Five-Thirty AM - XLI

It was not unusual for Noel to have people to come up to him and ask for autographs and photographs. Usually Dev would be there to handle such situations. However, Dev was gone, hopefully placating Myna by now, and Noel had the occasional people - usually young girls, coming up to him and asking him for pictures and autographs.

Piya’s wedding was due to start, and he excused himself from the latest group of people, looking around for his parents who seemed to have bonded with Mitul’s parents very well.

Kamini watched Noel interacting with his fans, a smile on his face as he patiently posed for pictures, and signed autographs for a new set of fans who had waylaid him.

She turned to Maria and with a comic look on her face said, ‘you know, Maria, never in a thousand years would I’ve thought that I would be watching a film actor at my nieces’ wedding, and envying my daughter!’

Maria broke into peals of laughter. ‘Kamini, you’d better not let Aditya hear that.’

‘Seriously, Maria. My Mitul’s a lucky girl that she found someone like Noel in her life.’

‘I think Noel is the lucky one. He picked a girl for her heart, not just for her looks.’ She put a hand on Kamini's hands.

‘I always worried about Mitul,’ Kamini said slowly. ‘Sometimes I wondered if Aditya and I let her have too much freedom, let her be too much her own person. She...’

‘She makes Noel happy,’ said Maria softly. ‘We haven’t see our son laugh like he does with her. You have a beautiful daughter, Kamini. I think our whole family fell in love with her when they met her.’

‘As we did with your son. Now if only they would ...’ Kamini didn’t finish her thought.

'Yes. we would like that ...,' Maria nodded and said.

They watched Noel as he looked around once in a while, looking for his girl. They watched as a smile lit up his face, as he spotted her walking in with Jiya. He excused himself from his fans, and walked over to her, said something to them, and both Jiya and Mitul smiled up at him.

Kamini looked at them together and said, ‘Maria. One thing though, they look like gulli-danda together.’ The two mothers burst out laughing. 'Noel is so tall and Mitul is so short. I mean look at her. Even with heels, she barely comes up to his shoulders!' She chuckled.

'But they do look good together, somehow,' Maria said, smiling as Noel's tall figure towered over Mitul's petite one.

Their laughter caught Noel’s ears, and he looked over, watching them giggle together, like teenagers. Carefully snagging Mitul’s hand under her sari, he bent down and said, ‘take a look.'

She followed his gaze and saw their mothers smiling. Seating Jiya near the mandap, the two of them made their way over.

Kamini and Maria got up as they approached. Maria hugged Mitul and took a good look at her. ‘Mitul! You look gorgeous, minha querida!’ she exclaimed, as Noel and Kamini looked on proudly.

‘Thank you, Tia,’ she replied, she held on to Maria’s hands. ‘I’m so glad you could make it. Where’s Te’o?’ she asked. With all the work she’d been doing behind the scenes, she hadn’t had a chance to properly meet Noel’s parents.

‘He’s somewhere around with your father, I think,’ Maria said.

‘Are you enjoying yourselves?’ Mitul asked with an anxious look at her mother.

‘Of course, we are, Mitul. Don’t worry about us,’ Maria waved a hand. 'Your parents have been taking very good care of us.'

‘Ma, please look after Tia,’ she said. ‘I’m going to go find Baba and Te’o.’

They nodded and watched as the two of them went looking for their fathers.

Kamini leaned over to Maria and murmured, ‘what does Tia mean?’

‘Aunty, in Portuguese. Noel must’ve taught her. What does Noel call you?’ she asked in turn.

‘Aunty,’ Kamini replied. 'You should have seen him the first time he came. He called Aditya 'Sir'! Can you imagine? Poor boy, he was so nervous.'

'He should be,' said Maria mock sternly.

They both giggled at that, but they stopped short as Kuntala suddenly appeared before them.

‘Didi, have you seen Dev?’ she asked.

Maria’s eyes widened, but she wisely held her peace.

‘I don’t know,’ Kamini said, she made to look over Kuntala’s shoulder, but in reality searching for Dev and Myna. They were nowhere to be seen. 'I can't see him. Must have gone out or something.'

‘Oh,’ said Kuntala, as she seated herself and sighed. She'd effectively shut down Maria and Kamini.

**** 

Noel and Mitul met their fathers, as well as Myna’s father, who was sitting with them. Once the greetings were over, and small talk started, Noel made a show of looking around and then he said, ‘Mitul, I think Jiya is looking for you.’

‘Really? I should go to her,’ she got up, took her leave, and started towards Jiya.

‘Follow me,’ Noel murmured as he went past her. They headed towards Jiya together, and then he made a detour, heading towards the darkened gardens. Mitul waited a full five minutes before she followed him through the same doors.

‘They think they’re so smart,’ Maria muttered under her breath, her eyes on her son and Mitul.

‘I know,’ Kamini equally softly, turning to her. They both grinned at each other, shaking their heads.

Mitul felt a hand grab her as soon as she stepped out into the gardens. She gasped as she was pulled along, the sari and heels slowing her down. ‘Noel, slow down,’ she said.

He stopped at one of the concealed seating areas, turning off the lamp in the space. In the diffused light from the hotel all she could see was the glitter in his eyes. He wrapped an arm around her waist, sitting down on a sofa, pulling between his legs, his hands finding the waistband. He looked up at her, seeing the seductive invitation in her eyes. She knew what he wanted. He pushed the sari aside, his eyes caught the sparkle of diamonds on her flat belly.

'Did you wear this to torture me?' he husked, his eyes narrowed as he looked up at her.

She laughed softly and in a low, sexy, rasp drawled, 'and why would I want to do that, Mr. Figueiredo?', her voice giving him goosebumps.

‘I don't know,’ he groaned softly, 'but it's driving me crazy.' He buried his lips on diamonds. He kissed her navel. Chocolate and cinnamon clouded his senses. His tongue took long, deep sips of it, his lips sucking on the skin around it. She gasped as his fingers traveled along the waistband. Her fingers tangled in his hair, caressing his ears, the back of his neck. Tiny mewling whimpers escaped from her throat, as she threw her head back. He felt her start to tremble as he continued to adore that navel, slowly turning her around as his tongue followed her waistband. He tugged it at her side.

She felt the tug all around her, shocks shooting from her navel to her core. And then his tongue found her spine, dipping, licking, sucking and kissing it, randomly flicking the band, never giving her a chance to get used to a caress, leaving her shaking in want. Her hands followed his as he dipped one hand inside her sari, sliding inside to find heated silk.

She gasped as he pulled her on his lap, almost in tears. Fully dressed, incredibly aroused, his other hand closed around her breast, surrounded by him.

She opened her eyes, and looked around, suddenly realizing they were in a very public area, doing extremely private things!

‘Noel!’ she said urgently. ‘Noel, Stop! Stop, Please!’ She tugged on his hair.

‘No,’ he protested, but took his lips off her shoulder nevertheless. ‘Yes,’ he was gulping for air. Gently he turned her so she was sitting sideways on his lap. He kissed her softly, then. She wrapped her arms around him and answered his kiss with one of her own.

‘I missed you so much,’ he whispered.

‘I missed you, too,’ she whispered back, her eyes looking drugged from the assault on her senses, her pulses still racing as she struggled to calm down. She could feel he was equally aroused, and that wasn’t doing anything to help.

They sat there, wrapped in each other’s arms for a couple more minutes, before they got up and headed back to the crowds, hand in hand.

***** 

Myna walked onto the terrace first, glowing with happiness. She slid into the seat next to Jiya and began talking to her, since Rajan was no where to be seen.

Dev walked in two minutes after her. He sauntered in, looking around for Noel and was surprised not to see him anywhere. He saw Kamini sitting with another lady, Noel’s mother nowhere in sight. He looked around for Noel’s father, walking along as he searched for him.

Kuntala got up as she saw Dev moving through the crowds. Kamini had, unfortunately, missed his entrance.

‘I’ll be right back,’ Kuntala told her. She sauntered off, cutting a line across the terrace to intercept Dev. She kept her eyes on him.

He was lost in thoughts of Myna, when suddenly he was accosted by a lady that he’d never seen before. ‘Excuse me,’ he said, making to go around her.

‘Aren’t you here with Noel?’ she asked.

Stifling an inner groan he turned back to her. Really? Noel had middle-aged women chasing him now? ‘Yes?’ he said politely.

‘You’re Noel’s friend, right?’ she asked again.

‘Yes, I am,’ he kept a straight face.

‘See, don’t get me wrong, I was looking for you for quite some time,’ she said confidentially.

‘Huh? I mean, why?’ he asked. Did she have a daughter that wanted to enter movies now?

‘I wanted to get to know you a little more,’ she went on, completely misreading his blank face. ‘You see, I wanted to introduce you to my daughter. I think you two would look so good together. She’s a very beautiful girl, of course. Now let me see, where IS she?’

Dev stared at her horrified! What on earth was she talking about?! Not the movies, for sure!

Kamini was looking around idly when she spotted Kuntala talking to Dev. She also saw Dev's expression and with a gasp of horror she began making her way towards them.

‘Ah! I ... er ...’ Dev stammered.

Kuntala clamped a hand on his arm, making it impossible for him to move. She’s gotta be mad! he thought frantically to himself, looking for help. But alas! none was forthcoming! He couldn’t see a single known face! He would KILL Noel. Where was he, anyway?

‘See, I have this daughter, and if you meet her once, I am sure you will agree she is the most beautiful girl here. I am looking for a good boy, and I’ve heard so many good things about you. I will of course, talk to your parents, first,’ she added. 'But if you met my daughter first, that would make it easier, na?'

‘Kuntala?’

He closed his eyes in relief as he heard a familiar voice.

‘Oh, Didi, good you came. See, I found Dev and I was just telling him about Myna,’ she said cheerfully.

‘Dev,’ Kamini laid a hand on his arm, and smiled sweetly at him. ‘Meet my sister-in-law, Kuntala,’ she blinked at him, turned to Kuntala and said, ‘where’s Myna?’

His head spun, as he tried to breathe. ‘Oh! Namastey, aunty,’ he croaked. Myna’s mother? he thought. Myna’s MOTHER??! No wonder she had all those hang-ups, he thought. But one thing she was right about. Her daughter was really the most beautiful girl in the world.

‘Dev, have you seen Noel?’ Kamini said the first thing that came into her head.

He looked around and spotted a slightly flushed looking Noel heading towards his father. ‘There he is, aunty,’ he said. ‘Excuse me,’ and he fled as fast as he could decently, without actually running away.

At this point, all social exchanges came to a halt as Piya arrived on the terrace, and the wedding of Piya and Anuj finally started. Everyone gathered around the mandap and blessed the beautiful couple. No one enjoyed it more than her newly married twin, Jiya and her new Jijaji, Rajan.

Well, two more couples did as well, although for completely different reasons, of course.

For this wedding, Noel stood across from Mitul for all the rituals, observing her closely, mirroring each of her actions, and smirking as she got flustered every time she met his gaze.

Dev stood across from Myna, smiling as he watched her participate in the rituals, content just to watch her beautiful face, that seemed to have an added natural rosy hue on her cheeks. She sparkled and he took pleasure in seeing that glow on her face, knowing it was he who had put it there.

Kamini watched Myna and noticed where her gaze seemed to be most of the time. The smile she saw on Dev's face was her answer. Her other little girl had also found her heart.

****** 

With all the excitement of the wedding over, life went back to its steady rhythm again.

Myna’s parents went back to Pune, much to her relief. Her mother’s constant paeans to Dev was beginning to get on her nerves. Thank God for Badi-Ma and Mitul Di, who kept her sane and diverted her mother every time she started off.

Mitul got back to the biography with a vengeance. Some evenings she spent with Noel, and when he worked late, they made do with long telephone calls. The henna on her hands was almost faded. But she fondly traced the tiny NJF that had been woven into the pattern.

Noel took her on interesting dates - karaoke, paintball, roller blading. And sometimes, they just spent it lazily in bed. For now, they were content with just enjoying each other.

*****

Myna had been surprised to receive a call from Dev on the Tuesday after the wedding. For the first time, she could feel her heart beating as she picked up the phone and said, ‘hello? Who’s this?’

‘Someone who feels like he should know you,’ he said, hiding a smile as he leant against the car, outside her office building.

‘You mean that age-old pick up line actually works on some girls?’ she asked, grinning.

‘I’m not trying to pick you up. I just feel like I’ve met you before,’ his voice caressed her.

‘Hmmm... I wonder where?’ she asked, feeling little butterflies in her stomach as she flirted with him.

‘How about we figure that out over lunch?’ he asked.

‘Lunch?’ she was surprised.

‘Yeah. You know, that meal people have around twelve in the afternoon everyday,’ he goaded.

‘Oh! THAT kind of lunch,’ she said.

‘Yes, THAT kind of lunch. Why? What did you think I meant, Ms. Imani?’ he sounded shocked, mocking her.

‘With you, I can think of a lot of things,’ she bit her lip.

‘In that case, why don’t you come downstairs, and let me know what else you think?’ he said.

‘Downstairs?’ she was surprised.

‘Hmm. Right outside your office,’ he looked up at the tower, wondering which floor she was on. He’d find that out later, he decided.

‘Oh!’ she peered out of the fifth floor window, and saw him standing down by his car. ‘I’ll be right there,’ she said breathlessly. Grabbing her bag, she ran to the elevators.

He watched her swinging out of the revolving doors and gracefully stepping down the stairs, longing to throw open his arms and hold her close. Instead he held the door open, holding her hand to help her in. Sitting behind the wheel, he took her hand again, and brought it to his lips. Planting a soft kiss on it, he said a simple, ‘thank you!’ before starting the car.

And so, began a string of lunches and dates, as Dev and Myna got to know each other in their own unique way.

He refused to push the boundaries, for once content to just be with her, spend time with her, listen to her, fascinated by how her day went, encouraging every step she took. Sometimes, he’d offer her an opinion in how to deal with office politics, guiding her, but never forcing his thoughts on her. He was amazed at how quickly she absorbed things, learnt them. But then, he’d known she was smart. Now, she was using those smarts and blossoming, and he watched the process, mesmerized by it.

Myna on the other hand, was finding out for the first time how good it was to have a friend. Someone who wouldn’t hesitate to call her out when she made a mistake, someone that spent time with her, because he wanted to spend it with her. Someone who made her laugh, and someone who didn’t hesitate to laugh at her. Now he was the one she called when she wanted to vent, or talk something over. He didn't always give in to everything she wanted. And if it was something he didn't agree with, he put his foot down and told her no. Here was a man who refused to be wrapped around her little finger. And she found that she liked this masterful side of him - a lot.

She learnt more about him, about the work he did. She listened when he wanted to talk, slowly understanding his world, and learning about it.

And he never ever smoked again.

The only thing she had a problem with, though she would be the last to admit it, was that he made no move to kiss her, or hug her, unless she initiated it. It was almost like he was waiting on something, some sign from her. In a way, she understood. He was keeping to his promise, so her respect for him grew with each passing day.

In other news. 

Her mother had stopped talking marriage for now. For whatever reason. And she was extremely glad of it.

***** 

Mitul finally finished the first draft of the biography that had started her on this journey. With a pleased sigh, she typed, ‘THE END’ and saved the file. Tomorrow she would be meeting with Joyce to give her the draft, as well as a copy to Dev. She transferred the protected files onto two flash drives and put them away.

With a happy sigh, she looked at the time. He was shooting nights most days now, which made meeting up difficult. This was the last block of shooting that needed to be completed before the film went into post-production. Which meant he would have more free time on his hands. Dev had already been scouting around for new projects for him, but he needed a break and he was going to take it. Soon.

Despite the late hour, she sent him a text anyway. He would call her, she knew. And if she guessed correctly, her phone would probably ring at, as he called it, their ‘witching hour’. She thought about that for a minute and made a mental note to look up what it meant. Whatever it was, for Noel and her, it was always five-thirty a.m.

******