King of Dreams
by
Harry N Down
The morning finds me feeling quite refreshed.
Sitting on the bed my thoughts turn to what today will bring. Chetna is due to arrive at ten am. I look over to the clock. Seven am, there is plenty of time.
Showered but not dressed I clean up the room. Not that it is untidy, it gives me something to do while waiting.
Finally, I make up my mind to put some clothes on. A pair of shorts and a loose fitting cotton shirt seem to be quite appropriate. The weather here is not cold at all and it can get extremely uncomfortable when the humidity kicks in.
The knock at the door startles me. I open it.
Chetna is standing there. “You’re early! Come on in.”
She walks in slowly. She looks around the room. “Nice to finally meet you Steve.”
Chetna is wearing faded blue jeans that hug her body. Her blouse is a light green. Her black hair is plaited its length reaches down to her backside. Her dark skin looks smooth. Her eyes, those are dark. They do not seem to have colour. There is something hauntingly beautiful about them.
Chetna slips off her sandals at the door.
I must have looked stupid just standing there with the door open.
Shaking my head as if clearing my thoughts, I close the door.
“Would you like a drink?” I ask.
“That would be nice. Thank you.” Chetna walks around the room.
“Please, Chetna go on. Have a look around. The toilet is through there.” I say pointing the way.
“Oh! Chetna. It is good to see you too.” Her head turns towards me and she smiles.
Two glasses. Half fill with crushed ice. Pour in orange juice. Allow enough room for half a bottle of bitter lemon. I pass one over to Chetna. Her eyes seem fixed on me as I add a slug of vodka to my drink.
She says nothing. We head out to the balcony.
The balcony for my room is always in the shade, no matter what time of day it is. It also catches all the breezes that Delhi has to offer. Believe me, although cooling, they are not always pleasant. Today we have a pleasant breeze.
When you meet someone for the first time conversations tend to be somewhat awkward. That is until something happens to break the ice. I normally would not have trouble striking up said conversation, but in this case I am, feeling lost for words. I just want my eyes to soak in what I see.
There is a special beauty about her. Something other than physical. She is not wearing makeup. There are assorted rings on her fingers. She sips her drink and sits back. That smile comes to her face again. It is very sensual and appealing.
“How was your flight?” Chetna breaks the ice.
“Oh good thanks.”
From there we start talking. I tell her about our trip so far. I speak of the things that I have seen so far. I mention Shallini. The young girl from the restaurant.
“You’ll meet her tomorrow. Lovely girl.”
“Oh! I have something for you.” I place my glass down and rush inside. Rummaging through my bag, I find what I am looking for.
I hand it to her. She opens it. “Steve, it is beautiful.” Taking it out of the box, she holds it up. A gold chain with an deep blue in a heart shape surrounded by tiny diamonds. Handing me the chain she pulls her hair back. My hands tremble as I place it around her neck. It takes me a long time to get it hooked up. The chain is a little bit too long and the heart slips from view beneath her blouse.
“I’ll get it shortened.” I tell her.
“No Steve. It is fine the way it is.”
Our conversations continue until brunch arrives.
Seafood and salad. A variety of things I know and some I do not. Chetna chats away while we eat and I listen. There was too much food for the two of us but we managed to eat most of what was on offer.
“Another drink?” I ask as I move the plates to the sink. Chetna helps tidy up. Together we wash and dry the dishes. I make the drinks the same as before. The kitchen is small we bump into each other. It is then that we kiss. Gently at first but then with such passion. Our hands searching out each other’s bodies. We stop suddenly.
We look at each other. She touches my face. I hold her close and kiss her softly. I let her go and smile.
“Here’s your drink.” I hand it to her.
“We have some time to kill before we head off.” I tell Chetna.
“Where will we go?”
“Akshardham, about five this afternoon. I thought we might see the musical fountains” I try to sound nonchalant.
“Always the romantic.” Chetna sits next to me. I put my arm around her. She rests her head against my chest.
We spend the rest of the afternoon talking and listening to music. I get her to slow dance with me.
The phone rings. Kapil is here to take us out.
We spend the evening holding hands, arms entwined, as we enjoy the sites and sounds of Akshardham. We visit a market and I share an ice cream with Chetna. Before long, the night is over and I call Kapil. He picks us up and we head off to Chetna’s home.
“I’ll wait here Steve.” Kapil winks at me.
I take Chetna to her door and thank her for a wonderful evening.
“It is I who should be thanking you.” She smiles.
To be continued ..........
Sitting on the bed my thoughts turn to what today will bring. Chetna is due to arrive at ten am. I look over to the clock. Seven am, there is plenty of time.
Showered but not dressed I clean up the room. Not that it is untidy, it gives me something to do while waiting.
Finally, I make up my mind to put some clothes on. A pair of shorts and a loose fitting cotton shirt seem to be quite appropriate. The weather here is not cold at all and it can get extremely uncomfortable when the humidity kicks in.
The knock at the door startles me. I open it.
Chetna is standing there. “You’re early! Come on in.”
She walks in slowly. She looks around the room. “Nice to finally meet you Steve.”
Chetna is wearing faded blue jeans that hug her body. Her blouse is a light green. Her black hair is plaited its length reaches down to her backside. Her dark skin looks smooth. Her eyes, those are dark. They do not seem to have colour. There is something hauntingly beautiful about them.
Chetna slips off her sandals at the door.
I must have looked stupid just standing there with the door open.
Shaking my head as if clearing my thoughts, I close the door.
“Would you like a drink?” I ask.
“That would be nice. Thank you.” Chetna walks around the room.
“Please, Chetna go on. Have a look around. The toilet is through there.” I say pointing the way.
“Oh! Chetna. It is good to see you too.” Her head turns towards me and she smiles.
Two glasses. Half fill with crushed ice. Pour in orange juice. Allow enough room for half a bottle of bitter lemon. I pass one over to Chetna. Her eyes seem fixed on me as I add a slug of vodka to my drink.
She says nothing. We head out to the balcony.
The balcony for my room is always in the shade, no matter what time of day it is. It also catches all the breezes that Delhi has to offer. Believe me, although cooling, they are not always pleasant. Today we have a pleasant breeze.
When you meet someone for the first time conversations tend to be somewhat awkward. That is until something happens to break the ice. I normally would not have trouble striking up said conversation, but in this case I am, feeling lost for words. I just want my eyes to soak in what I see.
There is a special beauty about her. Something other than physical. She is not wearing makeup. There are assorted rings on her fingers. She sips her drink and sits back. That smile comes to her face again. It is very sensual and appealing.
“How was your flight?” Chetna breaks the ice.
“Oh good thanks.”
From there we start talking. I tell her about our trip so far. I speak of the things that I have seen so far. I mention Shallini. The young girl from the restaurant.
“You’ll meet her tomorrow. Lovely girl.”
I hand it to her. She opens it. “Steve, it is beautiful.” Taking it out of the box, she holds it up. A gold chain with an deep blue in a heart shape surrounded by tiny diamonds. Handing me the chain she pulls her hair back. My hands tremble as I place it around her neck. It takes me a long time to get it hooked up. The chain is a little bit too long and the heart slips from view beneath her blouse.
“I’ll get it shortened.” I tell her.
“No Steve. It is fine the way it is.”
Our conversations continue until brunch arrives.
Seafood and salad. A variety of things I know and some I do not. Chetna chats away while we eat and I listen. There was too much food for the two of us but we managed to eat most of what was on offer.
“Another drink?” I ask as I move the plates to the sink. Chetna helps tidy up. Together we wash and dry the dishes. I make the drinks the same as before. The kitchen is small we bump into each other. It is then that we kiss. Gently at first but then with such passion. Our hands searching out each other’s bodies. We stop suddenly.
We look at each other. She touches my face. I hold her close and kiss her softly. I let her go and smile.
“Here’s your drink.” I hand it to her.
“We have some time to kill before we head off.” I tell Chetna.
“Where will we go?”
“Akshardham, about five this afternoon. I thought we might see the musical fountains” I try to sound nonchalant.
“Always the romantic.” Chetna sits next to me. I put my arm around her. She rests her head against my chest.
We spend the rest of the afternoon talking and listening to music. I get her to slow dance with me.
The phone rings. Kapil is here to take us out.
We spend the evening holding hands, arms entwined, as we enjoy the sites and sounds of Akshardham. We visit a market and I share an ice cream with Chetna. Before long, the night is over and I call Kapil. He picks us up and we head off to Chetna’s home.
“I’ll wait here Steve.” Kapil winks at me.
I take Chetna to her door and thank her for a wonderful evening.
“It is I who should be thanking you.” She smiles.
To be continued ..........
The
2 comments:
Continuing good story. I appreciate the first person point of view.
Good stuff xxxx
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