The Awakening

"Atleast let me take you out for a cup of coffee." Nihal pleads for the tenth time today.

 

I was busy at work, but he has been here every day since a month trying to ask me out.

 

"Don't you have to be at work?" I look at him through my glasses.

 

"Sia, I'm a businessman. I can work whenever I want to." He plays with the pen stand on my desk.

 

Ofcourse I knew that he was a businessman. Nihal Dutta, the super-rich scion of the Dutta group of industries. His family was into every business under the sun. From real estate, to textiles to hotels; they had it all under their family name. Why this millionaire was pursuing a simple receptionist like me was something that I could not understand. And more than that what I could not understand was how I fell in love with him. I had met him eight months ago at a hospital where I was admitted for dengue. He was visiting the person in the next bed and we had started talking about the cricket match that was going on. After that we continued to remain friends and would hang out once in a while. In about three months, I was head over heels in love with him. And from the looks of it, he was smitten too. But the whole situation seemed very unlikely to me and I knew deep in my heart that this was not right.

 

"So, what do you say?" He breaks my reverie.

 

"Okay fine, what the hell."

 

He does a small victory dance and helps me out of my chair. I wrap the scarf around my neck hastily and walk ahead with a smile on my face. He takes me to the poshest restaurant in town in his swanky black BMW. The restaurant overlooked the whole city and the height gave me a thrill. I look around in glee as he watches me with a grin.

 

"I think you like the place." He signals to a waiter.

 

"I love it! Thank you so much." I give him an impromptu hug and he embraces me tightly. I can feel his breath on my hair. I feel my insides melting and I wish that the world stood still for now. The waiter interrupts and Nihal escorts me to a corner table.

 

"Thank you Raman. We shall place the order shortly." He tells the waiter who is staring at me.

 

"Sure Dutta sir. I'll come back later." He leaves after giving me another disgusting look.

 

"Why did he look at me like that?" I ask Nihal.

 

"Maybe it was all that PDA." He winks.

 

I blush deep as he holds my hands.

 

"You know I've fallen in love with you right?" He looks right into my eyes, like searching for a few answers. Sadly, I had none at this point of time.

 

I nod and look away. He doesn't prod much and instead asks me what I will have.

 

"You tell me. You seem to be the regular here." I chide him as he signals to the waiter again.

 

"Raman, we shall have the usual. Be generous on the spice though." He smiles at the waiter and melts me all over again.

 

It is a sexy quality when men treat people lower to them really well. Nihal was excellent at it. While I was at the hospital I remember the way he used to address the nurses by their names and bring in small presents for them. He used to play with the children of visitors and made everyone around feel happy. It was mainly because of him that I healed quickly. We used to play scrabble and chess at my bed and he challenged me all the time. I felt happy having him around and I knew that he is the one with whom I could spend all my life with. This little sojourn of mine reminded me of the most important thing.

 

"Did you go to the hospital today?" There was a certain concern in my voice that changed the look on his face.

 

"Yeah, I went there this morning. As usual." He looked away.

 

"And?"

 

"And the usual, no improvements. Just the way it always was."

 

I squeeze his hand and force a smile out of him.

 

"It will all be fine. Do not worry." I say as he nods.

 

The waiter arrives with a tray of food and a pot of coffee. Soon, the conversation drifts and we are back to being the awesome twosome that we always were. His laugh made me feel alive and having him by my side made me feel so lucky. It was not because of the money. That was the last thing on my mind. I just wanted him. His pleasing aura and personality drove me crazy and his modesty was what I had fallen for. I loved him so much that I could not think beyond him. I had ignored his feelings for a long time but I could no longer hold back my feelings for him. As I kept staring at him in the backdrop of the sunset, he comes closer and plants a kiss on my lips. I kiss him back as I taste the bitter coffee on his lips. I was never too fond of coffee, but now it was becoming my favorite.

 

I look at him and see the love in his eyes. We sit there holding each other’s hands as we watch the sun go down. An hour later, he drops me back to my apartment that I share with my best friend.

 

“Was that Nihal Dutta?” She asks as soon as I set my foot in.

 

“Yeah, we went out for coffee today.” I say nonchalantly.

 

“Oh wow, seriously? So you are going to marry a millionaire.” She sings playing a piano in the air.

 

“Let us not build castles in the air now Simi. Relax.” I say and walk to the bathroom.

 

Later during dinner Simi looks at me with concern.

 

“What is it?” I blurt out.

 

“You do know about him right? About his……” Simi sounded worried.

 

“Yeah I know. Exactly why I don’t know how to go about this.” I look away.

 

“Sia, you love him right?” She pulls my face to look at me in the eye.

 

“You know I do. I’m crazy about him.”

 

“And what about the…”

 

“Age difference? It’s okay Simi. Twelve years is not that big a deal.” I try to argue.

 

“That’s not the only thing. You are hanging on to uncertainty here.” She tries to make me understand, but I already know that.

 

As I lay awake at bed that night, I get a call. Nihal’s name flashes on the screen along with heart bubbles. I smile as I answer.

 

“Will you let me sleep, please?” I reprimand him playfully.

 

“I will if you will.” He says hoarsely.

 

“Don’t you have a meeting early tomorrow?”

 

“Yes, but I cannot stop thinking of you.”

 

“Really? Why?”

 

“I think you know why. I wish you were here now.” There was an urge in his voice this time.

 

The fact that he was craving for me thrilled me. The sexual hint was obvious, but I was not sure yet. Still, I was pleased that he wanted me.

 

“Well, tonight I am not. Someday maybe.” I say slowly.

 

“Maybe? Lady I am not going to let you get away. That day is close when you will be by my side every night.” He says proudly.

 

“Let’s see. For now, good night!” I say reluctantly.

 

“Don’t do this to me Sia. Don’t drive me so crazy. I love you. I love you so much.” I could almost hear the sincerity.

 

My heart ached for him too. I wanted to be there, right in his arms, against his strong chest, smelling his fragrance. I was getting turned on myself.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow Nihal.” I say and hang up.

 

As expected Nihal was back at the office the next day. This time dressed in complete work wear. A crisp slim fit shirt tucked into equally well fitting trousers, with shiny black shoes. The blazer fit him like it was made for him and the tie enhanced the color of his dark brown eyes. I could almost see the six pack abs inside his shirt. I look at him like I was seeing God for the first time. He walks to my desk and taps the table.

 

“Did you just hang up on me last night?” He asks.

 

“Yes, I did. So?” I say playfully.

 

“If you do not want me to bother you, I shall not.” He walks out.

 

I am shocked. I lock my laptop and run behind him. As I walk out, I see him leaning against his car. My heart skips a beat as I see him. Yes, again.

 

“I knew you would come.” He grins.

 

“What is this? Is this a joke to you? I thought you were angry.” I scream at him.

 

“They say you only get angry at the people you love.” He smirks.

 

My anger just disappears and I start laughing with him. He pulls me close and plants a kiss on my forehead. I hug him tight, never wanting to let go.

 

“Now go back. I need to go to the hospital. I’ll pick you up after work. Sharp at 7. Okay?”

 

“Okay.” I walk back with a smile on my face.

 

I hear his car right outside my window at exact 7 pm. That was another thing about Nihal. He is punctuality personified and extremely well organized. He wants his things to be done in a particular manner and he chooses to do it himself. Which is nice, because he doesn’t trouble anybody else. I pack my things and bid goodbye to my colleagues and step outside.

 

He greets me with a hug. He is dressed in the same attire as morning and yet he looks fresh and smells refreshing. I suddenly am conscious by the way I look. Maybe I should have checked my make up before leaving.

 

“You look lovely.” He says and pecks my cheek.

 

“Really? With smudged kohl and undone lips?” I ask sarcastically.

 

“Even if you had done them I would have undone them.” He winks making me smile.

 

“So, where are we headed?” I ask him as I try to adjust my makeup looking at the front mirror.

 

“You will see.” He continues to drive.

 

In a short while we are at a huge villa and I see him open the gate using a remote. The security guard salutes him and he smiles back.

 

“I don’t believe this. This is your house?” I ask as we drive towards the parking lot.

 

“Yeah.” He grins as he parks the car.

 

I get out of the car and look around in awe. There must be atleast around fifteen cars there.

 

“All these belong to you?”

 

“Some. Most of them belong to the business.”

 

And here I was. I had been saving up for three years a buy a bike of my own and have been travelling in local buses until now. It suddenly felt like a culture shock and I felt very small. It must have shown on my face.

 

“Hey, don’t let it get to you. None of this matters you know. At the end of the day every man is alone.” He tries to cheer me up.

 

I nod and walk with him down the pathway which is surrounded by excellent maintained plants. I could see strawberry shrubs too and I was tempted to pick one up, but then refrained from doing so.

 

“Nihal, why have you got me here?” I had forgotten this thanks to all the riches I was exposed to.

 

“I wanted you to see where I live.” He says casually.

 

The door opens and I see a man smiling at us.

 

“Good evening Sir.”

 

“Good evening Pratap. This is my friend Sia.” Nihal says as we walk in.

 

“Nice to meet you.” I say with a smile that Pratap does not acknowledge.

 

Nihal takes my bag and jacket from me and escorts me to the drawing room which is almost as big as my company’s auditorium. Soon another staff worker comes in with a tray of fresh juice and some cookies.

 

“Wow, you stinky rich idiot.” I mock him.

 

“Hahaha, get used to it lady.” His laugh warms the cockles of my heart.

 

We spoke for a while about the house as we had the snacks. The staff kept passing by with a weird look on their faces.

 

“Come let me show you around.” Nihal extends his hand out.

 

We walk upstairs into another living space which is as big as the drawing room. There is a huge television with a home theatre on one side and a floor to ceiling book shelf on the other, stacked with books of different genres. I look at it in awe. If there was something called heaven, this would be it.

 

“This way.” He breaks my thoughts.

 

Like almost hypnotized, I walk behind him into the most exquisite bedroom that I have ever seen.

 

“Oh my God. This is crazy.” I look around.

 

The room was done completely in shades of black and white. The furniture matched the curtains perfectly and everything stood out on its own.

 

“This is my haven. The place where I think of you all the time.” He says.

 

I rush into his arms and lose myself. His lips find mine and soon he is kissing me all over. I could feel the hunger in him and this time I did not want to hold back. His hands were all over my body, exploring areas that I did not know existed. I was like putty in his hands and I was melting with every touch. I couldn’t take it anymore. I started unbuttoning his shirt, when he held my hands tight.

 

“No, I know you are not ready for this yet.” He looks into my eye.

 

“But….”

 

“It’s okay Sia. I know how tough this has been for you. You can take your time. I totally understand. I love you and we will do this only when you are completely ready in your heart and mind.” I escorts me to the seating area.

 

I look outside the window with tears in my eyes. This guy was so amazing and so respectful of my thoughts. And I loved him like crazy and all that I wanted was him. He was perfect in every way possible and it would be an honor for me to be with him. I wanted to let go and be his today. But one thing in my mind held me back. There was no doubt in my mind that he was perfect for me. But I could not help but think what would happen, when his wife wakes up from her coma.