Page 91 of Stumped

“I asked Tamara to meet me sometime this week.”

“Why?”

“I need to know why she hates me. You saw how angry she was, right? Like if she could, she might have stabbed me to the death with a candlestick.”

I wince at the visual, but he’s not wrong. Tamara was mad. I didn’t ask for details and it’s none of my business, but I’m still worried about Patrick.

“What did she say?”

“Yes, but on her terms and when she’s ready.”

“I’ll make sure to hide everything she can use as a weapon,” I tease and he laughs.

“She was my first love,” he admits softly. “Remember those summer sports camps Mom signed me up for?”

“The one you tried to force me to join?”

“The very same. I met her there, she was…man, she was pretty then. She’s a work of art now. I need the closure, you know? She can go back to hating me afterwards.”

“I’d say good luck, but I feel like you’re gonna need something stronger.”

He shoves me with a laugh. “Fuck off. So what’s your plan for the day?”

“Have to be in Navalur in an hour for debrief with the team, then a meeting with Mr. Jaishankar about all of this bullshit. I won’t be home tonight, so if Tamara is free today, you’ve got the house to yourself.”

Patrick makes a face. “Should I ask or wait for her to tell me?”

“You leave next week, Pat. That’s not a lot of time.”

He sighs and tugs at his long hair. “Fine. I’ll…text her.”

I punch his shoulder gently and get to my feet. “If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

“Buried in your girlfriend?”

“Damn straight.” With a grin I head back to my room to change into track pants and a T-shirt. I grab my overnight bag and hop into the car with Kuriakose.

The meetingwith Mr. Jaishankar and the Renegades management goes off without a hitch. Only because Vera did the heavy lifting while I was away and laid the groundwork for our conversation. They made their displeasure known and warned me that if our relationship got in the way of my performance, they’d fire both of us. I think they expected me to flinch or apologise, but I was too focused on seeing her later that I nodded along with their demands. They even made sure to bring up Farhad and get his details to set up a meeting with my new agent. Safe to say, as much as they liked working with Dhruv, they’re not going to miss him.

In the car, Kuriakose asks me a million questions. He’s very involved in my career and knows my stats and details, so I’m not surprised when he gets into the nitty-gritty of what went down. He even politely tells me the article aboutVera molewascomplete horseshit. I’m so distracted by our conversation I don’t realise we’re not heading home until we pull up in front of a building with scaffolding.

“Why are we here?” I ask in Malayalam and he flashes me a grin, pointing to the entrance. The door swings open and Vera appears in a green dress with flowers. And the most beautiful smile on her face. I hop out of the car and rush towards her, arms winding around her waist to pick her up. Her laughter fills me with joy and I twirl twice before setting her down. Then my mouth is on hers, arms still tight around her body as I pull her flush against me.

“Hi,” she whispers as the kiss breaks.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Elias.”

I bury my face in her neck, inhaling deeply and letting the scent of peaches and vanilla soak into my soul. Her fingers move through my hair and I don’t even care we’re standing like this in the middle of constructionin public.

When I pull back, she’s beaming and my head feels light. Cradling her face, I stare into her twinkling gaze and say, “I love you.”

She hums, smile never wavering, and kisses me again. “I want to show you something.”

If I didn’t know there’s hard stuff in her past, I’d be upset she didn’t say the words back. We’ve talked about it a lot and I understand Vera. Her love for me is in the little things. Besides, I’ll be right here when she’s ready to say the words back. Hands linked, we climb into the elevator and ride up to the top floor in silence. There are so many things I want to say and ask her, but I have to remind myself to slow it the fuck down. We got over a huge hump in our relationship and our professional lives, enjoying the moment is important.

When the lift doors open greenery and cooler air greets me. I step outside and my eyes are drawn to flowers and colourful leaves and a whole ass tree in the middle of theroom.

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