BAREFOOTED

Chapter 10

Nikhil's mother was nothing like what she had imagined. For starters, she looked younger, her tall lean form was dressed smartly in a formal pair of trousers and a flouncy shirt. As she opened the door to her son, her brown eyes lit up then narrowed when they settled on Megha who was one step behind him. 

Stepping back to let them in, her eyes stayed on Megha. She had salt and pepper hair, worn in a fashionable blunt below diamond-studded ears and her lightly lined biscuit colored face was free of make-up.

"Megha, it's so nice to finally meet you," she offered an outstretched hand and Megha clasped it lightly.

Walking towards the sofas hesitantly, Megha threw Nihkil a questioning look before smiling politely, "A pleasure to meet you too."

"Nikky darling, I've made some fresh coffee and tea, why don't you bring out that tray I laid for us here, hmm?" She smiled as he obliged and tapped a finger on the coffee table to indicate where she wanted the cups placed.

Megha watched as Nikhil bent forward to pick a cup, "Tea for you Ma?"

"Yes darling, thank you."

"Coffee Megha?" he turned to her, a mischievous glint in his eyes, as he held out a cup for her, letting their fingers connect faintly as she extended her hands. Her heart skated in its cage and she bit into her lip self-consciously. Damn. Did he have to touch her? She glared at him through under her lashes till his mother's voice sounded close by.

"Nikky was just tellings me that you design shoes?"

She was leaning forward, her eyes intense as they traveled from Megha's delicately sandaled feet to her neatly blow-dried hair, tied high on her head. Megha was wearing a pair of green colored capris and a white cotton shirt belted at her waist.

Her dimples appeared to distract the older woman when she replied, "Yes, I make handmade shoes for women."

The brown eyes ran from her feet back to her face, "Nice. Like what you're wearing?"

"Er...no...these are off the rack."

"Oh," the slight disappointment in her voice had Megha offer to make her a pair.

"Only if you'd like one," added Megha, sipping on her coffee while throwing a glance at Nikhil who was busy with his phone.

"I prefer to pick my shoes when I travel abroad," murmured his mother in a dismissive tone, "I find the quality is so much better."

Megha gestured towards her feet. "Oh, nothing beats handcrafted shoes, of that I'm certain," she assured in a firm but friendly voice.

The older woman was silent for a moment, her sharp eyes focused on Megha's face while Nikhil continued to stare into his phone.

"So tell me....how long have you both known each other?"

Nikhil looked up, exasperation on his face, "Mom?"

She ignored him with a wave of her hand and continued to look at the younger woman sitting stiffly beside her, "Well, it's a simple question. Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"Mom!" her son's shout echoed across the room and Megha felt incredibly nervous watching Nikhil jump up and move to park himself on the seat next to her.

His mother gestured a hand at Megha, a smile playing on her lips as her son threw a careless arm across the back of the sofa, "Oh...I simply wondered if she knew why I'm actually here and if she'd be uncomfortable about it, hmm?"

Megha turned from Nikhil to his mother, confusion evident on her face, "Am I missing something here?"

"I hope not. I've been nagging Nikky here with a marriage proposal. Seeing you're such good friends, maybe you can make him understand that he needs to settle down. I mean, how long can you stay single, right?"