he laughed outright at that.

She giggled a little and finally decided to let him be. ‘Yes, of course, Mitul, just call me back when it’s good for you, okay?’

He chuckled. ‘Okay, I’ll tell her. Bye,’ before hanging up.

He walked into the guest bedroom, and looked around for his phone. Three missed calls, all from Dev! He shut the door, and dialed the number.

‘Noel, what the hell?!’ were the first words out of Dev’s mouth, his deep voice barking out the question.

Dev Karmakar, by birth, Dave Carmichael by profession. Wanna be DJ, and now his agent and manager. Also his best friend from his school days, who’d been there by his side through thick and thin. Thirty-two, five-nine, stocky muscular build, with a bullet-shaped head, bristly dark brown hair cut ridiculously short, and a soul goatee. His eyes were his best asset, big and brown with impossibly feminine lashes on a strong masculine face. They could look deep into and melt a girl’s heart, or drive an icy skewer through an opponent’s. With a brain as sharp as a razor, he’d topped his class in Business management from one of India’s premier institutes.

After Noel joined the entertainment industry, and needed a manager/agent, it was Dev who stepped up to the plate, giving up his job in a multi-national to take on the role of his guide and agent. It had paid rich dividends so far for both of them, and they were happy with the arrangement. Dev thrived on the challenges that the industry threw at him. Noel benefited from having a strong, trustworthy, and loyal friend by his side in an industry that could have chewed him up and spat him out.

But right now, Dev was hopping mad at him. ‘What the hell, Noel?’ he repeated. ‘I’ve been trying to call you since this afternoon at the hotel, where were you?’.

‘Sorry, Dev. I’ve been out. I spent the day sight-seeing, and then crashed for the night at a friends’,’ Noel calmed him down.

‘Friend’s, hunh? How come I don’t know anything about friends in Toronto?’ he could hear the smile in Dev’s voice. He didn’t wait for a reply. ‘How’s it going with the author?’

‘We started working yesterday,’ Noel could truthfully answer that much.

‘Great! Make sure that everything, and I mean everything, is approved by us, before she prints it. I’ve already spoken to Joyce, and we’ve agreed that once the chapters start taking shape, we’ll have to set up reviews.’

‘Is that all you called me for?’ Noel sat on the bed, wondering why Dev had been so frantic to get in touch with him. This wasn’t anything that couldn’t have waited.

‘No. Nakul was asking me where you were,’ referring to the liaison from the production house of the film that Noel was due to start over the next week. ‘I told him I didn’t know, you’d decided to take a week off, as you wanted this trip kept quiet, etc. I did let him know that you’d definitely be joining them in New Foundland next week. He might try to get in touch with you, don’t bother. I’ll handle it at this end. And let me know if you decide to go off the grid again, for God’s sake. I was worried about you,’ he finished.

‘I will,’ Noel grinned. ‘It’s just.. ‘

‘Yeah. You never did tell me why you decided to spend your vacation in Toronto of all places,’ he grumbled. And then, as a sudden thought struck him, he followed it up. ‘What’s she like?’

Noel could just imagine the wolfish grin on Dev’s face. He shook his head as a reluctant smile of admiration spread over his face. ‘Bye, Dev,’ he said.

‘Oh! That good, huh?’ Dev was now enjoying himself.

‘BYE!’ he said emphatically, before toning it down. ‘Really, Dev, ‘bye. I gotta go.’

‘Okay. Bye,’ Dev was chuckling as he finally ended the call.

He was amused at his friend’s gutter mind, shaking his head over it. The phone was dying so he plugged it into the charger, before heading out to the living room again. Mitul was sitting on a sofa, lazily surfing through channels on the TV, looked much better, although her eyes were still puffy.

‘Hey,’ she said, when she saw him. ‘Thanks for the coffee.’ She waved her mug at him.

‘No problem,’ he poured himself another cup. ‘How’re you feeling today?’ He joined her on the couch. Her voice had that same raspy tone to it, that had caught his attention the very first time she’d talked to him. So that was her just-woken-up voice, he thought with a mental smile.

‘Better. Much better,’ she said. ‘That Tylenol did the trick. I slept like a log.’

His face was serious as he remembered the argument he’d had with her last night. She’d insisted on having Tylenol. He’d tried to stop her.

***************

‘I need it,’ she said.

‘Mitul, have a glass of warm milk, and go to sleep. I’ll give you a head massage, if you like, and you’ll be asleep in no time,’ he said. ‘Just don’t take pills for something as simple as a headache.’

‘Oh, for god’s sake, Noel,’ she scrunched up her face in pain. ‘Please. Just give me two Tylenols and let me sleep. I’ll be fine tomorrow.’

‘These can get addictive, Mitul,’ he said gravely.

‘Are you serious? I’m just gonna take a couple, go to sleep. Nothing addictive about it.’

‘How many do you take in a week?’ he asked her.

‘What?’

‘You do know that Tylenol contains ingredients that can get addictive if taken regularly?’

‘Oof! I know. But I am not taking them everyday. I just need something to ease this massive pain I have, and you’re not helping,’ she yelled at him, tears brimming into her eyes with the pain, lips trembling, distress evident in her hunched shoulders.

He hadn’t been able to stop her then. She’d taken a couple of Tylenol with some milk and then walked into her room, closing the door shut behind her.

****************

They watched BBC in silence for a while before she asked without looking at him, ‘why were you so against me having Tylenol last night?’

He shook his head. ‘It’s nothing. I have a thing against using medication if it can be avoided. Using natural remedies. And I guess I got carried away,’ he looked apologetically at her. ‘I’m sorry. I had no right ... ’

‘It’s okay,’ she looked at him now. ‘So, what’s the plan for today?’

‘I forgot!’ he exclaimed. ‘Piya had called. She wants you to call back,’ he informed her.

‘Oh no! Did you take the call?’

He shrugged, ‘I didn’t want the phone to wake you up, so I took the call. Besides I saw that it was her number, so ... ‘ Damn! Was he going to keep apologizing to her today?

She was shaking her head, going ‘shit! Shit! Shit!!’ She picked up the phone and dialed the Puri’s home number.

He turned the TV volume down, as she sat there, legs tucked under her on the couch, waiting for the phone to be answered, biting on her full lower lip. For some reason, the swear word out of her mouth, was vaguely ... exciting, he thought. What was wrong with him? He looked at her, taking in the mussed hair, which she raked her long fingers through. She really had beautifully shaped hands, he noticed, with those short, neatly manicured clear nails. He looked at her feet, the high arches and pale champagne colored toes. Elegant was the only word that came to his mind.

‘Piya?’ her deep voice sent that same shiver down his back.

‘Mitul? Hey, call my cell, please,’ said Piya, with an excited giggle.

‘Why?’

‘Just do it,’ she insisted, and hung up.

Mitul frowned and disconnected before dialing Piya’s cell.

‘Oh my God, Mitul,’ Piya was almost choking with excitement, when she picked up. ‘Noel stayed there last night?’

Mitul got up and walked out to the terrace, not wanting to discuss this in front of him.

He watched her go, a faint smile in his eyes, fully aware of exactly what Piya would be grilling her on now.

‘Yes, he did. I had a bad headache, so he brought me home, and it was too late for him to go back, so he slept in the guest room, bas!’ she said with finality.

‘Ai ai ai,’ Piya was fanning herself. ‘So the next time, I sleep in that bed, I can imagine him sleeping in it!’

‘Piya, behave!’ she couldn’t stop herself from laughing.

‘And you want to tell me nothing happened between you two?’

‘No! absolutely not. And it’s not gonna happen.’

‘Why ever not? He’s hot. You’re cute, kinda. What’s wrong with you two?’

She slammed a forehead against her palm. ‘Is that all you called me for, Piya?’

‘Ya, ya, topic change. And you think I’ll forget this so quickly? But anyway, let it be. This time, I’ll let you off the hook,’ Piya continued grandiosely.

Mitul just shook her head exasperatedly. ‘Are you going to tell me or not? otherwise, we’re done here.’

‘No, no, wait! You remember we’d planned on going to cottage country next weekend? Well, Dad was asking if we wanted to go earlier instead, like maybe tomorrow?’

Mitul thought for a moment and said, ‘I have to work with Noel. He’s here specifically for this interview. I just can’t abandon it and go away.’

‘Or you just don’t want to abandon him?’ Piya grinned cunningly.

‘Piya!’ she warned.

‘Okay, okay. I see you’re point,’ Piya paused, thinking. ‘Hold on,’ she said.

Mitul waited while she listened to the intermittent beeps of the hold tone. After about a minute of waiting, she came back on.

‘Mitul, Papa says, why not ask Noel to come along with us? After all, he’s on vacation. Rajan and Anuj are also coming along, so he’ll have male company as well, other than Dad’s, I mean.’ She stressed the ‘male’ word.

Mitul thought for a moment and said, ‘let me ask him.’ She put the phone on mute, tapping her teeth with it. A week with him, with family around. It would give them time to work without worrying about random people questioning their association. It would also probably be better to have other people around them, she thought, without questioning why this was important to her.

She walked back to the living room to see that he’d opened up his laptop and was reading something on it.

‘Noel,’ she said. ‘Piya was asking if you would like to join us this week in cottage country.’

He looked questioningly at her.

She sighed and elaborated. ‘We were supposed to go to cottage country next weekend. Uncle would like to go up there earlier, and they’ve extended an invitation to you, too. That is, if you would like to come,’ she added grudgingly

‘Do you wanna go?’ he asked.

She stared at him. ‘What does have to do with it?’

He bent his head, thought for a moment and said, ‘if you want to go, I’m in,’ looking straight into her eyes, conveying to her that this was her decision to make. She looked right back at him, assessing what she was reading in his eyes.

‘Okay,’ she said, un-muting the phone. ‘Piya, we’ll join you guys.’

The squeal that came over the phone was audible even to him, and he chuckled. ‘I gather she’s happy,’ he said.

She nodded at him, finishing the conversation.

‘Mitul, I was wondering. Would you mind if I downloaded the pics from yesterday onto my laptop?’

‘But of course, you can,’ she exclaimed. She fetched the link cords and helped him hook up the camera, and then headed into the kitchen to make some breakfast.

He downloaded the pictures from the camera and then carefully deleted the shot that he’d taken of her from the memory card. He didn’t think she would appreciate being photographed without her knowing. In fact, he was positive she wouldn’t, having seen her reaction the day before.

‘When are we going to cottage country?’ he asked.

‘Tomorrow,’ she said.

‘I have to be in New Foundland next week,’ he told her.

‘When do you have to be there?’ she asked.

‘Wednesday. I have to fly in on Wednesday,’ he said.

‘No problem. We’ll come back on Monday,’ she promised him.

He’d have to call Dev and let him know. He was going to be off the grid for almost a week.

She got one more call that day. From Joyce. She wanted to know if they’d met up and had they started working on the book as yet. She assured Joyce that they had and that she, i.e. Mitul would be going to cottage country for the rest of the week.

‘Will you be able to get emails?’ asked Joyce.

‘I’ll have my mobile internet with me,’ she replied.

‘Okay then, keep in touch, and I have your cell number,’ Joyce said.

‘Just use it for emergencies, Joyce,’ Mitul warned her.

‘Always, darling,’ Joyce assured her. ‘Give Noel my love,’ she finished the call.

She turned to him and said, ‘Joyce sends you her love.’

‘Thanks.’ He made a mental note to tell Dev to send Joyce some flowers. Whatever she wasn’t allergic to!

****