Page 118 of A Lab Rat's Guide to Fated Love
“Stay,” he whispered. “Please.”
She stared at him for a long moment, as if contemplating, while he fought to keep the sinking feeling inside his stomach from taking over completely.
Not again. Not yet.
With a subtle nod, she walked back to him. “Sleep now,” she said, covering him with a blanket. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
Even as Vir let his head sink into the pillow again, he forced his eyes to stay open for as long as he could. Nori’s fingers running through his hair didn’t make the task any easier.
And soon, he drifted off.
Thirty Two
Through Your Hell or Mine
January 2023:
Shoja, Himachal Pradesh
Nori
Nori woke up to a familiararoma of sauteed mushrooms, garlic, and herbs, and her mouth instantly flooded with saliva. She lay staring blankly at the ceiling. And a few seconds later, the previous evening’s events came rushing to the front of her mind.
“Vir…” she whispered in a daze. “Fuck.”
Rolling out of bed, she made a quick trip to the bathroom before stepping outside to find him right where she’d thought he would be. In the kitchen, stirring the bubbling contents of a pan with a wooden spatula.
“Hey,” he said as she approached him, his eyes flitting briefly to her face and away.
“Hey,” she replied. “It can’t be time for dinner already.” Not that she was complaining. It smelled delicious;whatever it was he was making.
“Breakfast actually.” He shrugged without looking at her. “It’s nearly five in the morning. I was just about to wake you.”
“Five in the…” she trailed off. All she’d been doing was sleeping for the past twenty-four hours. And yet, she had a feeling if she let herself crawl back into bed, she could probably sleep for hours more and not even notice.
“The pasta’s almost done,” Vir said, his gaze focused a little too hard on the pot of cooked fusilli as he gently tipped it into the pan.
Nori bit her lip, watching him fold the pasta into the sauce with delicate movements she remembered all too well from the countless times he’d cooked for her before. Then she remembered something else. “All this time…” She frowned. “I kept thinking you were still not over your ex-girlfriend…”
Vir became awfully still, but he didn’t respond.
“The one who gave you that pebble.”
Silence.
“Igave you that.”
Still no response.
“Why didn’t you say something?”
More silence.
“Vir?” Why wouldn’t he look at her?
“I didn’t want you to remember.” His voice was strained when he finally replied. “I didn’t—I didn’t want you to hate me again.”
She winced.
