Page 102 of A Lab Rat's Guide to Fated Love
“And I mean it. This is it for us—romantically.” He shrugged. “Don’t come begging for my hand in marriage once you’re a single, fifty-year-old aunty with or without cats.”
“Sure.” Nori shook her head. “And it’swithcats, always.”
“But my best friend, I’m not giving her up,” Ryan added softly. “No matter what you find there, I want her back. So, don’t disappear on me. Go teach some kids, and then come back. Okay?”
“What exactly do you think I’m going to find there? A portal to Narnia?” She laughed. “I’ll be back. But don’t you dare cut me off. I might not remember the last time, but ifyoudisappear on me again, Iwillfind you, wherever you are and—”
“—throw a sofa-set at me? Got it. I won’t.”
Ryan smirked while his jaw worked in the subtle way that told Nori he was holding back tears. Any other day, she would’ve persuaded him to stop with the tough boy act, and let it out.
And any other day, he would’ve let it out, sniffling and blubbering like a kid as she rubbed his back. All while simultaneously plotting the very painful demise of every single person who was responsible for making her best friend cry.
But not today.
Something told her to let him hold on to the façade. Just this once.
Present Day, January 2023:
Shoja, Himachal Pradesh
Vir
Nori groaned into her hands asshe finished her story, and Vir pursed his lips, trying hard not to laugh at the poor guy’s misery. But the pufferfish inside his chest was already bouncing around, happily bloated to its seams.
“Is that funny to you?” A swirl of irritation colored her existing layer of guilt.
“No. I mean… a little.”
“Tsk.” Nori shook her head, and as their eyes met, her lips quivered. “Well, we did laugh about it afterwards.” She chuckled once, and then it morphed into the most magical stream of laughter.
Vir’s breath caught as he stared at her. He’d missed that. He’d missed her.
“Are you okay?” Nori tapped her cheek with her index finger.
He touched his own and found it wet again.
“Sorry.” He cleared his throat, reaching for tissues at the vacant table nearby.
“Allergies?”
He shrugged, not trusting his voice.
It was dark outside by the time they made their way to the parking lot.
“Do you live on campus?” Nori asked, looking around for her car.
“No, I rent an apartment nearby. Didn’t they offer you one?”
“They did. But I have my own place about fifteen-minutes away.”
So, she was back at the cottage.
A knot tightened in Vir’s chest as he watched her get in her car. What if she changed her mind about joining the university and flew back overnight? He’d never be able to see her again. Or worse, what ifhewoke up tomorrow and found today to be nothing but a dream?
He couldn’t decide which was worse.
“Vir?” Nori interrupted his spiraling thoughts. “I’ll drop you. Get in.”
