Page 49 of A Lab Rat's Guide to Fated Love
Vir
Midway through the two-hour journey toChandigarh airport, their bus stopped at a crowded rest area. As the passengers slowly trickled out to use the restrooms and to break for tea, Vir almost didn’t want to wake Nori from her slumber. She’d only dozed off a few minutes ago with her cheek involuntarily landing on his shoulder.
But she was going to sulk later if he let her miss the tea there. The aroma of the milky brew with its strong spice blend was palpable even from a distance.
“Nori.” He nudged her. “Do you want some cha—”
She squinted up at him before her eyes widened in horror.
“Gah!” She recoiled, banging her head into the window behind her. “Ow!”
Vir grimaced, realizing how his face must look up-close. “That bad, huh?”
“The bruising…” Nori rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Sorry. I thought you were a raccoon.”
“A racc—wow.”
“Sorry. Wait, did I drool on you?”
Nori swiped a hand across her mouth before reaching for his jacket to rub the sleeve, as if she was trying to make a genie appear out of it.
“It’s fine! It’s okay, relax.” He caught her by the wrists before she could burn a hole through the fabric. “The bus stopped here for a bit. How about some chai? I saw people having bread pakoras over there, too.”
Eyes widening, she nodded urgently.
They scored seats at the busy diner, and too hungry to talk, devoured double servings of the deep fried, potato filled, gram flour and bread delicacy in uninterrupted silence.
Once the server cleared their dishes, they took turns to use the restroom while the other watched the bags. By the time Vir returned, other passengersfrom their bus had already started boarding. But Nori wasn’t outside the diner, where he’d left her a moment ago.
As he neared the bus, still searching for her through the crowd, he spotted her hunched over a stream on the other side of the road.
“Nori!” he called out, watching her reach for something in the water.
She didn’t respond.
“Nori?” he called again as he crossed the road.
She seemed to have heard him this time, because she hastily sprung to her feet and sneaked something small into her jacket pocket before turning around to face him. And as she did, a sense of mortification started rolling off her in thick swirls, just as a deep crimson seeped into her cheeks.
The abrupt, near comical shift in her mood made him want to laugh.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, trying his best to keep a straight face.
“Nothing. What areyoudoing here?” She refused to make eye contact.
“The bus is about to leave.”
“Oh. Okay. Let’s go, then.”
Thirteen
Now Regret Meeting Me
January 2019:
Kochi, Kerala
Nori
