I'm back! Sorry for leaving you guys at an emotional cliffhanger 😳 okay maybe I did that on purpose 😆 (dodging all the tomatoes) But this time I promise some things will get resolved. Still some twists and turns left so enjoy the ride...hopefully it makes sense if not just go with the flow...I'm new to this whole spy stuff 😳
Warning...this is another very long chapter
Thanks for all those that Commented and/or Hit Like the Button! 😃
Chapter 18: The
Melody of the Heart
Prem
sat at the breakfast counter starring at the empty glass of juice he had just
drunk. His mind was whirling from his
explosive outburst last night. He knew
he had sounded completely irrational and was yelling at Heer and Ethan for no
good reason. Masking his insecurities about
his relationship with Heer by being outwardly upset for the security slip up
that Ethan's contact hadn't foreseen. It
was something to be legitimately upset over but the magnitude in which he
displayed his displeasure was unbalanced.
He sighed and ran his hand through his thick black hair trying to hold
himself together. He was on the brick of
collapsing in on himself over the sheer thought of nearly losing everything he
almost thought he got; Heer. He couldn't
deny it any longer and he knew he had to make amends. Prem looked about him noting the stillness of
the warehouse they were in. Everyone was
still asleep after the grueling night they had and he was the only one who had
managed to awaken in the morning. Prem
went back to his room to grab a change of clothes before he jumped into the
shower.
As
he opened the door he saw that Ethan had just woken up and was sitting in bed
rubbing the back of his head and yawning.
"Morning," Prem greeted.
"Sleep
all right Old Chap?" Ethan replied.
There wasn't a hint of anger or stiffness in his voice making Prem feel
worse for his behavior.
"Look
man, I'm sorry about last night," Prem said.
"I shouldn't have gone off like that..."
"Forget
it...it was quite major what happened. Who
knew they would have it up and running so fast?
It was my fault. We should have
been sure," Ethan said. "I deserved it."
"No,
you didn't deserve all of it," Prem sighed and looked away.
"I'm
not a psychologist but you seem to be preoccupied by something," Ethan
probed. "Lady troubles?"
Prem
raised his eyes and met his friend's gaze. "I guess something like that...it's like you
thought you were doing something right but then deep down inside you know you
were doing it wrong."
"Ah...Love
or Princess?" Ethan inquired. "Probably
isn't easy when you have two beautiful girls after you...you lucky dog."
Prem
let out a soft chuckle at his remark.
His typical roguish humor peaking in to lessen the seriousness of a
conversation which, at times could be irritating but today it was much
needed. "Love or Princess...girls make
everything so complicated."
"I
think it's in their DNA...they were made to drive us crazy...physically we don't
mind but mentality we have issues with it.
Love or hate it we can't deny we can't live without them," Ethan
replied. "They think we are the
insensitive ones but truth be told we are more sensitive than they think. It hurts us just as much if not more to see
someone we invested our time with...given our heart to...tell us flat out that they
don't love us anymore or worse tells us they've fallen for a friend...Bloody
bas***d...what kind of friend decides it's okay to chase after his friend's
girl?"
"Bloody
bas***d indeed," Prem agreed.
"What
exactly is your story with Sanjana?" Ethan asked.
"Sanju?" Ethan arched his eyebrows at hearing the
affectionate nickname coming out of his friend's mouth. Prem realized it was a slip of his
tongue. He had been using that nickname
on and off lately that it just naturally came out. "Um, it's just like calling Tom...Tommy..." Prem
explained trying to down play any significance attached to the name. Ethan decided to keep his mouth shut and let
it pass. "We're close...we've gotten
really close few times..."
"I
see mixing business with pleasure? Or
should we call it friends with benefits?"
"Hey,
it wasn't really like that," Prem defended.
Even though it was something of that nature but the use of that label
made it sound like he had a cheap affair with a cheap woman which Sanjana was
not.
"As
you say carry on..." Ethan pushed.
"She's
a great girl...you know smart, funny, beautiful...quick thinking in any tough
situation...can take down a guy three times her size like nothing...quite amazing
to see if you ever get a chance to..." Ethan smirked at his friend geeking out
over her agent abilities. "...any guy
would probably be falling all over himself to get with her," Prem
continued. "She's quite a girl."
"And
Heer?"
Prem
paused for a few seconds before speaking, "She's my best friend...she's always
there for me...I can always count on her no matter what even if she disagrees
with what I may be doing..."
Ethan
noted the change on Prem's face and the way his eyes seemed to spark when he
talked about Heer. He inwardly smiled
knowing his previous assumption about their relationship had been correct. The outburst last night was a culmination of
some pent up emotions his friend was refusing to address. Ethan smiled and put his hand on his shoulder
in a comforting gesture. "I think we
know where this is all going..."
Little
did either of them know someone had been listening by their doorway. Heer had woken up and had gone towards the
boy's room curious to see if Prem was awake.
She knew after last night they really needed to talk. It seemed as if things were crumbling around
them and she hated it. She had
deliberately pulled away for several reasons.
She was upset over what Prem seemed to be incapable of doing which was
to talk to Sanjana and straighten things out with her. She wanted to cool things down because of all
the mix signals he was giving. He seemed
more interested in their physical contact than building a relationship
together. She hoped by doing this it
would give him some time to sort out what he really wanted.
Heer
had heard only a part of the conversation Prem and Ethan were having as her
mind immediately blocked everything out after Prem had said the words "best
friend". Those dreaded words had haunted
her during middle school when she realized she was starting to like him a lot. When he refused to leave her thoughts even
when he was physically in front of her she knew that her like had turned into
love and when that love continued to grow with her after they had parted she
knew she would always love him. The fear
of him realizing she could only remain as his best friend was now coming true and
it paralyzed her mind completely. She
turned around and walked back into her room leaving the two men to continue
their conversation.
"I
could and would do anything for her.
I've had a tough time with relationships...people I care for always seem
to leave me...and I guess I have my own self to blame...these insecurities I have
prevent me to do the right thing sometimes.
But I can't live without her...she's always been the one that I was
looking for even before I knew I was even looking," Prem said.
"Well,
Old Chap I think you know what you have to do," Ethan replied.
"Yeah,
I do," Prem said with a tiny grin.
"Well,
the room is all yours...hope Princess doesn't mind her new bedmate or floormate
depending on her temperament," Ethan joked.
Prem
chuckled, "You know I'm going to take you up on that offer."
"You'd
be crazy not to. Should I stuff my ears
with cotton tonight?" Ethan asked with a naughty grin.
"Hey!"
Prem snapped.
"Sorry,
sorry...you guys go at your own pace," Ethan smirked.
*************************************************************
Heer
sat on her bed trying to compose herself as she wiped away the tears that had
escaped her eyes. Sanjana had left the
room to do a light security check around the property. She had no clue that anything was wrong as
Heer had simply greeted her with a smile as she walked out of their room. Heer breathed deeply and decided she needed
to get some fresh air. It was probably a
good idea to go to the market and buy some fresh groceries for lunch. Although the house was stocked with goods, they
were all the canned and packaged variety.
Heer sniffled and wiped her eyes with a tissue before heading out of the
room.
"Going
somewhere Love?" Ethan greeted as he sat at the kitchen counter eating a bowl
of dry cereal.
"I
thought I go to the market and get some fresh vegetables," Heer replied.
"A
great idea...I forgot to get milk for us when I was stocking things up. But considering we didn't know when we were
going...it was a good thing. The milk
probably would have gone bad," Ethan said.
"Let me go with you. It's
probably not a good idea to go into town alone considering everything that
happened...we need to be a little careful...lay low for awhile until things clear
up. We should always go with someone. I'll write them a note so they know."
"Them?"
Heer inquired.
"Sanjana
and Prem...is Sanjana still sleeping?" Ethan asked. "Prem's awake and taking a shower."
"No,
Sanjana decided to do a parameter check."
"Ah,
okay we'll tell her when we go outside.
I'll leave the note for Prem so he doesn't freak out. He's been edgy lately," Ethan smoothly
said. He glanced up to see how Heer had
responded to what he had said about him.
He detected a slight flinch in her body but over all a composed
face. He sighed to himself as he jotted
down his note on the writing pad and then placed it on the fridge with a
magnet. "Shall we go?" Heer nodded and left with him.
It
wasn't long before Prem emerged from the bathroom in a fresh pair of clothes
and a towel hanging around his neck. He
spotted the yellow note on the fridge and immediately walked over to it to read
it. The door opened as he stood there in
the kitchen reading what Ethan had wrote.
"Ethan and Heer went to the market to get some groceries," Sanjana
reported.
"Yeah,
I know I read the note," Prem said showing her the yellow piece of paper.
"It
will probably take them awhile to get back.
What is there to snack on in the meantime?" Sanjana asked as she started
opening cupboards in the kitchen. She
frowned as she saw a cabinet filled with roasted nuts, peanut brittle, rice
crackers, shrimp crackers, potato chips, squid jerky, and other junk food
related items. "Looks like Ethan stocked
up on every junk food imaginable."
"And
a lot of canned tuna and pickled vegetables," Prem added as he searched through
another cabinet.
"So
dry cereal?" Sanjana suggested.
"I'll
have some of that and the rice crackers," Prem replied.
Sanjana
took out a bag of rice crackers and a can of roasted peanuts while Prem got
them their plates and two glasses of water.
They sat at the breakfast bar and moved Ethan's half eaten bowl of dry
cereal to the side but kept the cereal box between them. They then served themselves the assortment of
snack items and quietly ate.
After
a few minutes, Prem began picking at his food.
"Sanju, sorry about last night."
"It's
okay...I think with everything that happened and the way it went down...anyone
would have blown their top," she replied and gave his hand an affectionate
squeeze. She looked up with concern eyes
as she saw him quickly move his hand away.
"I...I
think there are some things we need to talk about...you know this thing that
always happens to us when we met like this on missions..." Prem cautiously
started.
"You're
getting really tense," Sanjana replied. "I think we both knew that one day it
was going to be one way or another. Are
you not ready to settle down?" Prem
shifted his eyes surprised by what she had asked. Sanjana gave a small chuckle, "Don't act so
surprise. I mean with the lifestyle that
we have...the very nature of our work...we are all thrill seekers in some form
otherwise why would we continue to do what we do...well, of course to protect our
country and all that stuff. It's okay."
Prem
shook his head, "No, I am ready to settle down."
"Oh?"
Now it was Sanjana's turn to be stunned.
Her eyes searched his trying to understand where this conversation was
leading towards.
"Sanjana
you're a great girl...any guy would be lucky to have you in his life..."
"There's
a 'but' coming isn't there?" Sanjana filled in.
"I'm
sorry," Prem said looking her straight in the eyes. He knew he had to be firm and make her
understand his decision.
"Heh,
I had a feeling. The minute you said
Sanjana...well, I guess it was fun while it lasted," she replied. Prem could hear the tender remorse in her
voice and it made him feel apologetic.
"Please don't apologize again."
Prem stiffened at the touch of Sanjana placing her hand on his arm. "Sorry," she quickly apologized. "Habit...I'll need to fix it."
"I
hope we can still remain friends...hate to have you as an enemy," Prem joked
trying to lighten the mood.
Sanjana
gave a weary smile, "I would like that but give me some time."
Prem
nodded his head, "Thanks."
"What
for?"
"For
making this not so bad," Prem replied.
"You
thought I would start crying and screaming at you?"
"Well,
more like take your gun and shoot me in the leg," Prem meekly answered
"Ahhh,
there is still time for that," Sanjana joked.
"Hey,
um listen...about the settling down...I kind have someone in mind already," Prem
fumbled. He had done the hard part of
letting Sanjana know that he was no longer available but he knew he had to tell
her about Heer. It would be pretty
awkward if she walked in on them holding hands, cuddling, or hugging one
another.
Sanjana
sat there in slight disbelief that he was really going to tell her about this
girl he had chosen. Despite the nature
of their on and off type of relationship there was still a general fondness and
care that she had for him. Did she love
him? There were times in which she did
otherwise she never would have continued doing what she did. "Oh...so, um, who's the lucky girl?" Those words had slowly fallen out of her
mouth in a strange attempt to keep the conversation from turning awkward but to
also mask the hurt she was feeling inside.
"Heer,"
Prem simply stated. "We've known each
other for a very long time...since we were kids.
She's the one."
"Well,
I'm glad you found someone," Sanjana replied trying to smile.
"Thanks,"
Prem said giving a reserved grin.
"I
think I'm going to go take a shower," Sanjana announced trying not to let her
voice tremor and went back to her room to get a change of clothes.
Prem
gave a pleased grin to himself glad he had taken care of one thing he should
have taken care of a long time ago. He
gently stared at the door wondering when Ethan and Heer would come home so he
could do what he should have done the moment he had felt it. He had to face his fears and open himself up
to the fact that the journey of their relationship was well worth any risk. To have her love even if he were to lose her
in the end was worth everything. He just
hoped it wasn't too late and she'd be able to accept him again.
*************************************************************
Ethan
struggled to open the front door with all the groceries in his hands. He gently banged his foot against the door
hoping someone would answer it. "It's me
Ethan," he called. A few seconds later
the door swung open and Prem was there to help him with the bags he was
carrying.
"Were
you guys trying to buy the entire market?"
"Well,
considering how we are suppose to be laying low...we got the week's worth of
food," Ethan replied.
"In
this metal can for one week?" Prem inquired.
"Be
thankful that it has running water, air conditioning, and electricity," Ethan
replied. "And a TV."
"That
is like the size of a laptop...and we only have cold water," Prem countered.
"This
isn't some luxury hotel okay...this is a house to lay low in...what do you
expect? At least we have shelter from
the weather outside. Speaking of which
it looks like it's going to rain...I saw some dark clouds hovering around when I
was walking home," Ethan said.
"Where's
Heer?" Prem asked suddenly noticing she hadn't come into the house yet.
"Oh,
she forgot something so she went back to go pick it up," Ethan nonchalantly
replied.
"You
let her go back alone?" Prem exclaimed.
"She's
a big girl...I think she can handle it.
Besides it would have been a chore to go back with her with all these
bags...we were already half way home. It
made more sense for me to come back so you guys didn't starve to death."
"Have
you lost your mind? The rule was not to
go out by ourselves," Prem berated.
"Where
are you going?"
"To
go find her of course," Prem huffed.
"Where's
Sanjana?"
"In
her room. Stop asking me stupid
questions," Prem barked and slammed the door shut as he rushed off to the
market.
Ethan
just grinned at his friend's response.
He hoped Prem was going to make good use of the opportunity he had just
given him. Ethan returned to his
groceries and started to unpack them. He
then paused and decided to get Sanjana to help him but before he even walked
towards her door it opened.
"Oh,
you guys are back?" she greeted.
"Yes. You think you could help, Princess?" Ethan
asked.
"Sure,
no problem," Sanjana answered with a smile.
*************************************************************
Prem
was going frantic as he wandered through the market looking for Heer. He felt stupid that he had forgotten to ask
what exactly she had forgotten to buy and where in the market she was
going. Prem ran his hand through his
hair trying to calm himself and think what he should do. If he continued to run around like he was he
was going to miss her completely. The
best thing for him to do was to head back to the roadway that led to the safe
house. Prem jogged out of the market and
decided to stop at the halfway point between the market and home and wait. He just hoped he hadn't missed her.
A
few minutes later much to his pounding heart's relief he saw her carrying two plastic
bags in her hands. A gentle smile was
spread across her face as she took in the scenery around her. She was definitely enjoying herself. Prem quickly ran up to her and said, "Where
were you?" The question came off in an
angry panic driven tone instead of a thoughtfully worried one. Heer blinked back and stared at him wondering
when did he have the right to suddenly shout at her like that. "You just ran off into the market by yourself
like that? You know we aren't supposed
to do that."
"I'm
not some little kid. I know and I wasn't
long so you can stop yelling at me," Heer snapped and started walking away from
him. Prem grabbed her arm to pull her
back but she just flung her arm in way to make him release her. "Don't touch me!"
"Heer,
please...we need to talk," Prem pleaded.
The
words "we need to talk" froze her to her spot allowing Prem to walk in front of
her. Heer could only hear the words
"best friend" from the conversation she had eavesdropped on circling through
her ears. "There's nothing to talk
about," she suddenly said. There was a
roar of thunder in the distance indicating that rain was coming. "You don't have to say anything. It's fine."
"Don't
have to say anything? It's fine? It's obviously not fine...you're angry and you
have every right to be angry at me."
"I
know...so please just spare me the details.
It's going to rain soon so let's just go home," Heer replied.
"No,
we are not going home. You're not making
any sense," Prem said. "Tell me what is
going on."
"There
is nothing to tell," Heer said her voice suddenly quivering.
Prem
furrowed his eyebrows, "I'm tired of playing games...out with it...why won't you
talk to me? Didn't we say we would talk
to each other no matter what? That we
wouldn't let our friendship break? I
know I did some stupid things but I'm trying to fix it and you're not allowing
me to do it. That's not fair."
Hearing
the word "friend" again had finally broken her and she lashed out. "Friendship...friend...that's all I've been to
you...you know I was stupid and I think I deserve what I got. It was my mistake for thinking something that
obviously wasn't there. It was all one
sided on my part. But still I held onto
that tiny hope...that same thing I felt when I was 12 years old...when I was 14 and
you ran off with Abby...and even now with Sanjana...that one day it would be
different...it would be my turn. But it's
okay...so what if I love you...and I'll always love you? But you consider me just as a friend so it's
fine...I'll love you like a friend...you don't have to worry about me---" Heer was caught off guard as Prem cupped her
face and crushed his lips down on her in a brutal fashion. She quickly pushed him away causing her bags
to go flying out of her hands. The
contents spewed onto the ground as the slow pitter-patter of rain began to fall
from above. "Don't do that," she yelled.
Prem
stood still staring at her seeing the pain he had caused in her eyes. Those red eyes tearing uncontrollably because
of his own stupidity and fear and he knew he deserved her anger. He thought even though he hadn't said it all
those times she would have understood him.
She could see by his actions that he needed her but he was wrong in his
calculation. His choice of being only
physical with her was wrong because words were just as important. He took too much time to sort out the Sanjana
situation that she misunderstood his intentions. He was losing her because of his inability to
act accordingly and knowing he was the cause of her pulling away from him was
killing him inside.
Heer
wanted to leave but her feet refused to obey her command as Prem's intense gaze
seem to lock her to her spot. The rain
was slowly drenching them. Prem's bangs
had separated into several thick threads as the rain water dropped off its tips
onto his face. Her eyes flexed as Prem's
voice rumbled slowly, "I don't want to just be your friend." He then hugged her afraid she was going to
mistakes his words to mean something else.
"Don't you understand? I need you
just as much as you need me," he continued in her ear. "I love you."
His cheek brushed pass her cheek as he pulled back to look her in the eyes
and make her understand him. "I'm in
love with you. I love you more than a
friend," he said as he gripped her shoulders firmly. "I'm sorry it's taken me this long to say
this. I'm sorry for the way things have
been going. I should have fixed the
situation with Sanjana sooner...and I know this is going to sound crazy...but I was
afraid of losing you. I was afraid if I
said it out loud than the world would know and if the world knew then it would
take you from me like everyone else...I can't lose you like that...I can't...you're
the only life line I have in this world and if you left...I-I wouldn't know what
to do with myself...I'd crumble..." The last
few words had come out in a desperate ramble as his eyes filled with such
sorrow at the thought of spending his life without her.
Heer
just stared at him in mild shock processing all the things he had just told
her. He was in love with her. He was actually confessing and admitting it
out loud. She didn't know if she could
really believe what she was hearing. Was
this all some crazy dream? Would she
awake in the next few minutes only to hear that he had chosen someone
else? "Will you please say something?"
Prem asked in a concern voice. The way she
was just staring at him and not saying a thing was scaring him. Had he lost her already? Was the pain he had put her through too much
that she was afraid to continue with him?
"Pumpkin, I love you. This isn't
a dream. I swear."
Heer
blinked and slowly awoke from her trance.
She cautiously cupped his face testing to see if he was going to pull
away. Prem softly nodded his head that
he wasn't going anywhere. Then with the
pads of his thumbs he gently brushed the mixture of tears and rainwater from
underneath her eyes away. "I only want
to be with you." Heer closed her eyes as
he kissed her again but this time tenderly and sweetly. "You're the only one for me," he exhaled
against her lips.
"I
love you," Heer finally said when the kiss had naturally ended. She then buried her head into his chest
hugging him tightly. Prem had a thankful
smile etched across his face as his hand rested on her head in a loving
manner. The rain continued to drizzle
down on them making their clothes stick to their forms accentuating the natural
curves and outlines of their bodies.
"I'm sorry..."
"What
for?" Prem asked.
"For
not talking to you...for not telling you how I felt. I was afraid that you didn't feel the same
way. I've been holding onto this feeling
for so long that I didn't know what to do...I was afraid of losing you too...it
scared me how physical we were getting...I didn't want it to be a one night
stand," Heer answered.
Prem's
eyes widen at her statement and he cupped her check trying to sooth her, "A one
night stand? Never...this is more than
that." He cradled her hand and placed it
against the left side of his chest.
"This belongs to you. You have
every little part of me." He could see
her bright hazel eyes gently tearing again.
"Must you cry like that when I'm telling you I love you? It makes me kind of nervous...can you at least
smile for me?"
Heer
let out a gentle laugh her eyes sparkling a watery mirth at his joke. "They are called tears of joy."
"I
don't care what you call them you're still crying. And after everything we've been through the
last several weeks...I don't like seeing them," Prem replied.
"Then
just don't let me cry again," Heer instructed.
Prem
grinned at her remark. "I'll slow
down...let things happen naturally. I
didn't mean to scare you like that. I thought
I was showing you what you meant to me...I mean I thought you would
understand...but I over did it on the physical and didn't give you enough
emotional support. I'm sorry."
"Don't
say sorry again. You've said enough
sorries," Heer replied. She then
tenderly kissed him letting him know how she felt. Prem molded himself to her as his hands clung
onto her t-shirt that had been saturated by the rain. It felt as if he was almost touching her skin
and it ignited a flame within him. He
knew he had to slow down and pulled away putting an abrupt end to the kiss.
Heer
lifted her eyelids and looked at him wondering what was wrong. A few rain droplets fell from her forehead
and landed on her eyelashes making them glisten even underneath the darken
sky. Prem's eyes softened as his breath caught
in his chest completely taken by her beauty.
"Something wrong?"
He
shook his head. "Beautiful..." Heer blushed at the way he was gazing at her
and shyly lowered her head. Prem placed
his finger underneath her chin and lifted her head up so he could continue to gaze
at her. "I didn't want to go too fast."
"You're
not. I'll let you know if you are," Heer
replied. She was curious at the tiny
beads that clung delicately around his face.
A small facial movement or stream of rain would cause it to streak
slowly down his smooth skin rippling over the soft patch of stubble around his
mouth and then falling effortless down the slope of his chin. Heer impulsively placed an open mouth kiss
against one of those beads hanging on his cheek, gently sucking up the water.
Prem's
lips curved into a surprise grin and he slowly closed his eyes letting her do
as she pleased. He could feel her move
to his other cheek, the tip of his nose, and then his chin. "You missed a spot," he playfully reported.
"How
do you know? You can't even see?"
The
giggle in her voice made Prem grin even more.
"I can feel," he replied and protruded his lips outward. He felt the lightest touch of a finger
rolling down his lips making him whine in protest.
"Sshhh,"
Heer hushed. The command made him relax
his lips and he felt to his delight her soft lips upon his. They stood there for some time letting the
magic of the moment take them away. All
their worries and anxieties melted and the only feeling they could experience
was love. It was amazing the emotional
connection they felt after finally confessing their feelings for one
another. Their relationship was moving
forward again. The path they were
following would ultimately lead them to a lifetime of supporting, caring, and building
something together.
As
the kissing naturally ended Prem leaned his forehead against her forehead and simply
said, "I love you."
"I
love you too," Heer replied feeling a giddy excitement streaming through her
body.
"We
should probably get going before the rain gets any heavier," Prem suggested.
Heer
nodded and then looked around the road searching for the bags that had flown
out of her hands. Prem bent down on the
ground and started picking up the few oranges and limes she had bought. He carefully inspected the fruit and
frowned. "Are they that badly bruised?
Heer asked.
"Um,
it's hard to tell since they've gotten a little muddy from the rain and dirt,"
Prem replied as he placed them back into her bags.
"Don't
put them back," Heer said.
"What
do you mean don't put them back'we'll have to wash them and see if they are
okay as long they haven't split open like this one we can probably still eat
them," Prem said as he threw a busted lime into the bushes.
After
gather the good ones they could find Prem carried the plastic bags in his hand
and they continued walking. Heer linked
her arm around his and leaned into him while she held his hand. Prem gently smiled at the affection she was
giving him. "Did you talk to Sanjana?"
Heer suddenly asked.
"Yes,
I did."
"About
us?" she probed.
"She
knows about us," Prem replied and then suddenly sneezed.
"We
should take a shower when we get home," Heer said.
"A
shower with cold water? I think it's
warmer out here than in there," Prem said.
"We
can heat up some water on the stove and bring it into the bathroom. I saw some huge buckets underneath the sink
we can use," Heer replied.
Prem
suddenly stopped walking causing her to look at him wondering what was
wrong. He smiled brightly as he saw a
big puddle on the road and immediately ran over and jumped into the middle of
it. Dirt filled water splashed upwards
covering half of him. Heer yelped at his
actions as she turned her head away trying to take cover from the muddy
water. "Prem!"
"What?"
he grinned. "We are already wet'what
harm is this going to do?" He sloshed
around in the puddle with his feet soaking his sandals. "Come here," he ordered and reached out trying
to catch her arm.
"No
way," Heer yelled as she dodged his hand and started running.
Prem
chased after her and caught a hold of her and swiftly picked her up in his
arms. "Gotcha...ehhehe..." he mischievously
laughed.
"Prem,
don't drop me," she pleaded.
"Drop
you? The puddle is not big enough for me
to do that...it's not like a swimming pool," he replied. "But I'm going to do this!" Heer screamed as he jumped back into the
middle of the puddle soaking both of them in the dusty water. "It's just water Pumpkin...nothing to be afraid
of."
"But
it's so dirty! Not only am I soaking wet
but I'm covered in dirty water...this is disgusting!"
"I'll
make it a little less disgusting for you," Prem grinned as he placed a kiss on
her forehead. "Mmmuuaaah! How's that?"
Heer
gently slapped his shoulder and pouted with a frown, "That was a little
better."
"You
sound so pleased..." he chuckled. He
adjusted his arms so he could properly even out the weight of her legs on his
arms.
"If
I'm too heavy you can put me down."
"No,
no, no...light as a feather," Prem replied.
He then kissed her forehead again.
"That's two...feeling better?" Heer
titled her head to the side in a reflective thought causing him to kiss her on
the nose. "Three..." Her eyes shifted downward catching his
mirthful gaze and in an instant she saw his brown eyes sudden sparked into a
fiery desire. Heer slowly closed her
eyes and felt him kiss her left eyelid, "Four..." her right eyelid, "Five..." her
right cheek, "Six..." her left cheek, "Seven..." her upper lip, "Eight..." her chin,
"Nine..." and then finally her lips. Heer
gripped the nape of his neck letting the wet strands of hair flow through her
fingers as they sensual kissed one another.
Eventually
Heer pulled away and whispered against his lips, "Ten..."
"Need
more?" Prem asked as he titled his head and breathed against her skin wanting
nothing more than to return to what they were doing a few minutes ago.
Heer teasingly moved her mouth towards him and
then back away with a giggle. He grunted
impatient at her game. As she came
closer again this time to seal her lips with his she answered, "Yesssz..." and
the suddenly shifted her head to the side, "aaaachooo..." sneezing into his
shoulder. Prem's eyes popped open
surprised by the intrusion of her sneeze in their make out session. "Sorry..."
He
placed her down on the ground and frowned.
"Enough playing in the rain...I don't want you to catch a cold. Let's go home."
"I'm
okay Prem..." she replied. "Aaaachooo!"
"Oh,
you sound great," he sarcastically answered and then sneezed.
"Looks
like I passed them on to you...ha-ha...ahhaa-achoo!"
"Going
home right away...aaa-aaachooo!" he ordered.
They both started laughing at their sneezing fits. Heer took Prem's hand into hers and starting
walking their way home again. "Oh before
I forget...you're sleeping in my room tonight."
"Huh? What do you mean I'm sleeping in your room
tonight?" Heer replied.
"You
really want to sleep in the same room with Sanjana? I mean it could kind of get awkward," Prem
answered.
"Oh...I
guess it could...but still...sleeping in the same room together...wouldn't she feel
weird seeing that? It's kind of mean in
a way...and what about Ethan?" Heer asked.
"He'll
sleep on the couch or something," Prem answered. "I think it's still better for you to be with
me. Anyways...just cuddling...I promise."
"I'll
stick a pillow in between us," Heer replied.
"You
don't have to do that," Prem protested.
"We'll
see about that," Heer simply replied as they rounded the corner towards the
safe house.
**************************************************************
The
rest of the day seemed to pass by quickly as the group lazed around the
house. Everyone just wanted to take a
break and ease their minds after all the days of preparation they had spent on
the heist and everything they had gone through the night before. They played cards, watched TV, and joked
around together, thankful for a relaxed atmosphere for once.
Prem
and Heer subconsciously maintained a friendly boundary between each other. They both felt rather guilty in front of
Sanjana. Logically, it didn't seem to
make much sense because she knew they were seeing each other and as a couple they
had ever right to be affectionate towards each other. However, there was still an underlying
respectful acknowledgment of Sanjana's feelings. They didn't know how she was really taking
all of this and knowing how breakups went and the emotions of relationships in
general they thought they were doing the right thing by being as discreet as
possible.
The
gang had just finished dinner and was sitting in the living room enjoying a
movie together. A couple hours later as
the movie ended Sanjana yawned sleepily and announced, "Oh boy am I tired...even
though we hardly did a thing today. I'm
going to bed guys. Goodnight."
"Princess,
will you be making breakfast for us in the morning?" Ethan jokingly asked.
"Since
when did I get put on breakfast duty?" she replied.
"Early
to bed early to rise," Ethan explained.
"Ha-ha...sorry
but I don't think so. I have no plans on
waking up early if I don't have to," Sanjana said. "I think you should cook us breakfast as you
did a fabulous job during dinner. Who
here seconds this idea?" She lifted her
right hand and looked around the room to see who else agreed. Prem and Heer immediately raised their hands
causing Ethan to furrow his eyebrows. "I
think it's unanimous...Sir Ethan you have been chosen for this honorable duty."
"Sir
Ethan?" he repeated with a chuckle. "A
designation without having to go to the Queen of England and kneel before her
as she taps me with the royal sword? I
guess I have no choice now do I?"
Sanjana smiled and then went to her room. Ethan glanced over to Prem and Heer and
secretly smirked. He stretched himself
out and placed his feet on the table. "I
think I'm going to be watching TV for awhile and de-stress...the room is all
yours Old Chap."
Prem
and Heer both looked at each other and shyly smiled. "Thanks Ethan," Heer said. "Are you going to be all right on the couch?"
"It's
nice and comfortable," he replied as he pushed down on the cushions. "I'll be fine...unless Old Chap here wants to
switch." His eyes twinkled with mischief
when he saw how his friend glared at him.
"But somehow I really don't think he'd want that. Goodnight."
"Goodnight,"
Prem replied and held onto Heer's hand as they walked into the second bedroom. The minute the door closed he pulled her into
a hug, the cotton white t-shirt stretching tightly as his strong arms engulfed. "Alone at last..." Heer giggled into his shoulder and then sighed
as she rested her head there enjoying the feeling of being held by him. "Pumpkin?"
"Hmmm?"
she replied.
"I
want to explain a few things about what you saw that day in the bedroom and in
the car..."
"Prem
you don't have to explain anything," Heer said as she shifted slightly. She heard the gently rustle of his track
pants swooshing next to her sweatpants. "It's
in the past...I just want to move forward."
"I
know. But I want you to know that I
never once kissed her or did anything inappropriate," Prem replied looking her
in the eyes. "That day she was in the
bedroom...I was putting on my shirt and had my back facing the doorway...I thought
it was you because she came up behind me.
But the minute I realized it wasn't you I covered myself with the
shirt...that's what you saw when you came in.
And then in the car I guess there was something on my face she just
reached out and brushed it off for me."
Heer
placed her hand on his cheek and simply said, "Thank you for telling me." She then paused before continuing, "Next time
you better talk to me...but most importantly I really don't want to have a next
time. Stop it before it starts."
Prem
nodded, "I will." He then tenderly
kissed her. "I love you."
"I
love you too," she replied with a smile.
"Since
you were 12, huh?" Prem smugly asked.
Heer rolled her eyes wondering where exactly this was going. "You thought I was cute didn't you? You really wanted to kiss me for real in
Seven Minutes in Heaven. Was I the
reason you tried buying makeup? But your
Mom found out and you got in huge trouble and you weren't allowed to go
anywhere for two weeks..."
"Oh
God..." Heer muttered and walked towards the bed to pull the covers open.
Her
remark only made him even more confident in his assumptions and he continued. "Is that why the first dish you ever learned
to make was fish and chips? I really
liked Mrs. Foster's fish and chips. How
come you didn't make it for me when I was staying at your place?" Heer picked up a pillow and shoved it to
towards him which he easily caught and did nothing to stop his teasing. "Tell me truthfully you liked me since the
very beginning when we met."
"You
were trespassing on our property...and you grabbed me like that out of nowhere,"
Heer replied with annoyance. "How would
anyone like someone after that? And then
you were so mean to me at school...calling me names...telling everyone I was a big
fat pumpkin. You were a seven year old
girl's worst nightmare."
Prem
smirked at how worked up she got over their first meeting. He quickly hugged her from behind and
tenderly kissed her shoulder making sure to place his lips on the exposed skin
laying next to the strap of her black tank top.
"I confess that when I heard your Mom say your real name for the first time I
really liked it."
"You
heard Mama say Heer?" she inquired.
"Yup,
she said it after the movers left. I was
really confused that day you came into class and was introduced as Leher...but
now I know why," Prem answered. "I
apologize for calling you a big fat pumpkin.
But you have to admit the name Pumpkin doesn't mean the same as it use
to. I use to do it to irritate you but
then later it became a habit. You know
whenever I hear someone say pumpkin I think of you. You were never far from my thoughts after you
left. Every Halloween I'd carve a
jack-o-lantern and secretly name it Pumpkin.
And during Thanksgiving I made sure Mom always bought a pumpkin pie. And now Pumpkin is my term of endearment for
you...so when you hear it...know it carries my love for you."
Heer
turned around and smiled causing Prem to grin.
"I will. And you were never far
from my thoughts either. I prayed for
you everyday liked I promised I would...that your family would be healthy...you'd
do well in school...be successfully in your career...have a good life."
"I
did...I do...and it's even better now that I have you. Thank you," Prem replied. Heer hugged him and closed her eyes feeling
at peace in his arms. Prem just breathed in
the scent of her hair a sweet flowery jasmine and sighed.
"I'm
tired. It's time for bed," Heer said as
she let go of him.
Prem
nodded and they both slipped into the bed.
He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw her stick a pillow between
them. "Heer, seriously? I'm not going to be doing anything."
"I
know you...that's why it's here," she replied.
Prem
tired moving it away which resulted in him getting a light slap on his
hand. "Hey!"
"Goodnight
Prem," Heer said and closed her eyes.
Prem
pouted and grumbled something inaudible.
He then inched his right hand over the pillow searching for her
hand. When he found it he held it. "Can I at least hold your hand?" Heer gave a tiny smile and intertwined her fingers
with his. "Goodnight Pumpkin," Prem
replied satisfied that he was able to get something.
**************************************************************
Hope you guys enjoyed that 😃
So what's next?
The police nearly caught them at the National Museum...will a report be filed and will the media get wind of the news? Will the CIA be sending agents down to arrest them?
What about the information the gang gathered...what exactly does it tell them?
Please Leave A Comment...Thank You
---Grace 😃
Edited by iheartChai - 13 years ago
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