“Eavesdrop much?”
“It wasn’t one of the rules,” he needled.
“I didn’t lie.”
“Yes. You did.” He pointed to her laptop, which was open at the table with the airline’s webpage pulled up. “You’re changing your flight.”
She inhaled deeply and exhaled. “Fine. I lied. I just need a bit more time before I can deal with her.” She nodded at her ankle. “Besides, it would be annoying to try to get on a plane tomorrow with this ankle.”
Roshan studied her for a moment. “I get it. Sometimes, it’s nice to escape into paradise.”
She was shocked. No snark. Just some…understanding. “Yes.” She nodded. “We should get some sleep.”
Roshan walked over to the sofa bed while rolling his shoulder. “I might have banged myself up a bit when we went into the ditch.”
Her senses became heightened again as she felt herself falling. Images from another incident flashed through her brain. Her heart raced, and her breath came shallow. She closed her eyes and willed her breathing to slow, her heart to come back to normal. If she hadn’t had a panic attack at the site, she was certainly not going to have one now. But her heart continued to thud in her chest. She started sweating.
Silence floated uncomfortable and thick between them.
He looked over at her, then squinted. “Why are you having a panic attack?”
“I’m not—”
“You’re sweaty and pale. Your breathing is shallow, and I can see your pulse jumping in your neck. If you’re not having a panic attack, you must be really attracted to me.” Roshan looked her in the eye, no humor on his face.
“I’m having a panic attack, then,” she said softly. “I get them when I’m in scary situations.”
“Like in a car accident?”
She nodded.
He came over and sat on the edge of the bed. “My sister gets them occasionally as well. Breathe with me,” he said softly as he moved the laptop aside and reached for her hands. His own hands were warm and calloused. Interesting. She’d always thought him pampered.
“Calluses? Aren’t you a surgeon?”
He inhaled deeply, and she did the same. He did it again, and she followed suit. Over and over, patiently, until her heart rate slowed and the sweating stopped.
“Better?” He looked at her, presumably to see if she would offer an explanation, but she didn’t.
She simply nodded.
“The calluses are from gardening.” She caught a hint of a flush, as if he were revealing too much.
She filed away the information for later. He stood and turned off the light. “Good night, Nimi.”
“Good night, Dave.”
* * *
Roshan was out of bed before the sun and before Nimi woke. He’d been awake most of the night. Then when he did catch some sleep, all he dreamed about was kissing Nimita. How her lips would feel against his. How soft her skin would feel. How all he wanted to do was—
He needed this to stop. He quickly slipped through the dark room into the bathroom and changed into his bathing trunks and a T-shirt.
She was still sleeping, so he went over to check on the guys, pulling his shirt over his mouth and nose to keep the germs at bay as he walked in.
“What?” Vishal groaned.
“Any better?” Roshan asked.
