Chai's Teahouse (Creative Writings House) - Page 4

great update!

i just loved the way heer is soo posessive about her car....poor prem...........and he had to turn up everytime she needs some help.......great this is going to be interesting....................do continue soon..........do pm me when u update next...........this raj seems to be a nice guy........hope heer could get over him without much of a gulit trip if he had some kind of nasty past...u know what i mean right.........wonder what must hav happened before between them..........

Great loved it! I wonder what happened between them! :)

thanks for the PM! :)

awesome update
wow loved perm heer scenes
it does feel like that he is stalking her even if he is its still sweet
but i think heer should give him chance to explain
thanks for the pm
update soon 😊

absolutely love it! Continue soon 😊

Originally posted by: sweetanu2314

i just loved the way heer is soo posessive about her car....poor prem...........and he had to turn up everytime she needs some help.......great this is going to be interesting....................do continue soon..........do pm me when u update next...........this raj seems to be a nice guy........hope heer could get over him without much of a gulit trip if he had some kind of nasty past...u know what i mean right.........wonder what must hav happened before between them..........

You've been added to the PM list! 😊

Hi Everyone!

I have to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone that Commented and/or Hit the Like Button! Means a whole lot to me. I really wasn't sure if anyone out there was interested in this shot but I'm going to keep going because of you guys 🤗

I have to say there's a lot going on in Part 3 and I hope I was able to express the relationship and interaction in a more realistic way that relationships tend to occur. There are never simple and always filled with emotional complications.

Part 3: The First of Many

Heer stood in the middle of Prem's living room feeling cold, wet, and very awkward. Because of the heavy rain some of the roads across town had flooded and the tow truck couldn't come and pick up the car until the next morning. Heer had no choice but to move the car onto the side of the road and come back to Prem's house to dry off.

"Sorry, I don't know if these will fit you. Um, if you want to take a shower there's the guest bathroom up on the second floor...up the stairs follow the banister to the right...two doors down," Prem said as he came down the stairs and handed Heer a towel and a set of clothes.

Heer nodded and proceeded to go up the stairs when she heard him sneeze. "You should probably take a shower too Prem," she said with her back turned towards him.

He smiled at her concern. "I will in a few minutes."

After a refreshingly warm shower Heer came back down the stairs carrying her wet towel and clothes. She walked into the living room and following the sounds that she heard turned towards the kitchen. Prem was wearing a red t-shirt and black track pants. He turned around upon hearing her enter the room. He smiled at how dwarfed she looked wearing his gray sweater and blue-green plaid pajama pants. "Hey, I was just making some tea. You find the shower okay?"

Heer nodded and asked, "Where do I put these?"

"Over there...down to your left there's a door that leads to the laundry room," Prem instructed.

Heer placed her clothes in the washer and started her load and then head back to the kitchen. It was a small but nice sized kitchen with the modern amenities; granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. There was a shelf on the far end of the room that was filled with all sorts of cook books. Prem always had a thing for cooking and it didn't surprise her at all. She wasn't a super talented cook but she was good enough and could make a decent meal. Heer was sort of forced into it; making meals out of necessity. She had to eat to survive and the instant ramen noodles she use to eat in college where not cutting it anymore. "It's going to be a few more minutes before the tea is done. Feel free to look around," Prem invited noticing how Heer was wandering around the kitchen.

Heer took his invitation and began exploring the rest of the house. The dining room was just outside of the kitchen. There was a buffet on the corner wall by the kitchen entrance. A modern silver chandelier hung over a simple rectangular wooden table that sat eight. And the only thing that separated the dining room from the living room was some low leveled cubed shelving units. Heer made her way into the living room and smirked at the big flat panel screen TV. There was no doubt in her mind what it was for; his Monday night football games. As she traced her eyes around the room noting the furniture and other decorations Heer sensed that there was something missing. Everything was so masculine like a single bachelor was living there and not a couple. Even the rooms upstairs that she had briefly glanced into felt very masculine. She wandered over to one of the windows in the living room and stared at the falling rain. Her eyes followed the rainy streaks of water as it dripped downward on the glass pane and was drawn back into another memory of her time with Prem.

It had been a clear afternoon that day in the park. They were walking hand in hand down the walkway when she saw an ice cream vendor selling all sorts of icy goodies. Prem had chuckled at her excitement as they walked over and bought two popsicles. She had taken a cherry flavored one while he had an orange flavored one. They continued walking and talking about various things and by the time they had finished eating, it suddenly started raining. They rushed to the nearest thing, a tree to seek some shelter. It really wasn't much of a shelter as the rain simply fell through the leaves and dripped onto them. Heer remembered how Prem had placed his hands over her head in a feeble attempt to keep her dry. She had smiled at his gesture and tried doing the same for him with the same unsuccessful result. They both looked at each other and started giggling over their silliness and the situation they were in. Then just like that, it suddenly happened; their first kiss, a mingling of cherry and orange. Prem Juneja had taken Heer Maan's first kiss. She wasn't a prude or anything it was just she never really thought of dating that much and her parents where always on her case about school, so she had no choice but to stick her head in the books. It wasn't until college was she finally able to let loose and have some fun. She had fallen for Prem at first sight and he became her first love.

Heer placed her fingertips to her lips as the odd sensation of cherry and orange rushed through her taste buds. She blinked refocusing her orientation and slowly backed away from the window. She wanted all these memories of hers to stop but like that night at Rue55 they had found new life again and were refusing to disappear. Heer glanced over at the side table by the door and saw an open file box filled with all sorts of mementos and other items. She saw a picture of Roshni and Prem at some party together. Prem was in a tuxedo and his arm was around Roshni who was in a beautiful red dress. They both had champagne glasses in their hands toasting towards the camera. Heer then noticed on the side of the box in big bold letters 'Return to Roshni'. She stared at it trying to process everything in her mind of what she had seen at Rue55 and what Prem had been trying to tell her. She was utterly confused. Heer turned around when she heard the kettle go off in the kitchen.

"Tea's done," Prem yelled. Heer quickly sat down on the couch and grabbed a magazine. "You still take lemon and honey?" he asked as he set the serving tray down. "It's chamomile tea. I thought it would be pretty good for a day like today."

"Um, yeah I do," Heer replied a bit awed that he still remembered how she took her tea.

"I checked the weather forecast early and they say the rains not going to let up until the morning. We're in for some pretty rough weather tonight," Prem said. Heer gently held the mug in her hand and sipped the hot liquid letting it warm her. She tired paying attention to what Prem was saying but her eyes kept darting back to the box by the door. "Heer?" Prem called.

"Huh?" she responded looking startled.

"Are you wondering about the box?" Prem asked.

"What box?" Heer replied trying to play it off like she didn't know what he was talking about.

"The box by the door...the only one you keep looking at," he answered. Prem waited for her to say something and when she didn't he continued, "Roshni and I broke up."

"Broke up?" she repeated. "You mean divorce."

"I would need to be married to get a divorce," Prem replied. "We broke up..."

Heer sat there stunned wondering if this was some sort of trick he was trying to pull on her. She was heartbroken when she found out he had moved on so quickly after their break up. He had announced his own engagement with Roshni at one of the Indian Student Associations. "But the engagement..." she mumbled. She shook her head, "This is some lie, isn't it?"

"Why would I lie about this?" Prem asked. "I'm telling you the truth, Heer. I was forced into a lot of things I didn't want to do like the engage---" Prem never got to finish his sentence as the lights suddenly went out and a thunderous bang rumbled the house. Heer jumped scared out of her wits. She didn't mind the rain but when it came to thunder she was petrified. Couple that with lightning strikes and a house without lights she was beside herself with jitters. She latched onto Prem forgetting her mistrust. "Still afraid, huh?" Prem whispered.

"Shut up," Heer said holding onto him again as another loud thunder strike roared from above.

"I'll go get some candles," Prem said. "Heer, you are going to have to let me go if I'm going to get those candles...don't worry I'll be back. Just sit here on the couch." Heer reluctantly let go and sat in the dark scanning with her eyes trying to see if she could see anything but the blackness. She sat there for what seemed like ages and wondered when Prem was going to return. She heard some creaking noises that scared her up off the couch. She bumbled along the living room floor aimlessly spreading her arms out trying to find her way around the room. She shrieked when something suddenly brushed up against her leg. Heer ran frantically as she heard things bang and fall around her. There was then the appearance of a wild light that appeared to be chasing her which caused her to scream and shout even more. She was finally stopped dead in her tracks by a warm embrace. "Heer, calm down, it's me," Prem commanded as he shone the flashlight across his face.

"Don't leave me," she mumbled.

"I'm not going to leave you," Prem replied trying not to laugh. "But I do need to light some of the candles I found in the basement. The box is in the kitchen. Why don't you come with me?"

Heer nodded and continued to cling to Prem. She glanced up and spotted the glint of something shiny hanging around his neck. It was the gold fox chain she had gotten him for his birthday. She was surprised to see him still wearing it. When they had broken up he had sent over a box of all the love tokens and other things they had shared to her apartment. She was angry and depressed when she received it. She was angry because he didn't have the courage to meet her face to face and give the things back but depressed because it really sent the message that they were really over. She remembered seeing the black velvet gift box as one of the items he had returned but then again she never bothered to open and check inside to see if the chain was there. She remembered crying herself sleep that night causing her best girl friends to come over the next morning and throw the memento box out for her. They told her it was good thing because she could now get on with her life. They were over and there was no need to keep their memories especially after the way everything had ended. "You still have it?" Heer heard herself say out loud.

Prem looked at her not sure what she meant, "Still have what?"

"The chain..." Heer explained.

"Of course you gave it to me didn't you? I never take it off," he replied.

Heer felt uncomfortable and let go of his arm. How could he still hold onto their old memories when he had so coldly shut her out? It didn't make any sense to her. Prem didn't sense anything out of the ordinary and opened the box of candles on the kitchen counter. He handed her a couple and then lit one in the kitchen. They then proceeded to go around the house lighting candles to erase some of the darkness inside the house.

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The wind howled merciless as the rain hailed down outside the bungalow. The electricity had been off for a good thirty minutes and would most likely be off for another few hours because of the stormy weather. Heer lit the last candle in the living room and smiled as the soft glow of candlelight illuminated the room. Prem came quietly down the stairs spooking the crap out of Heer as she jumped at his sudden presence behind her. He couldn't help but laugh causing her to grab the nearest cushion to hit him. There was bright flash of lightening and then a thunderous applause that rattled the house. Prem was amused at how quickly Heer changed her demeanor as she dropped the cushion and clung onto him again.

Prem didn't mind the contact. Despite her anger which he knew was rightly justified by the way he had treated her towards the end of their relationship, he still felt a connection with her. He knew he was wrong for saying some of the things he had said to her. But truth be told they really were at the opposite ends of life; she was just starting to understand the world around her and he was already out in the real world holding down real responsibilities like a career, bills, and debt. However, he realized too late how much her innocence and exuberance for life meant to him. He admitted that he had been taking things far too serious and should have lightened up.

He tried moving on with Roshni much to his mother's demands. He somehow managed to carve out some sort of relationship with her but he always knew something was missing. It just wasn't the same. He couldn't feel that spark when he was with her the way he had felt it when he was with Heer. He often wondered during his sleepless nights as he sat in the stillness of his room was love enough to make a relationship work? He knew he had loved Heer but it just seemed that they had so many problems during their time together and somehow their difference in age seemed to be the reason. Five years really wasn't much of a difference but because they were both at difference places in their lives at the time they met those five years seemed to have compounded their issues. If only they had meet later in their lives then perhaps things would have been different.

Prem realized that night when he ran into Heer at Rue55 that it was sign, a second chance to regain what he had lost. He still loved her. And even though the night ended on a sour note he somehow had faith that he would find her and meet her again. He had to show her how much she really meant to him and make up for all the hurt that he had caused her.

Prem glanced down with a soft grin as Heer clutched his shoulder with a petrified look while the thunder continued to rail outside. He couldn't help but allow his eyes to linger against the curve of her face, her nose, her almond shaped eyes, her pink lips, and her silky hair. He wanted nothing more than to be able to run his fingers through her hair again and feel it brush pass his face. Without thinking what he was doing he gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear; his fingertips brushing ever so lightly against her skin. The touch was making his heart ache.

Heer glanced up stunned at what transpired. She was annoyed at herself for not trying to stop him but as she stood there her eyes slowly locked into Prem's warm chocolate ones and it was as if time suddenly stood still for her. The love she used to see in them was now shining brightly back at her. Her head was telling her to flee but her body wasn't registering the command because Prem was gently caressing her cheek as if testing to see how far he could go. She saw him inch his face closer to hers and she managed to murmur, "Don't hurt me again like this."

"I still love you. And I'm not going to go anywhere this time I promise," he whispered. Heer was about to pull away but was stopped by his kiss. He held onto her while she clenched her fists against his chest. Heer knew this was wrong. There were so many lingering questions in her head. How was Prem forced to get engaged? Who could have forced him? The only person that came to Heer's head was his mother. She knew his mother never really liked her much and had made it blatantly cleared to her. Was it possible she might have had a hand in their breakup? But Prem had been so cold to her and barely batted an eye when he announced his engagement to her; no explanations where offered, no remorse, nothing. But if Prem really was so indifferent to their relationship why did he still wear her gift? Heer didn't know what do believe but she knew she needed to break away from Prem before things got out of hand.

However, the heat of their bodies being so close together again after such a long time and the force of Prem's advances made Heer crumble. He always had that ability to make her go weak in the knees with his kisses. The passion, fire, and command that Prem displayed when he wanted something was something she found herself wishing Raj would show when he was with her. It wasn't that they didn't have intimate kissing and cuddling sessions. It was that Raj always seemed reserved but she knew why because he was saving himself for marriage. And he assumed she was doing the same partly by her own misleading lies and insecurities of the truth.

Heer didn't know how they managed go up the stairs without falling over one another and hurting each other but they did. Prem had her pinned up against the wall outside of his bedroom as he continued his heated advances. Heer felt a longing that she never felt before but she knew that she would regret this if she let it go any further. Had she known all those years ago the way that things would turn out she probably wouldn't have allowed it to occur. He had been her first love, taken her first kiss, and had taken the most precious thing she could ever offer. She wasn't that naive to think he had no clue. He was older than her and was far more experienced in relationships and that night he showed her just how much. At the time she loved him and for her it wasn't so much what she was giving up but what she was gaining; his love in every form imaginable; his heart, mind, body, and soul.

Heer felt the soft sturdiness of the bed underneath her and she knew she had lost. The craving for his touch had won and she was now a willing victim. She felt like she was flying with each kiss Prem gave her. Her hands roamed over his back and lifted the bottom of his shirt upwards so she could touch his bare skin. If she was going to do this then she was going to do this right she thought to herself. Prem momentarily paused to throw off his shirt to allow her access and then went back to her lips. Each time they touched it was like static and it spread an unnerving hunger in both of them. The weather outside echoed the same torrid and stormy emotions that were happening in the bedroom until the wee hours of the morning.

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Heer flipped over onto her stomach and hugged her pillow enjoying the softness it provided as her hair cascade down her bare shoulder. Then ever so slowly her eyelids cracked upon to the daylight and she smiled. But when she scanned the room and realized where she was; she panicked. Heer sat up and covered herself with the crisp white sheets of the bed and glanced to her left only to find an empty space. Did he just leave me after he had his fun? Heer wondered bitterly. "I'm such an idiot," she mumbled to herself as she got off the bed wrapping the white bed sheet around her. She searched the floor and found the clothes that had been so carelessly tossed the night before had been cleaned up. She made her way towards the bathroom and saw her real clothes clean, dried, and neatly folded for her on the dresser. She grabbed them and went into the bathroom to quickly change and clean herself up before heading out of the house.

Several minutes later Heer headed down the stairs and into the living room to search for her purse so she could leave. She was stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Prem come walking out of the kitchen carrying two plates. He was wearing a black tank top and red and white athletic basketball shorts. "Morning!" he greeted. "I made omelets...there's also some toast and fresh brewed coffee." Heer looked at him not sure what to do. "At least eat something Heer," he instructed.

She felt her legs automatically walk towards the dining table and her body sit down. Prem smiled and continued bringing things out of the kitchen to set the table. Heer was feeling extremely uncomfortable and wondered how Prem was able to act like nothing had happened between them. He started talking about the weather and all the power outages that apparently occurred during the storm and other trivial things. Prem's behavior was starting to irritate Heer and when he finally sat down she pushed her untouched plate aside indicating she wasn't hungry. Prem gave her a skeptical eye and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not hungry," she answered.

Prem cut into his omelet with his fork and said, "Oh, I don't know I think you're going to regret not eating it."

She looked at him as he ate and folded her arms. "Regret?" she finally said.

"I don't regret anything that happened last night," Prem replied putting down his fork. He really was hoping not to have such a heavy handed conversation until after breakfast was over. He hated talking on an empty stomach and she knew that. "I meant every word I said last night." Heer searched through her memory banks trying to recall what words he had said. There had been so many sweet whispers and love promises in her ear that it was hard to keep track. "I love you," Prem continued.

"You love me?" Heer repeated. "If you really loved me would you have done what you did?"

"I know you have a lot of questions," Prem replied.

"Oh, you bet I have a lot of questions. How could you do that to me Prem? Announce your engagement a week after we broke up? And send all our stuff back to me through the mail! You didn't have the courage to give to me in person? Or did you just not care?" Heer said.

"I admit I wasn't handling any of this maturely. I shouldn't have said those things to you that day. I let others make me believe that it was for the best for us to end the relationship. That's why I didn't talk to you." Prem explained.

"You let others tell you if we should have been together?" Heer asked. "I trusted you Prem when you told me you loved me and you wouldn't leave me. I gave you everything...shared every first with you and you just left."

Extreme guilt seeped into his body and he lowered his gaze. He knew he had taken a lot from her. She had shared many of her first experiences with him from the trivial ones like her first taste of wine to the more intimate ones. "I was stupid for listening to them," he replied. "You were right about me...I wasn't giving you enough of my time. I had my priorities all upside down...I didn't know how to balance my personal life with my career...and in the end I paid a heavy price for letting you go."

"Paid a heavy price? You got in engaged with Roshni!" Heer shouted. "One week you dumped a girl and then next week you gained a fiance!"

"I never wanted to get engage with her. My mother forced me into it when she found out I was having second thoughts over our breakup. She was threatening me that if I didn't she would disown me," Prem said heatedly. "Do you know what that was like to have your own mother say she would never call you her son again?" Heer's mouth dropped open in shock. She knew his mother disliked her but this behavior was bordering on hatred. And she never did a thing to the woman. "You know she's the only thing I have after Dad died. I had to make a choice and I chose her over you. I hated myself for doing that. Sure Roshni and I were engaged but I shut down. I was so ashamed of myself for doing that I couldn't face you. But I never sent those things back to you. Roshni did that. I was so pissed when I found out but somehow I thought it was maybe the right thing to do...to have you hate me as much as I hated myself for my own actions and hurting you so much. That's why I asked for a transfer at work and moved out of town. I was barely living just a shadow of myself...just going through the motions. But when I saw you again that night at Rue55 it was like a sign and I couldn't help myself. I want you back. I want to prove to you that I can do this the right way...if you just give me a chance. I swear I'll make this work."

Heer sat there processing everything he had just said; the truth of everything that had transpired but she didn't know if she could believe him. He had hurt her so much that it was hard for her to completely trust what he was telling her. She would need more time to see if she could even begin to forgive him. Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by Heer's cell phone. She glanced around the room surprised that it was ringing because it had died last night. "I charged it," Prem said answering her thoughts. "I have the same Blackberry model as you." Prem went into the kitchen where his cell phone charger was and came back with her phone. "It's Raj," he simply stated.

Heer's eyes widen and she felt a wave of guilt crash into her. Raj, how could she have forgotten about Raj? He had now become an unwitting player in this strange triangle that was forming. She stared at the ringing phone on the table unable to answer it. She looked on in relief when the flashing screen and ringtone finally stopped. The phone beeped once indicating she had a voicemail message and then turned silent.

"You probably should call him back. He's probably wondering where you are," Prem said. Heer looked at him wondering why he was even giving her that advice. "I'm not telling you to tell him what happened last night. That's up to you. Look, I don't want to pressure you into anything."

"You didn't want to pressure me into anything?" Heer repeated sarcastically. "And last night was..."

"Last night was last night. I'm not asking you to choose right this second. I'll wait," Prem replied. "I'll wait for however long it takes. I'll always be here." They both turned their heads as the Blackberry went off again. "You going to answer that?" Prem asked.

Heer sighed and decided to bite the bullet and answer the phone. "Hello?" she hesitantly greeted. She heard the franticness in Raj's voice wondering where she was and why it took her this long to answer her phone. "Sorry, my phone died last night and Bessie broke down. No, no I'm okay. Um, I ran into an old friend...stayed at the friend's house cause of the storm. The tow guy is coming to tow it away today. No, it's okay I have my friend...I'll call you later when I'm done, okay? Bye." She hung up the phone and saw that Prem was back to eating his breakfast again. She couldn't understand how he could be acting so calm about everything. She frowned and got up from the dining table only to have Prem command her to sit back down. "I'm not hungry," she protested.

"Yes, you are now sit down before it gets colder than it already is," Prem said.

"How do you know I'm hungry? I'm not---" Heer stopped in mid sentence when her stomach gurgled loudly. Prem gave a confident smile knowing he was right. Feeling embarrassed Heer sat back down and quietly ate her food.

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---Grace

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