He stood by her side. She could smell his desert-windcologne, and she had to stop herself from closing her eyes and taking it in. His voice was sweet. “Ani jan, you have to eat. I’m taking you out.”
She began to protest but couldn’t quite form the words, because she realized that actually, yes, she would love that.
21
Ani
Raffi took Anito a restaurant attached to one of St. Helena’s boutique hotels that happened to be open at this odd, three p.m. hour. It was a lovely, and frankly romantic, spot. Outdoor seating surrounded by thick green vines, a fountain gently dripping, shade and sun playing across their faces.
When Ani saw that they were being directed to a U-shaped booth and they’d get to sit near each other instead of across the table, her breath hitched. She’d be so close to him. Maybe their arms, their elbows, would touch.
Once seated, Ani ran her fingers along the cool pressed-cotton menu. “Hey, I wanted to thank you. For earlier.”
Raffi appeared confused. “For—?”
“For not blaming me, with Kami, when she was whining about the white stones.”
Ani put a hand over her mouth, realizing the judgy verb she’d used. “I didn’t mean to say ‘whining’; that’s not fair.”
Raffi laughed kindly. “Ah-ha. So you see it now, right? Shewaswhining. I’d even use ‘tantrumming,’ and it might still be accurate.”
“Weddings cause a lot of stress…”
“Don’t tell me that’s the first time you’ve seen a Kami tantrum.”
Ani paused, remembering. “Well, there was this time at LAX when she thought they lost her bags but they were actually at a different carousel.”
“Five or six years ago at a family friend’s gathering, Kami broke down and sobbed in front of everyone because her great-aunt put her homemade kuftes on her vegan boyfriend’s plate. This lady was ancient, like ninety, and did not understand the concept of not eating meat. But Kami made this statement about how disrespectful her family was to outsiders and ran off crying.”
Ani nodded. She didn’t really want to put down Kami, but at the same time, this was sort of therapeutic. Kami had dumped her, disappeared off the face of the earth, then snapped her fingers and expected Ani to plan her wedding for her two years later. Granted, Ani had willingly agreed to do it—she had to—but what kind of person would have the audacity to ask that of her? And who would know better, the little things that grated on her, than one of her other exes? “Sounds about right.”
They both stared at each other for a second. That was that. A good mini-trash-talking sesh about Kami.
Then Raffi said, with the hint of a smirk, “Don’t miss those sneezes, either.”
Ani slapped the table and laughed. “Oh my God, the sneezes! Does she think she’s a tiny woodland bunny in a Disney fairy tale?”
“Ah-chi! Ah-chi!” Raffi mimicked Kami’s high-pitched sneezes.
A man at a table in front of them turned around in disgust, which only ignited their laughter. She honestly hadn’t thought anyone else had noticed—no one had ever said anything—but Kami’s sneezes were so comically fake and cutesy, they always secretly annoyed her.
Between fits of laughter Ani said, “There’s no way that’s her real sneeze, right?”
Raffi wiped his eyes. “That is one hundred percent an affect.”
“I hope when she’s alone she sneezes like a bear. Like an Armenian dad at six a.m. on a Sunday, waking up the entire neighborhood.”
“Your dad does that, too? I think my dad wakes up the entire county of Napa with his.”
Ani tilted her glass in his direction. She knew the issue of his dad was sensitive, but Raffi had just offered up this humorous tidbit, so she kept it going. Besides, they had talked enough about their ex. “They need a sneeze-off.”
Raffi smiled warmly at her. “We’ll have to make it happen.”
Ani returned it, then buried the smile in her glass.
They both drank wine from a nearby winery Raffi said was owned by decent people, and Ani felt the drink go to her head far too quickly, having only had that egg at breakfast and a slice of bread from the table.
Raffi didn’t seem to be tipsy like her, but he was studying her closely. She turned away from his gaze, reddening and remembering their kiss for the thousandth time. The press of his body, how protected and adored she felt. How he had shielded her from Kami’s wrath without a second thought.
