Happy Birthday, Shika! 🤗27. Prelude
I inhaled deeply with my eyes closed. The wind blew my open hair away from my face and ruffled the long skirt I was wearing. The sun was high in the sky and I was standing on the deck of the cruise, leaning against the railings. It was the third day of our trip and even though I had enjoyed the previous two days more than I could imagine, standing here at the deck against the railing in solitude and enjoying the view of the endless ocean in front of me was an unmatchable experience in its own.
It was past noon. Our group had dispersed after breakfast, pretty much like the previous day. Ayush and Anaya had taken all the children to the small play area, Raya and Raunaq were wandering somewhere, making the most of their holiday, Ranbir and Zara had headed to the casino for some games, having been relieved of Ameerah's responsibility for a while, Mrs. Khurana was socialising with a few women she had met at the restaurant yesterday, and I did not know where Maan as well as Vyan were.
I thought about Vyan. He was a person I could have a good time with anywhere, be it while working on a project or dining at a restaurant. He made things all the more enjoyable with his charisma. I smiled as I remembered the whole day I had spent with him, especially the ball. Not only did he act gentlemanly, but he also kept the situation light and happy.
Vyan's personality, his attitude towards me reminded me of the Maan I had known seven years back. Known and cared for. He was the kind who would go to any extent for the people he loved, who would not leave the side of his loved ones for a time longer than necessary. Where had that Maan gone? Was he still alive in the handsome and agile Maan, who I had not seen around his family during breakfast?
"Nice breeze out here, isn't it?" I turned my head to my right and saw him take a final step and lean against the railing, facing me.
"Think of the devil and the devil appears!" I murmured to myself. He looked unexplainably attractive in the khaki pants and the white button-down shirt he was wearing which fit his well-built torso.
"Yes it is." I tore my eyes away from him and looked back at the expanse of waters in front of me. I could feel his eyes on my face.
"How come you're alone? Where's that boyfriend of yours?" I whirled to him with wide eyes and a confused face.
"Who?" His eyebrows shot up at my expression.
"The one you were with at the club the other night, and the one you were dancing with at the ball last night." Although he kept his stance as well as face very callous, I saw his eyes were not clear. There was something I could not name. I was seeing things, I concluded as I gave myself a mental shake. There was nothing in his eyes.
"You mean Vyan. He must be somewhere. I'm not his spy to know where he is." I purposely left out correcting him about Vyan being my boyfriend. He puckered his lips. I could see that he was amused for some reason and before he could say anything, I turned the topic to him.
"Where's your girlfriend, by the way? You two didn't seem to leave each other's side for long."
Without replying, he did something unexpected. With one smooth movement, he trapped me against the railing with his body towering over me. I gasped at the sudden closeness and instinctively leaned back against the railing even as both his hands clutched mine in them over the railing. I could hear my heart hammering loudly at the intense gaze fixed on my face.
"Do I smell something burning?" His breath fanned my face as he spoke. It took me a minute more to comprehend what he had said and as I did, I quickly regained control of myself and acted cool.
"Jealous and me? Huh!" I rolled my eyes. "I'm just worried about my safety, you see."
He cocked an eyebrow in question.
"You see, if she sees you here with me, I'm sure she's going to want to burn holes in me with those cat-eyes of hers." I pretended to shudder, which elicited a throaty laugh from him.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of that." I could see a glint of mischief in his eyes. "By the way, don't you think we're doing it the wrong way?"
"What?" I asked in confusion.
"The Jack and Rose thing, you know. Rose is supposed to be facing the ocean and not staring at Jack."
I blinked as it dawned on me what he was referring to. We were indeed on the deck of a sailing cruise, standing against the railing but there was the difference that he had pointed out. Flustered for a moment, I quickly thought of a comeback.
"Nope, we're not doing it the wrong way because we aren't doing it at all. I am no Rose and you certainly aren't Jack either." I looked him up and down, which amused him, making him chuckle as he pulled back and leaned against the railing beside me.
"You're right." I saw his eyes wander around the deck before coming back to me. "So since you don't want to be burned down if my girlfriend sees me here, I better go find myself some fun activity." With a salute of two fingers and a half-smirk on his lips, he pushed himself off the railing and walked towards the far end of the deck. My eyes followed his leisurely gait as he joined the group of people dancing at the corner, and immediately grabbed the attention of a few girls.
As he danced with the girls buzzing around him, he turned to me. The smirk was still there, only more pronounced. I stared at him in disbelief until he winked at me. Shaking my head at him, I pushed myself off the railing and headed to the opposite end, where I had just seen Raya and Raunaq sitting down.
The rest of the third day was mostly spent around Raya and Anaya, with their husbands and Vyan occasionally joining us before disappearing for some guy time. It felt wonderful to see Anaya's twins warming up to me as they played around us.
The fourth and the last day was dedicated to scouring the mall of the cruise. We had all come to shop together, even Maan and his girlfriend. Once inside the mall, the group dispersed yet my constant companions were Vyan and my R & R. A couple of times, I ran into Maan and couldn't help but smile in response to the mischievous one he passed me. The thought that Maan and I could get along without any bitterness between us was making me feel even happier than I was.
Vyan did not like to shop, I discovered and I could not stop laughing at the faces he made whenever we entered a new shop. I told him many a times to go find himself an occupation but he persisted and stayed with us, citing the excuse of it being the last day of our holiday.
"Why don't you buy some gifts for your family, then?" I suggested when he refused to go away once again. "Might as well utilise your time fruitfully if you so want to stay!"
"Good idea." He grimaced and I laughed. "But the problem is, I suck at shopping! I can't pick anything for them."
"I'll help you." I volunteered. "You just tell me a little bit about every member of your family and I'll help you choose something for them."
He was relieved with the suggestion and we went around shops to pick gifts for his family.
At the end of the fourth day, when the cruise docked back to the port, we were all smiling and refreshed. I thanked Vyan, for he was the one who had initiated the idea of such a vacation. Even as we all parted and went our own ways, I could not stop smiling because I felt so happy. It had been a vacation I would never forget, and it reenergised me to dive back into work once the week ended.
**If you wish to understand Geet a little bit more, I recommend you to give this oneshot a read.Thanks for this, Shika! 🤗
Edited by mayyo - 10 years ago
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