He pressed a finger to her lips. “That’s not it at all. I’m not trying to bail on you. But I don’t want to cause trouble for you, either.”
“You’re not causing trouble.”
“Hmm. That is true.” He grinned at her, amusement playing in those green eyes she loved so much. “You’re the troublemaker here.” He kissed her neck. “But was this really the most romantic way you could think of to tell me you loved me?”
“YOUTHINKYOU’REINlove with him?” Naya stood, incredulous, in the doorway of her bedroom. She had clearly been listening, waiting for the right moment to come out—preferably after Annika’s parents had left.
“No, Iamin love with him.” She glanced at Daniel, and a ridiculous lightness came over her. She’d never felt this way before.
Naya smirked and rolled her eyes. “Okay, whatever.”
Annika glanced at Daniel, then stood and walked over to Naya. “What exactly is your problem?”
Naya shrugged and looked over Annika’s shoulder at Daniel. “We can talk later.”
“We can talk now.” They’d grown up together like sisters; confronting each other was nothing new. It was what they each valued most about their relationship. Annika crossed her arms over her chest.
Daniel stood and faced them. “Actually, I did just get off the overnight and could use a shower. Why don’t you two talk, and I’ll go.”
No sooner had Daniel left the room than Annika turned to Naya. “What?”
“I’m just saying, you have a pattern.”
Annika narrowed her eyes at her cousin. “Daniel is nothing like Steven.”
“Maybe not, but still—don’t you see it?”
“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Naya took a deep breath. “Well, if you recall, the first time you met Steven, you thought he was attractive, but you weren’t really sure about him.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“But when your parents got upset with you for going to school for teaching, you decided that Steven was the one for you.”
“I didn’t even know Steven when I decided against med school.”
“No, but you dated him while you were in grad school, while your mom and dad were trying to get you to quit and go to med school.”
“So?” Annika was defensive, but her indignation lost its punch as she realized what Naya was saying had a grain of truth. She had dated Steven in grad school. And her parents had been constantly nagging her to leave the program and go to med school. They couldn’t understand how she had turned down Hopkins. It was nearly constant stress, and her only relief had been Steven. He had supported her graduate endeavors. Or had he? Now that she thought about it, he had listened while she complained about her parental pressure, but he hadn’t really offered to help her do anything about it. In fact, he had insinuated more than once that her parents’ beliefs were backward. She had been so convinced of his love for her that she’d told herself he just didn’t understand Indian culture. Besides, she wanted to be modern and progressive, and being with Steven and not going to medical school were both of those.
“Wait. Are you saying that I’m doing the same thing with Daniel?”
“Aren’t you?” Naya pursed her lips.
“No.” She paused. “I mean, I don’t think so.” She no longer cared about being modern or progressive. She had deep passion for her work and no desire to become a doctor. Being a teacher was completely about following her passions. Her feelings for Daniel were such that she had never experienced before. In the short time they’d known each other, he’d become comfortable, reliable, steady. Sure, he had his issues, but who didn’t?
“All I’m saying,” Naya softened, taking Annika’s hands in hers, “is consider the possibility that when you rebel, you don’t necessarily make choices that are the best for you. Maybe you’re turning away from Sajan because your parents actually like him. You wouldn’t be the first girl who did that.”
That couldn’t possibly be the truth, could it? She glanced at her bedroom door as if she could see Daniel. He loved her, no doubt. Did she really love him, or was she acting out like a teenager?
A banging at the door interrupted her thoughts. Her attention snapped back to Naya, whose eyes had gone wide.
“It’s like Grand Central this morning,” Annika murmured as she went to the door.
She opened it to find a clearly unkempt Ravi midknock. “Thank God you’re home. Is Naya here? She won’t answer her phone or anything.”
Annika stepped aside and let Ravi see Naya standing there. They made eye contact and Naya froze.
