Although the walk wasn’t meant to be far, in the blistering heat Olivia felt like she was running a marathon with the weight of a small human on her back. Graciously, Jacob had given her all of his water to keep her hydrated. However, it seemed that every drop she took in evaporated straight back out a second later.
‘So …’ Jacob turned to her as they moved out of the market and into a slightly quieter street. ‘Why India?’
Olivia’s heart sank. This was one area of conversation that she didn’t want to get into, not today and especially not with Jacob.
‘You know …’ she mumbled, a poor attempt at casual deflection.
‘No, not really. That’s why I asked.’
‘Well, why does anyone come to India?’
‘You like the hot weather?’
‘Hot? This isn’t hot, it’s deadly,’ she sniped.
‘You like spicy food?’
‘Nope.’
‘You enjoy noisy, crowded places?’ He raised an eyebrow.
‘Not one bit.’ Olivia dodged out of the way of a shrieking group of children.
Jacob threw his head back and laughed. ‘Right, so I’ll ask my question again. Why India?’
‘Because …’ Olivia felt herself getting flustered. ‘I thought it looked like an interesting place to go.’
‘OK …’ He sounded unconvinced.
‘And why didyoupick India if you’ve already been twice before?’ she cut in, leaving no space for him to press her further.
‘That’s a long story.’
‘One that you’re going to tell me?’
‘Not now.’
‘Why?’
‘Because—’ Jacob stopped suddenly. ‘We’re here,’ he announced, pointing to a grubby-looking cafe on the corner.
‘You can’t mean …?’
‘I do mean.’
‘But it looks …’ She paused, trying to find the most accurate yet least offensive word to describe what was in front of them. ‘It looks sobasic.’
‘Now, now.’ Jacob waggled his finger at her. ‘Don’t go judging a book by its cover. Look how busy it is! And how good it smells.’ He lifted his nose to the sky and took a deep inhale. ‘They do the best stuffed paratha in town.’
Olivia couldn’t deny the tiny cafe was heaving, and she would be lying if she said the scent of rich butter and spices wasn’t making her mouth water. But still, it didn’t look the most sanitary place on earth.
‘I’m not sure about this.’ She reluctantly followed Jacob to join the back of the queue.
‘You will be when you taste it. And don’t worry, we won’t be waiting long. The queue moves fast.’
‘Trust me, that is the last thing I’m worried about right now.’
‘You’re funny.’ He chuckled, edging closer to the counter.
