A Twist of Fate (Slow Updates)

8

Ananya woke the next morning feeling exuberant and happy. Realizing that it was 8.15 am she jumped out the bed and looked out the window into her balcony. She opened the door and stepped out in the still weak but nonetheless warm sunlight. The day was a reflection of her exuberant mood. It was bright and sunny. Ananya spotted butterflies near the bed of narcissus flowers and could hear the calls of the langoors. It looked like they were back in the vicinity, Ananya thought, as the branches started swaying and suddenly there was uproar in the thicket. The parrots and maynahs flew around and Ananya spotted a pair of bulbuls on the nearby tree.

Ananya yawned and stretched. Aside from the constant flight of the butterflies in her stomach at the sight of Vikram, this place was just the kind of holiday that she had been craving. She stole a sneaking glace at the adjoining door. Vikram's room door was closed. Ananya realized that she had been holding her breath, now she didn't know whether she had wanted to see his open door and peak a look inside his room or she was glad that it was shut and she could enjoy her peace out alone on the balcony. She shrugged and stepped back into her room.

Ananya picked up her day clothes and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and take a bath. After brushing her teeth, Ananya tired her hair in a shabby bun because her hair were too short now to be tied neatly atop her head and she started removing her nightclothes. She looked at herself in her mirror and removed her nightshirt when the door opened and Vikram entered the bathroom. "Oh" Vikram uttered incredulously and stopped short, his hand still on the door handle and his eyes on her. Ananya was standing with her right side towards him and they stared at each other for two seconds, both too zapped to do anything. A part of Ananya instinctively knew when his eyes turned from surprise to desire, though it all happened in a nanosecond, Ananya felt the change in his eyes and it burned her body. Ananya quickly pulled her discarded shirt to her chest but before Ananya could vocally protest about his desire-laden wandering eyes, which took in her creamy neck, shoulders and maybe even the underside of her right breast, Vikram shut the door again.

"Sorry! Didn't know you were in there!" he called as Ananya distinctly heard his footsteps going down the stairs.

"Jesus!!" Ananya murmured to herself as she quickly locked the door after him. With the shirt still pressed against her chest, she took a deep breath. "Jesus!!" she muttered again. It was so embarrassing to been seen by Vikram in a state of partial undress. 'OH GOD!' She thought, 'how could I have not checked the latch on the door?!'

She quickly stepped into the shower and later changed into her day clothes and purposely made her mind think about all the chores that lay ahead, not wanting to think about the way he was looking at her and what his look had done to her. The spark that his eyes ignited in her body and the awareness that settled in her shoulders, her legs and her core was enough to burn her with attraction.

Ananya sighed. She really couldn't hide all day in the bathroom. She stepped out and went downstairs. Ananya was feeling a little shy about going in front of Vikram after this episode but Vikram locked himself up in the t.v. room. She made some tea and called her father from the landline.

"About time! How are you?" Her father said.

"I am good and it's a pretty house." She replied. She told him about the house, the children and the scenery. She told him that she got along fine with the 'Uncle' and that they stayed out of each other's way. By the time she finished her conversation with her father, the kids were up and Ananya became involved in the events of the day.

After breakfast, which Vikram had shouted from the t.v room to say he'd already had, Ananya cleaned the kitchen and cleaned the kid's room while they colored their coloring books. She decided against clearing Vikram"s room but curiosity killed the cat and she decided to take a quick peek into the room. She stood near the staircase to check where he was and quietly opened his room door when she realized that he was still (safely) in the t.v. room. She opened the door and took a sweeping look inside. To her pleasant surprise the room was spick and span. The bed was neatly made, the shoes were lined up properly and the dressing table was spotless and clear of any lotions or combs. There was no dirty laundry or socks in sight. 'He's a neat freak!' Ananya thought grudgingly as she shut the door and couldn't help but compared it to her room, which much to her embarrassment needed a little order and setting to put it mildly.