Rehaana - part 9 - The Mojito

Rehaana - the beginning

Rehaana - part 2 - the twilight

Rehaana - part 3 - the phone call

Rehaana - part 4 - the first period

Rehaana - part 5 - the dreamer waits

Rehaana - part 6 - the homecoming

Rehaana - part 7 - Popcorn Confessions

Rehaana - part 8 - Buon giorno Principessa

She cooked the dinner that night. She had debated between exquisite conti and simple Indian. While she was biased in favor of conti her instinct told her Indian would be better appreciated that night. She made aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower), matar pulao (boiled rice with green peas) and kheera raita (beaten curd wuth cucumber)

He had gone out to catch up with some work friends over tennis. As he entered the house, the waft of fresh dhaniya caught his attention and like a dog following a bone he headed for the kitchen. There she was, her back towards him, at the small, round, kitchen table, reading a book, her feet up on the table while the gobi simmered in its own juices.

He didn't realize that he was just standing there...

"So you practising to be a stalker now"

"Weren't you supposed to not have eyes at the back of your head"

"I don't, but when the aroma of the kitchen suddenly turns to sweaty, it becomes hard to ignore"

"Yeah, I better go take a shower...you cook nice btw, I can tell by the aroma"

She smiled...

At the dinner table...

"So what's happening in Rehaana's world?"

"Her grandparents are transfering her to the School's Delhi branch, her teachers say that she's very bright and she should get more facilities that they don't have here"

"How will her grandparents manage, how will the little kiddo manage"

He could sense the tension in her voice, he could see the lines on her forehead, her breath going shallow and fast.

"Shhhh" he tried to calm her down...."Its ok, she's a wildflower, its emotionally a trying time for all of them, but also an exciting time, she's actually looking forward to it"

Something about his voice reassured her, she felt uneasy, there was something about him that controlled her, something she wanted to revolt against, something that made her feel comfortable

They again ended up texting that night, but he conked out by 12, he had to leave for work by 7 in the morning and he needed his sleep.

In the morning when she woke up, she found the coffee maker already ready, all she had to do was press the pour button. The coffee was slightly weaker than she liked, but she was still smiling. They spoke on phone during the day, but she didn't bring up the coffee thing.

The next morning when he woke up he found a note at the coffee machine, "exactly two measures of the grounded beans, please". He smiled.

that day didn't go well for her though, she didn't call, she didn't reply to his sms. She was one who got the tension bug very easily. He wished he could do something to help her, her being uneasy made him very uneasy, very uneasy.

He reached back at 9:30, he had a long day of meetings and post meeting documentation and then the gym. She was still not back. "Busy?" he texted, "Still at office" she texted back.

He took to the apron and tossed up some pasta, desi style with lots of garlic, lots of black pepper. He didnt like pasta in cream base much, he was the tomato base guy. He debated between wine based cocktails and something stronger. Not wine he thought, not today. A few mint leaves,a few slices of lemon, a little bit of sugar later, half a Pitcher of Mojito was ready (the next day was working, more than half, would make work very very fun, too fun perhaps :P )

She came home all tired, all burnt up. She just shrug off her laptop from her shoulder and plopped down on the couch. She didn't even have the strength to say hi. He handed her a glass of mojito. She didn't sip, ladylike, she gulped gulped down the concotion. It was only after the third gulp she took a breather.

"This is nice" she said "Thanks". He smiled

"My feet are killing me" she said taking of her four inch black peep toe pumps.

"And I can imagine why, but they are a beautiful pair"

"Yes, ain't they so pretty" like a little girl adoring her dolls

"May I" he asked

She was hesitant, and confused. This guy kept coming up with things at such a pace that scared her.

He could sense her hesitancy, Its like befriending a new dog. You've got to let it sniff you so you extend the back of your palm towards it, but no sudden actions or it will bite. So he slowly bent down and lifted her leg onto his lap. The first touch of his fingers onto the sole of her foot and she almost let out a moan. Slowly he worked her sole using his finger ends to press on the pressure points, using the base of his palm to knead her tired muscles.

She sat back and enjoyed the pampering. His massage and the fine mojito got her back into her chirpy flirty mode. "You are getting yourself into a very dicey area, you maybe called upon to fulfill this duty again"

"With pleasure" he replied in a very easy tone

"Oh really, you sure, i may not be in a chirpy mode everytime, it could be in public, my feet could be sweaty"

He pressed his thumb into her pressure point

"aaaaaahhhh" she went

"so you were saying"

"let go, let go , i swear i'll kill you"

"you were saying"

"nothing nothing, let go"

he eased the pressure of and she felt like a wave of peace had come over her, man was he good

"It will be a pleasure" he said pouring her and himself another round of mojito

She just looked at him..."you ready for dinner?"

"Dinner?"

"Yes I tossed up some light pasta"

"I feel like a princess now" she gushed

"you are one"