Nights in Nepal (The Vagabond Series) Read online

  “He’s a good man, that Gio.”

  “Oh yeah?” I say not offering much insight. Alessio is aware of there being a connection between Gio and myself, but he doesn’t know all the details.

  “We’ve been friends since secondary school. We’ve gone on many trips together and yet, he’s never been mum about a woman, until you.”

  “Paddle. Paddle. Paddle.” Our guide shouts. Everyone paddles on their side until the water gets slightly calmer. “Right side, paddle!” I paddle as we move into the turn. “Paddle. Paddle. Paddle.”

  The next twenty minutes is a lot of alternating paddling as a group and one side to move into turns as the river bends. I’m soaked and thankful for the rapids as I don’t need to talk to Gio’s friend, but now I’m wondering about what he meant by that statement.

  ‘he’s never been mum about a woman, until you.’ What is happening here?

  7

  Gio

  We’ve made it to our camping spot and I’m hoping that Alessio didn’t make both himself and me look like idiots. I saw them sitting beside one another during a slow point of the river and they were talking. More so that Alessio was talking and considering how long I’ve known him, that could be pretty dangerous.

  We are greeted at the resort grounds where we will be staying overnight, a little bit of heaven in the middle of nature sitting on the banks of the river. There are 12 A-shaped sleeping structures in a row facing a large grassy area with a few picnic tables, showers, and restrooms.

  There are two people to a sleeping structure, which is basically a large roof over some pretty huge tents, with a separation from the sleep quarters to the front of the tent. Alessio and I bunk up together and grab one of the spaces closest to the end of the line and closest to the canopy of trees. Setting my bag down on the bed on the right, I turn to my friend with my hands on my sides, waiting for him to spill the beans.

  He notices the stillness of the tent and turns to look at me.

  “What is it?” He questions.

  “Tell me that you didn’t tell her any horrible stories about me?” I ask.

  “Tell who? What are you talking about? Culo pazzo (Crazy ass)”

  “Our guide. I saw you talking.”

  “Silencio.” He raises a hand.

  “What did you guys talk about?” I ask.

  “I tried to figure out who you are to her, as you clearly knew each other before this morning.”

  “We met the other day; we shared a lunch table.” I open my arms and reply.

  “She looks familiar though, you knew her before? Have I met her?” Alessio asks.

  “She was on our plane ride from India to here. She was in that really bright lounge chair space where some of us sat.”

  “Aye. I remember watching her ass as she walked by, you had lunch with her?”

  I nod. “We also made plans to go out for some drinks the day we have a break. As at the time, it happened to be when she had a lighter workday, which now I completely understand.”

  “Are you still going to go out with her? We’re technically her clients, right? How does that work here? I mean back home, we don’t care as much, but I’m not sure how others do it in different parts of the world. For instance, it’s largely frowned upon in the United States.”

  “Yes, that’s because Americans feel like they have to work in order to live.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.” Alessio pokes.

  “I haven’t really had a chance to talk to her privately, we spoke at lunch, but that was at the same table as everyone else.” I shrug.

  “Then what are you doing in here, man! Go talk to her, find out where you guys stand.”

  “What you’re telling me is she didn’t give you any impression what so ever?”

  “None. I did all the talking.” He smiles.

  I leave the confines of our tent and walk down the path, hoping I can figure out which tent Tazmin took. She’s rooming with Amar, the other guy from Adventures for Thrills, but I didn’t pay attention to which direction she went. I don’t hear her talking, but I do see Amar.

  “Hey buddy. I’m looking for Taz?” I say stepping beside him on the step to an empty tent.

  “She’s up at the lodge, is there anything that I can assist you with, sir?” Amar asks.

  “I appreciate that, but I wanted to ask her something about something we were talking about during lunch. You say she’s up at the lodge? Where would that be?” I look around, and see the trail leads up past the tree line.

  “Follow this around the corner, you will see a large open space, that’s the lodge. Can’t miss it.”

  “Thanks, friend.” I comment and turn on my heal to walk up a hill.

  Amar was right, you can’t miss the lodge. There is only one wall and the others, facing the camp and adjacent forest . There are rustic chandeliers hanging from the open ceiling. The roof wood, matches the color of the surrounding trees, so this structure must be made from the land. There are tables and benches decorated throughout the large space, some small and some large with a single bowl and a candle inside. And then sitting against the single wall is a full bar, with a tall woman standing behind it, talking to Tazmin.

  I slowly approach until the bartender sees me, and lifts her chin in my direction. Tazmin turns around with a look of questioning until she sees me and relaxes.

  “Do you mind if I join you?” I ask her.

  She moves her hand to the seat beside her and I pull out the stool.

  “What will you have to drink, sir? We have full liquor options here, we have beers and general beverages,” the bartender asks eagerly waiting for my answer.

  “A bottled water, will be fine. Please.” I request.

  A water is placed in front of me, then the bartender leaves us alone, disappearing through a door in the single wall.

  “What’s back there?” I ask.

  “A full chefs kitchen, and staff lodges.”

  “They live in the kitchen?” I turn to her.

  She throws her head back and laughs. “No. The staff lodges here are completely hidden from view from guests. They are built to blend in. There are about twenty-five staff members who all live here year-round. Most of them are from the same family.”

  “And you mentioned earlier that you guys’ partner with them? How so?”

  “Amar’s older brother. He married into this family, and so when Nandi and I hired him, he made an introduction and well, here we are. That bartender is Sima. She’s the wife of his brother.”

  “That’s cool. Keep it in the family. I take it that Amar isn’t part owner with you and Nandi?”

  “Oh no, he’s still in university. He’s going to become a doctor one day. Adventure tourism is just something that’s in his family in a way and what he loves doing.”

  “Cool. Cool.” I take a sip of my water, “We’re still on for our meet-up when we have a chill day, right?” I ask getting it out of the way and clearly surprising her as she twists her head to me.

  “I don’t see why not,” she replies.

  “Good. I was worried that now that my group is, well you know, here with you and you’re getting paid for all this that you would want to cancel.”

  “Well, you’re making it sound bad, now.” She laughs awkwardly.

  “Let’s just pretend that I never said that last part.”

  “Deal.”

  Everyone is sitting in the lodge, there was another group that was at the resort with us and both groups intermixed with one another. Everyone was talking, eating, and laughing. I sat with Alessio, but had one eye on Tazmin who was talking with a few of the women from the other group. She stands and catches my eye, with a hitch of her neck, I excuse myself and follow out in the direction that she went. She’s walking to the bonfires that are ablaze in the grassy area. Cushions circle each fire pit, and she heads to the one that no one else is sitting by.

  I take a seat beside her.

  “Look, we’re alone.” She says as our legs touch.

  I don’t feel nervous around women.

  Except for her.

  8

  Tazmin

  The embers from the fire fly into the air. The glow and warmth shine on his face and out of the corner of my eye, I note that he’s watching me.

  I turn to him; our faces are inches apart and I close the distance. There’s no reason to pussyfoot around it. We’re attracted to one another. There’s a pull that he has to me, and I want to explore it. There’s nothing in our company rule book about fraternization. But now, I’m thinking that there should be.

  I haven’t had any urges to be this close to one of our travelers, and we’ve had quite a few attractive ones come through outdoors.

  No, there’s something about Gio. Something that I want to explore, but I’m also not sure that it’s wise to.

  I can compartmentalize, but can he?

  So, I go for it, and he doesn’t shy away. His hand cups my jaw, his thumb caressing my skin as he kisses me passionately. I wasn’t prepared for this, but I sure as hell am glad that I started it.

  His tongue was teasing, tasting, and driving me wild as he turned his head and I mine. My breath hitches, as his hand moves down top my shoulder and wraps around my waist, pulling our bodies closer together.

  “I like the way you taste,” he says against my lips before returning to the kiss. My hand wraps around to the back of his head as my fingers tangle with the back of his hair. I gently squeeze my fingers, causing him to deepen the kiss with a groan then he pulls back.

  “Amore, we need to control ourselves. Otherwise, I will take you in front of the fire, for all to see.”

  I lick my lips and look back at the blaze in front of us. “You’re right. And we have another busy day tomorrow.”
br />   “So, what do we do now?” He asks as I turn back to look at him.

  “We put a little bit of space between us, because there are some people joining us in a few moments.” I look past him and notice about four people coming our way.

  “Close call.” He whispers with a devilish gin, leaning toward me and giving me a chaste kiss on the lips. I scoot a little bit away from him, but don’t make it too obvious and he coughs.

  The morning air is crisp as I tip-toe out of the tent to not wake Amar. The sun hasn’t risen yet, and I’m hoping that I’m the only one awake. Except as soon as I step down the stairs, I see that everyone in the group is awake and in various yoga poses on the grass.

  “What the ever-loving-.” I whisper frozen on the path for a moment before I square my shoulders and start walking towards the lodge.

  I need some coffee and to put something in my stomach before associating with humans, so I keep my eyes forward and stride to my destination.

  Not going to look at Gio. I’m not going to look at Gio. But out of the corner of my eye, I see that he’s shirtless and stretching his arms over his head and preparing to bend forward. I looked. Okay, I have no control, I looked and stopped in my tracks as I watched him bend with his back to me. I’m sure he saw me walk back, as I saw his head turn as I saw him stretch, but now that I’m stopped in my tracks and gawking at him, I don’t think he notices. So, I quickly divert my attention and walk to the lodge.

  I’m pouring creamer into my coffee and stirring it as the group chatter starts getting louder as they invade the lodge space. I take a deep breath, put an easy smile on my face and turn.

  “Hey guys, good morning.” I greet them as they approach.

  “Good morning, Taz. You’re up early.” Alessio holds his hand out to me and shakes mine.

  “I could say the same to you. Here I was thinking that I would be up well earlier than some of you guys, only to come out and see everyone was awake.” I reply.

  “We’re all early risers once our clocks set to the local time. What are you doing awake so early?” He asks as Gio comes and stands beside me. His foot casually taps mine.

  “I like to get my mornings started early. I usually caffeinate, hydrate, grab food and look over the day’s itinerary.”

  “Oh, are we interrupting?” Gio asks.

  I turn to him and smile, “No, I’m still on step one. I would like some privacy when I need to use the restroom though,” I joke.

  “What’s this you speak of? Women use the restroom. Blasphemy!” Alessio laughs.

  “We eat too.”

  “Thank goodness. Us men, especially the Italian’s have a stamina that can’t be matched. Food gives fuel to the body.” Alessio elbows me playfully with his eyebrows reaching his hairline.

  As if eye rolls could be heard, I turn to Gio.

  “Pay him no attention, Amore. He has no filter and no clue as to what he’s speaking of, so early in the morning.” Gio aims the last bit to his friend, punctuating each word.

  “Amore?” Alessio looks between us.

  I shake my head and step out from between them to avoid that part of the conversation as Amar enters the lodge. He waves at me, and I hitch my head to have him join me at a table to discuss the mornings events before addressing the schedule fully with the group. He sits down in front of me with his cup of tea and yawns.

  “How is it that I’m the last one awake?” He asks.

  “They’re eager beavers.” I smile looking around the room.

  “So, this morning?”

  “Canyoning. Are you good for that or do you want to just meet us at the rendezvous point in a few hours?”

  Amar is always up for anything, but he hasn’t done canyoning before. He primarily will stick to trekking and rafting expeditions.

  “I want to try it. That will help when we have groups asking questions.”

  Well then, let’s address the group and get going.

  This is my third time canyoning, and I think that I’m finally getting the hang of it. I forgot how slippery everything was but thank goodness I remembered to wear specially designed shoes for this and not my tennis shoes like I did when training. Netherlands had shoes to loan to the group, so that way everyone was wearing the correct gear. The chilly water is pounding against my back as I fit in the rig to the spacing in the rock. Gio is right beside me, as he drops himself on his rope.

  I look over to him and give him a smile as I begin to loosen my static rope through my descender, but instead of it giving away easily, it was stuck. I tried to get my fingers inside one of the loops, but nothing was giving. I tugged and tugged, and that’s when I started to feel the sudden slack in the rope.

  Then I dropped.

  9

  Gio

  My heart jumped into my throat as soon as I saw her slip. One moment she was there, and the next, as I gave my rope some slack, I hear her start to yell. But she wasn’t yelling from beside me.

  Out of instinct, I reached over and grabbed her rope. The rope from the top of the canyon gave away and I pulled as hard as I could. We’re about a hundred feet up this rock and I’m not sure if it’s water or ground that is under us yet.

  Both my arms lock up and one of the other guys in the group gets into position on the other side to help. Finally, we have her rope under control, and I find a slot in the canyon to dig in and replace the anchor of the static rope into the rock. I point to it and dig it in.

  “Taz! Taz, can you hear me?” I yell, and still, myself to hopefully hear her. “Taz!” I shout again.

  I do hear her, I think. But I cannot make out what she is saying. I hope she’s not hurt.

  “Stay where you are. I’m going to drop down.” I shout. I look to the guy, Jeff, I think his name was. “Thanks, friend.” And begin to feed my rope freely through the Descender and start to repel down. I used the side of the rock to keep up with my speed and continue feeding through for about fifty feet.

  I can’t believe she fell this far.

  Finally, through the water, I see her dangling on her rope, with her head resting against the rock. I finally make it down to her side, and put my hand on her shoulder, scaring her.

  “Amore? Are you okay?” I ask.

  She looks up to me with a dazed look. “I fell,” she whispers loud enough for me to hear.

  “Yes. The anchor above must have become loose. I secured it to the rock at the point where you fell. But Amore, are you hurt at all?” I ask.

  She looks down at her body, pats her thighs, torso, and arms. “I think the only thing bruised is my ego. I don’t think I hit anything on the way down.” She looks below us.

  My heart drops when I see the ground below. If Jeff and I didn’t work together to stop her rope from slipping anymore, she would have hit the ground. There looks to be only about fifty feet left, which means that if we would have taken another second to get her rope under control, then—No, I shake my head. I cannot think about that. I moved my legs and pushed off the wall to get closer to her and pull her to me.

  “I was terrified.” I admit.

  “I thought I was going to die.” She nods against my chest while I kiss the top of her helmet. She pulls back and offers me a half smile. “Thank you, for whatever you did to stabilize me. I should be embarrassed since, I’m supposed to be the professional here, but thank you for saving me.”

  “I would do it a hundred times again.” I lean in and gently kiss her lips.

  “We should continue on down.” She says.

  “Let me stay just below you. Peace of mind and all.”

  I begin to lower myself and soon, our feet are safely on the ground.

  My arms immediately wrap around her, and I hold onto her tightly until her arms wrap around my middle.

  “Hey you two, everything okay?” Alessio comes up to us. “I think all our hearts stopped when we heard a scream. What happened?”

  We separate, aware of our surroundings and Tazmin begins to unbuckle her harness.