“Oh,” Ani said. This was actually very considerate because it would have been a huge pain to drive from San Francisco to Napa for the engagement party and then the wedding. But she had been hoping to stay at Raffi’s, although they hadn’t discussed it yet. And she couldn’t tell anyone she was sleeping over at his place anyway. So now she couldn’t refuse this. Shit.
With hesitation, she said, “Of course, that’s really thoughtful of you guys.”
Kami’s voice was still thick with tears. “Okay, well, I’ll see you then, and I’ll send some photos now.” She sounded so sad, let down by Ani—Ani remembered that well, the guilt Kami would pile on when she didn’t get her way, and Ani would immediately reverse it and jump to do whatever Kami asked.
But not today.
“Great,” Ani said. “I’ll let you know as soon as I have suggestions.”
She hung up and stared at Raffi, who appeared crushed.
Ani called to her sister. “Tal, can you give us a few minutes?”
Talar’s eyes pinged back and forth between them. She shrugged her shoulders but appeared anything but indifferent. “Sure, whatever you need to do,” she said, sarcasm icing the edges of her voice. Ani could deal with her sister’s suspicions later. Right now, she needed to talk to her boyfriend.
24
Raffi
Raffi felt likesomething was crawling all over his skin, and it wasn’t just the warm Napa day getting inside his clothes, making him sweat. He loved running into Ani, and this should have been the happiest of coincidences, but instead he felt small somehow.
First, Ani couldn’t properly introduce him to her sister. Then her sister figured out who he was and looked at him like he was a kind of war criminal, but then seemed confused that he wasn’t, actually. The fact that someone was maybe trying to sabotage the wedding? The wedding that Ani’s and Raffi’s futures were riding on? It felt big and uncontrollable, and the thought gave him a sick feeling in his stomach.
Then that call from Kami, that’d been such a punch. Kami demanding Ani’s presence. He’d been so proud of his girl when she said no, but then the alternative? Almost worse. Kami sending a bunch of up-close photos of herself, her body in no doubt some sexy dress, if he knew Kami, tohisgirlfriend. His girlfriend, who’d just gotten over Kami. He didn’t like it. It wasn’t fair, and this shouldn’t have been Ani’s job.
And then, as if things couldn’t get worse, he overheard the part about Ani staying over at a house Kami rented. He hadn’t asked Ani yet, but he had been waiting to tell her that she could come stay with him for those three nights. Now it was too late. Kami was keeping Ani close to her, just how she liked it. Who knows what Kami might try, feeling emotional the night before her wedding? Would she go and sneak into Ani’s room?
In Armenian, Kami meant “strong wind,” and that’s exactly what she was living up to now—she had swept into their lives like a tempest, upending everything in her path.
They had agreed to date, he and Ani, but they weren’t acting like it. And that was what scared him. Not a future with Ani, butnofuture with Ani.
He shoved his hands in his pockets, faced his girl, then looked down, embarrassed. “I’m going to be honest with you, I’m feeling pretty bad right now.”
Ani stepped closer to him, one eye on Talar. “I know, I can tell, and I don’t blame you.”
Now he could look her in the eye. “You don’t?”
She appeared so sympathetic, he wished he could kiss that beautiful face. It killed him not to be able to. “Of course not. I didn’t introduce you to Talar properly, and I am guessing you heard most, if not all, of that conversation. The house…I don’t want to stay there. I wanted—well, to be honest, I wanted to stay with you. If it wasn’t, you know, an imposition.”
The tightness in Raffi’s chest unknotted. He should have known that. Of course Ani would prefer to stay with him. Where the hell was his confidence? He needed to trust Aniand their relationship more, but it was still so new. It was easily battered before it even got a chance to grow properly.
“It’s never an imposition,” he said. “You could have stayed.”
“Well,” Ani said, “I was thinking maybe I could sneak out one of the nights and stay over anyway, then sneak back in the morning. No one has to know.”
Raffi’s heart warmed, but he shook his head. “You don’t have to lose sleep for my ego.”
“No, but I do want to lose sleep because of what we’ll be doing at your place.”
Despite himself, he growled. He felt it. They were getting closer. She trusted him more and more. She might have implied sex. Did Ani imply sex?
“I’m not sure how I’m standing here not kissing you, Ani jan.”
“Then do it,” she challenged.
But Talar. “Your sister?” he asked.
“I’m going to tell her anyway,” she said.
