“Honey, you’ve known him for months.”
I twisted my fingers together. “I meant, after Gray.”
She patted the cushion beside her. “You think it’s like a rebound thing?”
“I wasn’t really thinking at all,” I confessed, sinking obediently onto the couch. “I’m trying not to project.” (“Darling, you can’t expect flowers and promises,” Gray repeated in my head.)
“Me too. But it’s hard not to think about the future. Everybody judges you by whether or not you’re in a relationship. There’s all this pressure. Like if you don’t have a boyfriend, if you’re not getting married, if you’re not ready to start a family, there must be something wrong with you.”
“And you’re not ready.”
“I might be. That’s the problem. I always thought when I found someone it would be like fate. True love at first sight. Like Romeo and Juliet.”
“Or Cinderella,” I offered.A fairy tale.
Reeti nodded. “And instead my parents introduced us. It’s so unromantic.”
“At least you know they like him. And you like him. Why can’t that be enough for now?”
“Because it feels like cheating. I thought falling in love would be harder.”
“Love is hard. I mean, living with someone takes work. But maybe it’s easier if you share the same kind of background.” Like Tim and Laura. Okay, horrible example. “Like you and Vir.”
“That’s what my parents say. But you need the feelings, too. The butterflies, my mother says. It’s more than being compatible. You have to feel something.”
“And do you have... feelings for Vir?”
“So many feelings. It’s scary.”
I squeezed her hand in sympathy.
“My mother says you need to have faith,” Reeti continued. “If a couple has good intentions, if they respect each other and try to please each other, then everything will work out.”
Have faith. Tim had certainly never given me any reason to doubt him. But...
“He had to leave,” I said.
“Who? When?”
“Tim. After we...” I waved my hand.
“Had a shag? Banged the headboard? Slytherined the Hufflepuff?”
I blushed and laughed. “Stop. Anyway, he had to go help a friend.”
“Male or female?”
“Male. An army buddy. His corporal, Tim said.” I didn’t want to say too much. It was his story to tell.
Reeti nodded. “Charles.”
“You know him?”
“I’ve bumped into him a few times. Quite literally, as he was drunk.” Reeti wrinkled her nose. “Bit of an arsehole, honestly.”
“He saved Tim’s life. I understand that he feels an obligation. I do.” I knew how he felt—the tug of loyalty, the desire to be needed, the impulse to do the right thing.
“But your feelings are hurt.”
