1 Captivated

"There sure is something you can do." Jake yelled into his phone, ignoring the glares of other passengers in the waiting room.

"I've told you everything I know." A voice replied back patiently from the other side of the call. "Your payment will be refunded."

Jake wanted to yell more, but he knew the manager of the five-star hotel had a lot more people to attend amidst the sudden nationwide curfew. He disconnected the call without another word and dialed another number.

"Oh, hi. Can we talk?"

"A coarse voice replied, "Of course. I have been waiting for your call."

It was the floor manager of his office in California. Jake was sent to India on a telecom project as an assistant coach. In a crisis like this, he couldn't call anyone else but the sole person responsible for him being here in India.

"Relax." The voice spoke in a posh accent. " I've talked to one of our managers in Mumbai. He will have you placed in a decent Bread and Breakfast by midnight."

"Thanks." Jake didn't know what else to say. Spending twenty days locked up in a BnB was suffocating even in theory. He wanted to go back to America, but all the upcoming flights had been canceled. He disconnected the call soon after. He cursed his luck under his breath.

Why was he sent half a world away from home when a deadly disease was spreading like wildfire?

Before he could finish his thought, his phone buzzed again. This time it was a number he didn't recognize.

"Hello." He answered without the wait.

"Hi, I am Sahil. Mr. Mathew requested me to arrange something for you to stay in for a few weeks. As you already know, it's tough to find a hotel in this situation. I had no choice but to have you accommodated in a friend's home. Will you be okay with that Mr. Burton?"

Jake replied with a slow yes.

"I believe you already know him, Dev Khettry had led our business tour in Europe last year. He has offered to welcome you to his home. If you're ready to leave, Jake, I have a company cab waiting for you outside the airport."

Jake took a second to remember Dev Khettry. He had a vague memory of their Europe tour. He couldn't picture Dev whatsoever. "That's very kind of you and him. And yes, I'm ready to leave." Jake answered.

"Alright. Please exit through Gate no. 2B. I'll text you the cab details along with the driver's number."

***

Ten minutes after his last phone call, Jake was sitting at the back of a lavish SUV, listening to some old Bollywood songs the driver was playing on the radio. Its volume was turned to the minimum, barely audible if he didn't pay attention.

On his way to the exit, Jake had seen many foreigners arguing with cab drivers. Some even requesting them to take them to a hotel, at any rate, they had to pay. It was a disturbing scene. This quiet cab ride with soothing music was a break he didn't ask for but was thankful that it was happening. He didn't know what was going to happen during this curfew. Jake felt a chill run through his nerves. He was missing his apartment. Twenty days with some strangers was going to be unbearable as he imagined.

***

After registering his credentials at the front desk of the residential campus he had been brought to, Jake was ushered by security personnel to the fifth building where he was asked to sign into another register.

The discipline impressed Jake. He reckoned this campus must have been a big thing in the city for having such a high level of security check. He wondered if the so-called Bollywood stars lived here.

"Sir, you can take the third lift to the twenty-third floor. We have a liftman waiting there." The security guard said before heading back to the front desk.

Jake nodded at that and walked towards the lift doors he could see from the lobby.

The lift arrived within seconds. Jake got into the third one as instructed. A long minute with the liftman later it halted on the twenty-third floor.

He looked around in the corridor searching for Flat 23-H. He circled around and found the flat adjacent to the lift wall. The flat had a small ally of its own. Its door was cramped between the lift wall and stairway.

Jake walked toward it and pressed the doorbell.

He heard footsteps the very next second as if someone was waiting for him. The knob clicked and the door opened inward, giving way to an enormous apartment.

A beautiful woman in a beige knee-length sundress and matching house slippers was smiling at him. "You must be Jake." She said, motioning him to step inside. "I am Aliya."

"Hello. Thank you for having me here." He replied, still looking at the glistening peach skin of her face and neck. He had never seen that radiant glow before, except for in magazines. Her alluring smile added to her captivating beauty. The glow, the warm smile, the lean figure, and that dress- it was as if a mental picture enfolded in his head- the one of an ideal wife he had imagined. He brushed the thought aside and made sure not to stare at once. He looked around as she explained her home to him.

"I have set up your room in here." She pushed another door and a big room opened up in front of him.

Before he could answer, Aliya added, "Sorry, I couldn't get all the guest supplies. It was rather short notice, and everything outside is already shut down."

"Oh, please don't worry about that. I'm happy with what you already have done for me." Jake said, taking in the tastefully decorated, huge living space.

Aliya headed to what he guessed was the kitchen from the water filter right outside it as Jake settled his luggage in the guest room. He sighed in relief seeing a private bathroom. That was one thing he had really hoped for.

He heard Aliya coming his way. "Hey, can I make you some tea or coffee?" She asked standing near the door.

Jake would have loved some coffee but he didn't want to bother her. "Nothing for me, thanks."

"Okay. The kitchen is down the left. If you need anything, you can go whenever you like. I have a tray of cookies and dried fruits in here on that table." She pointed at a small coffee table that had two bottles of water and a big food tray, all the while standing near the door, not an inch inside the room. "You should get some rest. I will see you soon at dinner. And please, make yourself comfortable " Her lips curved up again. Jake froze for a moment before replying, "Thank you."

Aliya bobbed her head and left shutting the door behind her.

A wave of jealousy passed through him. He wondered if her husband knew how enchanting his wife was. Then again, maybe that is how women were in India. He lied down in the soft, king-size bed and pondered his own relationship status. He was nowhere close to settling down at twenty-seven. But now he knew the image he was looking for if he ever decided to marry someone. That sweet thought of a homely wife curled up against him in bed, digging her head in his chest crept in. Before he could exhaust his imagination, sleep enveloped him.