Inconvenient Relations (10 page)

Jaunt

H
e looks cool, Ruhi thought as she stole a peek at her husband. Shaan had chosen to don a polo shirt in heather green and tan casual pants over which he had pulled on a teak cord blazer. She was seeing him wear a jacket, or for that matter anything which even came close to being called formal attire, for the very first time and he looked…good!

Good enough to rev the pulse rate up a few notches and make me giddy. He’s also watching me, conveniently taking cover behind those shades, and it’s driving me nuts!
She raised a hand to her forehead.

“Are you all right?” he asked, steadying her arm.

“Yes I am.”
If you’d only remove those glasses.

“Better?” He smiled, removing them as though having read her mind. She frowned upset, though in reality it was because they had just stepped into the very dark and cool interiors of the restaurant. She almost ran into his back, blinded for a few seconds.

“Are you really all right, Ruhi?” This time with both his hands on her shoulders and his husky voice drizzled with a pleasing anxiety.

“Yes, I am!”
As soon as you take your bloody hands of me, you handsome brute!
She glared at him.

Surprisingly the result was immediate, but not due to the force of her thoughts. Shaan too was having a rough time maintaining a bland disposition.

Is she growing outrageously provocative by the day, or am I falling for her feminine wiles?

“Ahem… Welcome to the Olive.” The hostess had to raise her voice slightly to get the couple’s attention. They were engaged in a task quite different than what usually brought people to the restaurant. “Table for two?”

Shaan affirmed with a brisk nod and led the way. He was trying his best to appear indifferent, not bothering to note this affronted Ruhi quite a bit.

“I hope this would do. Unfortunately, we are booked solid.” The hostess looked apologetic as she led them to an enclosed booth.

“Yes, this’ll do fine, thank you,” Shaan replied with a slight smile.
It’ll do very well indeed.

“Ladies first.” He directed Ruhi ahead with a gracious tilt of his head.

What a weird guy he is, at times rude and at others charming.

The hostess rattled off the beverage selection after they had taken their seats in the cozy booth, which appeared to be way too intimate for Ruhi’s liking. Her discomposure did not escape Shaan who watched quietly as she slid to the farthest end.

Damn I need a drink!
“I’ll have a glass of your best Kalyra and sparkling water for the lady please.”

“You are drinking! Isn’t there a law against drinking and driving in this country?”

“Yes. But that’s as long as I don’t go above the legal limit or cause an accident,” he explained softly, his minute scrutiny made her writhe in her seat.

“I still think it’s a bad idea, though.”

Darn! Doesn’t she realize the havoc she’s stirring in me right now in that virgin white summer dress?

She blushed as she attempted to rearrange the neckline of her blouse which exposed her delicately boned shoulders. She had never before felt the need to do so, but his eyes… She grabbed the menu to hide her confusion. “What am I supposed to order when I can’t understand a single word?”

“Let me help,” he said, removing it from her hand. “Since you have trained your palate to rebel against most cuisines, I decided as my very last-ditch attempt to bring you to one of my favorite places and if you happen to dislike this too…you are on your own.”

She couldn’t help breaking into a smile.

“Hello! Good afternoon, folks! Welcome to the best taste in town! And a rose for the lovely lady!”

They were startled out of their reverie by a flamboyant voice, which belonged to a particular slim and long body now bent at the waist offering the aforementioned bloom to Ruhi.

Shaan smarted at how the ABCD was able to provoke an immediate smile of pleasure on his girl’s—
My girl?
—face.
Bloody slick bastard!

Have I seen him before?
She racked her brains as she stared at the neat figure all in black with slick gelled hair smoothed back into a tiny ponytail at the nape of his neck ala Amitabh Bacchan in
Cheeni Kum
. Then it hit her when he looked directly at her with a cheerful smile. “Ahh! A
desi
beauty unlike any other, how lucky you are, sir.”

He addressed Shaan without taking his eyes of Ruhi who colored crimson. He is the five-cent guy!

He didn’t appear to recognize her though and was now sporting a quizzical look.

“Ahem!” Shaan brusquely cleared his throat, thoroughly irritated at the daring of this young upstart who seemed to have Ruhi eating out of his hand. Perhaps we were better off at home!

“Do you serve anything to eat out here?”

“Oh, please accept my apologies, got a little sidestepped. But of course! Can I start you off with an appetizer? I recommend some Artichauts or our best seller
Tomate con Meile
?” he said as Ruhi scanned the menu for details…

“No, I don’t favor any of that. May I?” Shaan asked her briefly and, without waiting for her reply, quickly ordered for both of them including the entrées.

“Excellent choice, sir, I couldn’t have done any better.” Mr Sleek hair disappeared with a brief nod of his head after shooting another puzzled glance at Ruhi.

“That was very rude of you, Grey!”

“I don’t think so. Anyway, since you haven’t been here before I thought I may as well go ahead and do the honors. Did I do it wrong?”
The hell I care if she thinks I did! The hell I care if she thinks anything! Blast! She’s my wife for God’s sake, and here I am tolerating some nitwit boldly flirting with her!

Ruhi looked on with consternation as Shaan squeezed hard on the stem of his wine glass. “Watch out you may break it.”

“Huh?” Why the hell does she not appear to know anything?

She shivered.

“Are you cold? These Americans consider even seventy degrees hot,” he said, offering his jacket.

“No thanks, I’m fine
.” It’s your eyes. They seem to be piercing through to my soul, and I feel naked.

Her hands shook as she tried to sip on her sparkling water, suddenly wishing they weren’t here but in the apartment watching comedy reruns on TV, making small talk, playing pretend.

“Hey, I know where I’ve seen you before!” Mr. Sleek hair had reappeared with their food. “You were on the bus that day looking all hot and bothered, and I came to your rescue with the nickel. Cool! Isn’t it?”

She inclined her head. “Yes…those five cents.”

“What five cents!”

“Shaan? This nice…” She hesitated.

“My name is Pratik, by the way. Pratee to my friends.”

“He pitched in with the change I was missing for the bus ride, and I still owe him. Can I borrow it from you?”

He delved into his pocket and produced the coin.

“Ah…uh, I guess that takes care of it.” Pratik sounded a little disappointed. He stood there looking curiously at the couple.

Ruhi smiled. “I think we should introduce ourselves.”

Like hell we should!

“I am Ruhi and this is my…friend.”

“Hi! I’m Shaan and we live together,” he volunteered with a broad grin stretching out one hand while placing the other familiarly around her shoulder.

“But…” She stared at him, a slow flush creeping over her cheeks. How could he? She couldn’t bring herself to face Pratik.

“Isn’t that correct, my dear?” he said, looking at her for affirmation. His eyes bored into her, indicating a certain level of intimacy that didn’t exist.

“Nice to meet you, Shaan.” Pratik shook his hand, the flashiness instantly substituted by incredulity.

***

Damn you, Grey!

You asked for it, Bee.

“Why did you say that?”

“Say what?” He leaned close, trapping her against the hood of his car.

“That…that we live together?” she gasped out with a nervous frown. Out of the corner of her eyes, she thought she spied Pratik watching them not so discreetly from the entrance of the restaurant.

“I was speaking the truth, and I believe you like honesty no matter what.” Shaan’s air was defiant.

“But…the implications. What will he think?”

“Think? Who cares what he does think? My dear, this is America where cohabitation is commonplace, and it was you who started it all. You wished to hide our true relationship,” he said, grinning smugly.

He has me trapped in a web of my own design, and I thought I was clever. Yet I don’t feel mortified, rather I feel agitated and aroused.
She smiled and took his breath away.

***

“You are driving at 80mph, way above the speed limit. What if you get a ticket?”

“I’m willing to chance it. Too tired of playing by the rules.”
Who the heck cares! Be wild for a moment, and that moment will last a lifetime!

“Hold on!” His eyes sparkled as he stroked the accelerator and edged into the leftmost lane—the fast lane. She held on to the dashboard but couldn’t deny a sensual rush when they breezed past the rest of the traffic.

“Where are we going?”

“Wait and see.”

“Hell! Must have got off the wrong side of the bed!”

The piercingly loud wail of a police siren could be heard approaching fast behind soon followed by flashing lights of blue and red.

There goes a couple of hundred bucks and all the affected bravado down the drain! What a fool she must think me to be!
Shaan frowned as he slowed to pull the car on to the shoulder.

But the cop speeded past, and Shaan heaved a sigh of relief.

“Seems like some poor punk has stolen the limelight. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am, but my day will surely come.” He winked mischievously.

He isn’t too bad when he applies himself to the task
, she thought, starting to get the drift.

He was humming again.

“I hate silly love songs!” Ruhi said.

“No don’t!” He leaned over to stop her from toggling with the dial, scraping her fingers in the process. She jerked her hand away. “I love them, just like I love old romantic movies.”

Her pulse quickened as his brown eyes sneaked sideways, and he mouthed the words of an old Eagles melody as if they were meant for her and her alone.

I am not afraid to say anymore that I want you to stay with me and be my wife for real. Get it quick, lady, for I can’t wait.

How I wish you had told me all this before, Shaan.

Are you hearing me, Ruhi?

She looked away.

That rogue, Pratik! Must have a rose garden for the sole purpose of impressing females! I’ll kill him if he tries to mess with my girl again!

Don’t gnash your teeth, you look like a pig!

“Did you say something?” She shook her head, and giggled.

Vixen!

“Oh, this is beautiful!” she exclaimed. They were driving down Sepulveda Boulevard, having left behind the concrete monotony of the freeway.

He grinned, pleased. “Wait till you see what’s next. It’ll leave you breathless.”

You already do.

For the next half an hour or so, Ruhi was, as he had promised, agog with enchantment as though she’d been magically shipped to another world.

Shaan chose to remain mysterious, but she could sense his fervor when after parking the car; he grabbed her by the arm and hurried her to a spot from where they were shuttled on a computer-operated tram to the top of a hill, which he explained was part of the Santa Monica mountains. She gasped, literally sucking in her breath when they came upon a huge complex, which appeared to have sprouted from the hill side.

“This is the Getty Museum, one of the richest in the world when you take in the value of its art collections. It was built by an oil billionaire who was known to be a miser yet who left most of his estate to this place. To me that makes him one of the most generous men on earth! I love it here!”

A spontaneous smile creased Ruhi’s lips. She had never witnessed him so enthused before and found it very infectious and attractive. “So is art your second love after fancy flying objects?”

He paused for a moment at the entrance while holding the door propped open for her. “No, it’s my third.”

She flushed under his gaze but didn’t ask him to elaborate. She was afraid of what he might say.

“So what do you think of this one?” he queried later with interest. They were standing in front of a particularly arresting portrait of an old Roman peasant woman. “I think she’s happy even though she’s dirt poor since she still has the love of her husband and children.”

“No, I think you’re wrong. I feel she is miserable because he left her for a younger and more beautiful woman.”

Ruhi was subject to a piercingly sharp survey but was able to maintain her cool. “She is finished crying, now all she wants to do is take him to the guillotine!” she continued defiantly.

He chuckled. “There were no guillotines in Rome at the time this picture was painted.”