Page 31 of Writing Mr. Right

I pause. “Hang on. What made you think Emily doesn’t like you?”

“Once she looked annoyed when she saw me sitting on the couch knitting while you did writing exercises,” he explains. “At least, Ithinkshe was annoyed. I’m still trying to get the hang of that stuff. I really wish people would say what they’re feeling. I do, and it makes life a lot easier.”

He’s just lucky he hasn’t said the wrong thing to the wrong person yet. “Well, if you thought Emily didn’t like you, why didn’t you say anything to me?”

“Because she’s your best friend,” he answers. “And I know how important she is to you, so I promised myself I’d change her mind, that I’d convince her to like me. I didn’t want to cause any problems for you.”

“That’s sweet of you, but you know if there’s something bothering you, you can talk to me about it,” I tell him as wereach the doors of the restaurant. “I’d rather you not have to deal with it alone, especially if it’s something I can help you with.” I grab the handle and pull it open, holding it so Aashiq can duck inside, too.

I scan the restaurant until I spot Emily waving from a table on the left. I wave back, then usher Aashiq to follow me. When we get there, I frown when I realize she’s by herself. “Where’s Daniel?” I ask.

“He’s running late,” she chirps in what I know she hopes is a casual tone, but the disappointment mixed with annoyance bleeds through in her voice. She sits on the booth side, so she gestures to the two chairs across from her. “You guys should sit down. He’ll be here as soon as he can.”

Aashiq helps me take off my coat and drapes it over the back of my chair, which he then pulls out for me. He takes off his own jacket, settles it on his chair, and takes his seat. Emily watches the exchange with an impressed glimmer in her eyes, like she can’t quite believe the chivalry Aashiq is demonstrating.

“Sooo,” Emily drawls as I pull up the menu on my phone using the QR code on the table. “How was work today?”

“Lots of fun!” Aashiq answers for the both of us. He peers over my shoulder to see the menu on my phone screen. I thought about getting him a phone once, but given the fact that one, he spends all his time with me and is at my beck and call, and two, he can’t even work a printer, I don’t think he needs a smartphone. “This client got super worked up and started yelling at Ziya at the reception desk, but she managed to stay cool and calm him down. It was like she had a superpower!”

My instinct is to downplay the whole thing, but I decide not to. Usually when clients lose their cool on me, I shut down and another one of the lawyers has to step in, but lately I’ve felt my confidence growing in such a significant way that I took care of it myself. “It was pretty scary there for a moment, but I wasable to handle it.” I nod to Aashiq. “It helped that Aashiq made him a chamomile tea.”

A proud grin stretches his lips as he places a hand on the spot below his throat. “I make it very good. The kettle is easy to use. I almost broke it only two times.” He turns his head to me. “I want the vegetarian burrito bowl with avocado crema.”

“Are you sure?” I ask. “Last time you had avocado, you said it tasted like grass.”

“I know, but that was a raw avocado,” he rationalizes. “This time it’s a crema version. Maybe it’ll taste different!”

I guess I can’t argue with that. When the waiter returns, we give our orders—I chose a creamy goat cheese polenta with ratatouille—and after he leaves, Aashiq immediately turns to Emily and says, “Tell me more about yourself!”

Emily’s eyes widen, clearly taken aback. “Oh, uh…” she stammers. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything! I love knowing things about people.” His smile stays on his face despite Emily’s weirded-out expression. “What’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite season? Do you like mint chocolate chip ice cream? Do you think the Statue of Liberty looks like a broccoli piece in a funny hat? Because I do, and let me tell you, it gets a laugh out of me every time—”

I put my hand on Aashiq’s arm, silencing him. “Aashiq, I think you should give Emily a chance to respond to your questions, don’t you?”

“Oh, right.” He leans back in his chair and stares at her expectantly.

Emily blinks a few times. “I mean, I don’t know about the broccoli thing,” she begins. “But my favorite color is red, and I’m a summer baby, so summer all the way.”

Aashiq wrinkles his nose, then shifts his head to me. “I’m confused, Ziya. How does a season give birth to a person?”

“No, no,” I say, patting his hand in comfort. “Emily meansshe was born in the summer. Her birthday is in July, which is why she loves the summer so much.”

The lines in his face widen. “Ahhhh,” he says. “So, do you love the autumn because your birthday is in November?”

“Nah, my favorite season is the spring,” I tell him. “Fall is pretty, but it bums me out because it’s a reminder winter is coming, and with it cold short days and unpredictable weather. Spring, to me, is about hope. The only thing that gets me out of bed during the winter is the knowledge each day is going to get longer, which means more daylight, which means more happiness.”

Aashiq regards me, warmth in his gaze. “That was beautiful. I hope to see the spring.”

“We have to get through winter first,” I remind him. “But don’t worry, we’ll get there.”

Emily raises a brow at Aashiq. “You’re talking like you’ve never seen the spring before.”

My jaw drops as alarm floods Aashiq’s eyes. “Well, Aashiq moved here from California,” I explain quickly. “He’s never experienced the four seasons before. So, he hasn’t experienced the winter turning into the spring.”

Emily whistles low. “Wow, a West Coaster transferring to the East Coast?” She nods, stretching her cheeks. “You’re really brave for that. But I think you’re going to love it. Experiencing four seasons is one of the things I love most about living here. I don’t think I could live somewhere that’s the same all the time.”

“Yeah, it’s one of the reasons I’m glad to be here now.” He interlocks his fingers, resting them on the table. Something flickers in his eyes, like uncertainty, but it’s gone in the next blink. “Enjoying the time I have.”

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