When Nia turned to face Yougal Lucas, she was not looking at him but purposefully gazed at the door. At the same time she walked towards it. He was confused by her behaviour. He admitted that his tone was a bit out of the line. But she angered him when she voiced her preference to be picked up by Mark. He was well aware that she did not encourage Mark or his flirtatious way.
'Does this mean she hates me so much that she is even ready to tolerate Mark, ready to prefer him over me?' Yougal felt sad, yet he was happy to be her escort rather than see Mark with her.
But Rhianna, Nicholas' mom and Mark's own parents were already regarding her as the future Mrs Mark Adam. Even that guy was now smitten over her after he had met her in person. He had been proudly announcing that he was now a tamed tiger, tamed by the alluring witch Nia Sonowal. He even shamelessly declared that he was totally domesticated and was proud of it.
What, if she was already won over by him, considering the fact that a huge force was behind Mark to help him win her affection. The very thought pulled him down to the bottom of a deep ravine of sorrow. Losing her was like he could see himself falling from a great height and feel the inefficacy, fear, pain, hundreds of other emotions rushing all together in him, knowing he could do nothing to stop death. He could not confide even in Nicholas.
The shame from his mistakes in the past, that episode which involved an innocent woman named Nirvana, stopped him from telling anyone that he had feelings for Nia.
Back then he did not purposefully hurt Nirvana, her family or even his grandma. But he went wrong when he acted careless, not explaining to anyone the real reason why he did not manage to make it to his own engagement party. His grandma now knew but was angry that he acted rush like a thoughtless fool. He knew, if he had at least informed her, then she could have explained to Nirvana's family and everything would have been better.
Nia was already standing on the foyer, waiting for him to come out. 'Oh god! She is a real malevolent witch, walking out of the door, while leaving me inside her apartment. How could I zone out in front of this woman?' Yougal Lucas chided himself severely, though all in the head. He never had any difficulty dealing with women or either with men. To tell the truth he never bothered about any woman except on professional level, until he met this ice queen.
This attractive witch, she was distant, unaffected by his magnetism. She stood apart from all those women who admired him. As far as he was concerned she was an ice queen. And he was so helplessly, incessantly drawn to her. As they walked to his car, he glanced at her. Yougal Lucas tried hard to decipher the meaning in those brown lakes like eyes. He miserably failed to fathom the language, if there were any in them.
*******
When they reached the house of Nicholas' parents, he was waiting on the porch with a smile. He greeted Nia with a warm smile and hugged Yougal. Before they could take a step forward, Mark came running out of the living room. He did not even spare a glance at Yougal Lucas. He greeted Nia with a bright smile and a "Hi Princess!", pouted his lips at his cousin and complained,
"How could you do that to me? You sent me to attend a useless meeting with those old fattys and sent Yougal to fetch my bride." He sounded like a grown up child whining for not having his favourite gift on his birthday. Nicholas sternly asked his cousin to behave.
"Please behave, Mark. Stop acting like a grown up child and don't talk rubbish. You're embarrassing Nia."
Nia's eyes glowed with a ferocity at his shameless words which made Yougal Lucas happy. She now thought, maybe Nicholas was being thoughtful and intentionally did not send his obnoxious cousin to fetch her. She also felt a little shame remembering her behaviour earlier with Yougal Lucas. But she was not going to apologize to him.
Nia would not have felt grateful to Nicholas if she had known that he was only helping his friend as he had guessed Yougal's feelings for her. In her hurry to enter the living room to escape Mark Adam, Nia did not notice the bullets Yougal Lucas had been shooting at the other man with his glance. Mark Adam would have been a human wire mesh by now if those were real ones.
In the living room Rhianna was sitting near her mom-in-law. Rhi's in law were very fond of their beautiful would be daughter in law. As Rhianna's friend she also had her share of their fondness. Adam senior welcomed her with a bright smile.
"Hello young lady! How are you? You seem to have forgotten us." He complained in a good humoured way.
Mrs Adam patted the place on the sofa on her other side and extended her arms for a hug. Nia stooped to give the hug before lowering herself on the sofa. Mrs Adam hugged and kissed her on the cheeks. Mark looked very pleased at how his aunt received Nia. Yougal Lucas' face grew darker. He thought he hid his emotions well but Nicholas noticed the change in his expression, before Yougal masked it with a smile.
During the meal Nia sat beside Yougal Lucas. Actually it was a case of double whammy, because the other pest sat beside her too. She was flanked by the devil and the demon. Indeed it was not a lucky day for her. 'Nirvana Sonowal, you must have fought for the demons in the war against the god in your last life. This is your punishment in this life. Suffer.' Nia admonished herself silently.
"You're pecking at your food like a bird. Eat this chicken jalfrezy, one of aunt Aditi's speciality." Mark placed the chicken and the thick gravy on Nia's plate with the smile of a loving husband.
Nia felt uncomfortable at Flirty's open display of affection. She sensed everyone's gazes upon her. They all had a patronizing smile on their faces. That was what made Nia wish that she were a vampire and could suck Mark Adam dry of blood, leaving him blanched like a tree struck by lightning, or like the grass in drought hit land. She secretly glared at him but the shameless man only looked amused and smiled happily.
Another pair of eyes were on her throughout the whole course of meal, though he was seemingly engaged in some very interesting business discussion with Mr Adam senior and Nicholas. Suddenly he addressed Nia, startling her.
"There is something at the corner of your mouth."
At the same time Yougal Lucas pointed a finger to the place near her lips. Nia tried to wipe away that something or whatever was there sticking at the corner of her mouth but it was still there. Seemed luck deserted her that night. Yougal Lucas leaned over a little and with a serviette wiped that tiny bit of thick gravy of the chicken jalfrezy from the corner of her mouth.
And they looked into each other's eyes for a brief moment before she averted her own. His face was too close for her comfort. She was embarrassed. 'Damn the man. I'm not his friend or anything.' Nia cursed Yougal under her breath. Everyone looked at them with interest, except Mark who wore a big scowl on his face. She wished, the next time she target practiced her gun she could make these two men her practice board.
He sensed her rising anger. He had become so good at sensing her feelings for him, sadly all were antagonistic, not one in his favour. If Yougal Lucas had been allowed, he would have liked to wipe that bit of gravy from the corner of her mouth with his own mouth, not with a serviette.
"Nia love, don't you like the dessert?" Mrs Adam asked after the dessert was served.
Nia felt six pairs of eyes on her. She was fiddling with the spoon in the bowl of dessert. Nia was still smarting from the earlier embarrassed incident of Yougal's show of familiarity. She was so engrossed in her own thought that she forgot the dessert. She did not want to hurt Aditi Adam's kind heart.
"No aunt, it is tasty as always." Nia replied, putting a spoonful into her mouth.
Aditi Adam smiled in satisfaction, "It is Yougal's favourite."
She informed Nia as she looked at the man who was sitting near Nia, with affection. The tasty Creme brulee suddenly turned insipid in Nia's mouth. She wanted to spit out the soft delicacy. 'Oh I hate it.' She grumbled in her head though her taste buds said otherwise.
It was almost midnight when Rhianna and Nia left in Nicholas' car. Mark insisted on dropping Nia at her place but Nicholas sternly refused, knowing Nia would be angry. As he started his car, Yougal Lucas felt disappointed at not having Nia with him. He knew he was already lost in her.
He was not ungrateful, fate seemed to be on his side this time and he was glad with how things had progressed. Nia's antagonism would not deter him from pursuing her love. He felt thankful to his friend Nicholas. Yougal Lucas understood that Nicholas somehow figured out his feelings for Nia and favoured him over Mark, his cousin.