Destined by Chance

Chapter 24

Was she drunk? Again?

No. She just seemed a bit too happy, was all. Neil shook his head as he eyed the three empty wine glasses on the table. Wine wasn't big on alcohol but it did have the potential to make anyone tipsy if taken a bit too much.

He had been gone for all of twenty minutes. He had needed to clear his head. Or was it his heart? The whole bloody evening seemed to be designed for working against him. First, Miss Mouse had to come out dressed like a vision. Second, her fragrance had to tease his senses. Third, her constant shift between nervousness and confidence was making him loose his mind. One second she was sure next she was unsure. Fourth, the bloody kiss. What was it to anyone how he kissed his wife? Err, fake wife. He had brushed his lips across hers and all because they were pretending to be husband and wife and standing under a mistletoe. Dammit. But no, amongst so many people and with all the cheers and hoots he had had no choice.

As Simi had looked nervously at him he had understood her fears. The big eyes had overshadowed every reason and logic that had told him to not do it. Her innocence had undone his reasoning. Those beautiful lips he had wanted to taste last night had beckoned him. And he hadn't been able to resist. So, he had framed her face with his hands. He had seen the trust in those eyes. She trusted him. And he had felt the pull strengthening its grasp on him. She had closed her eyes a second before their lips had met a second time. Neil wasn't the kind of person who let his emotions rule his head. Neither was he the kind of person who dissected every emotional act. But he had been given no choice this time. The instant he had kissed her, properly, he had been hooked. Her taste had been so pure he had felt humbled.

It was her first kiss and she hadn't lied about it so he wanted it to be perfect for her. She had been so sweet his heart had doubled in its beat. Her innocence had shaken him to his core. Instead of moving away he had coaxed her lips to part and she had done exactly as he had asked without him wording it. It was a miracle his knees hadn't buckled beneath him. Her response had been shy, warm and sensuous. When he had moved away from her he had felt disappointed. His heart craved for more. But his head had told him to move away. He had felt her sway a little and his arm had automatically anchored her to him.

He had felt possessiveness sweep over him, something that had bothered him a lot. She wasn't his. Neither his girlfriend nor his wife. He had no business feeling the way he had. And then the dances. It had been fun with the fast tunes but pure torture with the slow ones. With her so close to him where he could feel every movement of her body....well, it was torture. Was it because of how she looked tonight? But that wasn't true. Because he had felt the same pull last night when he had helped her out of that tub. She hadn't looked the same last night.

So, what was it? And all the questions he had asked himself came back to the fore. Each demanding an answer. Answers he didn't have. Or he didn't want to admit to, a mocking voice had said inside his head. Her smiles, her laughter, her soothing voice, her beautiful eyes were driving him crazy and he had felt the need to get some much needed air in his lungs and maybe his brain too. So once the dinner was served he had settled her at one of the tables with a glass of wine and left.

Since it was heavily outside he couldn't go through the exit door, so he had gone out of the hall into the lobby for a few minutes. Several people thronged the place. It was Christmas eve and everyone was having fun. Singing. Laughing. Eating. Enjoying. And Neil had smiled. Christmas was a wonderful time of the year and one he usually spent alone in his apartment...working. It had been so long since he had taken a break during the holidays. Maybe Robbie was right. He had needed a break from his hectic routine to view certain things he had been missing in life.

He had stood in front of a store seeing nothing in particular. He would have wished to be alone to sort out all he had been feeling since Miss Mouse made an entry day before yesterday in his life. But he was glad he wasn't alone. What was it about that chit of a girl that drew him to her? Was it her passion towards what she did? She had told him this morning that she hadn't decided to be a teacher for lack of anything else to do. She had specialized in working with children with special needs because she believed she could make a difference to their lives. His respect for her had gone up a notch when he had heard that. Unfortunately, her family didn't see it that way. Neither did a lot of other people. She had been rejected because of her choice of career and still she continued with it.

In a country where people could switch professions anytime they wanted she was sticking to her choices. It wasn't a well-paying job but it was satisfying, she had told him. And he had admired her for it. Was it her smile then? The way it transformed her whole face. Or was it the thrill of discovering something new about her every time they talked? He had been intrigued by her since the beginning. Or was it her gentleness? He didn't know. All he could conclude in that fifteen minute talk to himself was that she was a very different person. An amazing human being. Any guy who would marry her would be a very lucky man. The last sentence though had made him frown. He couldn't be falling for her? So why the thought of another man and her made him see red?

He had shaken his head. That was when his eyes had fallen on that beautiful azure pendant nestled against a silver chain in a white box. Christmas eve? Gifts for family and friends under a tree? He had already sent gifts out to people who were close to him including his parents. But he hadn't bought anything for his new friend. The one he had kissed a couple of hours ago. The one he couldn't get out of his head. The one he was worried wouldn't leave his heart alone either. She was fast becoming more than just a friend. For now, the pendant had his full attention. It was a beautiful piece and it reminded him of the lake they had seen yesterday from top of the hill. The sparkling blue water nestled between the white snowy slopes. It would suit her too. Just something to remember him by. And he walked into the store and bought it for her getting it wrapped too. He was bad at wrapping gifts. By the time he had made it back he had realized Miss Mouse had been very active.

With three wine glasses downed already and on the floor with a stranger. Oh boy. Neil shook his head and walked towards where she danced with a man Neil felt like punching. To get his wife back. It never occurred to him to apply the word 'fake' this time.

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