Page 189 of Glass Jawed
I’ve mostly been floating between Liam and Raj Uncle, helping out wherever I can.
But then I saw her.
She greeted thebaraatin a cream-coloredlehenga cholithat made my chest ache. When she walked down the aisle with Ishika, toward Vikram, she glanced at me—and I swear my damn soul stuttered. Her eyes were glistening. Sweet. Like she was searching for me in the crowd and found me.
She’s mine.Mine. And I still can’t believe it.
It’s now past 3 a.m.
Kash is fast asleep in Rohi’s lap. Poor thing is barely upright. The priest is still reciting prayers. I’ve been unofficially promoted to coffee duty, handing out little paper cups to anyone who looks like they might collapse.
Everyone’s trying to stay awake for thevidai—the farewell.
At some point, Liam comes over and gently wakes Kash up, guiding her back to the bride’s mansion. She stumbles off groggily with him, muttering something.
With her lap finally free, Rohi circles the mandap and basically drops beside me.
She rests against my side, and I can feel the exhaustion radiating from her. The whole space is hushed now—just the soft murmur ofmantrasand the occasional clink of jewelry.
I place a hand on her shoulder. She drops her head onto my shoulder like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Her eyes shut immediately.
“Wake me when it’svidaitime,” she whispers.
I press a kiss to her forehead. It’s the most I can get away with under the watchful eyes of several aunties. But it’s enough.
An hour passes.
Ishika and Vikram are now circling the fire—thepheras. Most of the crowd has either left or is half-asleep in their seats. The bride and groom’s parents are still front and center, unmoving.
We haven’t moved either.
Rohi is full-on asleep on my shoulder now, and I may have drifted off too because I jolt awake when a gentle hand touches my head.
Kiki Aunty is smiling down at me. “It’s time,beta. Wake her up.”
Then she walks away.
Around us, people are gathering bags, fixing sarees, prepping for the final send-off. Ishika and Vikram are standing just to the side, whispering to each other and holding hands.
I clear my throat, dry as a desert. “Baby... wake up, Rohi. It’s time.”
She mumbles something into my chest, completely unintelligible, and snuggles deeper into me.
Then her hand starts sliding...south.
Shit.
I gently try to catch it before it gets too far, but she’s still asleep and clearly on a mission. Her fingers trail along my chest, heading downward.Fast.
“Baby,” I say again. “Wake up. It’svidaitime.”
“Five more minutes, Luc,” she mumbles, lips barely moving. “Then we can fuck.”
My brain short-circuits.
I got my Luc back. She called me Luc again.Jesus.
She’s still asleep. Mouth open.
