a known stranger

Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

 It was two weeks of torture after leaving Darien. The sadness in his eyes will haunt her when she had chosen to leave.  She was sitting with Sheila at an Indian Fair that was showcasing all things Indian by the local non-governmental association. The group of people was a mix of Indians from different countries. She even caught sight of one of her Uni mate whom she used to share study notes with. He was with a man dressed in ochre robes, she vaguely remembered her friend explaining to her, when she asked him about a picture she saw that he kept with him all the time. The man looked so serene and was humming and speaking to VJ and were walking towards her table. The man was VJ’s and the association’s patron and founder. He was a monk from India. He had stopped and looked at her with kindly eyes. Ashley did not know why, but she just burst into tears, at that compassionate glance the man had looked into her eyes. VJ, drew out his handkerchief, and passed it to her, while introducing her to his “Swamiji” the name he referred to his spiritual guide. Swamiji, looked at her and sat down opposite her.  He spoke softly. “Why do you torment yourself so? You have found your soul mate, and have let your fears cloud your judgment. Your experience with him may have been less than acceptable, but it has happened, and it brought you together, because it was meant to be. Have faith that God loves you and would not allow you to be unhappy. We always have a choice to be happy, but we choose to make ourselves miserable.”

She was stunned and could not do anything but to gape at him. Sheila poked her in the ribs, she moved. He smiled at her and said “Don’t worry; any decision you make will always be the right one for you. Trust yourself; love yourself enough to give him a chance.” He patted her hand, and got up and walked away.  She turned away from Sheila and VJ, to surreptiously wipe her eyes, and she saw him. Darien was sitting at a table on the other side. He looked at her, she got up from her chair, she moved towards him. They met in the middle, he held her tightly. She lifted her head to kiss him, he lowered his to kiss her. He took her hand and led her out of the place. Ashley had barely turned to wave at Sheila, signaling she will call her later. Sheila just waved her off, giving her the thumbs up sign for good luck. Darien did not say anything, he led her to the car, put her in, and strapped the safety belt for her. He got into the car and strapped himself in. Gunning the engine, he left the parking area. They did not say anything. She did not bother to see where they were going, she was feasting her eyes on his profile. The play of his muscles as the legs played with the break and oil pedals, his arms stretched taut holding the wheel in his wonderful knowing and gentle hands.

The car came to a halt, he was getting out and coming to get. She realized that they were parked in a garage, he helped her out of the car.

“Darien,…I’m sorry, Oh God, I missed you, …”she started, He cut off the rest of her sentence by pulling her close and kissing her. There were no preliminaries this time, no gentle teasing. Instead he claimed her, thrusting into her mouth and taking what he wanted. He continued walking leading her through a corridor, and then they were in a sitting room.

Had someone described such a kiss to Ashley, she would have sworn she would hate it, but in reality, she found herself eager to surrender. The act of being taken by a man who knew exactly what he was doing was a short road to pleasure. Blood heated, her thighs trembled, and soon she found herself forgetting about everything but the need to be close to him as possible.

At last he drew back and rested his hands on her shoulders. “What were you saying?” he asked.

“I haven’t got a clue.” She looked at him dazedly. He made love to her just like the first time, and kept waking her up through out the night to make love to her again and again.