Page 58 of Protect Me
Vini blew a raspberry, then held the phone out to show her burgeoning baby belly. I squealed, unable to help it. She panned back to her face. “I’m showing now, which is fun, but I’m already ready for this to be over.”
My lips pulled into a compassionate grimace. “Wish I was there to give you a foot massage.”
“Me too!” she cried, then laughed. “Zayne just isn’t the same. Speaking of Zayne, talk to me about what it’s like to live with adult Vik. Is he totally annoying like teenager Vik? Does he clean up after himself, or is he super messy?”
My head tilted to the side. I paused, mid-reach for another pair of pants to fold. “What does Vikram have to do with Zayne?”
“Nothing,” she said sharply, but with amusement, “but I think you’re hiding something about my brother from me and I have to know what it is!”
“Vini, if something happened, you would be the first to know.”
“Would I?”
Her challenging tone caught me. Would I tell her if Vik made a move? Unlikely, at least at first. I glanced up. Vini’s eyes widened.
“He’s not there, is he?”
“No, he’s doing an orientation thing for a new job at the Outfitters. He starts next week, on the two-month anniversary of his surgery.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Well, that’s good. I’m glad he has a purpose in life. Now, stop ducking my question. Has anything happened?” She gasped. “Has he kissed you?”
I choked and tossed a pair of socks into a pile on top of the dryer.
“Kissed me?”
Her mouth popped open, “Did he?”
“No! You’re the worst. Nothing is happening. We’re friends.”
“Hmm.”
“He took me to Tempest Lake and it was . . . fun. That’s it, Vini.”
“But you love him.”
An aggravated sigh escaped me. I should never have told her. I batted that aside, as if it didn’t change everything.
“Last night, we sat on the couch and watched a monster movie again. It was terrible and wonderful at the same time. He loves to cook, I love to eat, and we see each other in between shifts. It’s . . . kind of boring, honestly.”
A bald-faced lie. Living with Vikram was like constantly touching lightning. Electrifying. Every moment laden with a whisper ofwhat if. A near-touch in the kitchen. His enigmatic smile lit up the room. I’d fallen asleep on the couch two days ago and woke up to the smell of him wrapped around me. He’d covered me with a blanket, then left a light on after going to bed.
Vini pulled me back to consciousness with her skeptical throat-noise.
“Mm hmm.”
“There’s nothing!” I cried, though I felt transparently in denial. “It’s just . . . wonderful and easy and living with Vik is like living with you. It’s natural.”
Vinita’s gaze tapered to slashes. “You sound an awful lot like you’re trying to convince yourself of something.”
Despite myself, I laughed softly. “I am,” I admitted. The sundress in my hands dropped back to the dryer as I leaned my elbows on top and put my head in my hands. “Oh, Vini. I’m in so much trouble.”
“Why?”
“Because . . . I’m so deeply in love with him.”
The words choked in my throat, but I couldn’t take them back. Wouldn’t, even if I complained about Vini bugging me too much. How could I hide anything from her, anyway? She knew the intricacies of the mapped portions of my heart and soul. It had been a pointless attempt to play what we had off as nothing.
A giggle escaped her. “Amma would die if you and Vik ended up together. Die of ultimate joy. I haven’t said a word to her because she’d press him and henpeck him into it, but know that we are both on your side.”
