She had broken his heart, though.
Suddenly, Tammy came storming out her bedroom, slamming her door so hard that Sandy got spooked and scrambled off the couch. Ravi yelped in pain and jumped up to get out of her way.
“What is wrong with you, freak? Do you not hear that knocking?” Tammy said, shaking her head at him with an irritated look. “I swear, it’s like you are on the space station, or something. Planet Earth to Ravi, someone's knocking on our door, and it doesn’t sound to me like they plan on going anywhere.”
She was right: someone was knocking loudly on their front door. As though Tammy’s yelling had flipped a doggy switch, Sandy started barking like crazy. His roommate shook her head at Ravi again and headed down the stairs with Sandy racing after her. He realized he had dropped his photo, and he started looking around his feet to see where it had fallen when he heard a voice at the front door. Could it be? He froze and willed Sandy to stop barking so he could hear more clearly. Yes, it was her!
He heard Tammy answer, “Yes, he’s here. Would you like to come in? You’re his cousin, right?” That day outside on the porch, he had told Tammy that Nandita was his cousin. It had seemed easier than explaining.
“His cousin?” Nandita’s confused voice drifted up the stairs, and he felt hope flutter in his chest. Had she left Hank? “No, I’m not his cousin. I’m his… was his… I guess…” There was quiet for a few seconds—even Sandy had stopped barking. “We were, um, dating, I guess.”
“Wait.” Now Tammy was as confused as Nandita. “You were dating… Ravi?” She trailed off, unwilling to give away what she thought was his big secret.
“I’m sorry to be rude,” Nandita said, “but would you mind if I come up? I’d like to talk to Ravi if he’s here.”
“Sorry, sorry! Of course, come on up.” He heard Sandy’s claws scrambling on the stairway, and then two sets of footsteps headed toward him. He rubbed at his knee and chided himself for not having made a grooming appointment for Sandy—she needed her claws trimmed. Seriously? he thought. This is what you’re thinking about right now? Anything to avoid the panic, which had just joined the hope.
Nandita’s face appeared around the door of the living room; Tammy followed close behind. He was frozen—he hadn’t moved a muscle since he’d heard her voice at the door. He couldn’t believe she was here. Nandita was staring at him with a fearful look, and right behind her, Tammy grinned at him like an idiot. Sandy trotted over and jumped back up on the couch, making herself comfortable in Ravi’s recently vacated warm spot.
“You have a guest,” Tammy said, waving her hands in Nandita’s direction as though she were a unicorn and she was the magical tour guide.
Nandita didn’t say anything and just gave him a small, polite smile.
He took a shaky breath, “I can see that. Hello, Nandita.”
“Hello,” she said quietly.
“Can I get you guys something to drink?” Tammy’s voice gave away her gleeful surprise, and Ravi felt his stomach drop. This would probably change everything between them; Tammy just hadn’t figured that out yet.
He moved to push Sandy off the couch and make room, in case Nan wanted to sit. He fussed nervously with the pillows, avoiding her gaze while he pulled himself together. He was, as usual, struck awkward by her beauty, but her eyes were filled with apology, which made him nervous and hopeful. Could they work things out? Could he have misunderstood the fiancé situation? Would he finally tell her the truth? Could their relationship survive the truth?
“Um, no thanks,” he called out to Tammy. “Would you mind going out for a coffee or something, Tammy? Just for an hour or so?”
His roommate looked surprised. Ravi had never asked for privacy before, but surely she’d clued into the situation by now. “Of course I could, of course. Sorry—I wasn’t thinking. Just let me grab my purse.”
They stayed silent as Tammy grabbed her purse and made a hasty exit from the apartment. Nandita sat stiffly on the couch and reached down to scratch Sandy’s ears. That was all the invitation Sandy needed, and now she had her head on Nandita’s knee with her eyes rolled back in doggy pleasure.
When Ravi heard the door close downstairs, he turned to Nandita. He wasn’t sure if she would want him too close, so he didn’t sit and instead stood in the middle of the living room, afraid to move in case he spooked her. He was still having trouble believing she was here.
“Hello,” he said gently as he stuck his hands deep in his pockets. His urge to touch her was so great that he was scared his body might disregard his brain and take control of his hands.
“Hi, Ravi,” she said. She was smiling. That was good, right? Maybe she was just trying to hide the fact that she was about to hurt him—about to tell him she was marrying that guy from the restaurant.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you and I’m sorry I made a scene in the street. It was unnecessary,” he said.
She scooted forward to the edge of the sofa, getting as close to him as she could without standing, and Sandy grunted and moved her head. “No, Ravi, I’m the one who should be sorry. I have a lot of explaining to do. I’m sorry I wasn’t truthful with you. I’ve had some tough love over the past few hours and made some painful discoveries about myself. I was hoping I could share them with you.”
Ravi hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until he heard it come out of his mouth with a whoosh. He took his hands from his pockets and folded his arms. “Are you marrying him?” he asked.
“No.” She had stopped petting Sandy, and every piece of her attention was now on Ravi. Sandy got bored waiting and lay down again on the floor, huffing her displeasure. “I’m not marrying him, Ravi. I made a terrible mistake, and I need to explain it to you. Will you sit with me?”
He moved to the couch and sat next to her. Nandita took a deep breath and told him the story of her childhood desire for an education and more opportunity, of her anger with her mother, of running away from India to escape a marriage arranged by her parents, of her mistakes with a friend named Misty, and of her fierce determination to be a success.
Ravi was mesmerized by her. If he had loved her before, his feelings for her now deepened with every word she spoke. Her story mirrored his own; he may have been the only person in her circle who legitimately understood what she had been through and how hard it had been for her to make it this far. Maybe she had made a few mistakes along the way, but who hadn’t? She was a fighter, his Nandita. She had a bold, adventurous spirit and was confident in her desires. She chased her dreams with enthusiasm and passion. Nandita was everything he wished he could be.
“I was scared to go back to India.” He had taken her hand during her long monologue, and was now squeezing it tightly. He wanted her to know he was here and wasn’t going anywhere. “I thought I was scared of my father, and I am, but I’m more scared of myself. I’m scared that, once I get back with my mother, I won’t want to leave. I never realized until today how much I needed and missed her. So, I made a huge mistake.” She stopped and looked at him; her eyes gave away her nerves. He nodded, gently encouraging her to go on. “I took a friend’s advice and signed up with a green card marriage company. They matched me with Hank, the man I was with at the restaurant. Nothing happened between us—he was just a very nice man trying to do a good thing and maybe find love at the same time. I don’t want to marry him. He was the one who made it clear to me what a mistake I’d made. He told me that, when he saw us together, he instantly knew we were meant to be.”
She squeezed his hand and he smiled at her. “We are,” he said.
“Can you forgive me?” Nandita asked. “Would you please forget that I was ever so stupid, and can we figure out how to be together? You told me I should go back to India, and I thought it was because you didn’t want me, but now I realize you were right. I should go, but I want to know that you’ll be here, waiting for me. I want to try to make this work.”
Ravi leaned toward her and gently put his lips on her full, red mouth.
Her sob of relief was all he needed to assure him she wanted it, too. He pulled her closer on the couch and wound his arms around her. Everything was right; this was truly meant to be. He would forgive her anything a million times over, as long as she would stay here, tight in his embrace.
He lifted his lips from hers and whispered against her cheek, “I forgive you. You have my heart.”
Nandita grabbed his chin with her hand and pulled her head back to look him in the eyes. She was smiling. “I’ll take care of it,” she said. “I’m sorry I broke it before, but I solemnly promise to never do that again.” She leaned forward and kissed his nose before moving to his mouth.
When they broke apart, he brushed a thumb across her swollen lips. “You're so beautiful,” he said. “I promise we will work all of this out.”
She smiled and chuckled lightly. “Do you know what’s ironic?”
He moved both hands to her shoulders and shifted her glossy, black hair behind her shoulders, fingering the silky strands. He still expected it to smell like licorice. “What?” he asked.
“I ran from an arranged marriage to begin with, and then I stupidly put myself back in one again.”
He sat back on the couch so he could watch her closely. “Why did you run? Didn’t you like the man your parents matched you with?”
“Oh, it wasn’t that. Besides, he wasn’t a man—he was just a boy. I never even met him.” She tried to stretch out her legs and nudged at Sandy with her foot, but she just plopped her head on top of it. “It’s just that I thought I should get to choose. I was a rebel.”
He opened his mouth to answer just as the door banged at the bottom of the stairs. Sandy jumped up and ran toward the stairway, barking again.
“Hellooooo,” Tammy called up the stairs. “I’m back from my coffee. I’m coming in!”
Ravi almost laughed at his roommate’s opaque efforts at discretion and turned to see if they had embarrassed Nandita.
Her face was like a skeleton; her creamy, olive skin had turned pale with a sickly green tinge. She was staring at the spot on the floor Sandy had just vacated, and she reached out quickly and gripped the couch cushions at her sides as though she were about to topple over.
He reached his hand toward her to steady her. “Nandita, are you okay? Are you ill?”
He heard Tammy pounding up the stairs, intentionally making her steps as heavy as those of an overweight elephant. Nandita lifted a shaking arm from the couch and pointed at the floor. He followed her gaze and his eyes filled with tears of panic.
Ravi froze—the world froze—and his stomach dropped into his shoes. He hadn’t had the chance to tell her yet. He was going to tell her, but he’d thought one confession at a time was the best way to handle it. Why risk scaring her away when she had only just returned to him?
“Where did you get that?” Her voice shook as hard as the fingers pointing to the photo of his first love.
He jumped forward and grabbed the photo from the floor, sliding it quickly into his back pocket just as Tammy arrived in the living room. She stopped short as she took in the scene.
“Nandita, I…” he started.
“No!” she said as she stood and thrust her hand toward him. “Give me that photo.”
He shook his head when Tammy grabbed his arm in concern. “What’s going on, here? Ravi, what’s happening?”
It was then that he realized he was crying. Tears dropped onto his hands as he held them in front of him, a shield to keep Nandita from that photograph. “It’s okay, Tammy. Can we have a moment?” he asked, shrugging her arm away. He stepped back from Nandita. “Nan, I need to tell you something before I give it to you. I should have told you before.”
He watched in surprise as Nandita’s eyes, which had been filled with hope and adoration only moments before, flashed with anger. “You will tell me nothing, Ravi. You will give me that photo, or I'll walk out of here right now and I won’t come back.”
Tammy watched, rooted to her spot, as he reached into his back pocket and handed over the photograph. She took it with her shaking fingers and stared at it before lifting her eyes to his. Worse than anger, her eyes now shone with fear. He knew what her next question would be, and he dreaded having to answer it.
“This is me,” she said, her voice trembling. “How did you get this photograph of me?”
42
Nandita – The Photo
Nandita looked frantically between Ravi and Tammy, trying to figure out if they were in dangerous collusion. How did they get this photo of her? Were they dangerous? Should she run? They didn’t look dangerous; Tammy’s face showed only confusion, and her body language revealed an anxious concern for Ravi. She kept reaching over and patting his arm, shooting nervous glances in her direction. Ravi looked emotionally ravaged, and she was sure he wasn't even aware that he was crying. Her instinct to comfort him kicked in. She longed to reach out and pull him toward her, but she couldn’t. She was on her own.
She stared at the photo of herself in her hands. A young girl stared back—a girl with rebellion in her eyes and a challenge in the slight upturn of her mouth. She could make out the background of a photo booth, like the ones in rundown shopping malls across the world. Where and when had this photo been taken? Could she remember? All of a sudden, she did: Praveen.
She looked up at Ravi again in shock. “Do you know him? Do you know Praveen?”
Before Sachin, her first real boyfriend, she'd been writing to a boy named Praveen. Her father had matched her with him long before she'd even considered what marriage, commitment, and real love meant. She'd written to this boy for years before she had met Sachin, and they had shared their youthful hopes and dreams and had even talked about love. It hadn’t been real, though—it had just been the romantic folly of youth. She had never even met him. The tradition in her family was to wait until the wedding day to catch the first glimpse of your future. She had been a rebel, though, and in her hand, she held the evidence. Against all convention, she had snuck into a photo booth on the way home from school one day and took this photo before sending it to Praveen.
“Well?” she demanded a second time, her voice pitched higher and sounding frantic. “Do you know Praveen? Did he give you this photo?”
“Ravi, do you need me to leave, or do you want me to stay?” Tammy hovered at Ravi’s shoulder. “Ravi?” The question hung in the air.
“That’s my nickname,” he said. He moved to the couch and sat down, and Sandy ran over. She whined again and jumped into his lap to lick his face. “Ravi’s my nickname.”
The small room suddenly seemed to be devoid of air. Nandita tried to breathe deeply, but nothing happened, and she felt the room sway a little. She already knew the answer to the question she was about to ask, but she was both scared to ask and scared not to. What would happen when he answered? What did it all mean?
“What’s your full name, Ravi?” she asked, reaching behind her to steady herself against the wall.
There was silence, except for Sandy’s whining and Tammy’s fidgeting, before her world shattered.
“Praveen,” he said. “My name’s Praveen.”
43
Claire – The Past
Claire eased the door of Nandita’s old bedroom closed and went downstairs to the living room.
“Is she sleeping?” Satish asked.
“I think so,” she said, “or pretending to sleep. She’s heartbroken, poor thing. She fell for him.”
“I am just sorry I couldn’t intervene sooner. I only needed a few more hours to prove my suspicions. She could have heard all of this from me instead.” Satish took Claire’s hand as she walked toward the couch and pulled her down next to him. “I should have protected her.”
Claire yawned and shifted on the couch until she could rest her head in Satish’s lap with her legs stretched out. She smiled up at him as he reached down to smooth her hair from her face. “You didn’t know. You did your best, Satish. It’s more my fault than yours—I was the naive
idiot passing off classified information to a mole. Ravi would never have found her if your father wasn’t passing on the details of her whereabouts to serve his evil plot. I can’t believe he would pose as your mother and trick me so completely.”
She closed her eyes. The last two days had been an emotional roller-coaster. Until today, she had honestly believed there was a chance to reconcile the relationship between Satish and his father.
“I thought I recognized Praveen when I saw him outside the restaurant. The match was made so long ago, though, that I couldn’t be sure it was him,” he said, continuing his gentle soothing and putting her to sleep. “I met him when he was only a young boy. It just seemed like too much of a coincidence to be true, but my mother was so shocked when I asked if she had been speaking to you, and even more so when I suggested she knew how to use email. I knew something was going on.”
“I wonder how long your father has being spying on us. It’s kind of creepy when you think about it.” She shivered as she imagined hundreds of his father’s minions hiding around every corner, reporting back their every move.
“Oh, don’t worry, he’s not interested in me. As soon as I got involved with an American hussy like you, I was considered a lost cause. He went for what he thought was the weaker target, but he underestimated Nandita, as always. If he had managed to get her back to India, which was the sole purpose of his plan, he would have had his hands full.”
Uncharted (Jersey Girls Book 3) Page 19