Fatima's Cozy Corner 3 - Final Update on Pg 114 :) - Page 46

When will Preet get proof for office scam by RR?

Incredibly cool story so waiting to see what's up next yo🤔

🥳

👍🏼

here is me waiting for Fatima

Fatima and I

Originally posted by: AASUS

Fatima 🤗 Happy Mom's Day 🥳

Chapter 42 - Hotel Decent

Later...

Meher slowly walked down an unfamiliar street, her eyes searching for a taxi or rickshaw. She waved her hand at a taxi that passed by but it already had passengers in it. Several others passed her without even bothering to stop. What am I invisible tonight?! She grumbled to herself. She passed by a tea stall and asked the owner if she could use his phone. The kindly man permitted her to do so and she immediately called her father. But there was no answer. She tried again and finally Kuljeet picked up the phone. "Kuljeet Ma, I need to speak to Papa-ji right away," said Meher. "Can you please ask him to come to the phone?"

"Ah Meher...my dear child!" smiled Kuljeet.

Dear child? Thought Meher. Viren had definitely not been in touch with her yet.

"Your father started feeling unwell shortly after you and Viren left," continued Kuljeet.

"Oh no, is he alright?" Meher asked worriedly.

"Yes yes," said Kuljeet. "I think something he ate didn't agree with him. Or perhaps it was the long drive over. But then again it could be stress from his job. Those Junejas work him too hard over there, if you ask me. In any case, I told him to get some rest and go to bed early, and we'd ask Viren to check in on him in the morning. Isn't it wonderfully convenient to have a doctor for a son-in-law?"

"I guess it is," muttered Meher.

"How is my future son-in-law by the way?" asked Kuljeet. "Are you 2 enjoying yourselves?"

"We...uh...," Meher paused to think. She would rather discuss what happened between her and Viren in person with her father rather than with Kuljeet over the phone. "It's been an evening I'll not soon forget, that's for sure."

"I knew it!" laughed Kujeet. "I knew it from the day I laid eyes on Viren that you 2 were made for each other. You'll be happy to know that Pandit Ji recommended the last day of the month for your wedding just like Viren wanted. Your father was fretting over the lack of time for making the proper arrangements, but I reassured him you don't need too much pomp and flair. Is Viren around? Let me tell the dear boy the good news."

"No!" cried Meher. "I mean, he went to use the washroom. Um...I just wanted to let you know that we're running a little late, and not to worry."

"Why would I worry when I know you're with Viren?" chuckled Daljeet. "I was young once too Meher, I completely understand. Take all the time you need. We'll catch up in the morning."

Meher rolled her eyes as the call disconnected. Her step-mother didn't understand anything at all. More importantly, what was she going to do now? She could call Sam, but what could she do other than worry for her? Her father was out of town, and her mother would not let her come this far to pick her up at this hour. She was definitely screwed.

Meher thanked the man and returned his phone just as 3 young men stopped by the stall and ordered some tea. They looked in her direction, then whispered among themselves. Meher gulped. Were they talking about her? She didn't wait to find out. Her only hope was to find a taxi cab to take her back to the Rampal's place and then ask someone at the house to pay for the fare. She walked on further and saw an approaching cab. She waved her hand and it stopped for her.

The driver leaned his head out and gave her a leery grin that made her skin crawl. "Oh main kehya soniyo...kithe chalna?"

"Narg mein! Chalo ge?" fumed Meher. Jerk! She thought as he drove away. This has to be the absolutely worst day ever! I'm stuck in some unfamiliar, seedy part of town, with no money, and no phone. I don't even know which direction I'm going in! When I get back home...if I get back home...I'm going to kill Viren!

As she turned down a darkened street, she suddenly became aware of something behind her. It sounded like a car...slowly rolling. Someone was following her! Was it that taxi driver? Too afraid to look behind her, Meher quickened her steps. As she did so, she heard the car pick up its pace too. Hai Rabba! She was definitely being followed! If this was the end...she was going to go down fighting! She looked around frantically for something she could defend herself with, and saw small fallen tree branch on one side. She picked it up, took a deep breath, then turned around, and shrieking all the way, charged towards her would be assailant.

"Meher wait!" cried Preet as he quickly jumped out of the car. "It's me!"

"Preet!" said Meher. A sense of confusion and relief washed over. She dropped the branch she was holding, ran up to him, and threw her arms around him. "Thank God it's you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank You! You don't know how scared I was!"

Preet smiled. He was about to bring his arms around her, when she suddenly pulled away and smacked him several times on his arm. "Ouch! Meher will you make up your mind? Do you want to hug me or hit me?" he said.

"You scared the living daylights out of me Preet Juneja!" frowned Meher.

"Serves you right for lying to me," said Preet. "Why didn't you tell me that Chaddi wasn't coming back for you?"

"You knew?" Meher asked in surprise.

"Come on Meher, your story had more holes in it than Swiss cheese," chuckled Preet.

Meher's mouth fell open. "Oh! So you knew the whole time and were having fun at my expense? Not funny Preet!" She smacked him again on the arm.

"Ow!" Preet rubbed his arm. "You should be grateful I showed up, and instead you're beating up on me? You know Cinderella, if it wasn't for yours truly you'd still be at the restaurant doing more dishes than even you're normally used to. Not to mention the fact that you have no way to get home. Speaking of which, your family must be worried." He took out his phone and offered it to her. "Go ahead, give them a call, and then I'll take you home."

"No," said Meher. She folded her arms across her chest. "I don't need your help."

"Meher, do you have any idea how far away from home you are? It's not safe for you to be wandering around alone this time of night," sighed Preet.

"I can take care of myself Preet," Meher shot back with a stubborn tilt of her head. "I don't need you to protect me from Viren or anyone else."

"Wait a minute," Preet interrupted her. "Why would you need protection from Viren? Did he...did he try something? Is that why you're by yourself?"

Meher grew quiet.

"He did do something, didn't he?!" cried Preet. "I warned you not to go anywhere alone with him, but you never listen!"

"Well, I never expected him to do anything out of line," explained Meher. "I mean...even my parents thought he was a decent guy otherwise they wouldn't have permitted us to go out together."

"Koi ladka shareef nahin hota (There is no such thing as a decent guy) Meher!" said Preet. "They all want only one thing from a girl, and they'll lie, cheat, steal, and do anything to get it. It's why I never let Veera date anyone!" He balled one hand into a fist and slammed it into his other hand. "Just wait until I get my hands on the creep!"

"There's no need," said Meher. "I already taught him a lesson."

"You did?" Preet looked at her in surprise.

"Uh-huhn," Meher nodded. "Let's just say his jaw is going to ache for a while."

"I see," smiled Preet. He was about to ask Meher to let him drive her home, but then thought again. She had already refused once, and getting pushy with her right now may just backfire. He wasn't about to leave her alone here either...so...a little reverse psychology maybe? "I guess you really can take care of yourself Meher. And although it would make me feel a lot better, you've certainly made it clear that you don't need my help." He took a step back towards his car. "I'll be on my way then. Oh...uh...be sure to call me tomorrow and let me know what time you want to get together."

Meher's mouth fell open, as she watched him walk back to his car. Was he really going to leave her stranded out there...all alone...with no phone...no money...and no way to get home?! How could he? Whatever happened to male chivalry? "Preet!" she cried out.

"Huhn?" said Preet, only half turning around.

"Woh...uh...," stammered Meher. She suddenly felt like an idiot. After all, she had been the one protesting that she didn't need his help a short while ago.

"Hurry up Meher," Preet checked his watch. "It's getting late and I don't want Heer Bhabi to worry."

"Heer Didi...right...," Meher brightened up. "How is she?"

"She's pregnant," chuckled Preet. "Other than that...she's fine."

"Oh...well...give her my regards," said Meher.

"Sorry Meher," Preet shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" asked Meher.

"Because...if Heer Bhabi finds out that I left you out here rather than bringing you home safely, she'll kill me," explained Preet. "You see...me personally, I'm all for female independence and all...but Heer Bhabi...she's different. Preet! She'll say. How could you? Is that how I raised you to behave? The last thing I want is for her to be disappointed in me."

"Right...," sighed Meher. Preet was about to leave when she spoke up again. "Uh...Preet...perhaps I will take you up on your offer."

"My offer? What offer?" Preet asked innocently.

"You know...uh...," Meher bit her lower lip. "...to give me a ride home. I mean...I wouldn't want Heer Didi to worry...or to think less of you...right?"

"Right," smiled Preet. "That's really sweet of you Meher...uh...I mean...to think of us like that..."

Meher looked at him with narrowing eyes. She wasn't sure if he was pulling her leg or not, and at this point, she didn't really care. She just wanted to get home.

"Chalein?" Preet asked.

Meher nodded and followed him back to his car. Preet held the door open for her and she sat down quietly in the passenger seat, twiddling her thumbs, waiting for him to take his place next to her. As Preet sat down, he surprised her by suddenly leaning towards her.

"Wha...what are you doing?" stammered Meher, as she pressed herself against the window.

Preet rolled his eyes. Reaching past her head he pulled the seat belt out and showed her the buckle, before snapping it into place. "Oh," Meher exhaled a sigh of relief. "I forgot about that."

"Yeah...I guess your mind is otherwise occupied," remarked Preet. "Do you want to listen to some music?"

"No...I'm okay," she gave him a small smile, then focused on the drive ahead. In the dark, the trees lining the road looked like mysterious, frightening, shadowy figures. They drove in silence for a while before she spoke up again. "We sure are a long way from home, are't we?"

"I'm afraid so," said Preet. "We're all the way on the outskirts of town, that too on the west side. I came out here because the guy I was meeting lives nearby, but what possessed you to chose a restaurant so far from home?"

"I didn't. Viren did," sighed Meher. "He said it was a nice reclusive place, and I'd enjoy the long drive. It was nice when we came, but everything is just so dark now."

"Afraid of the dark are you?" teased Preet. "Girls usually are, you know."

"Maybe...I mean...just a little," admitted Meher. "Sort of like...you're afraid of...chipkalis."

"Uh...right," sighed Preet. "You still remember that?"

"How could I forget?" It was Meher's turn to laugh. "You standing on top of a rickety old chair while a little chipkali looked up at you."

"Little?! That thing was at least half a foot long!" argued Preet.

"Nevertheless," giggled Meher. "It was still a silly sight."

As she put her hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh, Preet caught a glimpse of her left hand. Her engagement ring was missing. "No ring? Does this mean what I think it means?" He asked hopefully.

Meher bit her lower lip. "Uh...how long did you say before we get home?" she dodged his question.

"You didn't answer my question," said Preet. "Did you break up with Viren?"

"I don't know," Meher said quietly.

"You don't know?" asked Preet. "What is that supposed to mean? Either you did or you didn't?"

"I mean, I'm not concerned about Viren, because I still haven't figured out what I'm going to tell my family," said Meher.

"What's there to tell?" Preet shrugged his shoulders. "The guy is a creep. I mean, talk about burning your own bridges. What was he thinking?"

"He was upset because you had called earlier," explained Meher. "And then you showed up at the restaurant..."

"...so he decided it was high time he prove to you that he's your fiance by coming on to you," Preet finished her sentence through gritted teeth. "Look Meher, just tell your family the truth. And if your dad doesn't take Viren to task, I swear I will. My fist has been itching to meet his jaw, ever since I laid eyes on him. The only good thing to come out of this is that he's finally out of the picture. But if your step-mother or Mrs. Rampal try to continue to push him on you I'll..."

"You'll what?" Meher asked quietly.

"I'll tell them the truth," Preet said determinedly. "That I'm madly in love with you and have every intention of marrying you."

"And what about your family...especially your father?" asked Meher. "He's still going to want you to marry Ashlesha."

"Not if we have something on the Rampals," smiled Preet.

"What do you mean?" asked Meher.

Preet was about to say something when the car suddenly lurched forward then began to lose speed.

"What's wrong?" Meher asked. "Why are you slowing down the car?"

"I'm not," said Preet. "It's doing it on its own. He quickly pulled over to the side of the road just as his car came to a complete stop. He took a flashlight out from the dashboard, then got out and checked under the bonnet. "Hmm...it's not overheated or anything." He came back and tried to start the car again, but nothing happened. "I know we're not out of gas. Maybe the timing belt broke."

"What are we going to do now?" asked Meher.

"I don't know. It's something a mechanic will have to fix." Preet looked around the deserted road and sighed. "But I doubt we'll find one at this time of night." He turned to Meher and smiled at her apologetically. "Sorry Cinderella, I'm afraid we'll have to walk."

Later...

Preet signaled to a lone car that was passing by, but the driver drove ahead ignoring him and Meher. "Crap!" cried Preet. "Shirafat ka toh zamana hi nahin raha (the age of decency seems to have disappeared), that's the 2^nd car that's refused to stop and help us."

"Maybe they didn't think it was safe," suggested Meher.

"What do we look like...criminals?" Preet asked in exasperation.

"No," sighed Meher. "But...I guess we'll just have to keep on walking."

"Maybe not," said Preet. There was a small light shining in the distance. "Come on." He took Meher's hand and pulled her along. They walked on until they came to a side street lined with a few shops with their shutters down.

"Everything is closed," Meher pointed out.

"Not everything," Preet shook his head and pointed to a lighted sign up ahead. It belonged to a small run down looking hotel.

"Hotel Decent," Meher said warily.

"I know it doesn't look like much, but we can rest here for the night," suggested Preet. "I can have a driver come pick us up and find a mechanic to repair the car...but not until morning."

Meher bit her lower lip nervously. Stay the night in a hotel with Preet Juneja. Why did that sound so wrong? She was going to have to explain about a lot more to her parents than just her break up with Viren.

"Come on Meher, what are you thinking about?" asked Preet. "There isn't much else we can do."

Moments later...

Preet and Meher stood in front of the empty reception desk of the hotel. Papers littered the desk. Preet picked one up. It was a menu for a local dhaba. Another one, a flier advertising a vacation to some exotic location, seemed so out of place.

"No one's here, let's go," urged Meher.

"Ek minute Meher," said Preet. He spotted a small bell on the desk and rang it several times.

"Aa raha hoon bhai (I'm coming man)! Aag kahan lagi hai (Where's the fire)?" A short fat man came out grumbling from the back. He rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly before looking Preet and Meher over carefully. "Han bhaiya bolo, kya chahiye (Yes, what do you want)?"

"We need a room for the night," explained Preet.

"Two rooms," Meher added quickly.

"I've got one room available," the man said flatly. "Take it or leave it."

"You mean all the other rooms are completely booked?" Meher said in surprise. "Who would want to stay here?"

The man looked at her slightly offended. "I'll have you know that this is a very nice hotel!" he said pointedly. "I've had to turn away 3 customers today. My sister and her relatives are staying here for a few days, so all the rooms are booked, except for one. Actually, there is a small room downstairs, but its toilet is backed up. The plumber is coming tomorrow, so it smells. I have one room left...and that too only because my sister's kids wanted to sleep with their parents. So...if you want it, you can have it."

"We'll take it," said Preet. He took out his wallet and handed the man his credit card.

"No plastic," the man shook his head, and returned the card. "Only real cash."

A short while later...

Meher looked around the simply furnished room. "I can't believe that man charged you so much for this dingy old room," she fumed. She ran her fingers along a coffee table and they immediately became covered with dust. "He should pay us for staying here."

"Yeah well, I'm too tired to argue with anyone right now," sighed Preet. He took off his blazer, plopped down on the bed and stretched his legs out. He saw Meher look around the room warily and sat up. "I'm sorry Meher. You must be tired too. I didn't mean to hog the bed. I just needed to straighten my back out for a minute." He picked up a pillow and headed towards the sofa. "You take the bed and I'll make myself comfortable here."

"Really Preet, the sofa?" said Meher. "You'll barely fit in it."

"Of course I will," insisted Preet. He tried to lay down on it, but it was clearly too small for his 6 foot frame. He tried to turn in an effort to get comfortable, but wound up falling down with a loud thud instead.

Meher laughed out loud at his antics. "You know Preet, I appreciate the gesture of chivalry, but honestly I don't mind sleeping on the sofa," she said.

"Nah...I couldn't ask you to do that," said Preet.

"You're not asking, I'm volunteering," said Meher.

"Are you sure?" asked Preet.

"Positive," smiled Meher. "There is something you can do for me however."

"Anything," said Preet.

"I hate to say this, but I'm starving," blushed Meher. "I know you paid for the food, but I didn't get to eat at the restaurant...so..."

"Say no more," smiled Preet. "There were some fliers for places to eat at the desk. I picked one up. Maybe the place delivers. Do you mind handing it to me? It's in my coat pocket."

"Sure," said Meher. She walked over to the bed and fished around in his coat pocket, and pulled out his wallet. The flier had become stuck inside it. She carefully pulled it out and handed it to Preet, then turned to put his wallet back, when something fell out of it. Meher looked back at Preet, but he was on the phone already. She shrugged her shoulders and bent down to pick up the small square package that had fallen out. Her mouth fell open when she saw what it was. A condom! What was it doing in Preet's wallet?! The words Preet had said to her earlier began to run through her mind. Koi ladka shreef nahin hota Meher! They all only want one thing from a girl! And they'd lie, cheat, steal...do anything to get it! Did that include Preet too? No! He wouldn't! Although...now that she thought about it...he had not shied away from kissing her whenever he could. And now he had her with him in a hotel room...alone! All of a sudden, neither Preet nor the hotel seemed very decent anymore.

"Meher," said Preet.

"Huhn?" Meher said startled.

"This place is about to close, but I managed to convince them to take our order," said Preet. "We can order something and then I'll go pick it up. It's right around the corner. What would you like?"

"Huhn?" Meher said blankly.

"I have the guy on hold," explained Preet. "What would you like?"

"N...N...Nothing," stammered Meher. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"Not hungry?" Preet said confused. He told the dhaba owner that he'd call him right back, then confronted Meher. "Okay, what's wrong now?" he asked her.

"Nothing," Meher took a step back from him. "Why do you think something is wrong?"

"Because you look very tensed and pale," said Preet. He looked past her at the bed. "Was there a bug in the bed or something?"

"No...there was no bug," Meher shook her head.

"Then what's wrong?" Preet asked. His voice was full of concern. He raised a hand to touch her cheek, but she only took another step away from him. "Meher...what's wrong?" he asked again.

"I...uh...I found...," stammered Meher.

"You found what?" asked Preet.

"I found this." Meher turned a crimson red as she held out the small packet for him to see. "It...it fell out...I mean...it was...it was in your wallet. What...what was it doing there? I mean...why...why do you have it?"

Preet's expression went from surprise, to embarrassment, to being some what amused. He knew he shouldn't laugh, but the sight of Meher demanding answers from him while flapping a condom before his face was too funny for him not to laugh at. A chuckle escaped his lips as he plucked the packet from her fingers and tucked it away in his pant pocket.

Meher's mouth fell open. "You...you think this is funny?! Is it really yours?" she demanded. "Do you even know what that's for?"

Preet pursed his lips together to control his smile. "Yes, it is mine," he admitted. "And...yes...I do know what it's for."

"Why? I mean, why do you have it with you?" demanded Meher.

"I don't know, force of habit I guess," Preet shrugged his shoulders.

"Force of habit!" cried Meher. "What kind of habit?! Just exactly what do you mean by that Preet Juneja?!"

"I mean, it's no big deal. I've been carrying one around ever since I was a teenager," explained Preet. "A lot of guys do...you know...ever since we get our big talk about...well you know...the birds and the bees. It's called playing it safe. You never know when you're going to get lucky..."

Meher folded her arms in front of her and looked at him with narrowing eyes.

"Uh...maybe that didn't sound right," said Preet. "What I meant was that a guy should always be prepared in case he needs to..." He was sure that didn't sound right either. He looked at Meher. She was eyeing him suspiciously. "Hold on a minute," he said. "You don't think that I was carrying that because I wanted to...that I brought you here so we could..."

"Koi ladka shareef nahin hota...they all want just one thing from a girl!" Meher threw his words back at him. "That's what you said, isn't it?"

"Yes, but...," tried Preet.

"You're a guy and I'm a girl, right?" said Meher. "Tumne kya socha (What did you think)...I broke it off with Viren...so now you can try your luck?!"

"Meher...I would never...," Preet tried again.

"I know very well what you would and wouldn't do Preet," Meher shot back. "You've shown me plenty of times. The only difference is that I never slapped you for hitting on me like I did Viren tonight."

Preet grabbed her by her arm, pulled her close to him and looked her squarely in the eyes. "Maybe you should ask yourself why Meher!" he fumed. "You've tried my patience numerous times Cinderella, but this one really takes the cake! How dare you put me in the same category as Viren?!" Shaking his head, he pushed her away, picked up his coat and headed towards the door.

"Where...where are you going?" said Meher.

"Out!" cried Preet. "I wouldn't want you spend the whole night staying awake wondering when I was going to jump on you!"

"But where will you go?" asked Meher.

"What's it to you?!" retorted Preet. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you get home alright in the morning. That's all you care about, right?"

Meher winced as he walked out of the room slamming the door behind him. Hai Rabba! What had she done?! How could she possibly think that Preet would ever do anything to hurt her? Stupid stupid stupid girl! She had to stop him and bring him back. She quickly headed out of the room, only to bump into the owner and a lady holding a crying child.

"Dekho na Bhai Saab, kitna shor macha rehe hain ye log (See how noisy they are brother)," she complained. "How are we supposed to get any sleep around here?"

"Young folks these days I tell you, they have no respect for others," grumbled the owner. "What happened? What's with all the shouting and door slamming?" he asked Meher. "Boyfriend se jhagda kiya ka (Did you have a fight with your boyfriend)?"

"No...I...uh...we," stammered Meher.

"I don't want to know," the owner held up his hand. "This is a family establishment. Hotel Decent. I never should have given you 2 a room in the first place. Give me the key and be on your way."

"But...where will we go at this time of the night?" said Meher.

"That's not my problem," said the owner.

"But...we paid...," tried Meher.

"No! No refunds," said the owner. "You've caused enough trouble." He turned to his sister. "Come, I'll help you put the kids back to sleep."

Meher walked out of the hotel and onto the darkened street. The wind was blowing and it had gotten decidedly cooler. She wrapped the ends of her sweater tightly against herself. She had to find Preet. But how? And where should she look? Maybe he went back to the car. That was a long walk away, and in which direction, she wasn't entirely sure.

Later...

Meher checked her watch. She had been walking aimlessly for over an hour, and the only thing she was certain of was that she was lost. She squinted and covered her eyes with her hand as the wind blew leaves and dust around her. A loud slamming sound made her jump startled. It was coming from a dilapidated old building. The wind was making the door open and shut repeatedly. Meher was sure she wasn't going to find anything in the dark. It wasn't ideal, but perhaps she could seek shelter in the abandoned building. She quickly crossed the street and went to the building. As she walked through the door her dupatta got caught on a nail jutting out from door-post. "Ugh!" She cried out in disgust as she tugged at her dupatta to get it loose. In her haste, she only wound up tearing it.

Once inside, she shut the door behind her, then looked around for a source of light. To her relief, she found a kerosene lamp and some matches. Taking care not to waste any matches, she lit the lamp, then proceeded to shut the windows to keep the wind out. The soft glow from the lamp made surrounding visible, but they were nothing much to look at. A broken table, 2 rickety old chairs, a small cot with a broken leg, and a very worn out blanket. Meher backed up against the wall then slid down onto the floor. Lonliness swelled up inside her. She wrapped her arms around herself, and put her head down onto her knees, as a single teardrop ran down her cheek. Suddenly she looked up. Did she just hear a noise?! It sounded like footsteps on the wooden porch outside. She sat deathly still with her ears perked up. There it was again. Someone was outside! She was sure of it. Had someone followed her? She quickly blew out the lamp. Maybe if she remained absolutely quiet they would go away.

Meher held her breath as she heard the door creak open, followed by footsteps and a flash of light. Someone was walking around inside! The last thing she wanted was to become another nightly news story. She looked around frantically for something to defend herself. Remembering the cot with the broken leg, she slowly inched towards it and grabbed hold of the piece of wood. At that very moment, the footsteps quickened in her direction as well. "Aaa!" she screamed. With the wooden leg raised above her head, she ran towards her would be attacker.

"Aaa!" cried Preet as the flashlight on his phone struck Meher in the eyes making her stop. "Oh my God, it's you! Have you gone nuts?! What were you trying to do...kill me or something?!"

"Preet!" Meher cried out in relief. She dropped her weapon, ran up to him, and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh thank God it's you! You have no idea how scared I was! The hotel owner said we made too much noise and couldn't stay there anymore...and I didn't know where you went...and I tried to find you...and then I got lost...and..."

Preet didn't say anything. He only looked down at her quietly as he peeled her arms away from his neck and stepped away. Just then the light from his phone blacked out. "Great!" he mumbled to himself. "This thing had to die out on me now of all times."

"Don't worry," said Meher. She looked around and found the kerosene lamp. "We can use this." She quickly lit the kerosene lamp, held it up for Preet to see and smiled, but he turned his face away. Meher put the lamp down on the table and walked towards him. "Preet...look...about what I said earlier...I'm really sorr..."

"Na-ha," Preet held up his hand to stop her. "Keep your distance."

"What?" Meher said in surprise.

"You heard me, keep your distance," replied Preet. "You never know...I may just lose control and hit on you. After all we've kissed before...no wait...let me correct myself...I've kissed you...you never kissed me back...right?"

She had. Meher opened her mouth to say something, when he stopped her again.

"In fact, I'm a cad...a beast...a ruffian. I can't be trusted," continued Preet. "I think we should use this...this table as a line of demarcation." He pulled the table on which she had set the lamp to the center of the room. "You stay on that side of the room, and I'll stay on this side. You'll be safer that way."

"Preet...," sighed Meher.

"And...here," Preet said gruffly, as he placed a paper bag on the table.

"What's this?" asked Meher.

"You said you were hungry, right?" said Preet. "They're rolls. It's all I could find."

Meher felt awful. "Thanks," she whispered.

Preet didn't reply. He walked over to the cot dusted out and inspected the blanket, then came back and placed it on the table. "There's only one blanket. You can have it."

Double awful. Meher watched in silence as he cleared a spot for himself on the floor, took off his coat, folded it, placed it under his head like a pillow, and turned his back to her.

Later...

Meher looked towards the window and frowned. The wind was howling loudly outside, and the tattered old blanket wasn't doing much to help her from the night cold. She turned and stared at Preet's sleeping form. Hmph! Granted he was upset with her, but she had tried to apologize and he hadn't even had the decency to hear her out! And just look at how peacefully he was sleeping now! She slowly tip-toed over to where he lay. A creak in floor-boards made him stir in his sleep. He had warned her to stay away from him, but she didn't care. She was cold and scared and she didn't care if she woke him. She quietly crawled up to next to him, placed the blanket over them, so that they could share it, then lay down positioning her body to fit his. Moments later, she felt his arm curl around her protectively and sighed warming to his touch. Feeling safe, she finally fell asleep.

Early next morning...

Preet's eyes fluttered open as the first rays of sunshine seeped through the cracks in the window shutters and struck his eyes. He tried to shield his eyes with his hand, but his arm was pinned under something. His eyes widened in surprise when he found Meher lying curled up next to him. Judging from the lack of feeling in his arm, he knew she had used it as a pillow all night long. He slowly flexed his hand open and closed several times to get the circulation moving again, then laid back down with his head propped on one elbow and gazed at Meher's sleeping face. She looked so innocent, like an angel. Thick dark lashes brushed against her fair skin, and her long silky brown hair lay spread out framing her beautiful face. Ah! Those wisps of hair that were always falling into her eyes. Preet gently pushed them back brushing her rosy cheeks with his fingertips as he tucked them behind her ears.

Meher stirred in her sleep but only to snuggle up closer to him. He gently ran his hand through her hair. As he pulled it away, a single curl wrapped around his finger and clung to it. Preet smiled. This is how he wanted to spend every single morning of the rest of his life...waking up next to Meher.