The room was as bare-bones as it could get. The bed, not even a queen size, took up most of the space in the room. There was also a nightstand and a small round table. The armchair looked like it was stuffed with cardboard and was upholstered in a maroon fabric that had seen better days.
Krish shut the door behind them, then went to the table and emptied out the bag of stuff she’d bought at the convenience store. His curled lip told her he wasn’t impressed. “You couldn’t get any sandwiches? Or a salad, perhaps?”
“Did you think I was going to find Caesar salads at a convenience store?” She could explain that the sandwiches had lookedgross and old, but if he was going to be cranky, she wasn’t going to appease him with excuses. She snagged the only Snickers and waved it under his nose. “This is nutritious. Carbs, fat, and protein all in one.”
Krish picked through the haul. He found the deck of cards and turned it around in his hands, but didn’t say anything until he got to the cheese and crackers. “How fitting that they call thischeez.”
“Do you understand why I think you’re too fancy to stay in a place like this now?”
Grimacing, he peeled off the plastic and took a bite of one. “I suppose it’s not so bad.”
“If you want really good fake cheese, you should eat the Cheetos.”
“No thank you.”
“Have you ever even had Cheetos?”
He looked down his nose at her. “No. I prefer my foods not be orange. Unless it’s an orange.”
Ken would love him.
She banished that thought immediately. Ken was in one part of her life, and this guy was in another, and never the twain would meet.
Should she feel bad about her plan to ditch Krish in Vegas before he got what he wanted? Maybe. But she was looking out for herself. Well, herself and Ken, who depended on her. Okay, and her aunt, too, even if the woman would never know.
“What else did you buy?”
Sejal raised an eyebrow. “What?”
He nodded at their spread. “This is at least five bucks short, even accounting for the chips you donated. What else did you buy?”
Oh. So that was why he’d wanted a receipt, and why he’d pawed through everything. A spurt of irritation made her voice sharpen. “You think I’d embezzle five bucks? If I’m going to steal, buddy, I go big.” The nerve of this guy.
“No, I think you’d buy a weapon and hide it on you.”
Huh. That was a good idea. She should have done that. She yanked the scratcher out of her pocket and waved it under his nose. “I got us a chance at a million bucks, bud.”
He took the scratcher, studied it like it might contain a knife, then handed it back to her. “Those are a waste of money.”
She tossed it on the table. She’d scratch it tomorrow as they drove, to liven up her ride. “I guess we’ll see about that. Satisfied, now?”
Krish finished his crackers and didn’t answer her directly. “We should turn in. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
She stood and dusted chocolate remnants off herself, then grabbed the toothbrush and toothpaste. “I’m going to use the bathroom.”
The bathroom was as sparse as the bedroom, but at least it was clean, which was more than Sejal could say about most motels she’d been in. Sejal gave her teeth a half-hearted brushing.
When she emerged, she was surprised to find Krish already on the bed, on the side closest to the door, lying on top of the covers. He’d taken off his jacket and shoes. His socks were bright green, the color an odd pop against the otherwise neutral palette of his clothes. His shirt had ridden up, barely half an inch, but the warm brown strip of skin distracted her so much she almost missed the pair of handcuffs on his stomach.
Her voice was harsher than normal when she spoke. “I thought you were taking the chair?”
He glanced at said chair. Sejal might have felt bad about anybody other than a liar sleeping in it for a night. “It’s barely a chair,” Krish said. “We can both sleep in the bed. It’s plenty big enough.”
It was notnearlybig enough. A California King wouldn’t be big enough. “Excuse me, no it is not. Also, those handcuffs better not be out for me.”
He sat up. “I have to ensure you won’t run away while I sleep.”
She glared at him. “You and I both know that handcuffs won’t slow me down one bit. Put that shit away. Weren’t you the one talking about a truce? That works both ways.”
