Page 42 of Tiger's Quest
He laughed and kissed my cheek. “I want to go see Silver Falls today, so get your lazy bones out of bed. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
On the way to the falls, we stopped at White’s in Salem, a little diner that had been in business for decades. Ren ordered a Large Mess, which was their specialty: hash browns, eggs, sausage, bacon, and gravy scrambled together in a big pile. I’d never seen anybody finish it, but Ren polished it off and then stole my toast as well.
“You’ve got quite the appetite,” I commented. “Haven’t you been eating?”
He shrugged. “Mr. Kadam set up a grocery service, but I only know how to make popcorn and sandwiches.”
“You should have told me. I would’ve cooked for you more often.”
He took my hand and kissed it. “I wanted to keep you otherwise occupied.”
The drive was beautiful. Miles and miles of Christmas tree farms on both sides of the winding road led up into hilly, forested country.
We spent the day hiking to South Falls, Winter Falls, and Middle North Falls and were headed to three others. It was cold, and I’d forgotten my gloves. Ren immediately pulled a pair of gloves out of his jacket pocket and slipped them over my hands. They were too big, but they were lined and warm. The gesture brought me back to my awful date with Artie. Ren and Artie were like night and day.
We’d been discussing the difference between the forests of India and the forests of Oregon when I had a thought and interrupted, “Ren, during that whole time I was dating Li, weren’t you even a tiny bit jealous?”
“I was extremely jealous. I see red anytime someone else comes near you.”
“You didn’t really act like it.”
“I almost went ballistic. I couldn’t think straight. When another guy approaches you, I just want to rip him apart with my claws. Even if I like him—like Li. And especially if I don’t—like Jason.”
“There’s no reason for you to be jealous.”
“I’m not,now. Jason backed off, and I owe a debt of gratitude to Li for finally getting you to admit your feelings.”
“Yes, you do owe him for that. By the way, he said if you ever left me, he’d come looking for you.”
He smiled. “It’ll never happen.”
Passing a clearing, I noticed him stick his nose in the air. “What do you smell?”
“Hmm, I smell bear, mountain lion, deer, several dogs, horses, fish, lots of squirrels, water, plants, trees, flowers, and you.”
“Doesn’t it bother you to smell everything so powerfully?”
“No. You learn to tune it out and focus on what you want to smell. It’s the same with hearing. If I concentrate, I can hear little creatures digging underground, but I just tune it out.”
We arrived at the Double Falls, and he led me over to a mossy rock that served as a lookout point. I shivered, my teeth chattering, even in my jacket and gloves. Ren quickly whipped off his jacket and secured it around my body. Then he pulled me back against his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I felt his silky hair brush against my face as he leaned his head down next to my cheek.
“It’s almost as beautiful as you,priya. This is so much better than having to worry about Kappa chasing us or needle trees puncturing my skin.”
I turned my head and kissed his cheek. “Thereisone thing I miss about Kishkindha.”
“Really? What’s that? Let me guess. You miss the arguing.”
“Fighting with you is fun, but making up is better. That’s not what I miss though. I miss having you around as a man all the time. Don’t get me wrong. I love the tiger part of you, but it would be nice to have a normal relationship.”
He sighed and squeezed my waist. “I don’t know if we’ll ever have a normal relationship.” He was quiet for a minute and then confessed, “As much as I enjoy being a man, there’s a part of me that wants to run free in the forest.”
I laughed from inside the deep layers of his jacket. “I can just picture the look on the park ranger’s face when hikers say a white tiger was running through the trees.”
Over the next few weeks, we fell into a routine. By mutual decision, we decided to put wushu on hold, and I had to spend a half hour on the phone consoling Jennifer and encouraging her to keep going without me.
Ren wanted to be near me all the time, even when he was a tiger. He liked to stretch out along my legs while I sat on the floor and studied.
In the evenings, he played his mandolin or practiced on the new guitar he’d bought. Sometimes, he sang for me. His voice was quiet and deep with a warm, lilting resonance. His accent was more pronounced when he sang, which I foundveryhypnotic. His voice alone was potent enough, but when he sang, it put me in a trance. He often joked about the beast soothing the savage girl with music.
