Page 82 of A Lab Rat's Guide to Fated Love
Vir’s lips pressed against her hair while she melted inside the cocoon of his arms.
She stepped away, and heat rushed into her cheeks as she caught Adi’s shocked expression. And on his side, Anita’s knowing smile.
With an audible sigh, Vir took her hand and wove his fingers through hers.
“Wow… Okay.” Adi shook his head. “So, dinner at the beach. Let’s go!”
Thebeachwas actually a small, semi-private island near the edge of the city, only accessible by a short ferry ride. Adi had reserved a private picnic dinner there.
Even though she was still exhausted to her bones, Nori’s mood gradually became lighter and less gloomy as the evening progressed.
After their meal, she leaned against Vir while they sat there chatting lazily, her feet digging into the cool, soft sand.
Vir kept smoothing her hair—absentmindedly, she assumed. And she found herself truly smiling after a while.
More time passed, and she was easily laughing at Adi’s silly comment about some weird-looking fish on his phone.
Her own phone buzzed with a reminder about their flight the next morning, and she realized, amazed, that the idea of going back to Delhi didn’t scare her anymore. She wanted to get the formalities over with. There was so much more to do now that her first human trial was successful. And she wanted to do it all with Vir by her side.
She could try moving her lab to Delhi. Tanya would be all too happy to have her there with any amount of permanence. Or she could ask Vir to join her in Calgary once his PhD was over. If he was okay with that.
But even if not. Even if neither option worked out, they’d find a third. Or a fourth. As many as it took.
She looked at him again, and as his relaxed gaze met hers, Nori knew she had nothing to worry about. Everything was going to be okay.
Twenty One
Movie Night
and the Marionette
April 2019:
Auroville, Tamil Nadu
Nori
Later that night, they pushed thecouches back to make space for four large floor-cushions in the middle of the living room. Trays full of snacks and leftover cupcakes covered the coffee table, while two more overflowing platters with fruits and crispy fritters sat on the rug below.
“Are we filming amukbang?” Nori asked, gaping at the spread. “How are we ever going to finish all of this?”
“There’s more in here for seconds,” Adi spoke up from the kitchen. “Would you prefer chai or iced coffee?”
“Iced coffee’s fine, thank you,” she replied, joining him there, leaving Vir and Anita to bicker over what movie to watch.
“I don’t mind some good old Japanese horror.” Vir grinned as he scrolled through an array ofmovie thumbnails on the screen.
“Seriously, do you want your brother to cry and throw up?” Anita took the remote from him.
“Hey!” Adi protested. “I can hear you.”
“Sorry!” Anita laughed. “But you did throw up that one time, remember?”
“I had food poisoning.”
Nori followed him back into the living room, and they placed four chilled glasses of iced lattes on the table before taking their seats.
“Okay, how about this time travel—” Anita stopped to look at her buzzing phone. “I’ll be right back.” She threw the remote to Vir again and stepped away to answer the call.
