Destined by Chance

Chapter 23

The party was in full swing even though dinner had been served about an hour ago. And Simi was having a blast. She had never felt better. After all she was in love.

When they had arrived she had felt nervous again and she had tightened her hold on Neil's arm. All he had done was place his other hand over hers and squeezed lightly to reassure her. But she needn't have worried. Some of the most well dressed women had turned to look her way. She had seen calculative assessment of how she looked. At first she had felt exposed but then she had seen envy. They were envious. Of her. She hadn't been able to stop herself from gasping as her brain had decoded the blatant appraisals she had received. And it had thrilled her. Some of them were absolutely gorgeous. Oh boy. She had never received so much attention before. She had even seen admiration in some of the men's eyes and she had stepped closer to Neil. When she had looked up at him she had found his eyes enquiring if she was okay. So she had whispered her doubts and he had laughed. After they had given their suite number to the staff they had been asked to step up for a photograph. And as they had stood under the lights Neil had gently placed his arm about her shoulder and she had placed her arm about his waist. There was nothing wrong in how they stood. The rightness of the whole thing staggered her.

But it didn't end there. As they were about to enter the hall they were made to stand under a mistletoe. And the tradition was to kiss the person you stood with. It had become awkward. Her heart had hammered in her chest. But she knew they were supposed to be a honeymoon couple and as everyone watched with a smile on their faces they will just have to put on the act. She had looked up at Neil and seen the worry in his eyes too. But he had smiled at her and she had felt assured. She was surprised when he had kissed her on the lips. It wasn't much. Just a quick brush. She had expected him to give her a peck on the cheek. Never mind that. They would have gone ahead only the crowd wasn't satisfied.

The men had cheered for Neil to kiss his new bride properly. And the women had laughed. She had turned red. But it had seemed they weren't going anywhere till Neil kissed her properly. Well, even if he did she didn't know how to kiss. And she had cursed. Something she never did. Not loudly of course. Neil had slowly turned her to face him and then framed her face with his hands. The warmth she had seen in his eyes had settled her nerves a bit. She had been mesmerized with the swirling green depths of his eyes. The changing green and gold color made her forget everything. As he had lowered his head she had felt her eyes close. His sharp fragrance wrapped itself around her making the sounds around her seem distant and dull. She felt safe. Protected. Cherished.

As his lips met hers a second time in a span of seconds Simi felt her world tilt. It was the kind of kiss that was meant for the girl the guy loved. His lips had moved over hers coaxing hers to open a bit and she did as her instincts told her. It was sweet and exciting at the same time. Her first proper kiss. Ever. Given to her by the man she was falling in love with. A memory she would always savor. A memory she so wanted to repeat itself. As Neil had moved away she had felt reality intrude. The cheers had grown louder and the hoots turned shrilly. Her legs had turned jelly and she would have fallen if Neil hadn't placed his arm around her waist to anchor her. Had he known? She wasn't sure. But she had trusted him and they had walked into the crowd who were then cheering for the next couple.

Surprisingly for Simi the kiss wasn't the only memory to savor. It was followed by dance. And she had found Neil was an expert dancer. She had never learnt western dances though she was familiar with the folk dance of Punjab. But Neil had twirled her around as if she had been dancing forever. The beats had kept them going. And as the evening had lengthened there had been couple of slow dances too. She had been so close to Neil. She had felt his hard planes all the way through her dress. The strength in his arms held her effortlessly. As she had laid her head on his chest and heard the steady rhythm of his heart she had closed her eyes and fell deeper in love. She couldn't help herself. The ambience, the music, the lights, everything was the perfect setting for a very romantic evening. And then the man himself. It couldn't have been any other way with her.

The feeling of rightness engulfed her again. As if she had come home. And she wanted it to last forever. After that dance got over everyone was asked to wear the Santa cap. There were games for the adults to play. And Simi and Neil had jointly won at least one of them. And then the dinner was served promptly at nine. While some had settled down on tables and were enjoying their dinners some still were busy dancing.

Neil had excused himself a little while ago. So, Simi sat alone on her table for two with a wine glass in her hand. Before Neil had left, he had made sure she was comfortable. Where had he gone? She wondered. She hoped he would return soon. And then a small worry took over. What if he felt burdened by her? He had said he didn't want anyone to disturb him while he was here. And she had done nothing but that. And as her worry grew, she heard other doubts cloud her mind. What if he hadn't liked kissing her? Of course it had been forced but still...and what if he hadn't wanted to dance with her? What if he thought she had deliberately brought him here? That she was trying something fast on him? Oh God. No, he couldn't think that. She had never done anything like that in her life. In all the twenty eight years she hadn't kissed another person. She gulped her wine in pure nervousness. Was that why he had left her here alone? Was he even coming back? Why was she thinking so negative? He must have had some work. Or he might have gone to the bathroom. It hadn't been all that long. But where she was hopelessly in love with him, how did he feel about her? Now that was a worry worth thinking over. And she did.

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