12. By the Bay

Kris entered the room without making a sound. Mira was in deep sleep. He leaned over her and gazed at her face, longing for an unknown feeling. Mira moved in her sleep, murmuring things which landed like an alien tongue on Kris's ears. Kris smiled.

Her long fingers wound around his arm like a newly born vine of grape. The tenderness of her fingers felt like an unknown pleasure. What is this that he was feeling? It was not lust or anything physical. It was something which warmed the heart and burned the skin. But it was far from the feverishness of those teenage loves. Kris slid his body beside Mira's and hugged her tight. His warm body made her smile in sleep.

When Mira woke up in the morning, she felt more relaxed than most days. Is it because of the beer? She tried to get up from the bed but she couldn't; is this a sleep paralysis? She turned back and saw a beautiful face buried in her hair. Her heartbeats went berserk. She was not shocked, it was something else which she couldn't explain. She felt like throwing up because of the nervous energy surging through her body. Did something happen?

Kris turned and shifted to his right, just then. Making the most of this opportunity, Mira scuttled from the room.

When Kris woke up, he looked around for Mira. Seeing her gone, he freshened up and rushed down. She was in the kitchen, making egg sandwich and cutting fruits to be served along with it. When she saw Kris, she smiled acknowledging his presence.

"When did you wake up?"

"An hour ago. I thought I'd make breakfast for the two of us. I thought the others might have stayed back since it was too late at night."

"Smells good. By the way, nothing happened, in case you were wondering."

Mira was stumped ; this conversation was what she was trying to avoid. She stared at him blankly.

"I know." She lied.

Kris smiled. She was indeed very naive in certain ways.

"You have a day off today, right?" Kris asked her.

"Yup." She nodded.

"After breakfast, why don't you come with me to the cafe. We're still working on it and would love some suggestions from you. Also, there's this restaurant I want to try. It's close to the beach."

"Cool. Come eat, then. We can get some work out of the day,afterwards."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Pama woke up with an aching body. She dragged herself out of the bed and went to the washroom to splash some water on herself. Warm water spilled from the tap and she slowly threw some on her face, gently scrubbing it. The mirror was foggy; she wiped it to look at her beautiful face. What she saw left her aghast. The person who stared back at her from the mirror was covered with bruises all over; shades of blue dominating the golden skin. Specifically, near her jugular vein, two bluish red dots emphatically stared back at her. This was unprecedented. A shiver rose through her body, making her shudder with fear. She needed to tell somebody, but who?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The long drive to the beach was refreshing. Mira had dressed comfortably today as she didn't have to go to work. She wore a white floral dress which had pastel green embroidery at the hem. It hung like an umbrella around her rounded knees.

Kris had shaved today, getting rid of rough look. His longish hair pulled into a short ponytail, he looked handsome in a pair of white trousers and blue denim shirt. There was something rugged and yet, tender about him. He was altogether an amalgamation of paradoxes, thought Mira.

Kris glanced at her. She looked free of worries, he thought.

When they reached the cafe, the workers had already started with the renovation. The counter attendant, who was working with the previous owner too, was in charge as Pama was late today. Kris took Mira on a tour of the cafe. She was truly impressed.

"This is more than a cafe, Kris. I'd love to come spend my time here as a customer. It's so calming."

Kris smiled in response.

Mira gave suggestions on the interior decoration and also the library. She also suggested the installation of few cctv cameras for security sake. Kris took note of all the things she said. Kris, then moved on to oversee the work, meanwhile Mira sat in the room designated for book reading sessions and so on —which now bore the name 'Valhalla'. Mira found this queer ; the hall's purpose was the opposite of what this name implied, then why did Kris and Pama chose this particular name?

Mira sat there, sipping coffee from a beautiful gold-rimmed, white bone china cup with an imitation of the Sistine Chapel's fresco on it. She found it exquisite. The room had ornate white iron chairs with black velvet cushions. She could write a book sitting here, Mira thought.

Kris came in just then and they left for lunch.

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The restaurant Kris chose faced the sea and they could hear the waves lashing against the shore. The salty wind made Mira nostalgic; Kris simply enjoyed the view of her beautiful face, surrounded by the stray hair which escaped from her long braid, all dazed in the reflection of the noon sun. The salt from the sea had now painted a coat on her silky skin, making it shine even more.

They had ordered seafood mostly, along with a bottle of the restaurant's best white wine. The braised crab, lobster, seafood paella, fried fish and Indian style fish curry with white rice, all invited Mira to dig in. She restrained herself out of decency. Kris poked her hand and grinned,

"Well, go ahead, missy. Devour it all."

She needn't be told twice when it comes to delicious food.

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"A meal is incomplete without a walk, I feel", Mira said.

"True, it is a sort of respect you pay the meal, you know. We don't really give a lot of attention to food the way we need to. These days people just eat, sleep and repeat. That's the reason why most of us are not very healthy. God gave us a beautiful body, we need to treat it well. "

" You sound like a pious person. You don't look like one, though. "

Kris laughed at hearing this, and just when he was about to respond to her with a cheeky retort, his phone rang.

" Kris. Code red. I've been bitten. It looks like fang marks. And... It's begun."