Temptations

Ri loved morning air, the slight chill that burned its way through your nostrils, the crisp sunshine that was just warm enough to chase away the remaining waves of sleepiness. She would usually throw the French doors of her balcony open to the morning breeze, some randomly picked jazz music vibrating off the royal blue walls of her room. The same she did, as soon as she woke up, the following morning. It was hardly seven o’ clock, and she knew soon a hardly woken up Jai would come complaining , scratching his tousled hair, asking her to – shut – that – damn- thing- off!

It was one of their morning rituals. Most of the times, the two would be left to their own devices in that large house they were supposed to call home. At this hour, Ri did not feel the need to put on her usual act of indifference, nor did the sinking feeling being caged hover over her then. She felt oddly calm, more like herself than at any other time. The jazz kept the sounds of servants downstairs and the distant sounds of traffic subdued. She leaned against the balcony, her arms folded against the wrought iron fence. She closed her eyes, feeling the sun against her cheeks and breathing a lung full of clean air.

Peace...at last!

She opened her eyes slowly, hoping to catch a glimpse of sunrise reflected in the pool water below, instead her eyes found their way towards another pair of eyes, watching her frozen in a mild expression of curiosity from the poolside. Ri did not move for one full minute, and she regretted it for the entire day.

Omkara Singh Oberoi was standing there, his eyes fixed upon hers. There was something about his eyes, Ri thought reluctantly, they were dark, not in the evil sense but in a way that suggested they were full of secrets. She could not judge their exact color from her vintage point, the sun painted them a deep rich brown. His lashes were long, the kind that shadowed his cheeks. The long hair that he usually kept tied, was let loose, curls of thick black, framed his face. He was – at the lack of any other word – beautiful. She pondered for a moment what made her watch him, that man commanded attention. He had a certain dark aura around him, yet a delicate purity that lit him from within. She could not understand what it was, that drew her in, in spite of the danger that she sensed, something about him struck a code within her.

He watched her for a long while, brows frowned and face blank. It seemed as if he was trying to understand her, solve her like she was some difficult math problem. As soon as it came, the blissful moment of oblivion was gone. She recalled the harsh words from the night before, recalled that the man was a judgmental saint, and then she remembered her mission. She was going to teach him a very good lesson. Ri took a step back, her eyes still holding that strange gaze, shook her head and went inside, leaving a bewildered Omkara behind.

Time, it was important in everything; even when you’re spinning a web around someone. Soon, Ri marched out to the pool side, a bottle of water clutched in her hand, yoga mat tucked under her arm and headphones clasped over her ears. She was always aware of herself and the effect she had on others. It was not everyday, Ri used her charms, usually she never needed to beg for attention, but when the time comes she did know where to start. Dressed in navy blue ankle tight leggings and a purple sports bra, she had gathered her hair at the top of her head, tied away safely with a hair band. Only a handful of strands had escaped the knot, framing her face from the sides. She did not even look at the man working across the pool from where she settled her mat, but his profile never left her peripheral vision.

She faced the sun, seemingly uncaring about the pleasant hues the light brought on her skin, and performed a perfect Surya Namaskar. Her movements were graceful, the straps of light playing across her exposed skin, the soft material of the leggings hugging her legs like a second skin.

Omkara was still determinedly working, his eyes not even once wavering from the screen of his laptop.

Ri breathed through her lips, releasing what was more like a disguised snort and moved to a different position. Breathing, her attention was fully focused there, not on the saint across the pool, or the pleasurable ways in which she would like him to drown and die in the still pool water. Her skin now glittered with sweat, beads of which gathered on her frowned brows. But not even once her positions faltered, or not once did she lose her balance.

He was still working, now glancing between his phone and laptop, and propping open a file every now and then.

It continued for a while, both ignoring each other. Until Ri had absolutely had enough stretching and she was feeling short of breath. Not one of admit defeat so easily, she got up, fuming, retied her hair and sipped from her bottle in a calculative silence. He was still looking religiously at the laptop.

“Huh!” She could not help but utter. The heat of the day was clearly messing with her temper and Ri felt murderous.

This was not done. Ri thought to herself. Gauri Kumari Sharma knew how to keep her temper in control, no saint was going to change that. She unclasped the water bottle and emptied the remaining content over her head, letting the icy sensation pour down her over – heated skin. From her peripheral vision she caught the sight of Omkara getting up, but before she could rejoice of anything, he fixed the Bluetooth on his ear and left, throwing a casual short glance at her.

“Shivaay, I was waiting for your call.”

Ri threw her bottle, which rattled on the floor as she stomped away narrowly missing an on – coming Jai and knocking him to the ground.

“Gauri! Hey Gauri!” Jai called after her, watching her march up the stairs with a bemused expression. “Yeah well, good morning to you too!” he muttered to himself, after hearing her door slamming with a murderous ‘Thud!”

**