Page 33 of Pomegranate Kiss

The bright lights of the bathroom glared down on her, but no one else was in here. She locked herself into one of the stalls and sagged against the cool surface. Her shoulders shook and she clutched herself tight as the sobs erupted from her in shuddering, violent waves, with enough force her ribs ached. Her eyes blurred, but she didn’t need to see to know what an idiot she’d been. Falling in love with another straight girl who didn’t return her feelings. Giving a part of herself away she’d never get back.

This plunge into a frozen lake was unforgiving, even as hot tears streamed down her cheeks, ones she hated almost as much as the traitorous throb of her heart. God-fucking-damnit, she thought she was past this. Her shoulders shook, and her wholebody tremored in the wake of the hurricane that descended upon her, like one of those flimsy trees battered by the winds.

Yet no matter how she tried, no matter what steps forward she’d taken, the inevitable always slammed in.

She ended up curled in a bathroom stall, her college dorm, the secret park by her parent’s house sobbing her loss out. Alone.

Chapter Sixteen

Weeks had passed, and still the lingering press of Lex’s lips and the taste of pomegranate haunted Cam even now.

She finished setting the dinner table, the silverware cool in her hands, and sank into her seat after another grueling day back in school. After being out in the real world for so long, the return was a far different experience from the first time around. The scent of her mother’s paanch poron spices vaulted her back in time. For almost being thirty, living in her parent’s house was an adjustment, since she still held a lease at her apartment in Charleston.

As much as she was determined to finish out her degree and head in a new direction career-wise, the regrets continued to leech color from her landscape. She should’ve told Lex earlier. Cam would’ve had to be blind to miss the devastation in those hazel eyes, how Lex seemed to shatter even as she worked hard to keep her mask in place. But Cam had tried calling,tried texting, tried emailing, and the only response she got was silence.

Message received, loud and clear.

Not like that filled the void left in her heart or extinguished the doubts about her own sexuality her six months with Lex raised. The rare moments she was willing to be honest with herself, she began to realize how little interest she’d always had in men. How her time with Lex had been the deepening strokes of a paint brush she’d been missing from every relationship.

“You have been so quiet since you returned home,amara kan’ya,” her mother said, stirring the pot of haleem she prepared. “Is going back harder than you thought?”

Cam’s voice stuck in her throat. She wanted to talk to her mother and father about everything going on in her head, but she knew the responses she would receive. Cam couldn’t bear a fight with her parents, not when her entire life was in transition. Her mom glanced up to look toward the front door, waiting for her father to return home from work.

“It’s different this time around,” Cam admitted, veering toward safer territory. “I feel a lot more focused in my direction, having the work experience of knowing what I’m not a fan of now and getting a better idea of where my passions lay.”

Except those weren’t the only passions she’d pursued.

Their bedrooms, the hotel room, hell even Magnolia Cemetery held memories of Lex. She hadn’t been back to Charleston yet like she’d promised Danny, because the idea of running into Alexis Dukas was almost too much to bear.

She had been prepared to risk her career and her family for Lex, but in the end, Cam stalled, and Lex never offered anything more.

“Graphic design will be a sensible career, and you gained valuable experience in the meanwhile,” her mother said with asoft smile, turning the burner off. She proceeded to ladle the thick spiced lentil soup into the bowls she’d set out. Four bowls.

“Is someone joining us for dinner?” Cam asked, her eyebrows furrowing. She hated surprises. They made it impossible to prepare a game plan for a situation.

Her mother’s eyes twinkled in a way she didn’t trust. “Well, your father and I have been talking…” Her gaze drifted to the door as the key clicked into the lock and the knob rattled. “It looks like they’re here now.”

Cam’s heart thumped harder in her chest as she gripped onto her utensils like she prepared for war. Would it be one of their relatives? She didn’t think she could sit through another family dinner with Auntie Ranya, who held nasty opinions on almost everyone she knew. Most of her family was still in Bangladesh, but a few lived in the area.

Her father entered the kitchen, his dark black hair parted to the side and streaked with silver, and his thick glasses perched on his nose. Behind him trailed a younger man who looked about her age. This guy was tall, broad-shouldered with a full head of thick, dark hair. Based on his rounded, prominent jawline and the similar arch of his nose, he had to have Bangladeshi heritage as well.

Her stomach sank. Between the mischief in her mother’s eyes and the arrival of a man her father couldn’t possibly work with, she had the feeling where this train headed. The idea made her very cells revolt.

“Camilla, Munira, I’d like to introduce you to my friend Safwan Mustafi’s son, Nazir. He’ll be joining us for dinner tonight.” Her dad announced his presence with an intent Cam didn’t like.

Nazir flashed a smile that Cam didn’t hate, but the glimpse of those pearly whites didn’t set her at ease. He’d obviously beenfilled in on whatever plan her parents concocted, and she hated being left in the dark.

“My, you’re far more handsome than your father let on,” her mother demurred, wiping her hands off on her apron. She began to carry the full bowls of haleem over, still steaming. The rich scent of spices permeated the air, infusing her parent’s kitchen. Yet even in this familiar place, she couldn’t help but feel like she was being ambushed.

“It’s a pleasure to join you tonight,” Nazir said, taking the seat her mother offered. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Camila. Your father has told mine such wonderful things, but he never mentioned how gorgeous the Muhuri women were.”

Mom fanned herself. “What a gentleman, right, Camilla?”

Cam pursed her lips, not thrilled with any of this. But she’d maintain civility. “Sure. Pleased to meet you, Nazir.” She forced a smile she knew looked fake, but with the way her parent’s stares bored into her, she was apparently on display night.

She busied herself with digging into her lentil soup. Normally she loved this meal, but with the interloper at their table, each bite tasted like ash on her tongue. His gaze gleamed every time he stared at her, clearly interested.

“Where do you work, Nazir?” Her mother asked, dominating the conversation.

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