Page 17 of Tiger's Destiny
“Mr. Kadam, why are you so closed off from us? What’s bothering you? I miss you.”
“Nothing, my dear Miss Kelsey.”
I looked up, but Mr. Kadam wouldn’t make eye contact. “Yes, thereissomething bothering you. Don’t you trust me?”
He sighed deeply. “Of course I do. It . . . it’s myself I don’t trust. There are some things in this world that a person must face on his own.” He tilted his head and considered me. “May I be so bold as to ask you a personal question, Miss Kelsey?” When I nodded, he went on. “If you had a child who was learning to walk, would you pick him up and carry him each time he fell or would you encourage him to keep trying?”
“To keep trying, of course.”
“And if you saw sharp corners or broken glass in his path, would you clear the way for him?”
“Yes.”
“And what if your child was trapped in a house of burning flame? What would you do then?”
Without hesitation, I answered, “I would run in and save him.”
“Yes, you would. In spite of the danger to yourself, you would endeavor to protect your precious ones.” He smiled. “That is precisely what I needed to hear. You have given me great comfort, Miss Kelsey.”
“But I haven’t done anything.”
“You have done more than you know. You have a heart pure and loving. It is a priceless gift that you have offered to all of us.”
“You’re my family.”
“Yes. We are. Don’t worry so over me.”
After a pensive moment, I sighed. “Alright,” I responded softly.
Impulsively, I wrapped my arms around him. Mr. Kadam gently enfolded me in a warm embrace and pressed his cheek against my forehead. He patted my back, and I felt another teardrop land on my nose.
Clearly, some things were certainly not back to normal, but Kishan did his best to rekindle our romantic flame nonetheless and brought up the idea of a date. First he suggested a romantic dinner by the pool, but we decided on a movie in the theater room instead.
“It’s a date,” Kishan said, poking his brother with his elbow. “And just to be clear,youare not invited. Three’s a crowd.”
Ren threatened, “Just don’t hurt her.” With a retaliatory shove, he stormed upstairs.
A few minutes later, we heard the unmistakable sound of something big being smashed against the wall from the direction of Ren’s room.
I sighed and wrapped my arms around Kishan’s waist. “It’s not nice to throw us in his face like that,” I said gently.
Kishan pressed his lips against my forehead. “Ren needs to understand that I’m not giving you up.”
“He does understand, but that doesn’t make it easy. Think about how you would feel.”
“I know exactly how he feels. He wants you back, and I don’t plan on accommodating his wishes.”
“Kishan—”
He cupped my chin and tilted my face to look at him. “You’re my girl, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but—”
With a questioning look in his golden eyes, Kishan asked softly, “Do you want to go back to him?”
I froze, not knowing what to say. After a moment I shook my head slowly. “I chose you, and I meant it.”
He smiled, tilted his head, and said, “I’m not very good with words, and I know you’ve been through a lot these past few weeks. I told you we can take this slow once before, and I’m saying it again. We haven’t really had time to talk since, well, since Ren got his memory back. If you feel hesitant or unsure about me, it’s okay. I’m not saying it won’t hurt my feelings, because it will, but if you want to start over, back up, or hit reverse, I’ll understand.”
