I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t tell her about his criminal activities or the real reason he had hired me to work at Sethi Tech. I would have to just give her a condensed version of the story.
“He’s just…intense.” Or maybe just the ultra-condensed version.
“What does that mean?” she asked in confusion.
“It means he’s not like the other guys I’ve dated.” Definitely not like the other guys.
“Let me guess—he’s a ‘bad boy’?” My mom had always been a sharp lady.
I smiled at her guess, and she knew she was right.
“You get that from me. I was always falling for the bad boys when I was in my prime.”
“Mom, you’re still in your prime.”
“That’s sweet of you to say, but you know what I mean. Does he treat you well?” I knew my well-being was most important to her.
He did. He was always honest with me and made me feel special when we were together. Even though he was unable to commit, I knew he cared for me. He had proven that to me when he’d tried to sabotage my vacation.
I had texted him every day while I was here, as promised, and although he still seemed cranky about me leaving, he always replied with short messages of confirmation shortly after receiving my texts. If I was being honest, I missed him. It was weird being away from him.
“He does. He’s just not looking to be in a committed relationship right now,” I said, organizing the vegetables on a baking tray.
“And what do you want?” She resumed streaming olive oil into her bowl of chopped herbs and spices.
“Me? I guess I thought we’d be something a little more than casual by now.”
“Sometimes these bad boys take a little more time to realize what they want. Your dad did,” she said, too busy to look up from her marinade.
“Huh?” This was news to me. I hadn’t realized my dad had been a bad boy afraid of commitment. He had always seemed strongly devoted to my mom when he was alive.
“Your dad was so afraid of commitment when I met him. He was always faithful to me, but he was still hesitant to settle down.”
“I had no idea! How did he end up changing his mind?” I abandoned my vegetables, needing to hear more.
“I gave him space and time. He came around at his own pace. The important thing is that you continue to live your life while he figures out what he wants. You’re a bright young girl. Don’t get caught up in others’ indecisiveness. Experience life instead of waiting for someone to commit to you.”
“So, you’re saying I should date around in the meantime?” I didn’t want to see other people.
“Only if that’s what you want to do. I’m not saying you should be one of those crazy loose girls.” She waved her hands in the air like she was a college girl on spring break.
“Mom!”
“You know what I mean. You have integrity and you should hold onto that. But if you want to see other people, that’s fine too. These guys sometimes need a little space to realize what they’re missing out on.”
“You’re right mom.” She always was.
“What’s his name?” She cocked an eyebrow as she dug for more information. Moms always needed to know more.
“Shyam,” I said.
“That sounds like an Indian name.”
“It is. He and his brother Jai are from India.”
“Are his parents still in India?” She tasted her marinade and added more salt to season it.
“No, they passed away a few years ago,” I replied, depositing my tray into the oven and setting the timer.
Her face turned somber. She knew about loss. I did too. “That’s a shame. He must be lonely.”
“I guess he is.” I knew he was. It was why he was so guarded with his feelings.
“How did you meet?” She coated her hens with the dressing she’d prepared, using a brush to keep her hands clean.
“Well, he’s my boss.” I turned away to pretend to check the oven even though the vegetables had barely been in there for a few minutes. I didn’t want to see her expression.
“Amelia Becker!” she scolded playfully, pinning her hands to her hips.
“He bought over IP Innovations and hired me to work for his company,” I argued defensively.
“You don’t have to defend yourself to me, honey. I know you’re brilliant. He is lucky to have you as an employee.”
“He agrees with you and treats me like I’m smart. He believes in my abilities as a programmer.” He believed in me even when I doubted my own abilities.
“That’s good. I should be warning you not to let a man with power take you for granted, but I know I raised an independent girl. You learned from my mistakes.” Her voice was heavy with regret.
“Mom…you were a great mother, and it wasn’t your fault that Dad died.” I came to her side to wrap an arm around her shoulders.
“Yes, but I wasn’t as independent as I could have been, so I wasn’t prepared for his death. It took me a while to get back on my feet.”
“But look at you now. You’re providing for yourself and you raised me after he died. I’m so proud of you, Mom.”
“Thank you, sweetie. That really means a lot to me.” She kissed my cheek. “So…when do I get to meet him?” She took another sip of her wine and played coy.
I smirked. “I don’t think introducing him to my mom when he wants a casual relationship is the best idea.”
She laughed. “Maybe not. But I’d love to meet him, whenever you’re ready.”
******
Despite our small meal, we managed to stuff ourselves until we couldn’t eat anymore. We spent the rest of the evening watching old black-and-white movies that Mom loved and talking until we couldn’t keep our eyes open.
I had just showered and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top to get ready for bed. My hair was still wet from my shower, so I left it loose to dry a little more before sleeping.
I leaned back on my bed, propped up by pillows, and scrolled through my phone to catch up on social media.
My room was like a time capsule of my teen years. Star Wars posters decorated the walls. I still had glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling. I had also had a weird obsession with lava lamps at one point, so I had them in various sizes and colors on my desk at the far end of the room. I had been such a sci-fi fan growing up, and I loved anything that reminded me of outer space or computers.
I had received a few missed texts from friends wishing me Happy Thanksgiving throughout the day. I even had one from my new friend, Blake.
Happy Thanksgiving, Amelia. Hope Seattle is treating you well. Let’s get together when you get back.
It felt nice having a friend at work. Whenever we crossed paths, we always chatted, but we had never met outside of work. It would be fun to get to know him better. I thought he’d really get along with Nat and my old IP Innovations friends too.
I texted everyone back. I hadn’t heard from Shyam, so I decided I should wish him Happy Thanksgiving too. I didn’t know what traditions the Sethi brothers had for holidays, but I was guessing it didn’t involve a nice meal in a dining room and arguing over football. I couldn’t imagine Shyam carving a turkey or Jai passing around stuffing.
Instead of texting, I hit the phone icon on my screen. The phone rang once before he answered.
“Jaan.” That one word in his familiar voice made my belly flutter with excitement.
My nerves got the best of me; I didn’t know how to respond. “Hey.”
“Are you okay?” he asked. He was still on edge about Tarun.
“I’m fine. I just wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.”
He chuckled. “It’s not Thanksgiving anymore.”
I suddenly realized the time difference. He was three hours ahead, so it was after midnight there. “Oh, I’m sorry! I forgot how late it was there. Were you sleeping?”
“There’s no rest for the wicked.” And he certainly was wicked.
“
Did you do anything special…yesterday?” I asked.
“Like eat turkey? No, I was working.” No surprise there.
“You didn’t at least get together with Jai?”
“Why would I? He was out whoring around. Probably still is.” I was glad it was just Jai who was whoring around the city this evening.
“Maybe he needed a wingman?” I teased.
“I think we both know he needs no help in that department.”
“True.”
The line went quiet for some time.
He spoke first. “How are things at home?”
“Great. I love being home with my mom.”
“She must have missed you a lot.” He seemed genuinely interested in hearing about my time at home.
“She did. I wish she lived closer, so I could see her more often.” I couldn’t hide the emotion in my voice.
“Maybe one day you can move her out to the city.”
“Or maybe I could move back home.” There were plenty of amazing tech jobs in Seattle.
The line was thick with silent tension. “Are you considering moving back?”
“I’m not sure. I won’t really be needed after we…um…accomplish what we need to.” I didn’t want to say too much over the phone. Shyam had taught me that ears were listening everywhere, even where you wouldn’t suspect them.
“There are plenty of jobs available in New York for you, especially with the letter of recommendation that you want from me. You would no doubt secure these jobs without my help, but the letter would be a bonus.” He sounded like he was trying to convince me to stay.
“I don’t know that there’d be any purpose for me to stay in New York.” I wanted him to beg me to stay because he wanted me to.
He took a long sigh. “There’ll always be a purpose for you, jaan.”
I was hoping he meant it in the way that I wanted.
After another long silence, he spoke. “It’s late. You should get some rest.”
“Yeah, it is. Well…good night.” I wasn’t ready to hang up yet. I wanted so much to tell him that I missed him, but I didn’t want to risk getting rejected again.
“Good night.”
“Shyam, wait!” I called out hastily before he could hang up.
“Yes, jaan?”
I paused for way too long. “Never mind.”
He hesitated before speaking, as if considering how best to respond. “Me too.”
He knew exactly what I wanted to say.
XXV. Amelia
The rest of my vacation passed by quickly. Mom and I decided to play tourists in the Seattle rain and do some sightseeing. It was so much fun getting to experience my hometown this way with my mother. We took goofy photos at the Space Needle and bought pirozhkis at Pike Place Market.
Now, it was time for me to head back to New York, and my heart felt heavy leaving her again.
“Mom, I’m going to miss you so much,” I said as I hugged her goodbye outside the security line at the airport.
“Sweetie, you have no idea how much I’ll miss you,” she replied through her tears, squeezing me tight.
I pulled back so I could look at her face one last time. “I hate the idea of leaving you here.”
“I’ll be fine. I will come visit as soon as I get some time off from work.” She rubbed my shoulders reassuringly.
“I would love that, Mommy.”
“You take care of yourself. I know I don’t need to worry about my good girl too much.”
“One day, we’ll live together again so we can be close together,” I promised.
“You’re a young, vibrant lady. Why would you want to live with an old bag like me?”
“Because I love you,” I said, squeezing her tighter.
“I love you, too. But you need to enjoy your twenties. You need to experience life on your own. It’s all part of growing up. I will always be with you, no matter where you are,” she said, pointing to my heart.
I started crying again as I held her one last time before heading into the line.
*****
It was a long flight. I kept tearing up for the first half hour, before eventually falling asleep. I slept the rest of the way until we reached the gate. I looked like a hot mess in my over-sized NASA sweatshirt, jeggings, and sneakers.
I grabbed my roller bag from the overhead compartment and deboarded the plane. I didn’t have any check-in luggage, so I walked past the carousels as I went through baggage claim.
It was dark outside already, so I decided to stop and pull out my phone to check on my Uber before exiting the airport. My driver was close, so I headed through the doors to wait on the curb until the car arrived.
I noticed a black Ferrari parked by the curb with a familiar man leaning against the passenger-side door with his hands in his pockets.
Shyam came to pick me up at the airport? He hadn’t let me leave in the first place without having my flight itinerary, but he hadn’t mentioned anything about coming to get me.
I stood there with my mouth agape and my eyes wide with shock.
He was so sexy in those dark jeans and a black t-shirt. He looked like he hadn’t shaved for the day, and all the stubble only made him look more rugged and handsome.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a grin when he saw me, and I was a goner.
I forgot about my bag and threw myself into his arms. He held me as people bustled past us to find their rides. It was so noisy but, in that moment, I couldn’t hear anything except for the sound of his heart beating inside of his chest as I pressed into him. I savored his warmth and smell—leather and tobacco.
He pressed a kiss to the top of my head before I broke our embrace. “How long were you waiting here for?”
“Not long. I checked your flight status before driving over.” He grabbed my bag and loaded it into the trunk before opening the passenger door for me. I scooted in and secured my seatbelt as he made his way to the driver’s seat.
He sat inside and turned towards me. Gently taking my face in his hands, he stared at me like he was memorizing every detail. His fingers caressed my under-eyes, knowing that I had been crying. He pressed his lips to the delicate skin under each one.
I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his lips touching me. His kisses made their way down my cheek and to the corner of my mouth. My breath faltered with anticipation. I longed for his lips on mine. As if sharing the same feeling, he took my mouth.
Our kiss started out slow, as if he wanted to take his time with me. I parted my lips, inviting him inside. Taking advantage of my summons, his tongue invaded me. I kissed him back feverishly, tangling my tongue with his. I felt our souls unite and erase the time that we had been apart.
He broke our union, leaving me panting for air—or maybe just for more of him.
“You’ve been crying,” he said, ignoring the cars honking impatiently around us.
“It’s always hard to leave Mom,” I said.
He shifted gears and pulled away from the curb. “You should have her visit.”
“I think I will.” I smiled.
We drove off into the night, the engine roaring as we went. His hand rested on the gearshift as he drove. I had spent a week away from his touch, and I didn’t want to be away from it anymore. I slid my hand over and linked my fingers with his, my palm on the back of his hand. He turned his hand over and grabbed mine so that our palms were facing each other, fingers intertwined.
Instead of pulling up to my building, we pulled up to a lavish apartment building that looked like a five-star hotel from the outside. Shyam helped me out of the car and grabbed my bag. A valet took the keys and tended to the car.
I followed Shyam into the building, and the doorman greeted us with a courteous smile on his face. “Good evening, Mr. Sethi.”
“Good evening, Henry,” Shyam replied to the bald middle-aged man.
The lobby was gorgeous, with marble floors and huge flower arrangements on pedestal vases around the space.
; “Where are we?” I asked.
“My home in the city,” he replied, unaffected by the grandeur around us as he ushered me to the elevator. He was probably accustomed to it, since he saw it often.
We rode the elevator all the way to the penthouse suite.
The space looked like his house—decorated with sleek furniture in masculine tones. A fire roared in the fireplace. Huge windows overlooked the city, providing the most beautiful soft lighting in the background.
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