Page 58 of A Lab Rat's Guide to Fated Love
Nori declined at first, knowing she was going to move back to Calgary soon. She wouldn’t have time for dating once she started work, anyway. But Sunny’s sweet persistence wore her down. She hadn’t met a man more charming, attentive, and progressive thinking than him. He always knew the right things to say, remembered the smallest details about her, and showered her with affection all the time.
And in a few short weeks, with an overabundance of butterflies calling her gut home and her heart drumming at cardio speeds every time Sunny held her hand, Nori knew she’d met the man of her dreams. A man who worshipped the ground she walked on. A man to whom she was perfect.
Till she wasn’t.
Over dinner one evening, the discussion shifted towards work, and Nori excitedly started talking about her upcoming plans again. She was going to develop programmable mites to help human bodies heal faster than with regularsurgical interventions—something she’d been working on for years. It was now time to develop a targeted model to actually prove her theory.
And that meant moving to Calgary, where Nori’s mom had offered to help her with the lab. In addition to assisting her with the phage-based drugs that played a significant role in her work.
Sunny didn’t think it was a good idea.
“You know that’s not what I want to hear,” he said, popping a stuffed olive into his mouth.
“What do you mean?”
“Who’ll stay with the kids if you’re in a lab all day?”
“Kids? What are you talking about?”
“Well, now you’ve ruined the proposal, haven’t you?”
“Proposal?”
“I want us to get married by this fall.” He gave her one of his brightest charming smiles. “Don’t act like this is news to you, Nori. You’ve known my intentions since the day we met. Of course, I’ll take care of all the expenses. You just have to pick a dress.”
She didn’t know how to respond. “We’ve only been together for two months, Sunny,” she said. “And you know all about my research and what this project means to me. Besides, I’ve been clear from the start; I’m going to move to Calgary soon.”
“Does my love mean nothing to you, then?” he growled, a tick working in his jaw. “Plans change. You don’t need to work once we’re married, anyway. What makes you think I’ll allow it?”
“What makes you think I’ll marry you?”
“You’re being disrespectful.”
“So are you.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth, the back of Sunny’s palm met her face with a loud smack. And as if a switch had flipped, he sat across from her, flinging dishes off the table and spitting curses at her, while Nori clutched her ringing ear, too stunned to react.
A while later, he dropped her below her apartment building.
“I’ll pick you at seven tomorrow,” he said, circling around to her side as she stepped out of the car. “I have something special planned for myjaan.” Just like that, he was back to his usual charming self.
As if nothing had happened at all. As if Nori had imagined the slap, the past half hour of yelling, and her still ringing ear.
Once she broke out of the shock, alone at her apartment, she texted him to cancel the plan. Yet, sharp at seven the next evening, he was at her door with a large bouquet of bright pink lilies. She told him she had to finish packing.
“Packing? I thought we were over this already. Why are you being so cruel, Nori?” he asked, his eyes brimming with tears.
“I’mbeing cruel?” She tilted her bruised jaw towards him. “Look at what you did.”
“WhatIdid?” He sniffled loudly. “How convenient of you to gloss over the fact thatyoubroke my heart. How could you decide to go live six-hundred miles away without asking me what I thought of it first? What did you expect me to do?”
“I don’t know,nothit me maybe?”
“HIT YOU? Oh my god! I’ve never met anyone as overdramatic as you.” His eyes widened. “I just nudged you a little. Have you forgotten that YOU insulted ME? Do my feelings not matter at all? Does shifting the blame on me make you feel less guilty about what you did?”
Nori stared at him for a moment. It hadn’t been just a nudge. Did he not remember hitting her? Or was her version of the events messed up? The slap, the cursing and yelling and all the broken plates everywhere… It was his restaurant, and it’d been after closing hours so it’d been just them, but… she wasn’t overreacting. She didn’t think so.
She bit her lip. Either way, she had to go.
