“What was that for?” Aditi murmured when they broke apart, bemused.
He said the only thing that came to mind. “That’s how they say thanks in France.”
“We’re in India.”
“I know. Just trying to broaden your horizon. Nothing wrong with adopting good things from different cultures.” He kissed her again, as if giving her proof of the benefit of said culture. He felt her smile against his mouth.
“Bugs?”
“Hmm?”
“As much as I love being thanked by you, I need to get back to work. Do you know your way out?”
Rian gulped, nodding at her, his mind still whirling with the newness of his discovery.
“I’ll see you at home?” he managed to ask, her hand clasped in his.
“Yes. I'll be back in time for the Diwali party.”
“Good.” He tried to smile. “I don't think Kaya will let me enter her house without you.”
“You won't have to find out,” she promised.
It was quiet once more, and all Rian could do was stare at her like a complete muttonhead. She probably chalked his weird behaviour up to his panic attack, because she was far more patient than he would have expected her to be.
“Rian?” she prompted eventually, when the silence got too long.
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to let go of my hand?”
Cheeks aflame, Rian dropped his hold on her.
“Bye, Doc,” he replied, already counting down the minutes until he would see her again.
27
A String of Flowers
Rian
Rian pinched his fingerstogether, picking up a small portion of the dried white rice powder from the container Nanamma always kept filled.
Holding his hand steady a few inches off the tiled floor, he carefully sprinkled some at the edges of the geometric design he’d been working on. The muggu he’d made was not his best. He was out of touch, but it gave him something to do while he waited for the two women within his house to finish getting dressed.
Every Hindu household across India today would have something similarly decorative to celebrate Diwali. Even as he’d driven home from the hospital, he’d seen massive crowds filling the markets with late shoppers, laughing men and women carrying bags of pretty new clothes to wear for the evening, children chattering excitedly about the multitude of firecrackers they would light at night.
The happy chaos around him had failed to replace the constant hum of his new reality.
He was in love with Aditi.
To accept this had taken him time, but now that he was here, there was no avoiding it. It was love. But it was unlike any love he’d experienced before.
Despite having never been in a relationship, Rian wasn’t a stranger to love. He’d been in love with Kaya in the past. For years, his feelings had remained unrequited. He’d watched from the sidelines, unable to do anything except wait to see if Kaya changed her mind. Even then, he’d known it was futile.
Kaya loved him, but not romantically. So, he’d become what she had needed. A friend, a confidante, and a silent supporter of her attempt to break away from the confines she’d been placed under by an authoritarian father.
When she’d found love with her husband, Rian had felt relieved.