Having finished the task, I expect him to get going, but instead he sinks onto the seat beside me. He stretches his legs out on the recliner so that there are just inches between us. “Do you want to watch something?” he asks.
I blink, surprised at the question. I nod at the papers and books strewn out around me. “I have so much work,” I say, apology but also longing clear in my voice.
“Take a break,” he says. He can see me considering and eggs it on. “Doctor’s orders.”
“Receptionist,” I quip, and he ignores this. I’m already moving my laptop and materials to the side. “You’re a bad influence,” I sigh.
His smile is instant and boyishly bright. I sit back, pleasure warm in my chest at the knowledge that the prospect of hanging out with me has made Kush this glad. “Grey’s?” he offers as he reaches for the remote. “I’m closing in on season two.”
“Or we could finishZindagi,” I say. We’d just reached the intermission before being called in for dinner the other night, andthe best is yet to come. Kush has been watching an entire show at my recommendation, so wrapping up his favorite movie is a small return in comparison.
And maybe there’s a secondary motivation—the film will take longer than an episode, and I wouldn’t mind prolonging my time with Kush. I push the thought away.
“Would never say no to that,” he says.
A half hour later, we’re settled in our seats, approaching my favorite song of the movie. Kush rose up to grab a couch throw minutes into watching, and now our knees are nearly brushing under the blanket. We could have opted to turn off the air-conditioning, but neither of us voiced the suggestion.
“I figured out my answer,” I tell him, calling back to his inquiry about my bucket list activity.
His eyes flash to me. “And what’s that?”
“A road trip,” I say. I nod at the television. “Just like the boys. Somewhere totally unfamiliar, and I’d drive. Nights and freeways and all.” He looks amused, and I raise a brow. “You’re supposed to pick what scares you, right?” Those are the rules in the film, anyways.
“Fair enough,” he says. “Rani on the freeway, nothing could be scarier.”
I swat his shoulder, and he laughs. Then he leans over to press pause. “I’m going to grab some water,” he says. “You want?” I shake my head, and he rises, gentle as he adjusts the blanket. I still feel the loss of his body heat. “Foot doing okay?”
I nod. “Expert care,” I say, and his lips push up.
“You never me told the whole story,” he says next. He stretches his arms, tired from spending so long sitting. “Where did you hurt yourself?”
“Oh,” I say. I consider, unsure how much to reveal. “Um, at the basketball courts downtown.”
He cocks his head, amused. “What, did Sanju and Nabhi make you sub in?”
A funny feeling lurches in my chest. “No,” I say. “I wasn’t with the twins.” I might as well say it now, so I rush on. “I was with Frank.” There’s a beat. “He’s a friend of Steve’s? We met at their other friend Simon’s birthday, which Simran dragged me to a few weeks ago. But then Frank and I matched on Hinge, so we went to Gloria’s, and after, played pickup for a bit.” Another beat. “During which I twisted the ankle.”
He’s quiet for several seconds. “Ah,” he says, expression going neutral. “So this was a date,” he clarifies.
I pause. “Yes,” I say.
He digests the information. “Gloria’s is pretty subpar coffee,” he says.
“Agreed,” I say.
“Wanda’s puts it to shame any day,” he adds.
“Without question,” I say.
Silence again. “Well,” he says. “I’m pretty thirsty.”
He starts for the kitchen. When he returns, ice water in hand, he sits as far from me as the couch allows. We resume watching in silence.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Monday marks bring-your-kids-to-work day at the hospital. I urge the twins to go along with Baba so I can take the day off of babysitting, but at the last minute, I decide to join too. College-aged daughters home for break are definitely not the program’s target audience, but campus is a short bus ride away, and I figure I can head to the library to get some work done right after.
The multipurpose room is packed with activities for the boys: arts and crafts booths, science experiment stations—the fun, blow-stuff-up kind—and more educational panels on jobs in medicine. Of course, Sanju and Nabhi beeline for the recreational section, busy with a game of air hockey before I have the chance to say goodbye.
