bright light suddenly seeps in through the darkness and I raise my hand to shield myself from it. I hear someone calling my name. “Kari?” I look to my right and focus on the face peering back at me. Neil? Why does he look so worried? And why am I lying down? Christ! Did I just faint?! I sit upright and wince as that sudden movement swings, what seems to be, a brick lodged inside my skull.
“Easy, Kari,” I hear Neil say as I look around trying to find my bearings. Then I look at him crouched right next to me. There’s that damnable concern written all over his face again. My heart melts. He’s good people. Too good for me to be dumping my crappy baggage all over him.
“I’m okay,” I mumble and try to get up but Neil stops me with his hand on my elbow.
“No, you’re not,” he says sternly. “Sit right here. Nalini is getting some water for you. Have you eaten anything since last night?”
I shake my head and his jaw visibly clenches. “Dinner?” he asks.
I shake my head again and he exhales deeply.
Nalini comes rushing towards me, bearing a glass of water in her hands. After I gulp it down, I face the stern glares being thrown in my direction. Then a wayward thought enters my head. “Hey, deja vu!” I quip.
Both Nalini and Neil give me blank looks, probably wondering whether they need to call the loony bin. Did Nalini just edge towards the phone or is it just my imagination? I try my best to explain, “Remember, we had this exact same situation? When I drank that shit-scalding coffee and you got me water?” But Nalini doesn’t get it and keeps looking at me like my brain is mashed. Then she turns to Neil.
“Maybe her body was so starved, it ate up her brain,” she tells Neil who puts a finger on his lips and gives me a thoughtful look.
“Possible. Even so, I’ll get her a BLT. If nothing else, we’ll get a new rendition of a foodgasm out of her,” he says and then turns to leave the shop.
While Nalini snickers, I glare at Neil’s retreating figure. The over-considerate sarcastic… asshat!
The door shuts and Nalini comes to sit beside me. “I hope you haven’t been storked up,” she says.
I gasp. “Christ! Nalini! Stop saying such things!”
“If you promise to stop stripping him every time you look at him.”
“I do NOT!”
Nalini shrugs. “Heck! It’s okay by me. Specially, since he seems to be returning the favor. Maybe you guys should just find a room and get all these come-hump-me looks over with.”
Before I can respond, the door opens. Probably our first customer for the day. No. It’s just Josiah.
“Baby,” he says happily as his eyes rest on Nalini and she doesn’t waste a moment in jumping and mounting him. They kiss with abandon. Like there’s no one else watching, no one else left in the world. It’s just him, her and their lips. It’s a beautiful thing to experience. A painful thing to watch.
When he finally puts her down on the floor, his face is flushed with elation and satisfaction. I think of doing the whole gagging thing but then I realize it would be pointless to tease them. Their love is just too real, too natural to be mocked. I also realize that I’ve never felt so alone in my entire goddamn life. My life sucks.
“Ah! My competition’s here too!” Josiah says as he finally notices me.
Nalini shakes her head, making her short hair bounce and swing. “Oh no. Not anymore. She’s got the hots for someone else now. Traitor!”
Josiah perks up his eyebrows. “Really?”
The door swings open again and Neil appears with a big brown bag. Christ! This guy.
I see Nalini nudging Josiah and nodding towards Neil. Josiah’s face scrunches up as he assesses my supposed new love-interest.
Neil extends his hand to him. “Hey, man. Heard you last night. You guys were awesome.”
Josiah’s face immediately lights up. “Thanks. Coming from you it means a lot. Nalini here hasn’t shut up about you and your dance moves.” Then he casts
“Easy, Kari,” I hear Neil say as I look around trying to find my bearings. Then I look at him crouched right next to me. There’s that damnable concern written all over his face again. My heart melts. He’s good people. Too good for me to be dumping my crappy baggage all over him.
“I’m okay,” I mumble and try to get up but Neil stops me with his hand on my elbow.
“No, you’re not,” he says sternly. “Sit right here. Nalini is getting some water for you. Have you eaten anything since last night?”
I shake my head and his jaw visibly clenches. “Dinner?” he asks.
I shake my head again and he exhales deeply.
Nalini comes rushing towards me, bearing a glass of water in her hands. After I gulp it down, I face the stern glares being thrown in my direction. Then a wayward thought enters my head. “Hey, deja vu!” I quip.
Both Nalini and Neil give me blank looks, probably wondering whether they need to call the loony bin. Did Nalini just edge towards the phone or is it just my imagination? I try my best to explain, “Remember, we had this exact same situation? When I drank that shit-scalding coffee and you got me water?” But Nalini doesn’t get it and keeps looking at me like my brain is mashed. Then she turns to Neil.
“Maybe her body was so starved, it ate up her brain,” she tells Neil who puts a finger on his lips and gives me a thoughtful look.
“Possible. Even so, I’ll get her a BLT. If nothing else, we’ll get a new rendition of a foodgasm out of her,” he says and then turns to leave the shop.
While Nalini snickers, I glare at Neil’s retreating figure. The over-considerate sarcastic… asshat!
The door shuts and Nalini comes to sit beside me. “I hope you haven’t been storked up,” she says.
I gasp. “Christ! Nalini! Stop saying such things!”
“If you promise to stop stripping him every time you look at him.”
“I do NOT!”
Nalini shrugs. “Heck! It’s okay by me. Specially, since he seems to be returning the favor. Maybe you guys should just find a room and get all these come-hump-me looks over with.”
Before I can respond, the door opens. Probably our first customer for the day. No. It’s just Josiah.
“Baby,” he says happily as his eyes rest on Nalini and she doesn’t waste a moment in jumping and mounting him. They kiss with abandon. Like there’s no one else watching, no one else left in the world. It’s just him, her and their lips. It’s a beautiful thing to experience. A painful thing to watch.
When he finally puts her down on the floor, his face is flushed with elation and satisfaction. I think of doing the whole gagging thing but then I realize it would be pointless to tease them. Their love is just too real, too natural to be mocked. I also realize that I’ve never felt so alone in my entire goddamn life. My life sucks.
“Ah! My competition’s here too!” Josiah says as he finally notices me.
Nalini shakes her head, making her short hair bounce and swing. “Oh no. Not anymore. She’s got the hots for someone else now. Traitor!”
Josiah perks up his eyebrows. “Really?”
The door swings open again and Neil appears with a big brown bag. Christ! This guy.
I see Nalini nudging Josiah and nodding towards Neil. Josiah’s face scrunches up as he assesses my supposed new love-interest.
Neil extends his hand to him. “Hey, man. Heard you last night. You guys were awesome.”
Josiah’s face immediately lights up. “Thanks. Coming from you it means a lot. Nalini here hasn’t shut up about you and your dance moves.” Then he casts
Similar Books
