The jaan had moved past them; the music changed to a more subdued yet still festive tune as the bride’s mother approached the groom to greet him.
A tuxedoed server approached with deep-fried fritters as a snack, and Annika gratefully reached for one. Naya was standing next to her and reached for one, too. The girls looked at each other and automatically moved their heads from side to side. “Hot-hot.” They proclaimed and burst into giggles.
Daniel took a fritter and raised it to them. “Garam-garam,” he said, and both girls promptly stopped their giggles to stare at him, astonished. He took a bite, then pointed to the door where Auntie approached and circled the groom’s smiling face with an herb packet.
Annika finished her fritter and leaned toward Daniel. “She’s warning him. Giving him the option to leave now, with no further ramifications.” She started to explain, still looking at the groom. “It’s equivalent to ‘speak now or forever hold your peace.’ Because—”
“Because if he crosses the threshold, he’s committed to marrying her daughter. There’s no turning back.” Daniel turned toward her.
“That’s right.” Annika finally looked up at him, forcing her jaw closed. Who was this man? He was staring down at her the way he had right before he kissed her that night. She should look away, but he held her with his gaze as sure as if he’d been holding her in his arms.
Cheering from the crowd snapped Daniel’s head around. “We’re going in.”
They followed the procession of the groom with the bride’s parents leading him to the four-postermandap, where the wedding ceremony would take place. The bride would enter once the groom was seated and blessed.
They approached the mandap and the groom paused.
“He’s going to have to take off his shoes,” Daniel whispered.
“Yeah. I know.” Duh. How didheknow?
The groom would have to remove his shoes before entering the mandap, and someone from the bride’s side—usually a cousin or a sibling—would try to steal them in an effort to get the groom to pay up to get them back later. Members of the groom’s side were tasked with not letting that happen. It was one of many games played at weddings. Annika loved how the fun always balanced the solemnness of the occasion. It was like saying that, yes, marriage was a serious business, but don’t forget to enjoy life, too.
“How do you know—”
But before she could finish, he had grabbed her hand and taken a few steps toward the groom’s back. Sure enough, the groom stopped and slipped off his fancy slippers, and as he did so, two little girls no more than seven years old popped in from nowhere and made a grab for them. A teenage boy wearing the groom’s colors beat them to it and snagged the coveted shoes. But before he could tuck them away, another teen boy made a grab for them. He got ahold, but the groom’s boy did not let go. Both boys from opposing camps held strong to the shoes, their faces filled with determination, and pulling and shoving ensued.
Annika’s heart jumped. The boys were starting to create a scene, which was not the purpose of the game. She started toward the boys to break them up before it escalated any further. Daniel got to them before she did.
He laid a firm hand on each boy, towering over them. They froze.
“Boys.” He spoke in a low whisper. “You know it’s way more fun if they get the shoes.” Daniel smiled at them, and the boys handed over the shoes, which Daniel promptly handed to the two little girls. They grabbed the shoes from Daniel and quickly flittered away just in case he changed his mind.
“Thanks, Uncle!” The girls squealed in delight as they took off with the shoes. When they were far enough away, they turned around and stuck their tongues out at the boys who had been fighting.
Daniel returned to her side. People who had been watching the spectacle returned their attention to the groom. Annika knew her mouth was open, but she couldn’t shut it. This man just kept getting more and more fascinating. “How do you know that?”
“What?”
“How do you know that it’s more fun when they get the shoes?”
Daniel crooked a half smile at her. “Come on. You’ll miss the wedding.” He turned and waited for her.
The priest had started his blessings for the groom. It would be a few minutes before they called for the bride. The man she’d come to know and just observed was not a creepy stalker. If he’d been in her room, there was a reason. Maybe it was time she found out. She caught Daniel’s eye and moved to the back of the room and out into the lobby as more guests entered the wedding hall. She found a small alcove with relative privacy and stepped into it. Daniel followed.
She tilted her head up to him, her gaze sweeping over his mouth and landing on his eyes. She wasted no time getting to the point. “What happened that night, Daniel?”
Daniel stared at her a moment, a war waging in his eyes. He shook his head and started to leave. “It doesn’t matter.”
She reached out and grabbed his arm. “Yes. It does.” This time she gripped his eyes in hers. “It matters to me.”
Once more she found turbulence in the flick of his eyes, the set of his mouth. He fidgeted, clearly having a disagreement within himself. He shook his head at her, and fear flickered in her belly. Had she lost him forever without an explanation ? His gaze landed on her hand on his arm, and he stilled and softened. She withdrew her hand, worried she’d overstepped her bounds, but his gaze lingered for a moment where her hand had been, and she considered for a moment replacing it. But the moment was gone.
“Do you remember being carried to the wheelchair?” His voice was low and gravelly. She was forced to step closer so she could hear him, and she was instantly within some warm protective force of his. It was not unpleasant. “When you tried to check in?”
She remembered being lifted and feeling secure, but the pain and her fear had been her main focus. She nodded, unable to stop looking at him.
“That was me.” He sighed and looked away at something she could not see, as if asking permission to continue talking to her. “You told me your fiancé was parking the car.” He met her eyes again and continued.
