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.I didn’t live in a fairy tale.I certainly didn’t live in a Bollywood movie, either.Love didn’t triumph over all else.Vicki returned with a shoebox.I sat down and tried on the fuchsia shoes with peek-a-boo toes, gold beads and black lace down the back of three-inch heels.“Stunning.Priya in heels.Tyler is going to fall in love with you all over again!”Again? Did Vicki know something I didn’t?Vicki played with my hair, lifting it up into a tight do, then a loose one, then down, and folded the hair up front to see how bangs looked.All the while, I stood immobile with fear, panic, and a devastating pang in my chest and stomach that was none other than the self-righteous, bloated, elated, mind-blowing deception of love.How could I have let this get so far? How could I meet his family and fall in love with them? How could they like me so much? Worst of all, how could I lead Ty down this malicious road with the pretense of romance? He made me happy, without a doubt.He made me feel a lot of other things, too, but we would never work out.How could I be such a fool?Tyler O’Connor might be in love with me, and I might be in love with him.But he wasn’t the man my mom had planned for me.I hated the thought of breaking his heart, but I couldn’t live with breaking Mummie’s heart.But where did my heart play out in all of this?It didn’t matter.I would sacrifice anything to make Mummie happy, even if it meant letting go of the one man who made me feel unconditional happiness.Chapter Twenty-OnePriya“I’m going out.Are you going to be okay?” Vicki shrugged on a light jacket and slipped into high heels.She wore a sleek, gray dress with a black lace hem.“Why are you all dressed up?” I sat up straight.“I’m going on a date.Will be out super late.” A look of guilt washed over her as she said the words, “You’re okay, right?”“I’m a big girl.Don’t worry.Go! I have a bat.”“Maybe Tyler can come over?” she suggested.“Maybe not.Go.I’m fine.” I jerked my chin at the book-cluttered table.“I have a ton of work to do.”“Are you sure?”“Yes.Say hi to Raj.”Vicki grinned and left.I locked the apartment after her and checked all the windows and both doors.I had a ton of reading to do, plus a paper to write and present to clinic at the end of rotation.It was best to start on it early.I stared at the textbook pictures.Pregnancy and labor were a lot like parasitic invasion.A tiny cellular organism entered the body, latched on, grew, absorbed the nutrients of the host, nearly debilitated the host, and pried itself out in a horrific, painful manner.Okay, maybe laying off the sci-fi stuff would help.I made ramen noodles the way Mummie did: with curry, veggies, and fried mustard seeds.I had just returned to the table after eating when the lights suddenly went out.I jumped and yelped, then clutched the edge of the table as I tried to control hyperventilation.Had those alley guys returned? Had they seen where I lived and bided their time to finish what they’d started?Terror washed over me.I hadn’t welcomed darkness since the assault.In fact, the only time I had slept without a lit candle was at Ty’s parents’ house when he’d held me all night.The laptop battery kicked on.The screen emitted a dull light in comparison to its former self, but enough to illuminate the dining area so I could find the flashlight in the kitchen.The circuit breaker didn’t work.Peering out into the street, I saw that the entire neighborhood was dark.After lighting candles in the living room and on the kitchen counter, I logged off the computer to save the battery and my work, and grabbed my cell phone.Thank goodness it was charged.Tucking my feet beneath me on the couch, I gripped a mahogany, miniature baseball bat.The thing was small, but the dense wood could crack a few bones.I texted Vicki to let her know the situation and that she should stay where she was, if possible, no need to fumble through darkness here when even the outside lights were off.The silence was unnerving.I tapped my leg, tempted to text Ty.Uneasiness seeped into my gut.I jerked and followed every sound.A sudden knock on the door sent a shockwave through me.I jumped and grabbed the bat.I crept toward the door, prepared to beat off an attacker.I peered through the peephole.Stupid, I couldn’t see anything.My phone buzzed.Ty: You home?Priya: Yes.Where are you?Ty: Outside your door.Priya: Prove it.Knock again and say it’s you.Ten seconds later, there was another knock and I heard Ty say, “Pree, you there? It’s me, Tyler.”I opened the door, grabbed his arm, and yanked him inside before locking up again.The candlelight cast dancing shadows across his face.“What are you doing?” I whispered.“Why are you whispering?”I shook my head.I had no idea why.“Had to make sure you were all right.”“Yeah, I’m fine.Did you think the dark scared me?”“After what happened…”My shoulders slumped.“You’re right.Thanks for checking in on me.”“Do you want me to stay?”I bit my lower lip.Being alone with a man in a blackout was wrong, but it was a better option than going crazy with paranoia.“Yes, please.”He followed and sat beside me on the couch.“So, candles, huh?”“They come in handy.”“You sure do have a lot.”“Yeah, Vicki is crazy about them.They’re all scented.They’re pretty and useful, and they’re everywhere: kitchen, bedroom, bathroom.”“So you could enjoy a candlelit soak?”“I guess.Baths aren’t normally my thing.”“Really? First time I’ve heard that from a girl.”“Are you kidding me? It may be therapeutic, but soaking in your own body oils and dirt? Gross.”“Well, when you put it that way, it is sorta disgusting.What about a candlelit bedroom? Bet that’s nice.” He nudged my leg with his.Steering the conversation away from the bedroom, I said, “I think candles are fire hazards.”“Logical, brainy Pree.”“Flirtatious, cocky Ty.”He winced.“I don’t like being called that.”“I don’t like being called Pree.How’s it feel to have an unwanted nickname because I’m too lazy to say a couple of syllables?”He burst into laughter.“Man, you’re vindictive!” He laced his fingers behind his head and slouched.“So I’ve been getting into those Bollywood movies.”“Yeah?” I was excited to hear that, to have something fun to talk about and get my mind off what I really had to tell him.“Some are pretty good, although they have their cheesy moments.”I gently shoved him.“Admit it.You love them.”He laughed.“Some of those songs are catchy.I just wish there was more variety, you know?”“Like American genres?”“Yeah.It’s cool that more recent Bollywood movies have superheroes, or gangsters, but those are variables, right?”“Yeah [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]