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She’d yanked it off fast, almost as if she didn’t want me to see it, but it was too late. I had. And that name would remain etched in my memory.
“When do you get home again?” she asked.
“On the 29th.”
“Okay.” Her expression still gave off a sullen vibe.
“You seem a little down. Are you sure you’re alright?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’m just… It’s been stressful the past couple of days. Nothing specific. And not getting to talk to you every night has been a bummer.”
I’d missed talking to her, too.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” She adjusted her position on the bed and said, “Tell me more about India.”
Even though I suspected she was pretending to be interested in order to change the subject, I entertained her question. “Well, you’ve heard of the Taj Mahal?”
“Yeah, that big palace?”
“Yup. That’s here, too. But it’s kind of far from where I am. I was thinking about maybe going to see it before I leave, though. If I do, I’ll take some pictures and email them to you.”
“I would love that.” She grinned.
“Tomorrow Rupert is taking me to his cousin’s wedding. Not sure I want to go, but he’s being insistent. He says it’s gonna be a good time.”
“The Indian girls are going to be all over the hot American guy. Watch.”
It probably wasn’t the right time to admit I’d already been propositioned several times by Bollywood actresses I’d met.
“Does that make you jealous?”
She hesitated before she answered. “Yes.”
“Is it wrong that that makes me happy?”
“Just don’t fall for anyone while you’re there.” She didn’t look like she was joking. This was the first time Eden had been this vulnerable with me. I was sort of digging it. It was a nice change from me being the jealous asshole because of her camming.
“Are you really worried about that?” I asked.
“I know I’m acting ridiculous.” She muttered. “None of this makes any sense.”
“Falling for someone half a world away in India makes just about as much sense as falling for a cam girl I’m never allowed to meet.”
Despite the tense tone of our conversation, I managed to get one genuine smile out of her before we hung up.***This wedding was like nothing I’d ever seen in my life.
The groom arrived on a freaking chariot with two horses pulling him. The guests were all dancing in front of it as he was led to the bride.
Cars honked their horns, and people chanted.
At the reception, I had a little too much to drink and decided to tell Rupert everything about Eden. To my surprise, he didn’t seem shocked in the least. I’d mistakenly taken him to be a little more conservative. But he was totally digging the story of how we met.
“There’s an old Indian proverb that my grandmother used to say,” he said. “I don’t know exactly how it translates into English, but the gist is: if love is not crazy, it’s not love.”
Love. Damn. No, this couldn’t be love.
“We’re not at the love point. It’s not like that.” I chuckled. “We haven’t even met.”
Right? It isn’t love? Fuck if I know what I’m really feeling.
“Are you sure about that? You just talked about her for a half hour straight, and your eyes lit up more than I’ve seen since you’ve been here.”
That was a little unsettling to hear. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’d put it into the obsession category before I’d call it love.”
“Whatever you call it, my point is love is supposed to feel like this—nonsensical, risky—even if the person makes the least sense logically. It was a crazy way you met her, but who cares? If it’s meant to be, she’ll come around. She’s probably just scared. If the connection you say you have is real, there’s not going to be anything either of you can do to stop it.”
“You think so, huh?”
“I know so,” he said. “But on the off-chance you don’t think it’s gonna work out, my cousin Saanvi wants to meet you.” He pointed to the corner of the room. “She’s over there.”
When I looked in that direction, a beautiful, dark-haired girl with the hugest brown eyes stared right at me. Had she been looking over here the whole time? I hadn’t even noticed.
Wearing a bright aqua-colored sari embellished in gold, she was probably the prettiest girl here and definitely stood out from the crowd. But despite that, I had no desire to talk to her, no desire for even a quick fling while I was in India. It felt like I’d somehow be cheating on Eden. That sucked because I didn’t have her in the real sense.
During any other time in my life, I might have thought Saanvi was the most beautiful girl in the world. But now that title was reserved for a mystery girl all the way back in Nowhere, USA.
