Desde sempre e para sempre Chapter 6

Desde sempre e para sempre

Chapter 6

Naina practically jumped to her window seat. Gael shook his head and sat down on the seat next to hers. He soon realized that he was not going to be able stretch his legs all the way whilst sitting down.

Naina pulled her heels off and sat on the seat cross legged comfortable as an old shoe. He envied her. She pushed his arm on the armrest to her right.

Naina: “This one is mine.”

Gael: “Unfortunately God gave me two arms instead of one.”

Naina rolled her eyes. Gael turned to face her even though it was very difficult.

Gael: “Hey! You have one on the other side too!”

Naina: “Yes, there are only three armrests. The window seat gets the two armrests because the aisle seats get the aisle.”

Gael: “That is a bunch of…What am I going to do with the aisle?”

Naina: “Stretch your legs!”

Gael tried to do that but like he had already figured out, he was too tall for that.

Naina: “You are right! You are born deformed.”

Gael pushed her arm away: “I am sorry. This is mine. It goes with the whole relaxing quotient you see.”

Naina: “Fine! Take it and take my life with it too!”

Damn. She was a walking talking Indian drama queen!

Gael: “No need for that. The armrest is enough melodrama for me…”

Naina decided to ignore him and pulled out a book and a pen, a pink book and a pink pen, from her bag. That’s when Gael realized that he had forgotten to bring his laptop with him. Oh no, he was not going back to the First Class to be attacked by the senior citizens on his own. So he set about trying to figure out how the entertainment system worked in the Economy Class.

Boring. Boring. Boring. There were barely any options to begin with! He looked to his left to find Naina writing a thesis or something…He couldn’t see what she was writing but oh God! Her hair…he wanted it spread across his pillow right now as he worked his way down…God Dammit!

He switched onto a Political Economy Talk Show. Money, Stocks and Market. That should get his mind out of the gutter for a few seconds.

But no. Every time she shifted, her arm brushed against his. Every time she moved he could smell the sweet scent of her perfume. It was driving him crazy! And the noise pollution that her bangles created…he could die listening to that sweet music. While writing she would stop and chew on the cap of the pen…God…he didn’t even want to put words to what that made him feel like and then she would bite her lower lip, lost in thought…and he lost it.

Gael: “WHAT are you writing??!”

Naina literally jumped up with fright: “My God!”

Gael closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

Gael: “A love letter?”

Naina capped her pen and tore a bunch of pages she had written on from the book. She separated them into two stacks, yes stacks, and looked at him.

Naina: “This one (She folded one of the stacks) is a letter for Air India. It is a review/feedback of their service. About how they caused me a lot of inconvenience but then the ground as well as the in-flight staff was very kind to me so I appreciate them for the good customer service too.”

Gael rolled his eyes. What a waste of time. But then she did seem like a person with an opinion and one who definitely liked to express it.

Naina, her voice laced with displeasure: “And THIS one (She folded the second stack) is for Mr. Gael Bourgeois.”

Another curveball?

His poker face was automatically in place. But behind the mask…what the hell?

He looked at her but she was busy putting her letters away.

Gael practically whispered: “Gael Bourgeois?” He was hoping he had made a mistake.

Naina looked back at him: “THAT man…”

She didn’t know it was him. At least, she had pronounced his name right this time.

Naina: “THAT man…..grrrrrrrrrr!!! He just pisses me off!”

Gael: “Uhm…why? What did he do to you?”

Naina laughed and turned around in her seat to face him: “What did he do? Do you know WHY this plane departed early? You are a businessman…you seem important…I am sure you had to go through a lot of inconvenience to change things around and make it in time for this flight…but why did you even have to do that?! You paid for this flight to depart in the evening! I have heard of postponing flights but departing early? And that too at such short notice! And then…look at his attitude! He doesn’t even show up! The entire first class is empty so all this trouble he caused…he owes everyone a bit fat apology!”

She took a deep breath to calm herself down.

She had gotten it ALL wrong. Gael Bourgeois was on that flight and HE was sitting right next to her. Never mind that, how DARE she think evil of him?! He had enough people doing that for him already! How had he landed in her black list even before he had tried to get there?! He knew he was efficient but not that efficient!

Gael was looking at her, his jaw dropped: “But…but…he compensated all the passengers; those who made it to the flight and gave more money to the ones who couldn’t make it. He also guaranteed that those who…”

Naina: “OH! Spare me the UN talk! He is a shuggy duggy quack quack!”

Of all the places to talk about, she had to bring up the UN? Who even brought the UN in a casual conversation? And then he realized what she had said after that. That is, he realized that he had not understood it.

Gael: “Whaaatt?”

Was that even English?

Naina: “He is not a nice man.”

Maybe her swearing list really only consisted of these whacky words: bird turd, hell..O and shuggy duggy whatever…

Naina: “Just because he offers money…what if people have an emergency?! Just because he is rich and he can buy the airplane…I am sure he owns his own private jet… (She dropped her voice to a whisper) I have heard that he is a heartless, ruthless businessman just like a shark waiting to attack his prey! (She pulled back) I don’t understand why didn’t he just travel on his private plane?!”

Well, people had called him worse. He had to give her that...

Naina's eyes grew big with a shimmering twinkle: “Hmph! I think he is a big giant elephant and that HE only recently realized that his buttocks were not going to fit into even the big First Class seats…”

He was having a difficult time fitting in these Economy seats, that was true. But that is because he worked out. He was not an elephant by any means. Giraffe maybe but then she was a squirrel, practically drowning in her seat!

Naina: “…That’s why he didn’t show up and decided to run away! He must be a big fat elephant! All the rich and the neurotic ones are…Breno, what do you think? Am I right?”

She had said his name in her style…and she had called him a big fat elephant along with a shuggy duggy quack quack.

Gael: “Yeah…I heard he is one shuggy duggy…”

Naina: “…quack quack! Hmph! Exactly!”

She turned back to face forward, determination laced in her features: “I know he will be in Mumbai. I am going to find him and then personally deliver this letter to him! These rich people should know that just because they own a lot of money doesn’t mean they own everything and everyone!”

Gael: “You do that.”

Gael turned away to compose himself. He was sure even his poker face couldn’t handle this one. He was sitting next to a mad woman. He turned back to face her.

Gael: “How are you going to find him?”

Naina deep in thought: “It will be tricky because these rich people have a lot of security but I have my sources. Bourgeois. (She rolled her eyes) He probably changed his surname to Bourgeois, such a show-off! Must be some white guy, fat white guy, who has not had to sweat for anything in his life! Don’t you worry, I will find him.”

Gael: “And once you do?”

Naina flicked her hair to one side: “I will go up to him, smile politely and hand him the letter. I will bow down before him with the formal Namaste greeting and then look into his eyes and tell him who I think he really is for thinking so highly of himself.”

Gael: “And that is?”

Naina: “A shuggy duggy quack quack, of course! Breno, you aren’t paying attention!’

She gasped and turned around to look at him: “You should come with me! You were inconvenienced too! It will be our joint mission to find this obnoxious gora who thinks he is the boss of everyone!”

Gael: “Oh, I am sure I will be around.”

Naina shook her head to get that wretched fat white elephant’s thoughts out of her head.

Naina: “So, anything good to watch?”

Gael: “Hmm?”

Naina: “On the in-flight entertainment…”

Gael: “Hmm…”

Naina shook her head. Breno was lost in thought or maybe translation. Sometimes she forgot that he was not Indian. She didn’t believe he was Chinese but he was definitely not Indian. Not with those grey eyes, that gorgeous body and admirable height; not with that bronze skin. He had to be a mixture. He was surely half white and half something else. He was not white but he was not dark. He was perfect…She put the headphones on but she was staring at him. There was nothing Air India could possibly offer that could be more appealing to her than ogling Breno a.k.a. Mr. Jackie Chan.

Gael, on the other hand, was wondering whether he should save her effort and time and tell her that she need not look any further. Her nemesis was sitting right next to her…But then, on another note, right now she did not hate him. Agreed, she did not like him but she did not hate him and she was definitely not scared or intimidated by him. That was a novel experience for him because the women he knew were with him only because of his wealth and power. But even then they were all scared of him. They believed that if they upset him, he would pick up his gun and shoot them. Who would have believed that he was sitting next to a woman who was abusing him, even though it was baby talk, and who was actually having a dialogue with him instead of trying to say or do everything crafted to please him. This one next to him didn’t care what he thought. She said it like it was and that’s how he liked it. He was natural with her. He wondered if he had had the opportunity to live another life, would he have been like this. Is this the real Gael Breno Bourgeois?

Naina: “A penny for your thought.”

Gael: “My thoughts are worth much more.”

Naina realized that that had not been a quip. He had said it in a matter-of-fact tone but there was an underlying feel of melancholy she simply couldn’t overlook. But she knew it was not her place to question him. 

Naina: “My headphones don’t work!”

She stretched before him to reach for the panel above to press the button for help. Gael looked at her…she was breathtaking. He had never seen beauty like her before. She was so full of life that she brought a different person out in him. He didn’t know if this was the real Gael but he would rather be this guy than the guy he really was.

He was probably never going to see her again. Then why should he have her hate him? He wanted to enjoy these moments on the aircraft and that would only be possible if she was not aware that he was Gael Bourgeois. He was not going to tell her with the hope that she would find him in Mumbai…that was the only way they could meet again. What would happen then would be another story all together...

Raj: “I am really really sorry. We have tried to reboot the system. The problem is in the armrest. The headphones are working fine. There is nothing we can do…”

Gael had missed that conversation too! That’s it. He had only 15 more hours of his time with Naina and he was going to make the most of it. And that meant hanging on to every moment she spoke, every moment she moved…every moment she breathed.

Naina: “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

After Raj left, Naina pulled out the letter written for Air India and wrote a post-script. On a 17 hour flight, how else was she to entertain herself?

Gael: “We can share my armrest.”

Naina: “What about your two arms?”

Gael: “If that means you will be hooked on to me quite literally, I am game.”

Naina: “No, thank you. India has been under the servitude of British for long enough.”

Gael: “I am not British, I am…”

But he caught himself in time and grinned: “You are smart. Very smart, indeed.”

Naina smiled: “And I am going to try to get as much information on you as I can for the rest of the flight because I believe everything you have said so far is a lie.”

Gael: “Good to know. I won’t let my guard down as I continue to spin this web of lies around you.”

Naina laughed and grabbed the right earplug of his headphones.

Naina: “What are we watching?”

Gael: “We are going to watch this show.”

Naina: “WHAT?  But they have DDLJ! I know! I read it in the magazine. I DON’T want to watch an old guy indirectly implying that I am a shopaholic and need to save more or else I am going to be out on the road!”

Gael gave her an evil grin: “My armrest, my rules. So, we ARE going to watch an old guy TELL you quite directly that you are going to be out on the road!”

Within the first few seconds of the show, Naina pretended to fall asleep and began snoring. Gael chuckled.

Gael: “I have two brothers. These antics won’t work with me.”

Naina gasped: “You have two brothers! That’s the truth! Score 1!”

Dammit.

Gael: “I have two brother, two sisters, two eyes, two arms, two legs…”

Naina: “Nuh-huh! You have two brothers and stop talking about your anatomy!”

Gael: “I don’t have two of everything but you will find that that one is good enough…”

A blush crept over her face in a matter of seconds.

Naina: “You don’t talk to a woman like this! (She switched to a whisper) You know I am a virgin! Please don’t embarrass me!”

Gael smiled: “That’s the truth. Score 1. And now we are equal.”

Oh! No!

Naina: “You tricked me! That’s not fair!”

Gael: “All is fair on an Air India flight.”

Naina: “But! You already knew that!”

Gael: “Oh, I knew it but YOU weren't ready to accept it and now you have. So, how was your first kiss?”

Naina: “Mr. Chan, I may be a virgin but that was NOT my first kiss!”

Gael: “You are lying.”

Naina: “Coming from a person who has done nothing but lie. Wait a minute! Why am I even talking to you about this!?”

Gael: “Because you WANT to talk to me about this.”

Naina: “No, I don’t. This is something I would perhaps talk with my boyfriend!”

Gael: “Perhaps?”

Naina: “This is something I will talk with my boyfriend and not with a stranger!”

Gael: “Since you don’t have one, I am happy to step in.”

Naina burst out laughing: “Are you asking me out? Because the answer is 'no.'”

Gael: “That’s precisely why I would never ask.”

Naina: “Scared of rejection?”

Gael: “No. Bollywood turns me off.”

Liar. It was keeping him on effortlessly.

Naina gasped: “Impossible! Bollywood turns everything on! Just play the Bhangra and you will get the party started in no time!”

Gael: “Yeah…I don’t think we are on the same page anymore…”

Naina: “I would never be on the same page with someone who does not appreciate Bollywood!”

Gael: “Who breaks out into a song in the middle of a room!?”

Naina: “I DO!”

Why was he not surprised?

Gael: “And everyone around you picks up on the choreography as well?”

Naina: “The girls at the academy do even if I have not yet taught them the routine!”

Gael: “You dance? Professionally?”

Naina: “Yes. NO! I am not telling.”

Gael: “Score 2. YOU cannot lie to even save your life. Your nose flares every time you do.”

Naina: “Nah-huh!”

Gael: “Are you trying to see whether your nose flares?”

Naina: “NO!”

Gael: “There. Quick, before you miss it.”

Naina: “Oh shut up! You are annoying! I am telling Nani!”

Gael: “Why don’t YOU spank me…”

But Naina was already up. She turned around: “What?”

Oh, thank God! She had missed it.

Gael: “Nothing.”

Naina: “Well, get up! Your long legs won’t let me get out! We have to go meet them in the First Class, remember? We promised!”

Gael: “You promised. I didn’t.”

Naina: “Oh, cry me a river! Haven’t you had fun so far?”

Gael: “Fun?”

The seat belt sign turned on as the plane suddenly went into another bout of turbulence. Naina tumbled onto his lap. They were experiencing some crazy turbulence causing the plane to jerk uncontrollably. 

Gael: “You need to be in your seat. NOW!”

Naina shook her head and hugged him tight: “Please…just hold me! I am not going to move!”

Gael: “I am not quite approved by the international safety board as an interim seat belt…”

However, the plane practically bounced in the air causing her to let out a scream. This was not a joke. As much as he loved to have her in his arms, safety had to come first. Gael swiftly but gently placed her on her seat. He them immediately put her seat belt on. Around them the in-flight staff was rushing to take their seats and fasten their seat belts. It was going to get a bit bumpier it seemed.

Naina had already begun to hyperventilate.

Gael turned her around to face him and cupped her face in his hands: “NAINA! Babe, you need to calm down! Its just a cloud we are passing.”

The plane lurched and Naina shuddered as she began breathing excessively. Her heart beating fast, he could feel it, and she had already broken out into a cold sweat.   

That’s it!

He had to make her stop breathing so fast. She was not going to listen to him and as he reached forward to get a paper bag, she pulled him back unwilling to let go. With his hands out of service, he had no other go but to use his mouth and not in a way to talk her out of it. When was she ever in the mood to listen to him anyways?

He leaned forward and let his lips meet hers trying to communicate his intent. When she instantly brushed her lips against his, granting him permission, Gael deepened his kiss gently probing her to open her mouth and forcing her to stop breathing so fast. The plane lurched and she grabbed his collar tight pulling him closer and kissing him back. His hands finally free, he pushed the middle armrest up, removing it out of his way so that he could pull her towards him.   He groaned with desire as he let his hands tangle in her soft luscious hair and began drowning in the sweet nectar her mouth offered. He lost himself in her taste as he realized that he wanted to do so many things…but not yet. First, he wanted to have his fill of her taste. She sighed against him, a purr-like sound, and he realized that his work here was done. The plane was calm and she was definitely calmER. Slowly, he broke their kiss, both of them panting heavily. She had been the one hyperventilating, not him! Then why was he so shaken?

She blinked and looked into his eyes and saw white gold. He was looking at her lost in the golden swirls of her eyes when Raj walked over.

Naina instantly moved back and looked away.

Raj: “Sir, we are very sorry about the discomfort…”

Gael: “It’s not your fault.”

Raj: “I was given instructions by…”

Gael: “My drink?”

Raj: “Yes, Sir. Just the way you like it.”

He handed him the whiskey tumbler and looked at Naina: “Would you like something to drink, Ma'am?”

Naina who was still out of sorts: “I will just have what he is having.”

Raj looked at Gael shocked: “But…”

Naina: “The lady would like what I am having. It’s as simple as that.”

Raj nodded and left to make the drink for her.

Both of them were trying to avoid each other’s gaze. The second kiss had been different. It had been desperate yet tender and they didn’t know how to deal with it…

Gael: “This is alcohol.”

Naina: “I know it is! I am not that naïve.”

Gael: “I am just making sure you know…”

Naina snapped at him: “I know what I am doing! There is no need for you to baby me.”

Gael: “That is the last thing I want to do to you…”

Raj stepped in: “Here is your drink, Ma’am.”

Naina thanked Raj and took a sip from the tumbler as he left.

However, as soon as she tasted it, she felt like the strong liquor  had burned her tongue and instantly spat it back into the glass.  

Naina: “Goodness gracious me! What is this wretched…it tastes like gasoline! What is this thing?!”

Gael: “That was $2000 worth of whiskey.”

Naina: “$2000 for just one bottle of this atrocious whiskey?!”

Gael: “$2000 just for that one sip.”

Naina believed him and instantly took another sip and gulped it down without any complaints.