Five-Thirty AM - XXXIII

They had splashed around for a while, had a swimming competition, dunked each other, until Noel backed her up against the side. They were laughing, panting from all their exertion, and he wondered for the hundredth time what it was about her that so drew him in. His expression changed, his eyes darkening, completely serious now. She held on to the side of the pool, her arms spread, watching his expression change as he moved closer, the laughter dying on her lips. He reached out and touched her hair, it was falling over her face. He pushed it back. His eyes narrowed, the flames banked, under control but unmistakable.

His eyes followed a drop of water trickling down the side of her face, past her neck, sliding onto the curve of her breasts, before disappearing into the neckline of her suit, between her breasts. His eyes followed that invisible drop now, merged into the waters of the pool. His slid one arm behind her, pulling himself closer to her. His other hand moved up the sides of her hip, traversing up slowly, oh so slowly, till it stopped under her breast. His thumb stroked lightly over the erect nipple, clearly visible through the wet suit. With a gasp she flung her arms around his neck, straining into his thumb as it gently learnt how sensitive she was.

He cradled her head with his arm, watching his thumb encircle the hidden aureole. All sensations completely concentrated on that one spot. He felt the tremors going through her, knowing that he was shaking himself. He couldn’t stop himself, bending down to whisper in her ear. ‘Cinnamon and chocolate,’ his hoarse voice was strange in his ears. ‘You’re cinnamon and chocolate and I’m addicted to you.’

He pushed back, holding her hand, and led her out of the pool. He helped her on with her robe, before putting on his own. Neither said a word. Need was clawing through each of them, their only contact through the skin of their palms, as they walked back hand in hand to their cabin. He led her through the bedroom, stopping to face her. He untied her robe, intent on his task, eyes narrowed, cheekbones flushed.

She stood there, waiting, her heart hammering, wondering where this was leading. But she trusted him. More than anything, she trusted him, with all of her.

He pushed the robe off her shoulders, before taking off his own. Taking her hand, he headed into the bathroom. She held back, her anxiety clearly written on her face. He held her hands, and said, low and sweet, ‘I promise you, nothing will happen that you don’t want.’ His eyes searched hers, letting her know that he would let her set the pace. Whatever they did, she was the one in control of the stop button.

She hadn’t noticed the shower earlier, when she’d been in there. This time though, her attention was drawn to it. Tiled in jet black and white and gold, it was the strangest shower she had ever seen. Noel made some adjustments, and they stepped into the sunken tile floor, as he shut the door. A waterfall of water poured down from the shower head. It literally was a waterfall, she thought staring at it, all her inhibitions gone. She laughed as he pulled her under it. They splashed under it for some time, before he stepped back and reached for her. Turning off the waterfall, he turned on the body showers, two sets of five jets streaming water onto them. The water was cooler than the waterfall, and Mitul was painfully aware of her nipples getting erect again. She turned her back to Noel, head bowed, but his arms came around her. She crossed her arms over her breasts, he crossed his arms, holding wrists, bringing them down to her sides, gently turning her around. His lips came down softly onto hers, the water sluicing over them.

He wanted to be gentle with her. She was so tiny, his big body, curved over hers, his lips moving over her mouth, parting them, sliding into them, coming back out, to suck and nibble at her lips. She held on to his arms, feeling the muscles bunch under her fingers, the ground shake under her feet.

He lifted her up, his hands on her hips, so that she stood on his feet. His hands slid like heated torches to her back, finding the hem of her top, sliding up her spine, finding each tiny indentation in the curve, pressing down on each one, shooting tremors through her, as his tongue created havoc inside her mouth.

Her fingers found his collar bones, rubbing along them, moving lower till she found his nipples. Eyes closed, head thrown back, she felt him nip the side of her neck, as soon as she grazed her nails along them. He groaned against her neck, his hands finding her derriere, under the plastered swim suit, pulling her closer so she could feel every hard inch of him.

He drew back, his breathing ragged, looking at her face, wanton, filled with a painful intensity. She was biting her lower lip. ‘Don’t do that,’ he murmured, swooping down to capture her mouth again, soothing her bites with his tongue, before pulling back. He pushed her hair away, reaching between them for the hem of her top. Mitul buckled against him, raising her hands to let him take it off. He dropped it and sighed as he took in the gorgeous view. She closed her eyes, too shy to see the naked fire burning out of control in his.

He held her up, one arm under her back, she leaned back, arching over it, nails digging into his forearms. His fingers trailed over her face, as if learning every angle, trailing fire down her throat, down her chest, stopping as if deciding where to go next. He swallowed as he looked down at the perfection of her. His hand brushed across her skin, cupping her breast, before sliding over, only his thumb playing with the nipple. Mitul moaned as she felt that little touch, her back arching even more. He lifted her easily in his arms, walking over the wall, placing her back against the cool tiles. His hands went under her buttocks, stopping her from sliding to the ground, pulling her legs around his waist, before bending his head and finally taking one sweet breast into his mouth. His tongue had been craving for that taste of cinnamon and chocolate. He worshipped it, swirled it, tasted it, and savored it, before moving to the other one. His hand covering where his mouth had been, never letting one feel neglected. He could feel the heat from her core against his navel, his control iron-clad. Today was about Mitul, and only she made the choices today.

He bit down on one breast, and she cried out a throat, ‘Noel!’, her hips taking over without realizing it. Her body craving for that final satisfaction. Her arms were round his neck, in his hair, frantically trying to find something to hold on. The earth was rocking under her feet, and the roaring sound of water filled her ears.

His hand slid between their bodies, playing with her navel ring, dipping inside the waistband of her suit, sliding low on her abdomen. He was throbbing now, his jaws clenching in an effort not to take her here and now. He breathed deeply, his eyes closed, his lips encircling, the tiny aureoles. He wanted her. He couldn’t believe that his body could be so wound up. The fragrance of her arousal clouded around them. He pulled his hand out of her suit-bottoms, finally sliding it between them, his palm grinding against her core through the cloth.

‘Noel?’ she was gasping, her ankles crossed tightly against each other. With one swift move, he pushed her legs down, tugging at the suit bottoms, tossing the flimsy piece of fabric aside. He knelt in front of her, pushing one leg up on his shoulder, opening her to him, his large hands grasping her hips, before his lips finally touched the center of her existence. His tongue rubbed against her, flicked inside her, feeling her jerking, her nails digging into his back and shoulders, as she stood bowed over him. Noel drew away and said, ‘Let go, babe, I’ve got you,’

With that, he thrust his tongue inside her, as deep as he could go. He felt her stiffen, the start of the tremors deep inside her womb. She moaned, gasping out his name, before the shudders took over her, a keening, ‘Noel!’ finally bringing her to the edge and over. He leaned his forehead against her stomach, soothing her with little kisses peppered along her skin, feeling the after aftermaths ripple under her skin.

She raised heavy eyes to his as he stood up. He was smiling. his skin still flushed, as he wrapped his arms around her, knowing she’d feel shy about what just happened, holding her close, his heart rate slowing down, He turned off the shower, and leaning around, picked up a towel, wrapped it around her.

‘Go get dry,’ he said softly, kissing the top of her head. She couldn’t raise her eyes to him, and he tilted up her chin. ‘You’re beautiful,’ he said, dropping a kiss on her lips. ‘Now go get changed.’

She walked out of the bathroom and picked up another towel, her whole body feeling sensitized, the rough toweling robe scraping on every exposed nerve end. She sat down in a daze on the bed, rubbing her hair dry, her mouth parched, and her hands and legs still shaking. What just happened?

She knew what it was, of course, having read enough times about it, not to be able to recognize the big ‘O’ when it hit her in the face. She just hadn’t thought herself capable of having the big ‘O’. And Noel? He hadn’t. She blushed at the thought, remembering the feel of him against her. He’d held back.

‘It’s all about you today,’ he had said. She didn’t realize that he meant this, too. Hearing the shower turn off, she quickly pulled on a fresh pair of underclothes, slathered some lotion on and slipped into the light summer dress she’d brought for the evening, along with a strappy pair of heels.

She was brushing her tangled hair out when he walked in, in his bathrobe, smelling of freshness and him. Their eyes met in the mirror and he gave a slow smirk as he watched the blush rise up her throat.

She was adorable! he thought. He walked over to her, looping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her head. ‘You’re so tiny,’ he said softly. ‘I feel like I’m handling porcelain when you’re in my arms.’

She tried to look away, and saw the towel bundled in his hands. She raised questioning eyes to his and he said, ‘your suit.’

If she blushed anymore, she would explode, he thought. He sat down on the little stool in front of the dresser, pulling her in between his legs. She saw the robe part and belatedly remembered that he probably had nothing on underneath, only the tie of the robe keeping him covered decently!

‘Hey!’ he said. ‘Look at me.’ Reluctantly, she lifted her eyes to look into his. He was serious, not teasing, not laughing, just intent on making her comfortable.

‘Did that make you uncomfortable?’ he asked.

She thought it over for a second and shook her head. It hadn’t made her uncomfortable. ‘It’s just ...’

‘Your first time?’ he asked.

She closed her eyes and nodded. He said nothing, waiting until she opened her eyes and looked at him.

He raised her fingers to his lips, bowing his head to her, unable to convey how humbled he felt, how privileged, or how proud. He tried to find the right words to express himself. The only ones he could come up with were, ‘you make me so happy.’ She smiled and glowed.

They stayed like that, her arms around his neck, his head against her stomach, peaceful in each other’s embrace. Finally, he lifted his head. ‘Let me get dressed. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.’ He got up and took his clothes with him to the bathroom.

By the time he came out, dressed in a pair of dark corduroys and a pale green shirt, she had wrung out both their suits in the towel and packed them in.

Hand in hand, they took the long walk back to the main building.

They had dinner at the resort itself, before starting back for home. He drove steadily, his fingers entwined with hers when it wasn’t on the gear. They talked about themselves and each other, their families, their lives, sharing in a way they never had before.

Finally, Noel drew up at Mitul’s place. He picked up her hand and kissed it, before she opened the door and walked in. He waited until she turned around and waved to him, before slipping the car into first and finally heading home.

*****

Mitul’s parents and Myna were just sitting down to dinner when she arrived.

‘I’m home,’ she yelled, heading to her room first.

She put her bag in her room and hung up the wet suit, before changing into a pair of pajamas. She joined her parents downstairs, knowing they would want to know how she had spent the day.

Happily she recounted everything they had done - well, of course, it was a highly censored version!

While her mother was happy for her daughter, she couldn’t help noticing the additional glow on her face. While she was assured that Noel was a very nice boy, she was still not sure if he hadn’t um ... made the moves on her daughter. Well, Mitul was grown up. She’d been given the right values. Surely, she’d know where to draw the line. She hoped! But dear God, was that a hickey forming on her daughter’s neck? Ah well! what could she do? There will be kissing, she thought, resignedly.

Myna was quiet, too. Mitul with her new found knowledge about Dev’s liking was itching to talk to her. But then she remembered what Noel had said, and held her tongue.

‘Oh, by the way,’ her mother said. ‘Your Chachu-Chachi had called. They’ve received a very good offer for Myna. The boy is an NRI, has his own software company in Silicon Valley. And he’s very good looking. He’s just twenty-nine and is already a millionaire. His father is an industrialist.’

Mitul’s eyes snapped to Myna. She sat with her eyes on her plate, picking at her food. Oh dear! Myna didn’t look too thrilled about the whole thing.

‘Myna?’ she said. Her sister looked up at her, her eyes blank. ‘So you’re going to marry a millionaire?’

Myna shook her head, somewhere between a nod and a shake.

‘Beta, what’s going on with you?’ asked her Badi-Ma. ‘Aren’t you happy about it?’

‘Happy, Badi-Ma? I don’t know. Should I be happy?’ She sighed and slowly began to speak. Obviously, she’d been giving this a lot of thought. ‘I don’t know, Badi-Ma. I don’t know if I am ready to get married at this point. I haven’t done anything with my life. I have a degree in Fashion Designing that I’ve never used. I have lived with my parents all my life. I haven’t taken a single decision in my life that I should. And I’m in my mid-twenties!’

The others looked at her astonished. This was a very grown-up Myna speaking! One they’d never seen before.

‘I mean,’ the words were pouring out of her now. ‘Look at Mitul Di. She has done what she wants to do with her life. She’s written books. She’s traveled all over. She’s lived on her own. She even has a love-life!’

Mitul looked down and worried the tablecloth at that.

‘What do I have?’ Myna continued. ‘Nothing! I have nothing to show for a life that I haven’t even lived!’ Myna looked from Badi-Ma to Mitul to Bade-Baba, entreatment in her eyes, understand me, they seemed to say. They were filled with tears, of confusion and bewilderment.

Kamini got up, went around and hugged her. ‘No, Myna. If you don’t want to get married now, then you shouldn’t.’

‘But who’s going to explain that to Ma?’ Myna said bitterly. The tears already coursing down her cheeks as her face buried in her Badi-Ma’s bosom.

Kamini nodded thoughtfully. It would not be easy. Kuntala was a hard person to convince, once she’d set her mind on something. The smell of a millionaire as her son-in-law would drive every ounce of common sense out of her mind. It would be a test of Myna’s new-found strength. The question plaguing Kamini though, was what had brought around this change in Myna? or was there a who?

*****

Mitul worked hard over the next two days. With less than two weeks to the wedding, she wanted to finish a first draft of the biography. However, some of the decisions she had to make still troubled her. Tuesday afternoon, she finally decided to give Dev a call.

Dev had been like a bear with a sore head. Much as he told himself, that he wanted to forget about Myna, he’d been unable to. Although he had started dating again, he found himself bored almost from the start of the evening, and always ended up coming home alone.

And then there was Noel. His visible happiness with Mitul made it almost unbearable for Dev. Noel didn’t offer him any advice, which he assured himself would be totally unwanted. Nor did he bring him any news of Myna - about which, he adversely told himself, he was glad. The less he knew of Ms. Myna Imani and her shenanigans, the better for him.

It was in this frame of mind, that he picked up the call from Mitul. Once again, he wondered how two sisters could be so different, before he composed himself and said a cheery, ‘Hi, Mitul! What’s happening?’

‘Dev, Hey. Listen, I need to talk to you and Noel together about the biography. I’ve some questions and I need your help to work it out.’

‘Why not talk to Joyce?’ he asked, now fully focused on the conversation.

She sounded hesitant as she spoke. ‘Dev, these things he told me. There could be legal implications. Can we meet and talk about it?’

‘Sure,’ he said. He checked their calendars and arranged to meet the next day at his office in the afternoon.

The next day, Mitul showed up at Dev’s office, looking like the writer she was. Her hair was tied in a loose knot at the top of her head. A plain white buttoned down shirt was teamed with a pair of pale yellow slacks, and a pair of sensible white pumps. She had just the lightest touch of lipstick. The hickey that had bothered her mother was covered in concealer and hidden under the collar of her shirt. The Mexican cross nestled on her chest as her only ornament.

Noel was already there in Dev’s office. He opened the door to her knock, smiling at her. He closed the door and lightly kissed her, before leading her back to Dev’s desk. A secretary came in with three cups of coffee and they sat down to discuss Mitul’s concerns.

All of what Noel had told her about Gauri Krishnan was her issue du jour.

There was no evidence that Gauri used sexual favors in return for roles. She’d done some digging herself and found out that almost all of the male leads for that channel had at one time or another gone through the casting couch, either at her office or her home. Noel was no different, even though he’d been the brand ambassador for a well-known brand at the time. There was nothing to pin her to these activities. She had kept each of the affairs well hidden, about as well-hidden as her marriage of fifteen years to her producer partner in Apna TV.

Rumor abounded, but there was nothing concrete. Ever.

Writing about it on the other hand, could open Mitul, the publishing house, Noel, Dev and who knows who else, to a whole slew of libel lawsuits. Never mind the emotional fallout from such an exposure. Even if they did not name Gauri, it would take two clicks of a mouse to figure out who had been the channel producer of the show at the time. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the rest.

Was it worth it?

They discussed it back and forth for a while, trying to work out how best to resolve this knotty problem.

Noel remained mostly silent watching Dev and Mitul talk. His two closest friends working out how best to shelter him. The woman in his life, who put her professional ethics aside, to protect him. A man who had always looked out for him, been there with him through his darkest hours, and helped slay each of his dragons - his personal dragon slayer, his Skyrim partner. He had never felt so blessed.

In the end, it was decided. Nothing about Gauri Krishnan would appear in the biography, except for the fact that she had picked him to play the role in EDZK. People could read into it what they would.

‘So why didn’t you go to Joyce with this question, Mitul?’ Dev asked not having been satisfied with her answer earlier.

She looked him square in the eye and said, ‘you and I are Noel’s friends. She isn’t. Only those who knew about this, needed to know about it. You were the only other person I could think of, other than Noel, that is.’

‘Joyce will kill you if she ever finds out,’ Dev remarked.

‘Only if one of us or Gauri decides to open their mouth. We know she won’t,’ Mitul said firmly.

He nodded. What she said was true. He smiled at her and said, ‘now that we’ve got all this out of the way, what plans do you two have for tonight?’

‘We don’t,’ Noel answered mock glumly, while Mitul grinned at him.

Dev tried to look shocked. ‘You don’t?! How is that possible?’

‘She,’ said Noel, ‘has to work. So I will be all by myself tonight, watching some asinine TV program,’ he said sadly.

‘Noel,’ she protested, swatting at his arm with her hand, which he caught and tucked into his. ‘You know I have a deadline. I want to finish as much as I can before the weddings.’

‘Ugh! You two are so sweet, I’m going to end up a diabetic if I’m around you much longer,’ Dev grumbled.

‘Seriously, though,’ he continued. ‘Thanks for coming in with this before you went to Joyce, Mitul.’

She smiled at him, and then at Noel, before picking up her handbag from the floor. ‘I should go, and leave you guys to get on with your work.’

‘No, I’m leaving, too,’ Noel said, standing up.

‘See you two,’ Dev waved them off, tugging at his tie, as he settled himself more comfortably in his chair.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Mitul turned to Noel and said, ‘how is he?’

‘You don’t want to know,’ he said. ‘How’s Myna?’

‘She’s been very quiet,’ she replied. ‘You think he’s going to apologize to her?’

‘I doubt it,’ he said. ‘Right now, his ego is still working overtime. He’s dating other girls but from what I understand, his heart is not in it.’

She nodded. ‘Noel, should we?’ She’d told him already about the marriage plans for Myna.

‘No.’ He was emphatic. ‘No, babe. If things come to a head, we’ll step in, but for now, they need to find their way to each other, just like you and I did.’

‘Okay,’ she conceded. ‘We’re still meeting tomorrow?’ she changed the topic.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I should be done early, so I’ll have time to go home, shower and pick you up. About seven?’

‘That’ll be fine,’ she said. They finally reached her car, and he handed her in, before leaning down and stealing a quick kiss. ‘Something to keep me going till tomorrow,’ he said. ‘I’ll see you then.’

‘You too,’ she said, before starting the car and driving away.

****