Sandalwood Pt. 02

Her hair was held back by sunglasses perched on her head, and her lotus-petal eyes were lined in black. Silver anklets sat above her feet and made jingling sounds every time she took a step. Cole wasn't sure he was fine to drive anymore. Maya hopped into the passenger side and smiled knowingly at him.

"You remember, huh?"

"Think you can drive this thing?" he replied, swallowing hard. She laughed and they switched sides, which was easier since she didn't have to direct him.

Cole gazed at her the entire way, from the moment she slid the driver's seat closer to the steering wheel, to the point she pulled into the parking lot of a little plaza about 15 minutes away. Maya gave him little smirks at every stop light she caught him watching her. He soon found out how she may have felt because he was the one getting stared at as soon as they entered the store.

He stuck behind the grocery cart and stayed close to Maya, who paid as little heed to all the eyes on them as she had to Cole's eyes on her in the truck. As he was struck by the fragrant aroma of spices in the air, she casually picked out produce and placed it in the cart.

"Feeling out of place yet, Eminem?" she grinned as they turned the corner out of the vegetable section.

"I have no idea what you mean," Cole said, looking away from an elderly lady in a flowing tunic outfit who glowered at him. "They're all staring at you in that little dress."

"I'm sure they're wondering what your parents fed you to get you that big," Maya giggled.

"I'm only six feet, Maya," Cole said. "You keep talking about my height like I'm the Jolly White Giant." Maya snorted and covered her mouth.

"Compared to me at 5'5", you are! And Indians aren't huge, you know," she replied. "We have our share of six-footers, but it's a way smaller percentage." She paused, lost in thought as they turned down the spice aisle. "Sorry, just thinking about if I have enough maple syrup at home," she said after a second.

"Maple syrup?" Cole asked. "It doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd get here."

"No," she responded, stepping back and leaning close to him, "but I was thinking of pouring it on you cold and licking it off your chest later." Cole stopped walking and leaned forward against the cart handlebar, looking at the floor and trying to subtly shift in his jeans.

"You hate me, don't you?" he murmured.

"Which packet has the smaller mustard seeds?" Maya asked, squinting at the packets she held in each hand. Then she smiled and warmly rubbed Cole's arm. "How does this still happen to you after everything we've done together?" she asked. "I can understand if we hadn't even touched and you were anticipating some action. But we've had more sex over the last few months than--" she stopped.

"Than?"

"Nothing," she said, slightly embarrassed.

"Than you'd had with your husband in years?"

"Yes," Maya admitted, twirling her necklace and avoiding Cole's eyes. "Even when he was here. But anyway, how does this still happen to you with just one racy sentence?"

"Because as soon as you say it, I start picturing it," Cole explained, slowly pushing the cart forward again. "And then I get other images in my head, and thinking of hockey doesn't help. Sorry, but the novelty of this hasn't worn off for me yet."

"Maybe it's time to get you home then," Maya smiled at him.

They turned into the checkout aisle, paid, left, and loaded up the truck. Cole, now in the driver's seat, caught Maya looking at him at the stoplights this time during a wordless drive. When he met her gaze, she simply put her hand on his resting on the gear shift and gave it a little squeeze. He pulled directly into the garage and they started moving the groceries into the kitchen.

"At least you'll have a little less work this time," Maya said as Cole raised the tailgate and lowered the garage door. She swung the last grocery bag into the kitchen and turned back to see Cole's obviously puzzled face. "I mean, you won't have to take as much off me when we get upstairs," she said, lifting the side of her dress up past her bare hip.

"Fuuuuck," Cole hissed under his breath. "You went all the way to--without wearing--" he glanced up at the garage light, dropped the tailgate, and lifted Maya onto the truck bed as she let out a startled shriek. Before she knew it, she was on her back. He had hiked her dress up to her waist and was already devouring her sweetness. Maya cried out again and allowed her eyes to roll back when--

BANG BANG BANG!

Both Cole and Maya bolted upright at the noise just on the other side of the closed garage door.

"Everything alright in there?" a woman's voice in a lilting Jamaican accent called out. Maya put her hands over her mouth, mortified.

"It's Nicole, my next-door neighbour," she whispered to Cole, who looked amused. He grinned at her mischievously and pulled her thighs apart again, lowering his head. Maya scrambled backwards in the truck bed, trying to get her knees together. "Everything's fine, Nicole!" she said loudly. "I... I just saw a mouse in here and jumped up on my car."

"Well, the poor thing is probably tryin' to get out," Nicole replied. "Just open the door and he'll scamper away; you don't even have to try and catch him."

"Great idea, let's open the door," Cole whispered with an evil smirk.

"Uhhhh, no, I would have to get down from my car to hit the panel and I'm afraid it'll--"

"Mm-hmm," Nicole said, sounding unimpressed. "Look, honey, the whole neighbourhood knows about that handsome, broad-shouldered mouse in there with you." Maya's eyes widened and Cole bit his forearm to thwart his laughter. "You really think just because no one's on the street they never look out their window? We all know you don't drive a pick-up, sweetie."

"Ohhhh, my god," Maya muttered. She suddenly forgot the fact she was naked from the waist down.

"Hello, Mr. G," Nicole continued. "My son Anthony was in the same class as Manav. You're still his favourite teacher from grade school."

"Anthony!" Cole exclaimed as he suddenly remembered the animated little boy. "Anthony Block! Does he still dance? He was amazing even when he was seven."

"Yup," Nicole answered. Maya couldn't even believe this conversation was happening the way it was. "Got into the arts high school for dance and is finishing up his second year now. He's enjoying it."

"Oh, that's awesome," Cole said. "I'm glad he's doing so well with what he loves."

"Speaking of love," Nicole said as Maya covered her face again, "Maya, I didn't mean to tease you, but if any other neighbours are nearby, they're going to think someone's killing you in there. Mr. G, I, for one, am thrilled you're showing our girl a good time; Lord knows she needs it. But it's gotta be in a more soundproof setting."

"Will do, Mrs. Block," Cole said, grabbing Maya's arms, sliding her toward him, and throwing her over his shoulder. "Thanks for the advice."

"Have fun, sweetie," Nicole replied. Cole raised the tailgate with one arm, while holding on to Maya's legs with the other, paying no heed as her sandals fell to the garage floor. He marched past the groceries on the kitchen floor and then carried her up the stairs. Once in her bedroom, he unceremoniously dropped her atop the comforter and then left to make sure every second-floor window was shut.

"It's funny," he said, returning to the master bedroom to see Maya still dazed. "Apparently your people brought the concept of karma to the rest of the world, and here you were thinking you could prank me over and over without any cosmic repercussions." He removed his shirt and unzipped his jeans, then held Maya's legs apart to finish what he'd started in the garage.

It was barely a few minutes before her screams echoed throughout the hallway. As always, Cole slid up to her and cradled her in his arms as she shuddered coming down, playing with her hair and gently kissing her face. She started to raise herself up to take off her dress but he stopped her.

"Keep it on," he said softly. "I've been waiting seven years for this."

He brought her to the edge of the mattress and flipped her over onto her stomach with her feet braced against the floor. Then, he yanked down the thin straps of her dress and covered her back with his chest.

She whimpered as he entered her, then moaned as he cupped a breast in each of his hands and roughly rubbed her nipples with his thumbs. Maya muttered his name faintly at first, then louder and with increasing desperation as he pounded faster and faster.

As she grasped at the comforter and cried out while climaxing, Cole let himself go and collapsed partly on top of her, breathing heavily into the nape of her neck. Although they were both in a sweat, he wondered how he still managed to inhale that heavenly sandalwood scent off her skin.

As Maya steadied herself, Cole went to the other side of the bed to push the mattress back on to the foundation, then climbed onto the bed. He looked at her and chuckled. Her dress hung halfway off her slight frame, her eyeliner was smeared, and her hair was a disheveled mess.

"I thought you were gorgeous all the times you wore a sari for me," he said as she molded herself to his side. "But you've never looked as beautiful as you are right now." She smiled and kissed his chest, which was the last thing Cole remembered before falling into a dreamless sleep.

***********

Cole awoke to the setting Sun, the sounds of children playing outside, and his stomach grumbling. There was a fuzzy blanket on top of his naked body, but no Maya beside him. He sat up and noticed the blissful aroma floating up the stairs, realizing she'd gotten up at some point and cooked them dinner.

How long did I sleep? he wondered, glancing at the clock radio. Ninety minutes, damn, you're getting old, man, he admonished himself. He frowned thinking that Maya had probably also put away the groceries when he'd been passed out cold.

He lay back for a few minutes trying to get his bearings, breathing deeply and recalling one of the better afternoons of his life. He thought about how Maya whimpered when she was face down on the bed, and gazing at her beautiful back while he pleasured her. He recalled brushing her hair away from her neck but then winced, remembering how it revealed her shiny gold marriage necklace.

He thought about that long-ago conversation with Mark in the school staff room, and how he'd conveniently forgotten it. Finally, Cole got dressed and washed his face, planning out his words before he lost his nerve.

Coming down the stairs into the dim light of the kitchen, he saw Maya at the stove in PJ pants and a t-shirt, headphones on her ears and singing along to her phone in her back pocket. She tapped the wooden spoon on the side of the wok, placed it on a plate to the side, and spun around, startled for a moment to see Cole standing there.

"Oh hey, I made tea," she said, pouring him a mug. "Already added the milk and sugar just how you like it." He gripped the mug, rehearsing what he was going to say.

"I have a question for you," Cole started. "Do you remember the night we met in the bar?"

"I do," Maya smiled, sipping from her own mug. "Do you, though?"

"No, not exactly," he replied. "That's what I wanted to ask you. I remember asking why you still wore your marriage necklace and never divorced your husband, but I don't remember your answer." Maya froze and slowly set her mug down on the counter.

"Well," she said, "I thought it would be easier on the kids. If they saw me without it, they would think it's over and their dad's really not coming back."

"So it isn't over and their dad is coming back?"

"Anything can happen," Maya replied after an awkward silence, looking away for a moment. "He left rather quickly, and the fact that he still texts to let us know he's okay might mean he'll return one day." Cole suddenly felt woozy.

"Hold on," he said, a note of anger creeping into his voice. "You're still holding a torch for him yet at the same time you're fucking another man in his house? Do I have that right?" Maya bristled.

"I--"

"Are you telling me that I've been nothing but a fuck buddy to you for the last six months? There was nothing beyond that for you?"

"Cole," Maya's voice grew quiet. "We're not compatible in the long run."

"Not compatible? Are you fucking kidding me, Maya?" Cole burst out. His nausea was morphing into rage. "I have never felt more in sync with anyone else in my life, not even the woman I married. And you're essentially telling me you knew there was an expiry date for us the moment we..." he closed his eyes and shook his head at the pot lights on the ceiling.

"Of course. Of course! That's why you never wanted to go out to dinner nearby--you didn't want to risk being seen with me by anyone you knew."

"No, that--"

"And why you always tell me to park in the garage instead of in the driveway."

"That was--"

"Fuck, I guess I'm two for two now," he thundered, unable to recall where he'd left his wallet and keys earlier that day. "Mark was right. I'm Jack. I'm the asshole who won't give a damn what he's taking away from some other man as long as he gets what he wants." He wandered around the living room looking for his things, anxious to leave.

"I'm the guy who'll waste a whole year mooning over another guy fucking my wife in my bed, then turn around and do the very same thing the first chance I get. I knew you were still married and I went looking for you anyway. Why the hell do I do this?" he asked himself out loud.

"Why do I keep falling in love with women who are emotionally unavailable and then imagine we'll have a perfect life? Jesus, where the fuck are my keys?"

Cole bounded up the stairs, suddenly aware they might have fallen out of his pocket in the bedroom. He found them and returned to a flummoxed Maya, who was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the mud room.

"You have to stop," she said, her arms braced against the doorframe.

"I'm sorry," Cole replied, "I have to go. I know you cooked for us but I've lost my appetite."

"No, Cole, you really have to stop this. Running out of the room and getting drunk is not how we're going to do it this time."

"You've told me everything I need to know, Maya."

"I barely said anything before it struck me we may not be on the same page!"

"Ya think?" Cole said sarcastically. "I thought we had something and then I find out you're just in this to get some strange on the side."

"I thought you were in this to get some strange on the side!" Maya exclaimed. Cole raised an eyebrow at her in confusion. "I thought--what did you just say before you ran upstairs?"

"Being fuckbuddies?"

"After that."

"I'm Jack?"

"After that."

"I'm not hungry?"

"No, about falling in love with the wrong women. Are you in love with me?"

"No, I only spend more time here than school and my own apartment combined because I can't get enough of the decor," Cole said, exasperated. "Maya, I've probably been in love with you since I taught the boys almost a decade ago."

"I love you too, Cole," Maya said softly, dropping her arms from the doorframe and wrapping them around him. Cole was bewildered but slowly placed his arms on her back.

"Okay... maybe you're right and I haven't let you talk enough," he said. "I'm not getting this. You're waiting for your husband to come back but you love me too? You can't have it both ways, Maya."

"I'm not waiting for him to come back," she said, switching off the range hood and removing the saucepans from the heat. "I only said anything could happen because I didn't want you to think I expected us to have a future together."

"But why wouldn't we?" Cole asked. Maya sighed and sat down at the table.

"Ram and I had an arranged marriage. Our families introduced us, we met, we went out a couple of times. Then we decided we liked each other enough and the wedding was set." She played with her empty tea mug.

"I know it's not typical for someone born and raised here to go that route, but I'd dated before and I learned that loving someone and being compatible with them were not always the same thing." Cole joined her at the table, dropping his keys on the counter.

"So I thought this was going to work, for sure," Maya continued. "We had the same background, spoke the same languages, we were educated about the same, we both wanted kids and a mortgage and a quiet life in the suburbs. And I tried to be the perfect wife, tolerating a lot more from his family than most women with my options would tolerate. And he still changed his mind about me." Maya's eyes darted around the tablecloth, unable to look up at Cole, who was observing her intently.

"I said what I said just now about us not being compatible because if you stay with me, one day you're going to miss having a Christmas tree in your house and having presents and the whole shebang. You're going to want to have a glass of wine or a beer now and then with the woman you're with. You're going to wish I would bake you a turkey--"

"Roast."

"--roast you a turkey. Wait, we bake cookies and bread in the oven but we don't bake turkeys?" she asked. Cole laughed, his heart calming down.

"Forget the turkey. What I hear you saying is you thought we'd have an end date because if your perfect husband left you, this imperfect Christmas-loving, booze-guzzling carnivore would do the same?"

"Well, when you say it like that..." Maya smiled. Cole reached for her hand across the table.

"Look, I'm not a kid anymore," he told her. "I do the presents and the tree for Izzy but I only liked Christmas because it was the one time of year everyone I loved stayed together and cooked together and ate and laughed together. No one had to get up and go to work, and all we did for days was have fun as a family. I've done that with you for months now, every time we see each other." Maya still didn't look up at him but was blinking hard.

"Moreover," Cole went on, "If Izzy wants all the bells and whistles, she can have Christmas at her mom's. Or she and I can go to my brother and his husband's place for Christmas. I don't want to not be with you for 364 days a year because we might want to do different things on that one day.

"And if I feel like a turkey sandwich or whatever, I'll have one at school for lunch and then brush my teeth before I come home and stick my tongue down your throat." Maya laughed amid light sobs, and Cole moved beside her so he could hold her.

"Izzy is not picky about food either. Sometimes when you pack stuff for me to take home, I let her taste it and she asks which restaurant it's from. I've been dying to tell her about you, but... you know." Maya's tears now freely fell into her lap. Cole thought of something else.

"The part you said about keeping the necklace on for the boys' sake... was that true?"

"Sort of," Maya replied, her voice shaking. "They didn't understand when he left and I tried to console them by saying maybe it's just a trip and he'll come back one day. Then they stopped asking and I didn't want to rock the boat by making things final and taking this thing off. Besides, it's not like there was a need to think about it until now." She paused.

"You really don't remember much from the pub that night, do you?" Cole looked embarrassed and shook his head.

"Not exactly what we said, no."

"So you don't remember when you told me about Janice, then I said the right woman was out there for you, and you said the furthest you'd ever go with anyone was casual sex? What do you think I concluded when you showed up in my driveway five days later?"

"Ohhhhh, shit."

"Yup," Maya laughed. She squeezed his hand. "I've always thought you were attractive, Cole, even when we were married to other people. And I always thought you were kind, nurturing, funny, dedicated, considerate of others..." She looked down again, slightly embarrassed, herself.