Five-Thirty AM - V

Being a full-time columnist with India Digest - one of India’s leading magazines known for its solid, serious reading, covering everything from politics to economics to sports to science to entertainment - had its perks. Mitul had realized that a long time ago. It gave her the freedom to do what she wanted to do i.e. write; it did require her to do research, a lot of research, which she loved, as she had a natural curiosity about all things; and it also let her have the time to write the mushy romances that she loved to read in her spare time. Conveniently, these same mushy romances generated enough money to keep her afloat in a style to which she was accustomed. Yes, she was a published writer of several mushy romances by a leading publication.

It was in this quest for romance that she had first caught sight of Noel James, strutting across, well actually, more like loping across her television screen for the first time.

She’d never been addicted to TV serials, but there was something addictive about the angst-ridden character he’d portrayed - a man torn between his love for his soulmate and the duties of a husband who would not hurt nor disrespect his wife. The subtle nuances and inflections that he’d added to the role had enthralled her. It was only later that she’d realized that he was some kind of cult demi-god amongst his female fans! She’d followed his career then, only to realize that he’d already worked in one serial and a movie before the one that she’d seen. Soon, he exploded on the big screen in his first major lead role. At that point, she’d decided she wanted to know more about this person, who’d come out of nowhere, garnered an enviable world-wide fan-following, won accolades for his talent, all in the space of less than five years. Who was Noel James? And what made him a star? What did he have that others didn’t?

She’d approached Joyce with the idea of either a series of articles on him or a biography. Surprisingly, Joyce had preferred the idea of a biography. They’d reached out to him and that’s how she’d ended up, driving along Highway 410 with him in the passenger seat of her car, headed for a week in cottage country, Ontario. How bizarre!

The sun was behind them as they headed North, leaving the outskirts of Toronto and driving through a countryside that became more and more isolated and rugged. The flat plains housing the wind farms gave way to a rolling countryside and the roads she took wound through woods and fields, and over streams and valleys. He sat quietly beside her taking it all in, her camera on his lap as once in a while, he clicked a picture of something he liked. The panoramic sun roof let in the sunlight, but she hadn’t opened it out fully to let in the wind. Her hair barely stirred in the air-conditioned confines of the car. A ray of sunlight glinted on her hair. He raised the camera and clicked her side profile, highlighted by the sun, the tinted window behind her providing a perfect back drop.

‘Hey,’ she admonished, although not without a smile. ‘No taking pictures of me.’

‘Couldn’t help it. You did look picture perfect there,’ he replied tongue-in-cheek.

‘Ah! ha ha ha,’ she said.

They’d been driving for about three hours when she finally pulled into a gas station in a rural area, that seemed to have only about a dozen houses in sight.

‘We need gas, and I need to use the restroom,’ she said.

‘Gas?’ he looked puzzled.

‘Petrol,’ she said. ‘We call it gas here.’ Then she noticed his twinkling eyes, and went, ‘ah! You were pulling my leg.’

He shrugged and grinned. ‘Go ahead, I’ll fill the petrol,’ he said.

She came out of the restroom to find him leaning against the side of the car, looking around him.

‘It’s beautiful out here,’ he said, noticing her out of the corner of his eyes.

She smiled, ‘yeah. I love coming up here, that’s why.’

‘How much longer?’ he asked.

‘About another two, two and a half hours,’ she replied. He put his hand on the driver’s door.
‘Let me drive,’ a faint question in his tone.

She looked a long way up to his face and said, ‘enjoy the view, Noel. I love driving and I’m used to long drives. It doesn’t bother me.’

‘But you must be tired.’

She shook her head, no. ‘I’m not. Believe me. I’ve driven over ten hours non-stop and solo, and not been tired at the end of it. You enjoy the scenery. It’s your first time here. Talk to me. Take pictures,’ she waved her arm, emphasizing her point. ‘Maybe on the way back, I’ll let you drive,’ she smiled.

He nodded his head, knowing she was not going to give in and walked around to the passenger side. As they continued on their drive, his phone rang and he answered it, keeping his voice low so as not to distract her.

‘Hello? ... Hi!’

She swallowed at that husky ‘hi’. There was something so very sexy about it, and he didn’t even seem to realize it! No matter how many times she heard it, it always reminded her of the first time they’d talked. She always felt so foolish that she hadn’t been able to string one coherent thought together to talk to him then. He’d never referred to it, though, for which she was vaguely thankful!

Noel was surprised to see the number on the call. It was his father, who rarely called him.

‘Yes, Dad, I’m fine,’ he replied in answer to his question.

‘Dev told us you’re in Canada. Are you shooting there?’

‘Next week. I’m going to New Foundland. Right now, I’m on vacation in ... ‘ he looked across at Mitul for help.

‘Ontario,’ she whispered loudly, ‘Cottage Country.’

‘Ontario, heading towards cottage country.’

‘What are you doing there?’ his father was surprised.

‘You know I was thinking about that biography, Dad. The person who’s writing it is taking me there.’ His sentence was carefully crafted to leave out the sex of the author, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Mitul.

She raised her left eyebrow, while keeping her eyes on the road, trying not to pay attention to the one-sided conversation taking place not two feet away from her. Especially when that said conversation was in a voice that felt like warm chocolate syrup and honey on her skin. Her eyes widened behind her sunglasses at the unbidden erotic imagery! She’d better keep a lid on it. She wasn’t a hormonal teenager, she was a journalist and an author who wrote hot, sexy stories for fun, and he was just a movie star. She chanted those last four words in her head, like a mantra. There was nothing ‘just’ about Noel James! There was nothing ‘just’ in the way he looked today, dressed as casually as he was. It wasn’t ‘just’ that someone could look so good after sitting in a car for three-and-a-half hours on a summer morning and not look wilted. Which is exactly how she was feeling!

‘It’s still early days, Dad,’ he was still talking. ‘We’ve just covered my childhood so far.’ He raked his hair back, his attention totally focused on the phone. His father seemed to be speaking for a long time.

‘Dad,’ he began once, and then clammed up, his lips thinning in frustration. ‘No. ... no, Dad ... Right. Take care. And tell mom I love her.’ He turned off the phone.

She stole a glance at him. He was looking out the window, his face turned away, but it was clearly reflected in the tinted glass. He had a scowl on his face, and his mouth was a thin line. Something his dad had said hadn’t sat well with him. She wasn’t going to probe, she decided. Some things needed to remain private. Especially a son’s conversation with his father.

They drew up in front of the cottage around two in the afternoon, pulling in behind two other cars parked in the red graveled driveway.

To call the cottage a cottage, was something of a misnomer. It was more like a log cabin, and a large one at that. Built completely of wood, a railed verandah ran the length of the front of the two storied house, raised on four steps. Boxes of flowers bloomed at the base, brilliant with the colors of summer. Tall pines surrounded the small green lawn, and he could glimpse a lake at the back.

Noel popped the boot of the car, and pulled out their bags, refusing to let her carry hers.

Piya came out on the verandah, followed by Tinker Bell and dashed down to give Mitul a hug. She came around and said, ‘Hi’ a little shyly to Noel as he smiled charmingly at her.

A tall man came out the front door, and joined them. He was Indian of course. Well built, handsome, and obviously with an affinity for Piya. She introduced him to them - Anuj, her boyfriend. They shook hands all around and went inside. He seemed to have no issues with the obvious hero-worshipping looks she was casting at Noel, much to Mitul’s entertainment. Because Noel looked totally uncomfortable with the situation! But she knew her cousin. Piya loved Anuj and as much as she was star-struck with Noel, she wasn’t going to do anything about it!

****

The extended Puri family was in the living area of the cottage. Cosy, comfortable, couches covered with colorful rugs dotted the room, at the centerpiece of which was a fireplace; wide windows and a door that led to the covered deck at the back, let in a lot of natural light. A spiral staircase led to the second floor, which contained the three bedrooms and the bathrooms. A door at the far left wall led to the kitchen area, while one to the right led to the study. The fresh smell of citrus potpourri permeated the air.

At the back, the ground sloped towards the lake about two hundred meters away. Wooden pylons held up the deck that ran the length of the back of the house, a barbecue at one end of it. A large table surrounded by chairs sat in the middle, while a hammock occupied the other end. The deck could be enclosed by mosquito screens, which they would drop in the evenings. A necessity during summer in the woods. A long pier led from the deck to the lake, a motorboat moored to the end of it.

The view from the deck was breathtaking! The calm waters of the huge lake were surrounded by wooded areas, the dark green of the pines reflecting into the blue of the lake. Once in a while, a jet-ski or sail boat went by, leaving ripples in their wake, and faint sounds of people enjoying themselves broke the quiet of the afternoon.

‘Welcome to Canada, my boy,’ Mr. Puri put a friendly hand on Noel’s shoulder, holding out a bottle of beer to him.

‘Thanks, Uncle, but no thanks,’ he said, shaking his head at the beer. ‘Not much of a drinker, I’m afraid,’ he smiled ruefully.

‘That’s okay. There’s soft drinks in the fridge, let me get you something,’ he said.

‘I’ll get it, uncle,’ Noel was feeling completely comfortable in this warm, welcoming family. They didn’t treat him like a star and for that he was grateful. Even the boyfriends had shaken hands with him and welcomed him much as they would another man in their age group.

He could breathe, he thought.

‘Hey, Noel?’ Rajan called from out on the pier. ‘Wanna go for a boat ride?’ He and Anuj were pottering around near the boat.

‘Only after lunch,’ Mrs. Puri yelled from the kitchen. ‘Come on, everybody, help yourselves,’ she called, carrying a tray of sandwiches out to the deck, followed by the girls with jugs, plates, and sundry items needed for lunch.

Lunch was a boisterous affair and Noel soaked it all in. So different from his family, he thought, his glance going towards Mitul. She was sitting on the hammock with the twins, laughing at something Piya had said and his gut tightened at that sound of that laugh. Almost as if she was aware of his look, she turned to him, the smile still on her face. He smiled back at her, raising his coke can to her in a silent salute.

Lunch over, Mr. and Mrs. Puri elected to have a siesta. The six of them decided to take the boat out on the lake.

Noel followed the others and they all climbed into the boat, placing towels on the seats, before taking off their tops. He followed suit, divesting himself of the plain white tank tap he had on over a pair of functional black swim trunks.

Mitul watched as his head emerged from the top of the tee. She could see every muscle in his torso clearly delineated as they bunched and coiled with his movements. She couldn’t look away. Not from the strong muscles of his neck sloping into wide shoulders. Not from the perfect vee of his torso, the spine indented and curving into the tight, so very tight butt. Not from the strong thighs barely visible under the floppy trunks, and the rigid muscles of his calves. He turned around then, and her eyes wandered up in slow motion, pausing at the vee of his pelvis, drawing attention to the low waistband of his trunks. Up his perfect six-packs, no doubt a result of the hours he spent in the gym, obviously. Up the smooth ridges of his chest and the tiny nipples. A tattoo was etched high on the left side of his chest. A phoenix. Rising from the ashes. His body was smooth, so smooth and she wanted to run her hands over it. Her eyes lifted and met his, and saw the sudden flare of recognition in them.

‘Hey, nice tattoo, dude,’ said Rajan, breaking into her trance-like state.

‘Thanks, I got it in Thailand,’ he replied.

‘What’s he trying to do? Kill us?’ said Piya sotto voce to Mitul who swatted at her.

Mitul turned around, her heart was still thudding at the sight of the unabashed maleness that Noel exuded, her throat dry at the sight seared into her brain. She knew he was looking at her, she could feel his eyes on her back, and she thanked her stars that she’d chosen to bring along her most covered up suits.

Noel leaned back against the seat as the boat took off with Anuj at the helm. She’d been checking him out, he thought, with a smirk. For once, he was happy about the fact that he took so much care of his body. It was his livelihood. He had to take care of it. But he was grateful for it today!

He lay back, lazily watching the scenery fly by, the white wash of the boat at the back framing Mitul’s face in front of him.

It was a gorgeous day, with the sun still high in the sky, and a cool breeze taking the edge of the heat. They came to a stop near a secluded cove and stripped down to their suits - at least the girls did.

Mitul pulled off the electric blue tee she’d been wearing revealing her very modest two-piece underneath. It was black, with a short skirt that rode low on her hips clearly outlining her pelvic bones. A chrome ring held the sides together, the split revealing a shapely thigh, and the black underpants beneath. The top was long for a two-piece, coming down almost to her navel, held up by a pair of strings that tied at the back of her neck. Chrome rings held the front together, giving a surprising glimpse of her cleavage.

Noel looked his fill of her. She never wore anything overtly sexy, he realized, and the thin silver anklet on her right ankle was a surprisingly sexy touch. His eyes drifted up her smooth brown legs to the skirt which left a lot to his imagination. His gaze stopped at the thin strip of skin showing above the waistband, her navel a beckoning dip in the center. His eyes widened as he caught the glint of silver there. A piercing! She had a ring on her navel and for a second he wondered how it would feel in his very dry mouth. He swallowed as his eyes drifted up the concave curve of her belly to her chest. There was nothing underneath that tight black sheath and he could see her nipples clearly outlined in the cold breeze. Suddenly, he had trouble breathing, and he forced himself to look upwards. To the thin silver chain around her neck, up to her face. He looked at her, the sheer earthiness of her weaving a spell on him. Thankfully, she was looking out over the water, a hand on her hip laughing at something.

He turned around and cannonballed into the lake, uncomfortably aware of his body’s reaction. He sank into the water, thankful for the surprising coolness of it against his heated skin, before breaking up to the surface again. He needed to stay in the water for a bit, he realized just in time, as Mitul splashed in a few meters ahead.

They stayed there for a couple of hours, laughing, playing, splashing in the water, before dragging themselves out and turning the boat homewards. Mitul shivered a little in the cold breeze, and was startled when Noel wrapped a towel around her, leaving his arm around her, letting her warm from the heat of his body.

Neither Piya nor Jiya missed this show of concern.

*****

That evening, after dinner, the whole group sat chatting on the deck. The mosquito screens had been rolled down, and citron candles kept any stray bugs out of the way.

Conversation finally turned to Noel’s choice of profession. He knew it would come, but then this was part of what Mitul wanted to talk to him about. So he had no qualms about sharing with these people about himself.

‘So, Noel,’ said Rajan. ‘Do you have to take training to do all those action stuff you did in your last movie?’

He gave a low chuckle and shook his head, ‘No. I already knew how to ride a horse, I can drive most vehicles, right-hand, left-hand drive and I also know how to swim. I do know how to hold and shoot different types of guns. I’ve done sky diving, and scuba diving as well. Although I haven’t flown a plane yet. Am working towards a license for that,’ he willingly gave these details.

‘Wow! where did you learn all this?’

‘My father, and then the army,’ he said. ‘Dad’s an army man. He wanted us to go into the army like he did. My older brothers didn’t want to. I did.’ He stopped.

‘So why did you leave the army?’ it was Jiya who asked in the sudden silence.

Mitul had her eyes on him. She was curious about this too.

‘Long story, Jiya, and not a pretty one,’ he shook his head, grimacing at the memories.

The others realized that he didn’t want to talk about it and didn’t pursue it.

‘So do you do all your stunts yourself?’ Rajan was back with the action questions.

He smiled at the younger man, and said, ‘some. But if it’s too dangerous, they don’t let us do it.’

‘You’re the star after all!’ chortled Anuj.

‘Yep,’ he said, pulling up an imaginary collar, before strutting around as everyone went into peals of laughter, seeing him do the Dev Anand walk.

Mitul joined in, and looking around, she saw how easily he had fit into this milieu and this family.

*****

That night, Noel lay in bed in the darkness. The quiet was only broken by the night sounds of the forest around them. It was peaceful. So peaceful. So quiet, he could hear the lapping of the waves on the shore. The swooshing sounds lulled him and his eyelids grew heavy and drooped.

Suddenly he heard it. A long low, wailing sound, ending in a harsh growl. He sat up. Tinker Bell sat up too. What was that? He wondered. It seemed to have come from far away, echoing across the hills. And it was like no other animal he’d ever heard. But he had heard something similar once before. In the hills of Manipur. In India.

*****