“Over fictional characters? Sure. Over real people? Rarely. A person has to matter a lot for me to cry over them.”
He let that sink in, saying nothing as he paid for a cone of the salted peanuts before she could object. He handed some to Aditi as they each began their stroll towards the restaurant once more.
“I’m sorry your date was ruined because of me,” she sniffed.
Rian’s forehead creased at her apology. “That wasn’t a date. It was a business meeting,” he clarified, on the verge of admitting that even a date wouldn’t have stopped him from standing up for her.
Oddly enough, the seriousness of his thought was juxtaposed by her snorting, a dry look on her face when she twisted her neck to see him.
“I might not be so great at this whole dating thing,” she accepted with a sideways nod, “but even I know a date when I see one.”
“If it was a date, I wouldn’t have brought her to my restaurant at the busiest time of the evening.”
“Does she know that?”
Rian frowned.
“Bugs, she was interested in a lot more than just business,” Aditi said, taking undue pleasure in the crunchy texture of the nuts she was consuming. “She looked downright pissed when you excused yourself to leave with me. If she is still around, I can explain to her that we’re just temporary housemates. I don’t want to be a cockblocker.”
Rian almost got a peanut stuck in his throat, choking in surprise. He looked about him to see if anyone else had heard her. Thankfully, not.
“Do you ever listen to yourself when you speak?” He had never before met anyone who was the living definition of an open book. Rian was equal parts in awe of her ability to be forthright and candidas he was envious of it. One required a lot of conviction and self-love to be like Aditi.
“I have to be very careful about my bedside manners at work,” she admitted, munching on her snack. “I don’t bother holding back outside though.”
He snorted. “Yeah, I can see that.”
A moment later, he stopped, doing a double take when he realised that she was no longer walking beside him. Worried, he spun around, letting out a relieved breath when he found her an arm’s distance away.
“Doc?”
“There were times I couldn’t say anything,” she confessed, watching him with that odd look. “I had to stay quiet and provide care for a girl who was impregnated a month after her marriage. She was fourteen.”
Rian's heart dropped to his stomach, but he didn’t interrupt her.
“I had to release a lady and her child back into the care of her abusive in-laws. I had no power to speak up against it. I had to bite my tongue when my patient’s husband wouldn’t look at their newborn and told her she could only die after she bore him a son. She was barely two days postpartum with their third daughter. I have had to say nothing despite wanting to because that is part of the work I do. So yes, in my personal life, I say what is on my mind. Do not mistake my choice to speak freely as an inability to understand when to remain silent. I’m not stupid.”
This was the first glimpse of vulnerability he’d seen in her. Rian couldn’t help but feel that if he didn’t pick the correct response, he would damage something integral to the woman she was. To the woman he admired.
He took one step closer, just enough that he could respond without having to be loud, but far enough away that it was still considered respectable in public.
“Doc,” he said, choosing the simplest words possible. “The only one who is stupid is someone who thinks you are."
Instantly, the tightness in her chest eased. Her lips curved up in a bashful smile, and no other words were exchanged. When his sincerity was so evident, no other words were needed.
It was some time after they’d returned to his apartment, sitting around his kitchen island while they split dessert, when Aditi spoke up again.
“The offer is still open,” she began, stabbing a fork through the gulab-jamun cheesecake they’d acquired after their stroll. “I can talk to your date and. . .”
“Not a date,” Rian interrupted, trapping her fork with his to bring her attention to him. “I am not interested in her.”
“Are you interested in anyone, Bugs?” Aditi asked instead, using her free hand to steal the last piece. Triumphant, she beamed in happiness as she popped the last piece into her mouth, licking the remnants off her fingers with gusto.
Rian couldn’t look away even if he tried, each dart of her tongue painting tortuously erotic pictures of things he could experience if he found the courage to accept her offer of a fling. He gulped. He’d thought of little else since she’d admitted to being attracted to him. If only he was as comfortable accepting his desires as she was.
“I’ve been so focused on finding a guy, I never asked if you like someone too?”
Considering all he’d been able to think of was her, that was not an answer he was willing to share. Aditi snapped her fingers in his face, bringing clarity back to him. “No. I don’t like anyone. Don’t have time.”