Dan is most definitelynota romantic interest. He is another person on Rose’s course who wants to be healed. He is out of bounds, specifically for her.
She needs to go cold turkey on men. Especially ones who have to have life explained back to them like they’re aliens.
Dan, for all his cleverness and PhD, is clueless about people. Worse, he didn’t realise he was clueless.
But she can’t help but look at Dan, his long muscular legs stretched out. He must do marathons or something. Did he mention cycling?
India had not been paying attention then but now she is.
The retreat is a very female zone, now that she thinks about it. There are no other guests apart from Rose’s people. Rose must have chosen the male staff to make sure they were too old for her and Keera, India thinks. Apart from the delicious Alexei, of course.
Therefore, apart from Dan and Alexei, who is clearly obsessed with himself, the only gorgeous man around is Christos, who is married to Adriana.
India concedes that Danispretty hot.
One of those clever, distracted men who never really look at India because she doesn’t have a power job or know clever stuff.
But still – Dan falling in love with her would beincredibly special. He’d come home at night and talk about how science was fun but really, all day, he’s been thinking of her and couldn’t wait to hold her tenderly in his arms … Shit!
She’s doing it again! What is wrong with her? If Keera can give up drugs, she can give up men!
India crossly opens her bag of nuts, scoops out a handful and shoves the bag in Dan’s direction.
‘Do you have anything sugary?’ she asks, determined to sabotage any hope of anything romantic.
Eating in the presence of a man is a no-no in India’s mind. Her mother installed that information years ago.
She kicks the ground savagely and a few beetles scatter frantically.
‘I have some boiled sweets,’ Dan says, pulling something from the depths of his rucksack.
‘Gimme.’
India holds her hand out.
She wants sugar. Lots of it.
Ice cream. She’d kill for ice cream.
No,cheesecake.
It’s been years since she had cheesecake.Years.
What else has she given up so she can appear like a bloody unicorn to a litany of stupid men who don’t deserve her?
She thinks Rose said that, didn’t she?
‘These guys are creatures you have burnished to make them seem better,’ Rose had said. ‘They’re half real, half invented. You’re falling in love with the invented parts of them, thepromiseof what life would be like if you were together.’
Dan watches India unwrap two sweets at once and stuff them in her mouth.
She moans as she tastes both a hard-boiled lemon and a hard-boiled orange sweet at the same time.
Bliss.
She wants more sugar.
‘You don’t have a Coke?’ she asks, mouth full.
