Page 7 of A Lab Rat's Guide to Fated Love
“NO HEADLO—YOU WANT A CHOKESLAM INSTEAD? You—I HATE you!”
“Look, I’m sorry! I’m SORR—”
She dropped her arm and stepped back before she could chokeslam him for real. It wouldn’t be very… professional of her, considering the setting they were in. Not that she’d actually do it, even if that was exactly what he deserved.
“Don’t ever speak to me again.” She started turning on her heels when the look on his face made her pause. Damn his manipulative soggy puppy-eyes.
“Nori…” There was a guilty undertone to the way he said her name, his fingers curling and uncurling the loose polyester strap on his backpack. “I know… I’ve been an ass.”
“So, you do know it.” She arched her brow.
“I do. I’m sorry. I wanted to reach out sooner, but… I was embarrassed.”
Nori glared at him while the lump in her throat grew to double its size.
“It’s not every day that I go around confessing my feelings to people.” He scratched the back of his sun-tanned neck, a clear tint of red peeking from under his shirt’s collar. “When you started talking about the sibling stuff, I—”
“I came to your place later, but you were gone.”
“Yeah. I—when my mom asked me to come here for a bit, I hopped on a flight without thinking. It was supposed to be temporary, and I kept looking for excuses to call you, but—anyway, they have some great PhD programs here.”
“You changed your number.”
“Yeah, I know it sounds like a dumb excuse, but I… broke my phone soon after landing here. I had to get an Indian SIM, anyway. Weeks passed and then I didn’t bother getting a replacement for the old one.”
“Thatisthe dumbest excuse ever. I hate you.”
“I know.”
“Did you miss me at all?”
“Nah. And you were right. Us dating?” He made a gagging sound, pointing his index finger towards his mouth.
“Really?”
“Yeah.” He barked a laugh. “What was I thinking? You look perfectly disgusting, by the way.”
“As do you.” Nori snorted.
“Sorry.” Ryan sobered again, his chin quivering the way it always did when he was about to cry. “I missed you, Nor. Platonically, I have to add.”
“I missed you, too. But if you ever disappear again—” She dabbed her watery eyes with her shirt’s sleeve before stepping forward to wrap her arms around his middle and letting him crush her again.
“I won’t. Sorry. Kick me in the teeth if I try. You have my full consent. Just—no more headlocks.”
“We’ll see about that.” She stepped back, dragging her sleeve over her face again. “Ugh. I can’t deal with puffy eyes today. I have a lab rat persuade.”
“Lab rat?”
She filled him in.
“And now it’s up to Mr. Varma to choose which treatment he’d go for. And I, obviously, need him to choose mine. But I need to find him first.”
“I might be able to help with that.” Ryan whipped out his phone and tapped on it a few times. “Fehim, hey! Tacos?” He grinned at Nori. “Bring Mr. Varma, too. I have Nori with me, and she wants to have a chat with the subject. Ha ha. See you in five.”
“What are you doing? You know him?” Nori gaped at him. “And right now? How do I—what if—?”
“Do you want me to cancel?”
