Beautiful Love Read online

  Beautiful Love

  By

  P.G.Van

  © 2018 P.G. Van

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without prior written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Chapter 1

  “Finally, you’re here!” Kushi’s best friend and bride squeaked, putting her arms around Kushi.

  “Just in time for the party.” Kushi smiled hugging Megha, her childhood friend. She had not seen her friend in person in over two years and was just happy to be there to attend her wedding.

  Megha pulled back to look at Kushi. “You look so tired. Do you want to catch a nap before the party tonight?”

  Kushi thought of the twenty-four hours she spent on the plane from San Francisco and the few weeks before when the life as she knew it changed, and she felt even more tired.

  “I’m not wasting even a minute of my time in India. I will stay up the entire ten days if I need to.” Kushi laughed. Her profession as an emergency room doctor was demanding, but she was thankful for the craziness that served as a distraction from the chaos in her life.

  “I’m so excited about the party tonight.” Megha laughed.

  “And the wedding, too, I hope,” Kushi teased.

  “Of course, but this one is a singles-only party, and we are going to combine the bachelor and the bachelorette party.” Megha’s eyes twinkled.

  Kushi rolled her eyes. “You and Anurag are not single.”

  “You are and… Anurag invited his friends… some of them are models who work for the magazine.” Megha winked deviously.

  “Here you go… again.”

  “We were supposed to get married at the same time, that was our deal. You convinced me to go for it and not keep Anurag waiting, and now I can’t even set you up with someone?”

  “Okay, fine. You can pair me up with someone.”

  “It’s a masquerade party, and you pick who you want to dance with.” Megha winked.

  “How many people are going?”

  “Anurag and I invited a hundred people each. It will be fun for him and me to watch people hit it up. Our goal is to get at least one couple set up and have another wedding soon.”

  “You two… he is a match made in heaven for you and your quirks.”

  “I love him so much… even when we fight.” Meghan sighed.

  “You guys fight? I can’t get him to stay away from you when we video chat. What could you be fighting about?”

  “He travels too much.”

  “And you work too much.” Kushi scrunched her nose. Megha was also a doctor in a specialty hospital in Hyderabad, and her job was as demanding as Kushi’s.

  Megha nodded. “Yeah, and I told him I would quit my job to travel with him if he cannot cut back on his travel time.”

  “What? No. I know how hard you worked to be the best in your profession.”

  “Kushi, it’s not worth it when it comes to family. I love Anurag, and I want to be part of his life. I told him I would take the role of a traveling doctor or an online consultation job that I can do from anywhere.”

  “You… I have nothing to say, but I am not convinced you should leave your job.” Kushi knew why her friend was considering the switch but wasn’t ready to accept the reality. The reality that even for her, the life as a doctor in her specialized field doesn’t leave much room to have a life, family, kids… Did she want all of that?

  Kushi’s mother reminded her not so subtly on her twenty-sixth birthday that she wasn’t getting any younger, and her biological clock was ticking. She had not been on a date in over a year, and she didn’t want to go on random websites to find a date. Her parents tried to sneak in meetings with potential grooms for her so she recently started avoiding family gatherings.

  Megha sighed interrupting Kushi’s thoughts. “I haven’t decided for sure, but I need to talk to Anurag before he disappears the day after the reception to Singapore.”

  Kushi shook her head. “Is that why you’re not going on a honeymoon until a week after the wedding?”

  “Yup, and I don’t want to think about it now. I need to finish packing, and you don’t need to unpack. We are staying at the resort the entire week.” Megha was back to being her cheerful self.

  “How many people are going to be at the resort?”

  “A total of eight hundred friends and family will be at the resort, and the wedding guests will show up the night of the wedding and reception.”

  “So, there is no one else but ‘the wedding party’ at the resort now?”

  “Nope. A small benefit of my family owning that resort.” Megha laughed.

  “Can we fit everyone in all the rooms?”

  “Of course, but you and I are sharing a room until I move into my bridal suite with my husband.” She blushed.

  “I totally would have crashed in your room even if I had a room for myself.” Kushi squeezed her friend’s arm.

  “I’m so glad you made it. You freaked me out when you didn’t answer my calls for two days straight.”

  “I wouldn’t miss your wedding for anything.”

  “I would have canceled if you hadn’t boarded the plane yesterday,” Megha growled.

  “I’m here… I’ll take care of the bachelorette party.” Kushi had no time to think of the party for her friend, but she now had a few hours to plan.

  “The wedding planner is in charge of that. All we need do is show up looking all sexy and ready to get drunk.”

  Almost three hours of spa time later, the car that took Kushi and Megha to the resort pulled in front of the grand entrance of the resort hotel. The resort was one of the most prestigious ones in the city spanning over a hundred acres with lush green grass, beautiful gardens, and well-spaced structures. It was early evening, and they had a couple of hours before everyone arrived for the party.

  “You are glowing, Meggie!” Kushi teased.

  Her friend blushed. “I’m so excited. I know I’ll remember this week forever.”

  “Me, too.”

  “I know it’s silly, but I really cannot get over the fact that you and I are not getting married at the same time.”

  “Silly Meggie, we were in third grade when we talked about that…”

  “No, we did everything just like we planned, even after you moved to California, but why not this one?”

  Kushi smiled following her down the hallway to their room. “Stop being a baby. It’s not life if everything were to happen the way we planned.”

  *****

  Later that night, the music boomed in her ears as Kushi stood on the balcony that was off of the party room where the bachelorette party was in full swing. Her head felt heavy with the shots she downed with the ladies in hopes of dulling her state of misery. She stepped out into the warm, humid air taking in the freshness. The sleepless nights thinking about everything that happened over the past few weeks—travel, jetlag, and alcohol—were settling in making her feel overwhelmingly exhausted.

  She took a deep breath and turned to her left when she heard noises from the bachelor party. Some of the guys from the men-only party were standing on the balcony, and her eyes fell on a particularly tall man wearing a dark mask. She was glad she had her mask on, so he couldn’t see how she was drinking in his beautiful body. He was slightly taller than the other men, and from his stature, she was sure he was one of Anurag’s model friends.

  Kushi stood
on the balcony, partially hidden in a dark corner, staring at the man who stood talking to the other guys taking in his features. She couldn’t avert her eyes from his face, taking in the way his lips moved, the deep cleft on his determined chin, a sharp nose that held the mask on its bridge, and his square jaw.

  She watched as he showed the other men something on his phone, the light from the screen illuminating his face for a better view. She rested her elbows on the concrete railing on the balcony, stretching her back, her eyes on the man.

  A few moments later, the other two men left, leaving the man of interest alone on the balcony. She stood in the dark corner enjoying the view and let out a soft gasp when he suddenly looked up, looking straight at her.

  Kushi didn’t move because she was confident he couldn’t see her. She watched as he stepped closer to the thick concrete railing on his side of the balcony, his eyes coming into her vision. The eyes that were fixated in her direction.

  Did this guy have night vision?

  She froze in her spot when she saw him bring the phone closer to his mouth and move his lips.

  “Hey!” A slightly robotic voice sounded from a close proximity shocking her to the core.

  She stood frozen and didn’t say anything, pretending not to be there.

  “I see you, and you’re still staring at me.”

  She looked around, and she saw small green and red blinking lights in the darkness. She stared at a small object that looked like what a peeping tom would use to spy on people, but still did not say anything.

  “It’s rude to ignore someone when they are talking to you.” The voice was softer, but it rumbled in her ears.

  “Who are you and why are you spying on me?” she slurred, and it was then she realized her body was also swaying making her grab onto the balcony’s railing.

  “Steady,” came the voice from the darkness.

  “Leave me alone.”

  “Why were you staring at me?”

  “Am I not allowed to look? It’s none of your damn business where I look.”

  She heard a chuckle. “A few more minutes and these parties are going to become one. You stay right there, and I’ll come over so that you can take a closer look. Over and out.”

  Her heart started thudding, and her head started to reel as she heard a soft whirring sound as the small red and green lights moved away from her. She saw him turn away from her to go back indoors only to come over to where she was to see her.

  Chapter 2

  Kushi should be walking away from the balcony and blending into the party if she wanted to avoid the man, but she stood in the dark corner as if in wait. Minutes passed, and she heard the squeals from the party room where the girls were and knew the men had joined them. The DJ made an announcement all of which she couldn’t understand because the sound of her beating heart was ringing louder in her ears.

  She further stepped into the darkness leaning on the wall and shut her eyes. Her eyes flew open when the music and the voices became louder, and it was then that she saw him. He softly shut the door that led to the balcony and turned to look at her.

  The man stood tall, clad in a sleek suit hugging his stature right under the cluster of small party lights. He looked at her, his hands in his pants pockets. He was undeniably good looking, and Kushi found herself staring again.

  “Hey… you still hiding?” He took a couple of steps toward her with his long legs and stopped a foot from her.

  The warm breeze blew surrounding her in his musky cologne.

  “The party is indoors,” she rasped not knowing what to say.

  “I’m aware. Why are you here?” His voice was rough, yet the words rolled off very smoothly.

  “I needed some fresh air,” she confessed.

  “Are you okay?” There seemed to be genuine concern in his voice.

  “I’m okay, I’m just a little tired.”

  “You girls didn’t leave any booze for the guys.”

  “Hey… we never signed up to save up for you guys… you had your own single and double malts, didn’t you?”

  He smirked and ran his fingers through his thick, dark hair like it was the most natural thing to do. Was he a model? Male models never touch their face or their hair. Everything looked perfected by products, but this man was acting very un-model-like.

  After a few moments, she finally broke the silence. “Aren’t you going back in?”

  “Aren’t you?” he retorted.

  “I’m too tired to dance.”

  “Do you want to go back to your room?”

  “I’m too hungry to sleep.”

  “What would you like to eat?”

  “Like you’re going to serve me food on the balcony.” She snorted.

  “Sure, I can bring you something to eat if you’ll eat with me.” His lips stretched into a smile.

  “I don’t want to eat with you.” She almost snapped.

  “Fine… what would you like to eat?” He chuckled.

  “Just something that will make this headache go away.”

  “Sure, I’ll be right back.” He left, leaving her alone and surprised. She was sure she imagined this hot guy dying to take care of her.

  Kushi leaned her head back against the rough wall, and her eyes rolled shut. Sleep was threatening to take over, but she wasn’t ready to sleep, not until her bestie says the party is a wrap.

  “Hey.” The voice came through her haze, and she ignored it and drifted back, deeper into her sluggish state.

  “What is your name?” His breath was warm in her ear, and she felt his arm circle her waist as he pulled her body off the rough concrete wall.

  “No names, this is a masquerade party, remember?”

  He laughed, helping her sit on the floor and lean on the balcony railing. “Right. Bride’s rules.”

  She leaned into the concrete pillar stretching her legs and kicking off her heels. “What did you bring me?”

  “Can you drink this before you eat?” He handed her a cup of what looked like an iced drink.

  “Are you trying to get me drunker so you can take advantage of me?” she blurted and bit her tongue.

  “It won’t be hard for me to take advantage of you in your current condition… unless that’s what you want me to do,” he growled, and she went silent on him, her eyes fluttering with the awareness of the anger in his eyes.

  After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath. “Drink up. It’ll make you feel better.”

  She took a sip of what appeared to be a weird looking smoothie and scrunched her nose. “Why is this salty?”

  “Eat this.” He handed her a plate of chicken kabobs layered in green sauce.”

  “Gosh, could you not have grabbed a slice of pizza?” she grumbled, digging her fork into the tender meat.

  He did not respond and instead took a sip of his drink.

  “How did you carry all this?” she mumbled, chewing her food.

  “I have two hands.” He chuckled.

  “Who are you, and why are you hanging out with me?”

  “No names, rules of the party… you asked me to hang out with you.”

  “I did not. I am eating this, drinking that, and then I’m out of here,” she declared, gulping down her drink.

  They sat in silence until she polished off the chicken and licked the last drop of her drink off the rim of the glass. “I’m all set to hit the bed. I have things to do tomorrow.”

  She stood up and bent down to pick up her shoes, and when she straightened back up, her body gave up on her. She lost her footing as her head started to spin, and the next moment, she heard a grunt as she landed on his legs and right into his lap.

  “Shit,” she cursed when she realized she could have hit her head against the concrete wall or the railing. She tried to stand up and fell into his chest again making him laugh.

  “Stop laughing.”

  “Stop falling.” His breath was warm on her cheek as she sat sideways on his lap.

  “Stop it,” sh
e growled, and that somehow sounded like a joke to him, and he kept laughing.

  “I said stop it,” she barked and turned to place one palm over his lips and the other hand on his shoulder.

  He stopped laughing, and his eyes darkened. Kushi’s breath hitched in response when he moved closer, her hand on his mouth, frozen. He pushed close enough to her to have the back of her hand touch her lips. His breathing was ragged just like hers as they locked their gaze in the darkness. They both still had their masks on, complete strangers until she felt a strange connection she had never felt before.

  He pressed the back of her hand over her lips when he kissed her palm like he was pretending he was kissing her. He ran the tip of his tongue on the inside of her palm making her wince, but she did not remove her hand from his mouth. She looked at him in amusement.

  As if encouraged by the slight smile on her face, he pulled back to suck in the flesh on her skin between his teeth. She let out a small gasp but kept her hand between them.

  His eyes bore into her as they got lost in that moment as he released her flesh to plant butterfly kisses on her palm, his lips extending to the back of her wrist. She had no idea why she wasn’t asking him to stop or pull her hand away. She was enjoying it.

  “Why are you kissing me?” her voice was a whisper.

  “Do you want me to stop?”

  “No,” she blurted out, and he stopped. He stopped only to wrap his fingers around her wrist to move her hand to place it on his other shoulder. She looked at him, both her hands on his shoulders, her face inches from him, and her breathing heavy just like his.

  His movement was deliberate as he brought one hand to cup her cheek making her eyes roll shut.

  “Kiss me.” A plea rolled off her lips as her hands slid over his neck.

  “Look at me.”

  Her eyes fluttered open to look into his eyes.

  “Say it again,” he demanded.

  “Kiss…” Her words were lost in his mouth as he closed the gap between them. His lips came down strong on hers and eased a little when she opened up to him. She ran her fingers through his hair as he tilted her face to deepen the kiss.