Chapter 7

"I love you." He whispered, taking my hand and looking into my eyes while my mouth was full of noodles.

I remembered watching him for a whole two minutes, wide-eyed, waiting for him to laugh. Because such funny, handsome, and successful guys never liked me. Hell, no guy ever liked me. Love was far in the line.

"I am not kidding. I am crazy about you from the moment I saw you." He said as if reading my mind.

"And my sister?" I asked, swallowing the noodles.

He frowned. "What about your sister?"

"You have met her, and you don't like her, but you say you love me?" I asked suspiciously. Everything was so unbelievable.

"Oh god, Scarlet." He sighed. "Yes, I have met your sister Rosa, and she is amazing, beautiful, funny and everything, but I love you. Love is very impartial. It happens to everyone, beautiful and ugly alike, and God you are the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on."

I had waters in my eyes. Yes, I had waters in my eyes because I loved him too. The entire month spent with him felt like a vacation in heaven. I never felt as special as Rover made me feel this entire month.

I got over my seat and kissed him. Kissing him for the very first time that too in the diner full of people in Mumbai, India, a place where such performance of romance in common places was rare. He was taken very much by surprise when I walked over to him and united our lips, but once they were locked, he held me as if to never let me go.

We kept kissing when the waitress' 'ahem ahem' broke us apart, bringing us to reality and back into the diner.

"Kids these days are too forward." I heard an old lady complaining to her husband. In some other time, I would have been worried about what people say to me, it would have mattered what the world thought of me, but at that moment, with Rover, nothing seemed to matter except him. He was a beautiful work of art crafted by the universe, and I got to meet him and got to be loved by him. That was enough for me. That was perfect.

******

I woke up to a beautifully decorated basket with my name stuck to it.

I peeped into the basket to find a lot of chocolates. Of course, everybody knew I was crazy about chocolates.

Popping a piece into my mouth, I got off the bed and tied my loose hair in a knot, walking over to the kitchen.

"Rover! What are you doing here?" I asked the guy slumped on the couch in my hall, and it seemed like he was about to doze off.

"Thank god you woke up at last! I was afraid now you'll directly wake up tomorrow morning." He said, walking over to me.

"Hey, come on! It's just 11 a.m. I am not so late. After all, I slept late last night. And you know that because you were the one who kept me late on the phone." I excused.

"Yeah, I know." He said, kissing me. "Happy birthday." He whispered between the kisses.

"Thank you," I replied similarly.

Just when I was on the verge of being totally consumed by his kiss, a loud cheer rescued me, singing out, "Happyyyy birthdayyy."

I looked around smiling and suddenly there was Rosa, Sam (yeah, we actually had become good friends, and, yes, Rosa never went out with him), Ria, and a few more people from school.

I never got such surprises.

"I can't believe you wished her before me. Both times! At midnight and in the morning." Rosa called out to Rover, holding a beautiful chocolate cake in her hands and I wished to cut a slice already.

"Ooh. You sure got guts, man!" Sam said, mocking Rosa.

"Yeah, and he is going to get his ass kicked very soon," Rosa replied, looking at Rover with squinted eyes.

"Oops. Rover, you are going to get your ass kicked." I said in a matter-of-fact voice to Rover.

"Well, if I have to get my ass kicked to wish you first on your birthday, then I think it's worth the price." He said kissing me again.

"Ugh, guys, get a room," Ria said irritatedly.

"Shut up." I snapped and walked over to the cake in Rosa's hand.

"Okay, I can't wait to cut the cake, so you better start singing," I said to everyone, and they started humming the birthday song for me as I cut the cake.

I cut the slice and walked over to Rover. As he leaned forward to eat the cake, I kissed him instead, whispering 'sorry.' I walked over to Rosa and saw her shocked face relax as I offered the first bite to her. Every time whatever we cut at our birthdays, be it a cake, an apple, or a slice of cheese, it was always the other to get the first bite of it. It was kind of an unsaid established custom.

*****

That afternoon I bunked at the couch with Rosa, draped in a loose shirt and shorts, eating noodles by Chan Chan Chinese for lunch. We always enjoyed chilling on the couch watching a movie, so much so that we liked doing that on our birthdays as well.

"So you and Rover are pretty serious?" She asked, sucking up a noodle.

"I guess so," I replied. "What do you think about him?" I asked her and watched her shift uncomfortably listening to my question.

"Honestly, he is great. Like he is so romantic, and everything today was his idea. He genuinely seems like he loves you."

"But…?" I asked.

"But there is something not right. I mean, I don't know why, but I get the vibes that he is not right." She admitted.

"Probably because he wished me before you?" I teased.

"Yeah right!" She replied sarcastically. "What does he do for the living again?"

"I don't know entirely. But he runs an outsourcing unit for HR." I replied.

"Learn entirely." She commanded, and it disturbed me to know that she wasn't very accepting of Rover. Was she jealous that I got such a nice guy she ever got? That a man loved me over her? No of course not. This wasn't that. I convinced myself.

"Why aren't you going out with Sam?" I asked her, trying to dismiss the thoughts in my head.

"You know why." She replied without looking at me.

"Look, I was over my crush on Sam the moment he said he liked you. Plus, now I have this great boyfriend. Sam is my friend and he is crazy about you. And I know you want to know him that way too." I pushed.

"Yeah, I don't know." She said, which was practically her catchphrase.

"Well, I do. Go call him already!" I said and she smiled.

*****

That evening, Rover sent for a beautiful blue shiny slip dress and a note inviting me to the Blue Heaven restaurant for dinner.

The dress turned out to be a perfect fit, and I couldn't even recognize myself in it.

I looked good.

When I opened the door to Rover, I watched him gasp, and his surprised face added more color to my cheeks.

"Oh my god, Scarlet Gill, you look prettier than I imagined."

"How couldn't I? After all, it's your choice." I said, pointing at the dress.

"Yeah." He smiled, looking into my eyes.

The dinner at Blue Heaven was literally heavenly. I had never tasted good like that before.

The entire time, from my house to the restaurant and back home, I watched Rover steal glances at me. And I wondered, since I was already his girlfriend, if I could just turn and look at him as long as I liked. Because I wanted to turn and look at that angelic face forever.

How could I stumble upon such beauty and have it for myself? I wondered while watching him drive his BMW.

"You do realize when you look at me, I can't focus on anything else." He said smiling.

"What if I don't want you to focus on anything else?" I mocked.

He suddenly pushed the brake and turned to me.

"As you wish, madam. I and my focus are all yours." He said smiling.

"Oh god Rover you are crazy! Drive!" I said laughing, and as he hit the ignition and the engine revved, I turned away blushing.

The spring winds entangled in my hair and brushed my cheek. The moon was at its fullest, and it shimmered its beauty to every cloud that came to its refuge.

The night was perfect. And so was the moment.

Thank you, Universe. Thank you very much.

*****

We got home and found Rosa gone.

"Gone to get Sam. Probably won't come for the night. Don't wait up," read her sticky note stuck to the refrigerator.

"Wow, someone's gonna get laid." Rover said reading the note, chuckling.

I turned to him and kissed him.

"Thank you." I whispered.

"Thank me again." He said and I giggled and kissed him, saying thank you again.

"Again." He asked.

I repeated.

"Again"

But this time, I forgot to say thank you and he forgot to ask again. We just kept kissing each other till the rushing adrenaline got the best of us, waking each of our senses and parts, a few awakened more than the rest, more than they ever had.

I turned and took him by his hand to my room.

He kissed my neck, and I unbuttoned his blue shirt, sliding my fingers on his bare skin, tracing the lines of his beautiful muscles.

He unzipped my dress, and I could feel my chest brimming with zeal and passion.

Slipping down the dress, he carried me to my bed and kissed me more passionately than I ever knew one could be kissed.

He traced his lips through the line of my throat, brushing the collar bones, and reached the center of my chest.

I took off his shirt and unlooped his belt. He had abs, beautifully sculpted in his hard olive skin.

He unstrapped my bra and freed my boobs of its cage, letting the air touch them, letting his lips meet the passion in them.

As his lips caressed my breast, I let my hands move in his hair.

Then he rolled his tongue down my stomach, and it was as if my underwear just slipped off my legs. He was too delicate and gentle with his hands. When his lips and tongue reached their desitnation, I reached above the clouds.

Then he came back up the exact way he had descended and kissed me, locking my hands to my side. I felt him in me, slowly and gently at first, faster and fierce later.

"Seems like someone is getting laid right now," I whispered as I felt him go again in me.

"Oh, that someone is the luckiest guy on earth."

******

We stayed wrapped into each other, naked under the blanket, witnessing the moon shine through the clouds, as if it was blushing watching us make love.

Rover's fingers were still tracing the curves of my body.

"Can I ask you something?" I whispered.

"Sure." He said kissing my neck.

"What do you do for a living?" I asked, turning to face him.

"I am in outsourcing for HR. Why?" He frowned.

"Rosa thinks I should know what your work is," I said.

"Yeah, you should. And I was thinking of giving you a job." He said.

"Really?" I couldn't help but give away my surprise and happiness.

"Wow, you are happier than I thought you would be." He said, brushing my cheek.

"So what do I have to do?" I asked.

"Wait," he said and fetched his phone from the nightstand.

"This." He said, showing me a video.

All the love and passion had vanished, and I felt the anger and disgust touch each cell of my body. Before I could shove him away or think of anything, I felt him grab me and secure his napkin to my face, pushing in the weird smell through my nose, and before I knew, I was slipping into oblivion.