Genre: Romance
Rating: NC 17
Disclaimer : Standard disclaimers apply. The characters belong to Shalz R.
Chapter 13: Part Four: Let's Go Camping!
Ian was on the terrace, outside the attic and Tyler and Adrian were inside counting over the stuff they had. Recent talk with Dee had left him feeling a little down and now he waited “I wonder when Sonya will get the time to get back to me!” he wondered aloud.
“What has Sonya got to get back to you about?” asked the voice of Mrs. Maxwell who had just come around looking for the guys for lunch hour.
“Mom! You’re here?” he exclaimed, “Sonya ah ... she has to get back to me for … redoing the attic.” he said, finally thinking of a reason.
“Attic?” she asked, “Why does attic need re-doing?” she smiled. “Probably this is another one of his ideas to get her here!” she mused. She wasn’t entirely wrong in coming to this conclusion.
“Mom, she showed me some designs last night. The ones she didn’t carry out. She had a plan to redo part of the attic into a family photo gallery like the one Mr. McKenzie did in our New York home.”
“I see. That’s a good idea.”
“Yes. So I was thinking about talking to Mr. McKenzie about it.”
“Fine. But for now come down for lunch.”
Just then his mobile rang, “I’ll be right there, Mom.” He called out, “Hello, Ian!”
“Hello. Stephens here.”
“You are Sonya. And hello. And where’ve you been?” her voice at the other end had been enough to cheer him up and get back his high spirits, “I’ve been waiting for your call. So what does Mr. McKenzie say? Does he allow you or should I talk to him?”
“Ian, Mr. McKenzie has two projects lined up for me, which are actually my pending tasks. I need to complete them. I won’t be able to join you on the trip.”
“I think I’ll talk to him. He can re-schedule your projects.” Ian was almost expecting Mr. McKenzie to say no and was prepared to talk to him. He wasn’t even bothered that he didn’t allow Sonya her leaves.
“No, no. Ian you cannot call him now. He has left office for an important meeting, and by tomorrow it will be too late. So I guess it’s off for me. I would not be coming along. But I do hope that you will enjoy yourself.” again trying to sound as disappointed as she could.
Ian was silent for a moment, then sighed and answered, “Ok, then. Bye Sonya.”
“Bye Ian” she put the phone down and let out the breath she was holding.
Happy, though, she was for getting herself off the trip, there was also a slight botheration for disappointing Ian. Ian had sounded so disheartened that she felt sorry for treating Ian the way she did. But at least she was out of the trip. It was strange that Ian had been getting so friendly with her in the past two days. Before that he wouldn’t even talk to her. Maybe this break from seeing her so often would make things as they were. “Besides, after this week he would be off on his shooting schedule. By the time he’d be back, he’d have forgotten about it. Now that he’s got the message he won’t be coming in the evening. I think I stay over a little late today and finish most of the work. There isn’t much left anyway. That way only the checking for final details will be left for tomorrow. I would need some free time tomorrow for going to the office to get the details for my new projects. I think even then I’d have most of the day to me.”
* * *
Ian closed Sonya’s call. He sat right there on the terrace, and didn’t go to take his lunch. The only hope he had for being with her for the week was now gone. He now felt that Sonya had never wanted to come along in the first place. She had been making many excuses in the morning and even this time she didn’t seem very enthusiastic. She sounded almost happy that she wasn’t coming along. “Maybe she doesn’t want to be friends with me. I have been pushing her on. She didn’t want to come to the party but I insisted. She didn’t want to come to my house yesterday but I waited all day. Now when I finally found a chance to be with her, she is not coming along. Okay if this is what she wants. I’ll just go to pick her up this evening ‘cause I’ve promised her. I’ll never bother her again after this. Already I’ve created enough trouble for her. People must’ve been bothering her all day. I’ll just leave her alone.”
The kids had been put to bed after lunch, and Ian was left to himself. Tyler and Adrian had gone to the girls for getting their leaves in order. He went back to the attic and started to collect the things in the bags, but he had lost his enthusiasm for it. He still wanted to take Evan out but he felt that without Sonya he wouldn’t enjoy as much. His only concern was now that Sonya wasn’t coming along, if Dee found it out she would try and fit Samantha in the trip. His excuse was that he couldn’t take more than seven people, and now there was a spare place. He just hoped Kevin would handle it.
* * *
It was fifteen minutes past seven. Sonya was in the middle of the shopping mall with her notes, checking the list of modifications, looking around, still doing her best to avoid people. She had left as little work as possible for the next day. All her work was on the verge of completion. She gathered her stuff and crossed her bag across her chest and quietly walked out of the door, happy with her work progress for the day. A small part of her was feeling uncomfortable with what she had done to Ian. The slight botheration that had been pestering her all day had now become full-fledged guilt. She felt ashamed at the treatment she had meted out to a man who had been so nice to her. “He invited me to a party at his house, and then made sure I attended it, gifted me things that I could only dream of, he took me to the best party I had ever been to. Not only that, he extended friendship towards me and got so worried when I didn’t turn up yesterday. And now when he wanted to include me on a trip that was for his family and closest friends, I have been so very mean to him.” Deep in these thoughts she slowly descended the stairs of the Shopping Mall. “He had given me so much, so what if I had to face a little problem due to the papers. It isn’t his fault if papers hyped it the wrong way or the people gossip.”
She looked around the street trying to cross the road when her eyes spotted a familiar car on the other side. It looked like Ian’s car. She had no way of knowing if it was. She did not know the number and the dark windows were rolled up. She stood on the path carefully looking at the car. The passenger side of the car was facing her. Then slowly the window was rolled down a bit and she could vaguely see a pair of eyes looking out, then a hand extended out and gestured her to come towards it. She still stood trying to decide whether to go or not. “What if it isn’t Ian? But what if it is Ian! Has he come to pick me up?”
It was her guilt more than anything else that made her walk towards the car. The window was rolled up again and the door clicked out of place but remained closed. As she neared the car a hand started pushing the door slightly open, and she began to see the vague figure of Ian as he reached over to the other side to open the door for her. She smiled and hurried up to the car. It was a busy street and if anyone saw Ian it would be the start of a big trouble. She sat in.
“Ian! You’re here! When did you come?”
“At six-thirty.”
Guilt stung her again. She had told him that she’d be off by six-thirty, “Oh! I thought you wouldn’t be coming. Had I known I would have come earlier.” She said slowly.
“Its okay.” he answered and they drove off. Ian remained silent and Sonya uncomfortable. She knew Ian was feeling let down and she was responsible for it.
“Ian, why are you so quiet?” she tried to make conversation.
“Nothing. Just thinking…”
“About the trip?”
“Yeah.”
“Is everything ready?”
“Yes.”
“So you are leaving Wednesday morning?”
“Yes.”
She stayed quiet for sometime trying to find something to say.
“Do you need any help with preparing? Tomorrow I would be off early, even before lunch, so if you need any help with something I can be there.”
“No. Thanks.”
“Really! It would be no problem. I could help.”
“It’s ok. Nothing much to do. Tyler and Adrian have taken care of most of the things and the rest can be done tomorrow. No problem.”
There wasn’t much conversation until they reached Sonya’s house. Ian dropped her at the front door and started to go.
“Won’t you come in?”
“No. You must have had a hard day. You need to relax. I’ll just go today.”
“Come in for sometime. We could have a coffee before you leave.”
Ian sighed and agreed. Sonya went and got refreshed while he waited in the living room. When she came back she found him sitting just as she had left him. He hadn’t put on any CD; he wasn’t talking. Just sitting quietly, not at all like Ian he had been the day before. “The coffee will just be ready.” She said and he just nodded.
“Why don’t you put on your CD?”
“No, it’s ok.”
“Actually your CD is still in it. Just play.”
“No. Let it be.”
“I’ll turn it on.” She turned it on. But Ian stayed quiet and made no attempt to talk.
“Would you like something to eat?”
“No. Thanks. I’ll just go home and get dinner.”
With his each passing moment Sonya became more and more dismayed. “Why am I feeling bad? Isn’t this what I wanted? To get off the trip and somehow get Ian away from my life? Then why am I upset now? I shouldn’t be. It will be alright after he goes.” She told herself.
She got the coffee and Ian had it in silence. She didn’t know why but it just broke her heart to see him so quiet and detached. Maybe it was because she knew that it was due to her refusal for coming along with him. She saw him sipping his coffee in silence, totally uninterested in anything, just like it was formality to be completed, not at all like having a coffee with a friend.
“What had he asked of me? Just to come along on a camping trip! I couldn’t even do this little thing for a person who has done so much for me! Can’t I do this for him?” she pondered, feeling ashamed at her selfishness.
Ian finished his coffee and stood up ready to leave, making his way to the backyard door. “I’ll leave now Sonya. Thanks for the coffee. I guess I won’t be seeing you soon after today. We will leave in a couple of days and then I’ve got an outdoor shooting schedule for a month or so. So I’ll just maybe see you after that. Hope you do well in your projects. Goodbye.” he said as he opened the door and stepped out.
It was just that second when she decided what she was going to do and called out, “Ian!” He turned again and faced her, waiting.
“Ian, I’ve been thinking. If, maybe … I could talk once more to Mr. McKenzie … and maybe … if he allows me … I would … I could … would you still take me along?”
Ian heard the confused, embarrassed but innocent plea and all the disappointment vanished from his features as his lips broke into a gentle smile.
“Of course!” he said softly, “I want you to come with me.”
Sonya smiled wide. “Okay then. I’ll call him up.” She rushed to the phone and dialed, but the phone wasn’t answered. “Nobody is there I guess. But I will call up and let you know.”
“Shall I call him up?”
“No, no. I will definitely call and let you know.”
“Ok. I will wait for your call.”
“OK.”
“Bye!” he turned to leave.
“Bye!”
“Ian …” Sonya called out again. She wanted to say she was sorry for her behavior, she wanted to ask him if he was still upset, she wanted to thank him for all he had done for her, and for still letting her come on the trip. With so many emotions going on in her mind, she couldn’t say anything. “Nothing.” She just smiled an uncomfortable smile.
Ian still looked at her, one eyebrow propped up and smiled waiting for her to say what she wanted to say.
“I just wanted to say … how would you like some of that cake for Wednesday morning breakfast?”
“Great. I’d love it. Bye.” He felt she hadn’t said what she wanted to say, but still turned to go again.
“Bye.”
Sonya watched him go and closed the door behind him. She had barely sat down again, smiling at her decision, when there was a knock on the back door. She opened the door to find Ian there again.
“Ian!”
“Sorry! I forgot my car on your front yard.” He said smiling sheepishly.
“Huh!” she turned towards the window to see the car and then turned to Ian again. They looked at each other and broke into a hearty laugh, melting away all the disappointment and the uncomfortable feeling into nothing. They laughed all the way to the front yard where she saw him off again.
* * *
Sonya walked back in and opened her files. She dialed the number a few times but it wasn’t answered; she just sat down to complete the final details of her project.
* * *