by Ayesha Patel
“Unlike most people who wander this earth, I’ve had a plan since forever.”
“Your plan, or your mom’s?”
“Are we seriously arguing about this?”
“Yes!”
“About Ty?”
“Yes! You like him and it’s only going to get worse.”
“All right, so I like him. I like a guy who my mother would never approve of. A white guy. So what? I like him, but I don’t love him. I’ve had crushes before. They’re intense and they fade. This isn’t any different.”
“Then why are you freaking out?” Vicki asked calmly.
Because it scared me how much I liked Ty, how much I wanted him. Instead of admitting it, I grunted and went to my room.
Chapter Eleven
Tyler
I had to go the extra mile with Pree. Not that she wasn’t practically floundering the last time she saw me, but she was well worth the effort to do things right. Neither of us were about sex and games, and according to my intel, there were a few major hurdles to leap before I could shatter her barrier of self defense.
“You got the stuff?” I joked when I secretly met Vicki in the hallway. I felt like we were dealing drugs or something.
She handed me the bag. “Let’s get something straight.”
“Hit me.”
“Priya is not the type for a hit and run. I’m not helping you so you can get her into bed.”
I put my palm up. “I’m offended you think I’m that guy.”
She sighed. “I know you’re not. But in case my gut is wrong, I will hurt your man parts if you hurt Priya.”
“I wouldn’t hurt Pree. In fact, I’d hurt someone if they hurt her, like her aunts.”
“She told you about them?” Vicki looked shocked. “Wow. You might not need my help after all. She doesn’t tell anyone about her aunts.”
“I figured. She doesn’t seem the type to bad-mouth anyone, and even then, I could tell it was difficult for her to get the words out. Look. I’ve been trying to talk to her since I moved in, when she almost bulldozed me on the staircase because she was late for work. I can’t get her out of my head. I’ve never tried so hard to get a girl to notice me. And I’ve definitely never studied for one.”
I opened the bag. “This is all I need to know about Gujarati culture, religion, language, and…Bollywood?”
“Don’t skimp on the last one. Priya’s a die-hard Bollywood fan.”
“I can learn a language for her, but I don’t know if I can sit through an entire musical.”
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
“Nothing. Why?”
Vicki raised her brows and grinned. “Get your sexiest trunks ready. This shiznit is about to get real.”
I laughed. “Shiznit?”
“Yes. Serious shiznit.”
Chapter Twelve
Priya
Vicki convinced me to join her poolside. “You need some fresh air, some relaxing, and for the love of God, you’re the palest Indian ever.”
“Don’t expect me to get in the water,” I warned. “Our people don’t swim well.”
“Yeah, yeah, irrational fear of the water.” Vicki twisted and turned in front of her full-length, closet mirror while I watched from the edge of her bed. She sported a one-piece, pink swimsuit with white dots, a stark contrast against her dark skin.
“Who are you trying to impress?” I eyed her suspiciously.
“My friend Raj is coming over.”
“I see. Is he bringing friends?”
“Do you want him to?”
“No, just asking.”
“Are you going to wear a swimsuit, or are you wearing gym shorts?”
“Don’t hate on the gym shorts. They’re awesome and versatile.”
Vicki gave me an annoyed look through the reflection in the mirror.
“Fine. I’ll go shave.”
The closest thing to a swimsuit in my dresser was a brown tank top with pink edges and a pair of brown and pink plaid board shorts.
A handsome, young Indian man greeted me in the living room when I emerged. Dark-skinned, dark-haired, dark-eyed, and decently built, he wore red trunks.
“This is Raj,” Vicki said. “And this is my roommate, Priya.”
“Nice to meet you,” we said simultaneously and laughed.
In one hand, Raj held up a six-pack of wine coolers and a six-pack of Dr Pepper in the other. I drooled when I saw the soda—clearly a bribe.
“My new best friend!” I said.
Vicki, being the gourmet chef, filled a picnic basket with rustic-bread sandwiches, pasta salad, and eating utensils. She brought the food, and I grabbed towels.
A dozen people were scattered around the large pool. A few kids splashed in the kiddy pool at the end. With a brilliant sun, a cloudless sky, and no breeze, soaking my feet in cool water sounded welcoming.
We claimed the first available table and lounge chairs we spotted. Raj and Vicki fell into a conversation about his new job. I looked over the neighbors, a few of whom I didn’t recognize and who probably didn’t even live here. My studious gaze stopped short when I saw the side of Ty’s half-immersed, totally ripped, and glistening body. Steve and Terrie splashed one another behind him. She squealed, wiped her face, and waved when she saw me. I waved back. Ty winked.
Holy Mother of God.
He swam to the edge, planted his hands flat on the cement border, and hauled himself out of the pool. Water streamed down lick-worthy, flexed muscles from a corded neck to sculpted pecs, a six-pack, and thick thighs. Even his calves were sexy. His calves! And his soaked blue trunks clung to the best parts of him, leaving little to the imagination.
He walked toward me. I glanced at Vicki and Raj to see if they’d rescue me as my legs turned wobbly and my thoughts flailed. I expected to find them conversing, but instead they were watching me with stupid grins plastered across their faces. Everything felt like a setup, and the question to my sanity, to reality, faltered. Why was Vicki encouraging this?
“What?” I asked her.
Vicki greeted him first. “Hey, Tyler.”
“Hey, girl. How’s it going?”
“Great! This is my friend, Raj. Raj, this is our neighbor, Tyler.”
They shook hands. “Heard a lot about you, man.”
“Likewise.”
Likewise? Had a cluster of my friends drifted off and connected to Ty in some abnormal, covert mass?
“So how’s the job working out?” Ty spoke to Raj and ran a hand through soaked hair.
“A little shaky at first, much better now that I’m settled.”
Holy crap. They did know about one another!
“I remember starting at NASA and being completely lost. So many people and groups, and believe it or not, cliques. Have to just wiggle your butt into a groove and force everyone else to get used to you.” He laughed.
Was this NASA bit an ongoing joke or did he really work there?
“You going to get in the water, Pree?” he asked, taking a step toward me.
“No.”
“You have to get into the water.” He lunged for me.
I shrieked, perhaps startling everyone present and it was probably why the kid in the distance cried, as Ty grabbed me around my waist, picked me up, and swung me around. I tipped backward. My toes desperately clung to the rim of the pool. Ty edged closer to the water.
My nails sank deep into his back.
“Ow!”
“Don’t drop me!” I leaned backward at an angle. If I fell, I would take him with me, then straddle his back like a cat and claw him wide open until he swam back to safety.
He laughed so hard, his body rocked against mine. He was slick, and I kept losing my grip. I hugged him tight, his chest slippery and cold against the fabric of my tank. Ty encircled my waist with his arms and dragged me as he walked backward away from the pool. “You totally freaked out, babe.”
I sat down and crossed my arms, half shaken from pure terror. “You’re a j
erk.”
“No. A jerk would’ve shoved you into the pool. I did not. I’m a gentleman.”
Terrie and Steve approached us. Terrie was a freaking Swedish goddess in a tiny yellow bikini. The water in her blond hair caught the sunlight and sparkled. Her skin glowed with a hint of golden tinge. She had a perfect figure, proportioned with perky breasts and a slim build. She leaned down and hugged me. Steve, in matching yellow trunks, cocked his chin from a fair distance.
“Do you guys want sandwiches?” Vicki asked.
“Ooh, thanks!” Terrie bit into one. “Mm, what is this?”
“Goat cheese, portobello mushrooms, black forest ham, and avocado on rustic Italian bread.”
Vicki suspiciously had enough to feed everyone.
“Wow, it’s good.” Terrie held a hand out to Vicki, then Raj. “I’m Terrie, and he’s my man, Steve.”
“I’m Vicki, and this is Raj.”
The heat of the sun increased as the day went by, but everyone ate and drank, and I loosened up. Vicki’s picnic basket was like the proverbial basket of fish from the Bible. It was a bottomless pit filled with goodies.
Vicki peeled off her T-shirt, revealing the modest swimsuit. Raj checked her out with approval and scurried after her into the pool with the rest of them.
No one listened when I chided, “Wait thirty minutes!”
They played with a beach ball and dominated the pool. Others stepped out, and the children in the kiddy pool went home with their parents.
“Not getting in?” Ty asked.
“No.”
He shrugged and did a cannonball.
The group laughed and played. I lay on the lounge chair and watched. They were content to ignore me, and I was just as happy laying here. What a rare, relaxing day between grueling clinic and work.
Eventually, I sat at the opposite end and dipped my legs into the water. The liquid tickled as serene waves splashed against my upper calves. Terrie and Vicki waved me over. I shook my head.
Ty swam to me and I gave him a serious, don’t-mess-with-me look. He smirked and stopped in front of me anyway.
“Why don’t you like the water? Afraid of sharks? Piranhas?” He made the impending danger music from Jaws.
“Shut up.” I pushed him away with a foot against his chest.
He swam back to me. “You have a fear of being dragged into the water?”
The look in his mischievous eyes warned me to get up, but it was too late. He grabbed my foot and playfully tugged.
“Ty!” I slid.
“I don’t like being called that.”
I kicked and squirmed, but he grabbed both feet, then calves. He ended up between my legs, picked me up by the waist, and sank into the water.
I wrapped my arms around his neck as he swam to the deep end.
“It’s not that bad. You won’t drown. It’s not that deep.”
“My feet don’t touch the floor!” I kicked. Nope, they didn’t touch the bottom.
“I wouldn’t let you drown.”
“Just suffer, right?”
He laughed as he hugged my waist, my buoyant breasts against his throat.
“Take me back.”
He shook his head. The stubble on his chin scratched my chest, sending butterflies through my body.
Vicki swam by to get the ball, which someone had knocked over to the other end.
“Can I get a ride to the edge?” I asked her.
“No!” Vicki ignored me and returned to the game.
“Come on,” Ty muttered as he gracefully moved me onto his back where I straddled him. He swam toward the group and played with me on his back like a terrified monkey!
Part of the time, his cold hands held onto my thighs, and other times they splashed me in an attempt to dislodge my viselike grip around his neck. Toward the end of the match, Ty kicked back and reached high to hit the ball. He lost his balance and toppled backward and I went under. I panicked, kicked, thrashed, and gasped for air when he swooped me out of the water. I grabbed onto him for dear life.
“Ty! Don’t let me go!”
He wiped my face. “Babe, I’d never let you go.”
“Please take me back to the edge.” I buried my face in his neck and shivered. I would never come to the pool again, not if Tyler O’Connor was around.
He spoke into my shoulder, his lips brushing my skin, “First tell me why you’re so scared of the water. You’re a grown woman.”
“I almost drowned when I was five. My cousin decided to teach me how to swim by tossing me into the deep end of the pool. Now go!”
“I’m so sorry that happened to you, but nothing will happen to you here. I promise. The water’s nice.”
“You’re not moving.”
“One more thing.”
“What?”
“Just a kiss.”
“What?” I bit him where his clavicle met his shoulder.
He hissed and gripped me harder. In a rough voice, he muttered, “Now don’t be doing things to turn me on if you don’t plan to follow through, Pree.”
I clawed his back to show him how much he pissed me off.
He hissed again. “Damn, Pree.”
“If I bite you again, it’ll be so hard you’ll wonder if I turned zombie.”
He swam to the edge and released me. He reached back to examine the bite wound. “Zombies could happen.”
The bite was red and puffy. “Sorry, but that’s your own fault.”
“Worth it.” He sank into the water and smiled as he swam backward and returned to the game.
I hugged my belly, engrossed in the paralysis he left inside me. What a wonderful, dizzying, and terrifying vibration. The sensation abated as I lounged and read. I hadn’t read for entertainment in months and hadn’t finished a recreational book in two years. All the while, my thoughts returned to the feelings Ty invoked.
Steve pulled Terrie out of the pool. They dried off next to me.
“We should hang out,” Terrie said in her usual, chipper tone.
“That sounds like fun. What do you want to do?” I asked.
“We should watch a Bollywood movie.”
Steve groaned.
“They’re awesome!” She ribbed him. “I have a few rented but haven’t watched them yet.”
“Ooh, yeah, we can do pizza and watch it at my place. I’m actually free tomorrow, otherwise it will have to wait until next Sunday,” I suggested.
“Yes! Tomorrow! These guys need to watch Bollywood.”
“Musicals aren’t my thing,” Steve said. “Foreign films, no offense, take too much effort to understand. I don’t like to read at a movie.”
“Maybe just us girls, then? Unless Tyler is interested.”
“I heard my name,” Ty said as he approached.
“Walk away, man,” Steve warned.
Terrie pulled Ty over. “Don’t you want to watch a Bollywood movie with us at Priya’s place?”
He glanced at me. “There’s only one part of that sentence that appeals to me.”
“Enough to make you say yes?”
“It’s up to Pree if she wants me over.”
Put on the spot, I felt obliged to reply, “Of course you’re invited. You said you wanted to learn more about Indian culture… Well, you can learn about Indian cinema. It is a little sappy, though.”
“It’s romantic!” Terrie batted her eyelashes.
Steve slapped Ty’s chest with the back of his hand. “Have fun.”
Ty watched me. “I’m sure I will.”
Chapter Thirteen
Priya
“Are you cooking?” Vicki sniffed.
“Yes,” I answered.
“From scratch?”
“Yes.”
“What are you making?”
“Pizza. We have to break in the bread maker. Can you cut some onions and peppers, please?”
Vicki sat on the bar stool and chopped while I rolled out two pizzas and shoved them into the oven. We cleaned off the floury coun
ter and stuffed the dishes into the dishwasher.
“Trying to impress Tyler?” Vicki asked.
“Think homemade pizza is impressive? Especially after he’s had your cooking? So, is Mr. Raj coming over?”
“Yes.”
“So you like him?”
“Yes.”
“Seriously like him?”
She blushed.
“Vickiben! Are you…are you in love?”
The grin on my roommate’s face couldn’t have possibly gotten bigger.
I clutched Vicki’s arms and jumped up and down. “I’m so happy for you!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“How long have you guys been dating?”
“We’ve been talking for a couple of months.”
“And you never told me!” That hurt.
“I didn’t want it to be a big deal.”
“How’d you meet?”
“At work. He dropped by to talk to a coworker about apartments, and we got to talking. He’s Rajeev Shah.”
“The guy your parents wanted you to meet last year and you skipped out on?”
“Yes! What are the odds?”
“I thought he lived in Dallas with his parents.”
“He actually lived with a roommate in Dallas, but when he got laid off, he found work here. Hence the apartment search. My coworker recommended the place he’s living in now, which is where my coworker lives.”
“Huh! Funny. You tried so hard to weasel out of that one and turns out you fell for him, anyway. That’s like a fairy tale, or a Bollywood romance. Two people about to be arranged by their elders fight against meeting but meet in their own way, on their own terms, and fall in love. Maybe they stress over how to tell their parents. Little do they know their lover was the one chosen for them in the first place.”
Vicki giggled.
“All those late-night phone calls, those times you ditched me to go out, was with Raj? Have you kissed?”
“Yep.”
“Was it fireworks?”
“Yep.”
“Tell me, tell me, tell me!”
“We were walking around the lake, and he pulled me away from the trail and kissed me as the sun set.”
I looked off into a corner and sighed. “So romantic.”
“What about you? How was your first kiss with Tyler?”