CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Nikhil
Nikhil rode the high of getting physical with Marley all weekend. They hadn’t had sex again since Marley wanted to take it easy, but they somehow felt even closer. Even more affectionate with each other. Even more… intimate. Marley’s hand would reach for his whenever they were close, and Nikhil found himself kissing her soft neck whenever he had the chance. Even Shayne noticed it, accusing them of eye-fucking at the dinner table. Nikhil was surer than ever that he’d never been in love quite like this. And he knew that somehow, he had to make this relationship last. This was too perfect, too precious, to walk away from. There had to be a way, somehow, to keep Marley.
But first she needed to focus on her recovery and her new job. And he had to focus on being ready for this movie. But later, maybe when he finally moved out of this house for filming, they were going to have a long talk.
On Monday, Nikhil was in the gym training with Reggie and Serena. Caroline wasn’t there for some reason, but no one mentioned why. Serena and Nikhil were going over one of the trickier fight sequences, and they couldn’t seem to manage a complete run-through of the three-minute segment without Serena stopping them, claiming Nikhil was doing something wrong.
“That was fine! I did it exactly how I did it last time,” Nikhil said, wiping the sweat off his brow.
“You need to take three steps after you parry,” Serena said. “That was five. You looked like you were tap dancing or something.”
Nikhil shook his head. What difference did it make how many steps he took? He looked at Reggie. “Why are my steps precisely tracked but Serena is allowed to improvise after she punches the guy? She’s done it different each time!”
Serena picked up a towel and wiped the back of her neck. “I have more leeway because I’ve done this many, many times. Plus, I’ve studied mixed martial arts for years. You’re what—a comedian?”
Nikhil exhaled. So much for the camaraderie he thought they’d developed last week. It almost felt like Serena silently, or this time not so silently, was hoping the movie would bomb because of him. Which didn’t make an ounce of sense. This washermovie. Nikhil was her co-star for this one, but the sequels could easily happen without him.
Reggie put his hand on Nikhil’s shoulder. “You got this, man. I have total faith in you.” He looked at Serena. “I’ll work with him a bit longer. You’ll see—this guy’s going to rock it. He’s a beast. We got this, right, Nik?”
Nikhil nodded at Reggie. At least someone thought he was capable of this role.
Halfway through their next run, his phone rang. There were only three people he had his phone programmed to audibly ring for—Marley, Nalini, and his mother. He glanced at his smartwatch—it was Marley. Something had to be wrong.
“I need to get that,” he said, heading to the side of the room where his phone was.
“You can take the call later,” Reggie said. “We need to stay on track if you want to master this.”
He shook his head. “It’ll just be a second.”
Nikhil wasn’t about to ignore a call from Marley, even if her timing was bad. He answered.
“Nikhil, can you talk? Something’s wrong.”
“Are you okay?” Something was wrong. He turned so the others wouldn’t hear. “Are you in pain?”
“Yes.” She inhaled sharply. “Lots of pain, and there is some new swelling on my left side. It’s warm to the touch. I called the doctor, and he said it could be an infection. He said I should come right away. To his office, though—he’s not at the hospital today. Shayne’s not answering his phone… and my mom is busy. I can call Reena or an Uber… but I thought maybe if you were done—”
“I’m on my way,” Nikhil said. “Give me fifteen minutes to get home.”
“Are you sure? If you’re busy—”
“Marley, I told you. I’m all in. Be there soon.”
“Thank you. I’m scared, Nikhil.”
“I know. I’ll be there before you know it. Stay strong.”
“Okay. See you soon.”
Nikhil disconnected the call and walked toward the others. “It’s an emergency. I need to get my friend to the doctor right away.”
Serena frowned. “Can’t they call an Uber or something? Or an ambulance? That’s what they’re for.”
“We’re almost done, anyway. I’m sorry—I’m going.” He headed toward the changing room. He wouldn’t have time for a shower… maybe just a reapplication of deodorant.
“You’re going to have to figure out your priorities if youwant a future,” Serena said. Nikhil ignored her. Actually, he considered calling Esther. This was exactly what she’d been talking about—their expectations of him were unfair. He’d been here in training and rehearsals for weeks. Serena waltzed in four weeks later and now claimed he’s not committed?
