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Previous Chapters -- Part One: prologue + ch 1 / ch 2 + 3 / ch 4 + 5 / ch 6 + 7 / ch 8 + 9 /
ch 10 + 11 /
ch 12 + 13 /
ch 14 + 15 / Part Two: ch 16 /
ch 17 /
ch 18 /
ch 19 /
ch 20 /
ch 21 /
ch 22
Chapter Twenty-Three
Riya twirled one of her pigtails as she tried to think quickly. After hearing about the upcoming group campfire, she had formed a plan. She would need a partner, however -- but who?
Riya paused in mid-twirl as she saw her young suitor, Thomas D'Souza, and his parents climb out of a minivan. Thomas! He would be perfect; he was a boy, after all.
Catching Thomas's eye, Riya waved him over. Soon, he was trotting over to the object of his affection. "Hello, my queen," he greeted solemnly.
"Hi, Thomas," Riya said hurriedly. She had to act swiftly before her parents returned from their cabin.
"You look real pretty," Thomas commented, nodding at Riya's light pink overalls and cream-colored sweater. "Like strawberry ice cream with whipped cream."
"Thank you," said Riya, a faint blush blooming on her cheeks. Thomas sure did know how to compliment a lady. "Listen, there's going to be a campfire later, and I need your help with something. Will you please help me?"
"Of course I'll help you," said Thomas, zipping up the front of his windbreaker. "You are my finance."
"Your what?" Riya's nose wrinkled in confusion. From what she could recall from the news programs her daddy watched, didn't "finance" have to do with numbers?
"My finance," Thomas repeated. "We are engaged to be married, so that is what you are to me."
"Do you mean *fiancee*?" asked Riya.
Thomas pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Yes, that is what I said."
Riya blew a stray strand of hair out of her eyes in frustration. There was no time to explain to Thomas, poor soul, that her heart already belonged to her father. She beckoned her co-conspirator closer. "Okay, this is what I am planning . . . ."
---
Mind reeling and gait unsteady, Maan walked out of the kitchen and placed one hand on top of the mantle of the fireplace. Had he really just seen Sameera? But how could that be? Was she here with her husband and a child that was in Riya's class?
"Maan."
At the sound of Sameera uttering his name, Maan screwed his eyes shut. There it was, that voice. The voice that had promised him eternity. The voice that had professed undying love and fidelity.
The voice that had ultimately confessed to a betrayal of the highest magnitude.
Slowly, Maan turned around. He hadn't seen his ex in more than half a decade, and he was startled to observe that she had grown even more attractive with age. She still wore the same perfume, however; he nearly toppled over when the painfully familiar scent of apple blossom wafted over to him.
"Maan," Sameera repeated.
"What?" Maan answered coldly. Although his heart had begun to bleed anew, he was determined to keep a detached countenance.
"I want to talk. In private." Sameera shifted her eyes meaningfully toward Geet, who was now standing in bewilderment at the entryway of the kitchen.
As if taking her cue, Geet pointed her index finger to the front door and scurried toward it. "Riya must be waiting," she said. "I will meet you outside."
As he watched the heavy door swing shut behind Geet, Maan resisted the urge to call her back. For what, he didn't know. He was speedily becoming unhinged -- an emotion he now felt quite accustomed to, unfortunately.
"My nephew is in Mrs. Smith's class," Sameera explained without delay. "His parents are out of town on business, so I volunteered to come. It's just me here."
"Mmm-hmm," Maan murmured, focusing on a small wooden clock hanging above the kitchen.
"It's just me, Maan," Sameera repeated, enunciating each word carefully.
At her deliberate delivery, Maan lowered his gaze to Sameera's face.
"I mean, I'm single," she explained, running her fingers through her long locks. "Single, as in . . . no boyfriend or children."
Maan felt his stomach clench at "children." He could still vividly remember splaying his hand across Sameera's abdomen, enchanted by the idea that she was carrying his child.
"I was wracked with guilt when we broke up, Maan," Sameera whispered, hugging her arms around her slender waist. "I loved you with every --"
"Stop," Maan commanded, holding up his hand. "Just stop. I don't want to hear this." He could practically still taste the alcohol that he had downed every night for months after the split, a drunken stupor preferable to heartache.
"Please listen," whimpered Sameera. "Please?"
Reluctantly, Maan dropped his hand.
"I couldn't live with what I did to you," said Sameera, wringing her hands. "I . . . terminated the pregnancy and broke things off with the other man. My sacrifices. Because despite my actions, I did love you. And I -- I still do."
Maan balled his fists at his sides, resentful that Sameera had forced him to play a part in her melodrama. At the same time, pity pricked at him. The production hadn't unfolded that well for her, either.
"I kept away from you all these years because I knew you were angry with me. Which you had every right to be, of course," Sameera added quickly.
"A lot has changed, Sameera," said Maan, his voice low and nearly threatening. "I have a daughter. That's why I'm even here on this field trip. Things between us are over, and that won't change."
Sameera swallowed. "Yes, I figured that you had a child. . . . Is that woman -- what was her name, Geet? Is that your daughter's mother?"
His eyes narrowed, Maan nodded.
"But I didn't see her wearing any rings or other ornaments that would indicate that she was your wife," remarked Sameera, her eyes lighting up. "Oh, you know, I met the parents next door; they're actually divorced, but are just here together for the sake of their child. Is that your arrangement with Geet? Or, hmm, was your daughter the product of a random one night stand with Geet and you were never romantically involved with her at all?"
Cocking an eyebrow at her self-serving assumptions, Maan stared at his former flame in disbelief. He was surprised to realize that what most offended him was Sameera's implication about Geet.
Sameera took a step toward him, a sensual gleam in her eye. "For some reason, we've ended up here together after so many years. I'm single, you're single. . . . What does that tell you, Maan?"
Her perfume overwhelming his senses, Maan began to feel lightheaded. With a switch of her hips, Sameera stepped closer. "I still love you, Maan," she breathed. "And if we're both here, both available, maybe this is a sign we should give it another shot."
Suddenly, Sameera's hands were on Maan's shoulders, her lips slightly pursed. She tilted her face to the side, her eyelids half-closed. Although Maan attempted to retreat, it was futile; it was as if he were in a dream, and his legs refused to obey his instructions to move.
His rational mind and primitive instincts operating at different rates, Maan heard his heart thump loudly in his ears. Sameera moved closer. He couldn't even begin to count the searing moments of lust that had begun with the sultry expression she now wore.
When Sameera's lips were exceptionally close to his own, another moment popped into Maan's head: her devastating admission of unfaithfulness.
Maan jerked his face backward. "Don't," he managed to say between choppy breaths.
Unfazed, Sameera's eyes fluttered open. "Don't be shy," she coaxed. "It'll feel just like it used to, I promise. Can't you see that we're destined to be together?"
How could he rid himself of this seductress? "No, we're not," Maan spat. He shrugged his shoulders, freeing them from Sameera's touch.
"But we're both single," urged Sameera, holding her hands up in supplication. "And there must be a reason we both landed here. It can't just be a coincidence."
"I'm not available," Maan said sharply. He paused, and suddenly felt as if he were having an out-of-body experience. *What do I say now?* he thought desperately. *Think, Khurana. Think!*
Sameera placed her hands on her hips and tilted her chin down. "Excuse me? You're not?"
In a stroke of either genius or sheer desperation, Maan heard himself choke out a lie. "You didn't see Geet wearing any marriage jewelry because she's getting all of it maintained and cleaned while we're on this trip." He struggled to keep his jaw from dropping open at his own words. Was he possessed?
Sameera took a wide step backward. "*What* is that supposed to be mean?" she exclaimed, her lips curling in severe distaste.
Maan swallowed, well aware that he was tumbling down a hill and wouldn't stop until he landed face first in the dirt. "Geet is my wife."
---
As she sat on the dock of the lake, swinging her feet just above the glittering water, Geet glanced down at her watch. Maan and Sameera had been in the cabin an awfully long time. So long, in fact, that Maan had missed seeing off Riya as she departed with her class on a short hiking trip.
Parents and guardians had been instructed to retire to their cabins until the students returned. Geet had instead decided to explore the lake that had so entranced her, and was pleased to discover that was even more charming up close than from afar.
Geet shivered. Dusk had fallen, and the air was cooling rapidly. She hoped Riya's sweater was warm enough for her little girl.
Suddenly, Geet felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up to see Maan, the darkening sky shadowing his face.
"Hello," greeted Geet. "Riya's hiking with her class."
Maan nodded. Dr. Fernandes had stuck his head inside all the cabins to inform occupants about the children's hiking trip, which was when Maan had seized the opportunity to duck out. He had left Sameera looking as dazed as he felt.
"Geet, I have to tell you something," said Maan, lowering himself next to her.
"Of course, Professor." Now that Geet could see Maan's face clearly, she was surprised to see his eyes reflect something akin to panic.
"The woman in the cabin -- her name is Sameera."
"Yes, I know," said Geet warily. She doubted she would forget the name of that impolite woman anytime soon. "You know her, correct?"
If he hadn't felt so emotionally drained, Maan would have chuckled. Geet would soon find out how well he did know Sameera.
"Yes, I know her, and I told her that you are my . . ." Maan trailed off
"That I am your what?" Geet prodded.
"Wait. I think I should start from the beginning. Sameera is my ex. We . . . she . . . our past is very . . . ." Maan stopped and exhaled deeply, staring out at the tranquil lake. What a contrast from his state of near-frenzy.
Geet began to jiggle her foot. Admittedly, the professor sometimes frightened her, but she was slowly warming to the man with whom she lived and was raising a child. In a way, his self-assured, assertive nature was almost comforting, and to see him so out of sorts was troubling.
"Are you all right, Professor?" asked Geet. Reflexively, she placed a consoling hand on his arm. What could he possibly have to say?
---
Many thanks for reading. :)
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