When she woke, McConaughey was smiling like the happiest fool in the Civic Center, realizing Mary wasn’t married. Why had Raffi fast-forwarded…?
And then, Ani realized she was pressed up against Raffi, his arm draped around her. She felt cocooned, safe, and absurdly comfortable. But also, holy shit, she’d fallen asleep on him?
She rubbed her eyes. “Oh my God. Sorry, didn’t realize how tired I was.”
Raffi turned toward her, his voice thick and soothing. “It’s okay. I wanted to keep you upright, just in case. I hope you don’t mind…” He rubbed her arm quickly once with his hand.
“I don’t at all. It’s, um, comfortable.”
“Yeah. Comfortable,” he said, although she could hear him swallowing.
Afraid to break the spell of Raffi holding her tight, Ani didn’t move a muscle or say another word, and they both quietly watched the climax of the movie, as Matthew McConaugheyrushed through San Francisco in search of his one true love. When the two main actors embraced and shared their kiss at last, Ani had to focus extra hard on not moving, and she felt Raffi stiffen, too.
She wanted it, though. If Raffi were to swoop in and kiss her, she’d do it. She’d kiss him. Caution be damned, she wanted this man. That was the moral of the movie, right? You can’t fight your true feelings.
But Ani was also a little coward and could not find it in herself to make the first move. So instead she sat there, frozen, Raffi’s protective arm around her, while the two of them watched a different couple make out on-screen.
If they weren’t going to kiss, maybe they could talk, because Ani needed to know something.
“Do you believe in this stuff?” she asked.
“What? Leaving your fiancé at the altar is a good idea?”
“No, you know. Love. All that.” Ani’s voice cracked only the tiniest bit when she saidlove.
“I never did. Life seems too random and cruel for something so pure. Like if you skip ahead ten years, J.Lo is going to be throwing vases at Matthew McConaughey’s head and he’s going to be doing that crazy smile-shout thing back at her, making all kinds of accusations.”
Ani blinked at him, torn between laughing and being slightly horrified. “That’s…kind of terrible?”
“Well, that’s the example I’ve seen.”
“Your parents didn’t get along?”
He laughed, an actual loud, scoffing laugh. “That’s an understatement. They always fought, but after my brother died, they said some pretty unforgivable things to each other, so mymom just…left. She spends most of her time in Europe, Armenia, and Lebanon, and if we’re lucky, she’ll come around once a year for the holidays.”
That. Was. Horrible. She couldn’t even imagine. His brother died. His father maligned him, and his mother abandoned him. She felt this sinking feeling in her stomach for Raffi, for his loneliness, for his years of pain.
“Jesus.”
“Yep. So, I don’t know. Tough to believe in the power of love after that. It skipped my household anyway.”
“I don’t even—I’m so sorry.”
He squeezed her once. “Don’t feel too sorry for me. I have plenty. I’m grateful for it, too.”
“Yeah, butlove. Kind of important.”
“Well, what about you? Do you believe in all this?” He waved at the screen.
Ani exhaled, glancing at the rom-com still playing, at the sweet ending where everything wraps up neatly in a bow. Did she believe in it? The grand, all-consuming, meant-to-be kind of love? “Not that particular story necessarily, although I’d like to think Mary and Steve were still having mind-blowing sex ten years on.”
He laughed, a happy, surprised one this time. And she liked it. She wanted Raffi to laugh like that instead of the sad, angry version.
Then she continued, “I’m kind of the opposite. Lifelong romantic, lover of all things pretty and dreamy. Grand romantic gestures, the whole shebang. Until recently. Realized that’s pretty unrealistic. Most people don’t get lucky that way. There are no grand romantic gestures in real life.”
She stopped herself from mentioning Kami. Somehow, she didn’t want to bring up her ex anymore. It didn’t feel right.
“Kami,” Raffi said. Ani groaned. “She really did a number on you. What happened?”
