10. Mihir
MIHIR
T he door closed behind Sona as I raked my fingers through my hair. I’d just shared my most intimate memory with her without flinching, and it terrified me.
There were only two past relationships that held any significance in my life. The most tender was with Gul, the girl whose body I’d never touched, had never held in my arms, but I carried her in my heart as my first love.
The second was my first real girlfriend in college, with whom I’d had sex for the first time. Although she was white with pure blonde hair, her round face and sweet demeanor had reminded me of Gul. Little wonder that relationship hadn’t lasted.
After that, I’d mostly been in sexual relationships of convenience. My deepest emotions, I shared with friends. Grant, Mike, Sameer, and now Tara. Often Mom. Sometimes Dad. I had enough dependable people in my life that I didn’t need to go looking for that kind of validation in my sexual life. But even they didn’t know how I felt about Gul. It was a tender, sacred memory, antithetical to how I saw my love life now. And like a fool, I had spilled it all to Sona. Yet the moment I’d opened my mouth, I’d trusted her to understand how I felt, and I’d known I was falling for her in all the wrong ways.
It was her uncanny ability to surprise me at every turn that kept pulling me back to her. Every time I thought I had her figured out, she turned around with a sly smile and shattered that illusion. The first time I’d seen her at the airport, I’d taken her to be the girl next door, albeit with a generous amount of sass. But that evening, in her exquisite gown and red lips, she had turned into the seductress I’d never imagined she could be. The slight softening at my advances before she’d turned around and slapped me with a crisp response that sounded, at once, like a rejection and a lead-on. I was sure she’d been ready to kiss me last night, yet we had just spent the last hour talking as if there was no heat between us, just the connection of kindred souls. One moment, she was the confidant to whom I could safely entrust my secrets, and the next, she was the siren trying to wrench my heart away. The strange mix of bashful and bold, shy and confident, left me guessing until the last minute how she would respond. Was it this excitement that enamored me?
But given enough time, even the most unexpected had the potential to become predictable. Routine. Ordinary. What would happen then? For the first time in my life, my indecision paralyzed me. I didn’t know what I wanted. And yet, I had invited her into my arms again. My eyes traveled to the tranquil pool before I turned to the door and stepped inside.
A bright sun streamed in through the windows when I woke with a start the next morning. Panic-stricken, I fumbled for the phone on the nightstand. 8:02 a.m., it cheerfully told me, and I relaxed against the pillow.
People often commented on my fussy grooming regimen, but I considered myself meticulous. That morning, though, I rushed through my routine before sprinting downstairs to meet Sona at 9:00 sharp. She was browsing her phone in the grand room, dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and a bomber jacket.
“Shall we?”
She rose with a nod. “We’re off now,” she called out to a sleepy Tara grumbling at the coffeemaker in the kitchen. She waved a disinterested bye in our direction.
“Is everyone still asleep?” I asked Tara.
She growled back at me before Sona took my arm and led me away. “Tara has a plaque in her coffee corner. Haven’t you seen it? Coffee first, you people later. Even Sameer doesn’t dare to talk to her before she has had her coffee.”
“Huh, didn’t know that. Thanks for the warning,” I said, and we climbed into my car. “Did you have coffee?”
“Not yet,” she answered with a shy smile.
We stopped at a drive-through to get a mocha latte for her and an extra black coffee for me.
“How did you sleep last night?” she asked when we started toward the town.
“Like I needed it. You?”
“I was awake for quite a while. I think it’s the new place.”
We drove into town and found the nearest H.E.B. Sona got the chicken, lemons, and the few other items on her list while I browsed their beer section for some local brews. I picked up the ones I thought Dad and Sameer might enjoy, and we met at checkout.
“This chicken will be enough, right?” she asked, appraising the packs of thighs and drumsticks in the cart.
“Probably. Tara’s making rice?”
“Yes, and I’ll roast potatoes with the chicken.” She pointed to a bag of golden potatoes.
“Should be good. What’s that for? That smile? It was a test, wasn’t it?”
She returned a confused look. “A test?”
“A feminist test to score me on the sexism meter.”
“What?” She laughed with a gentle frown.
“Yeah, to see if I was adroit enough to solve a domestic conundrum, something women are expected to know.”
That made her laugh, and she lightly slapped my arm as she shook her head side-to-side. An older couple checking out their groceries ahead of us turned around and looked at us with a smile.
We smiled back, and the couple threw us another admiring look before they trudged their cart toward the exit.
“It wasn’t a test,” Sona said as we checked out. “It was a consultation. Sometimes I have trouble making decisions, getting the estimate right. I consulted Tara, and I consulted you.”
I returned a nod and a smile, as I tapped my card to pay.
She continued gazing at me, then said, “I didn’t think anyone used adroit in casual conversation. Except maybe Frasier.”
“Darn, you’ve uncovered our cabal,” I deadpanned, and she snickered.
When we stepped out of the store, we spotted the elderly couple loading bags into a sedan in the reserved parking. I spotted a handle on one of the paper bags about to tear off at the seams. Shuffling my bags off to Sona, I rushed to them, but not fast enough. As the bag slipped, a loaf of bread flopped gracelessly to the asphalt, the bananas landed hard, and some apples rolled away in an attempted escape.
“I got it,” I said, but they seemed too taken aback to speak. It was only after I had gathered the salvable fruit and loaded the rest of the bags in the trunk that they both returned tired smiles.
“The bananas are mildly bruised, but I think we got most of it back,” I said.
“Thank you,” the man said when he finally found his words. “My knees aren’t good anymore. Neither are hers,” he said and gave a rueful look to his wife, who placed her hand on his and smiled, first at him, then at me.
The woman stepped forward and patted my upper arm. “You are a true gentleman. There aren’t many of those left. I hope you both have a very happy life together.”
I looked at Sona, who stood by me and smiled. Neither of us had the gumption to contradict and spoil a moment of pure human connection.
When I didn’t respond, Sona said, “Thank you. We wish you much happiness too.”
“I’m not sure how to read that look of yours,” I said after we’d loaded our bags into our car and started back to the house.
“You’re a good person, Mihir.”
I frowned. “And that surprises you?”
She shrugged. “I’ve heard the sort of names they use for you.”
“Ah, Tara’s been talking about me, it seems.”
“It was Sameer. He also told me about your meandering ways.”
“Meandering, huh? And is that a word people use in casual conversation?”
She shook her head with a naughty grin. “Only Frasier.”
I stifled a chuckle. “You know you are?—”
“Delightful?”
“No.”
“Inimitable?”
“Incorrigible is what I had in mind.”
“So are you, Harvard boy.” She tilted her head at an adorable angle, and I resisted the strong urge to cover her sweet mouth with mine. But first, I would dip down to kiss that fetching chin with the slight cleft in it. The long pause made her turn to me.
“Sona, what I shared with you yesterday…no one else knows about it.”
“Don’t worry, it’s safe with me,” she reassured, then softly added, “Are you alright? After last night?”
My first instinct was to pull up my guard and pretend I hadn’t understood the question or its context, but her eyes dissuaded me.
I nodded. “Thank you.”
In the next glance, I caught her playfulness. “I’m looking forward to my swim lesson tonight. I hope you’re a good teacher.”
“I’m known to be a hard taskmaster.”
“Are you now?”
Another challenge. Maybe she would be the one to humble me.
That afternoon, we decided to take the motorboats on the water. It was almost time for the afternoon tea, and Mom filled two thermoses with her special spiced chai while Sameer brewed coffee for the two of us.
“Why don’t you come with us, Sona?” Mom said when we began to deliberate over how to divide us up between the two boats. “That’ll give us a chance to chat some more.”
Tara nodded in agreement, and we set off. It was chilly on the water, and I was glad I had brought coffee instead of beer. Around the center span, I killed the motor and climbed into the back to sit beside Sona. Mom pulled out her thermos and poured tea for Sona and Dad.
“Tara said your family is in Mumbai?” Mom said, handing Sona a thick mug while I swigged my coffee uncouthly from the thermos.
“Yes, my parents live in Bandra.”
“We lived in Dadar before we moved here,” Mom said. “Shivaji Park neighborhood. I’m sure it has changed now.”
“The entire metroplex has changed.”
“Did you grow up in Bandra, then?” Mom inquired while Dad sipped tea with a contemplative look in his eyes.
Sona nursed her mug. “I was born in Thane, and we lived there for a while, but my father’s job is in Mumbai, so we eventually moved. My mother’s family lives close by, so it was a happy transition. Do you ever go back?” Sona asked, and Mom sat up straighter as she exchanged a look with Dad.
“Not anymore.”
“If you ever want to visit, you have a home in Mumbai. I’ll leave you my address.”
Mom nodded. “How often do you visit?”
“I try to go every year for a few weeks, but this time, I’ll be there for my fieldwork. It will be good to spend an entire summer with my parents.”
A sudden void filled my heart at the thought of her gone all summer, but I kept my eyes off her. I knew Mom was onto me, and I didn’t want to give her more ammunition.
“It’s so peaceful here,” Sona said with a contented sigh and took a sip of her tea.
“You know there are alligators in these waters, right?” I said, breaking the soft silence.
“What?” She leapt snug against me, gripping my arm as Mom and I erupted in chuckles. She quickly realized the comfortable familiarity with which she touched my body and promptly dropped my hand to put distance between us. “Sorry, it’s just that I hate reptiles.”
Mom met my gaze, and I knew I would get an earful when we were alone. And sure enough, when we returned to shore, Mom lingered as I tied up the boats. Then she took my arm as if her aging body needed the leverage. Such a rogue.
“What’s going on with Sona?” she demanded sharply.
“Nothing, Mom. I told you.”
“Mihir.”
I exhaled. “We spent some time talking last night. I’d come down for a swim, and she was out here chatting with her folks back home.”
“You know she likes you.”
“I like her too.”
“Like?” She jeered with a solid scoff. “You’ve got it bad, beta. But she’s not one to toy with. You’ve always loved playing with matches, but this isn’t the time to test the daredevil in you. For one, she’s Tara’s friend. If you mess this up, and you will , it’s going to put a dent in your relationship with Sameer and Tara.”
“And?”
“ And if Sona ends up hurt, I’ll really, really not like that.”
“Is that a threat, Mom?”
She looked up at me and patted the arm she held. “I’m advising you as a friend, Mihir, not your mother. Be very careful, very cautious this time. Don’t start anything you don’t want to see through to the end.”
“And that would be you dancing at my wedding?”
She smiled. “Yes, that would make me very happy indeed. But this isn’t about my happiness. It’s about yours. And hers.”
Mom’s words of caution notwithstanding, I was counting down to midnight. It seemed interminable. When Riya suggested we play poker after dinner, I quickly shot down the idea. But the sneaky girl that she was, she produced a pack of Uno. I begrudgingly participated, but to my relief, around half- past eleven, our parents were already climbing the staircase to their rooms.
The plan was to leave the lake house bright and early the next morning to reach home in time for Juhi’s return from her in-laws’. But Sameer and Tara were settled comfortably on the couch, his arm around her, sipping beer as she nursed her scotch. The contented smile resting on his face screamed how much he loved her, and suddenly, I felt envy, an unfamiliar emotion for me.
My eyes darted to Sona, who looked at her phone and raised her brows at me. I responded with a slight shrug and focused on my phone.
“Alright, I’m off,” Sona announced. “I think being on the water wore me out. Come, Riya, I’ll tuck you in.”
I smiled internally. Smart woman, the kind I liked.
Riya jumped with glee, and I heard their chatter as they climbed the stairs.
“I’ll go up too,” I said. “Need to send some emails.”
“Goodnight.” Sameer and Tara gave me happy, buzzed smiles but didn’t budge from their spot. I resisted the urge to pull them off the couch and shove them into their room.
By 12:45 a.m., though, when I began changing into my swim shorts, the house was enveloped in sweet silence. I waited a few precautionary minutes, then tiptoed downstairs.
I had just entered the pool when I saw Sona slip into the backyard in her robe, her hair tied up in a high bun. A few curls had worked free from the top knot and now danced around her pretty face.
“Are you ready?” I held out a hand as she tossed the robe on a recliner and stood in knee-length shorts and a rash guard.
“Almost.”
With a gentle wiggle of her hips, she dropped the shorts, then proceeded to strip off the shirt. Beneath it was a modest bikini bottom and an alluringly skimpy top that showed off her shapely breasts.
“You’re leering, Mr. Seth,” she said with her hands on her hips. “Haven’t you seen a woman in a bikini before?”
I swallowed hard. “Not this woman, Dr. Thomas.”
She threw her head back in a laugh, then placed her hand in mine and stepped into the water at the shallow end.
“You’re not afraid of water, are you?” I asked.
“I don’t think so,” she said, clinging to my arms. “So, what are we really doing here?”
“Swimming. That was quite a show, by the way. You could’ve just walked up in your bikini under that robe.”
“I could’ve, but then I would’ve missed that look on your face. You underestimate me, don’t you?”
I had to smile. “Never. Not after the first night, anyway.”
“The night you thought I would fall into your arms.”
“You almost did.”
“I did not.”
“Well, I almost fell into yours.”
Her eyes, rife with desire, stayed on my face as I guided us deeper into the pool.
“My first crush was my cousin’s friend,” she said. “He was much older, training to be a psychiatrist, tall with thick, curly hair. Totally smashing. I was a schoolgirl, invisible to him. He was the one who made my heart miss a beat for the very first time.”
I nodded, expecting there was more to that story. We stood in a spot where the water was chest deep for her. “And why are we talking about him?”
She shrugged. “I don’t want you to feel vulnerable around me. Now you know my secret, so we’re on an equal footing.”
“Thank you, but I must demur.”
“Demur? On what grounds?”
“Gul was my most vulnerable moment. This psychiatrist was a crush. He wasn’t when you felt the most helpless, was he?”
The hands that had gripped my upper arms slipped down to my wrist as she put distance between us. “Gul is also a cherished memory. Not everyone is as fortunate, Mihir.”
“You don’t need to share your vulnerabilities with me, not unless you want to. No matter what I share with you, I won’t do it in the hope of reciprocation.”
The water wobbled around her as she stepped closer to me, her lips curled into a teasing curve. “Come on, aren’t you going to teach me how to swim?”
“Take my hand,” I said and asked her to put her head underwater and blow bubbles through the nose. She did, confidently.
“Good. Let’s try floating,” I said after we’d repeated it a few times.
I taught her how to float on her stomach to the edge of the pool. On her third try, she disappeared from the surface, and in the lights of the pool, I saw her slipping down to the floor, fast.
My heart sank, and my stomach turned as I dove in after her. I was about to grab and rescue her when away she swam, quick like a fish, alluring like a mermaid. Angry and annoyed, I followed her to the deep end, but she turned around and slipped past me with uncanny finesse. When I reached the shallow end, she was waiting for me, hands on her waist.
I grabbed her arms and growled in her face. “What the hell was that?”
She laughed with red eyes.
“It’s not funny, Sona. Not by a long shot. Don’t you ever do that to me again.” My words rumbled in the quiet of the night.
She stopped laughing and stared back into my eyes.
“Do you know how hard my heart is beating right now?” She backed herself against the pool, wearing a grim look. “I thought I was going to lose you,” I confessed without shame.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t think… I thought we were messing around.”
I deepened the frown on my forehead. “Do you want me to mess around with you?”
“You’ll have a hard time keeping up with me, Mihir.” She doled out a confident dare.
“Five laps of the pool, no breaks.”
“You’re on,” she said, tearing off into the water before I could react.
I won, but barely, and only because I had seven inches of height on her. She turned on her back and let her tired body float in the tepid water. I touched her hand and floated with her.
“You’re an expert swimmer,” I said.
“I was a Naval Corps cadet. I’d better be an expert swimmer.”
“Sona…”
“We shouldn’t. Tara will kill us both. Well, she’ll kill you first, then lecture me for my terrible decisions before doing me in.”
She sank into the pool and swam back to the shallow end. I followed. She turned around to face me. “This has been an amazing weekend. Thank you for inviting me.”
This time, I abandoned all decency and stared at her chest. Water bobbed around her breasts, and I spotted her nipples, big and taut. I wondered if they would feel like blueberries against my tongue. When I took one more step closer, her body erupted in goosebumps. As her dark brown eyes roved over my chest, she extended her hand toward it before quickly retracting her fingers into a fist and withdrawing.
“You can touch me,” I whispered. “I won’t shatter.” I took her hand and guided it to my chest. Her touch on my bare skin sent a swift zing up my brain. As my skin shuddered, she sucked in a ragged breath and let her hand rest on my heart.
I ran a finger along her jaw and said, “You’re so beautiful, Sona. I feel helpless.”
She looked into my eyes, the warmth of those browns touching me in places I didn’t think were possible. My heart raced and my cock throbbed for her.
“Sameer warned me to stay away from you,” I said. “But I can’t seem to. I promised him I wouldn’t make the first move, but I also won’t hold back if you do.”
This time, she removed her hand, and her gaze lowered to the space between us.
“I need you to tell me you want me,” I said with desperation in my voice. “Because you’re driving me out of my mind.”
I waited for her response, but I didn’t get the one I had hoped for.
When her gaze returned to my face, her body trembled, and she said, “I should leave. Goodnight, Mihir.”
I stepped back, and she climbed out. Without bothering to dry herself, she grabbed the robe, picked up her clothes, and dashed off.