Page 65 of The One That I Want

‘Your future hus— But you’re only, what?Sixteenhere?’ I ask, pointing to the first photo in horror.

‘Well,eighteen– I was expected to focus solely on my studies until I finished school – but even eighteen felt too young. It was overwhelming for someone as naïve as me, and Aashvi must have seen that. Being older, she was already deep into the vortex. Anyway,shehad a scrapbook – her way of coping with her parents’ expectations – and thought I might want one too. It was our little secret – a fun way to maintain some control over the situation.’

‘Oh-kay,’ I say, trying to wrap my brain around this as I turn to the next page.

Jass once told me she approached Ever After because of the intense pressure from her parents to get married –andto a man of their choosing. But I never expected that their efforts began when Jacinda was still ateenager.

Jass peers over my shoulder as I turn more pages.

‘When I was a bit older, I started including the blokes I dated that my parents didn’t know about – like Kabir,’ she says, pointing to a photo of an attractive young man with a beaming smile.

‘And what does this denote?’ I ask, tapping on the ‘5’ next to his photo. ‘Some kind of rating system?’ I ask.

She laughs. ‘No, that’s the number of dates we went on.’

‘Oh, yeah, that makes sense.’ I scan the current page, then turn to the next one. ‘So, not many of these guys made it past a first date,’ I say, observing all the 1s.

‘I did have a few longer-term boyfriends in my early-twenties – they’re back here,’ she says, turning to the middle of the scrapbook. ‘But none of them would have been considered a suitable son-in-law.’

‘Geez, I knew about the pressure from your parents, but this…’

‘Mmm, I know.’ She breaks into a grin. ‘I’ve got somebrilliantstories, though.’ She flips through a couple more pages, then stops and points to an extremely handsome man called Avyaan. ‘On our third date, we ran into his fiancée.’

‘What?’ I ask with a laugh.

She closes the scrapbook. ‘I told you,’ she says with raised eyebrows, ‘brilliant stories – but let’s wait till the girls get here. When are they due?’

I glance at the clock on the stove. ‘Any minute, but then Evie’s almost always late – it drives Olivia mad.’

‘And has she dumped the boyfriend yet?’

‘According to Olivia, no.’

‘Well, then, we need to help her decide to dump him so she can find herrealperson. There’s a new solicitor at work who might be a good fit for her – clever, funny, socially conscious…’

I regard Jacinda with a smirk. ‘You sure you don’t want to give up the law and come work for the agency?’

This isn’t the first time Jacinda has actively nudged someone towards love. Earlier this year, she was the instigator of an intervention to move Shaz into Lauren’s place while Lauren was on a work trip. All in the name of love – Jacinda is a closet romantic.

‘Hah! Erm, no. I’d rather keep matchmaking as a hobby,’ she says with a wink.

Greta

‘Oh, were you just on your way out?’ Bex is standing in the doorway to my office, her gaze landing on the handbag slung over my shoulder with my laptop peeking out.

‘I was about to pop down to The Daily Grind to work on my assignment, but I’m happy to stick around if you need me. Is about next month’s issue?’

She continues lingering, her expression pained.

‘Bex?’ I slide the handbag off my shoulder and set it on my desk. ‘Why don’t you come in and close the door?’

She does, reluctantly, and in moments, we’re seated on opposite sides of my desk. She clearly has something to say but, for some reason, can’t get the words out.

‘You know you can tell me anything, right?’ I say, trying to set her at ease, but she recoils with a sharp intake of breath. ‘Wait,’ I say, eyeing her closely, ‘are youleaving?’

I can’t think of any other piece of news she might share that would warrant her nervous behaviour.

‘No! No, nothing like that. It’s just…’ She sighs.

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