Page 38 of Beyond Reach

“What?”

“Cancel your flight, and I’ll explain. If you let me, I’ll pay the cancellation fee.”

She seemed to want to argue but changed her mind. Afterward, they stepped outside the airport. He recalled when he first saw her, the day he picked her up. All night, he had anticipated seeing her, and he’d found no shame in making an excuse to be the one to do it.

“It seems like an eternity since I arrived, doesn’t it?” she said.

“It does.” He took her hand, and she allowed him to lace his fingers with hers. Shortly, they were in a taxi. He gave the driver a random destination, not sure where he wanted to take Chanda. She sat in silence, gaze cast low, but she kept her hand in his.

“I’m so confused,” she confessed, “and seriously I feel so guilty, like I ruined things for you.”

“Don’t feel that way. This was probably coming a long time.”

She looked at him. “Didn’t you care about her? I can’t imagine that of all people you would choose to marry someone you don’t love.”

He thought about his answer and hesitated to tell her everything that he’d felt for Marcella. If he were completely honest, he would look bad in Chanda’s eyes. That couldn’t be.

“I cared for her,” he said. “I loved her.”

She met his gaze and frowned. “You’re holding something back. What is it?”

“I initially started seeing her because she reminded me of you. Eventually, I cared about her because she kept the darkest part of herself hidden. Maybe I hid a large part of my heart as well. If anyone’s guilty, it’s me. So you don’t have to worry. But let’s talk about us.”

He saw that stubbornness he had loved so much in her back in college. Everything about her drove him crazy. He said no more until they stepped out of the taxi and strode along the street.

Chanda noticed for the first time where they were. “You want to play miniature golf at time like this?”

He slapped his forehead. “That’s right. Your wrist.”

She held her hands up for him to see. “I wasn’t talking about me, but I’m much better.”

“No golf. Let me think. An escape room?”

“Oh, I love those! I haven’t been in forever.”

He agreed. “Miniature golf can wait until next time. I never got my rematch after you cheated.”

She snorted. “If I cheated, why would you need a rematch?”

“Good point.”

They walked inside the entertainment center. He ignored her offer to pay and purchased two tickets to the escape room of her choice. She decided on Escape from Granny’s House. At the entrance to the room, behind the attendant who would give them instructions, he grabbed Chanda’s hand.

She glanced up at him. “What are you doing, Garner? Are you scared of Granny? I hear she’s an ex-spy.”

He chuckled. “You might be nervous. I’m sticking close.”

“Uh huh.”

They laughed their way through an hour of trying to solve the clues. Garner figured out several pretty quickly and gave Chanda hints. He was pleasantly surprised at the use of infrared to unlock doors and mind-bending riddles. Granny was a clever woman.

After they failed to escape the room before the time was up, Garner took Chanda’s hand again and led her to the center’s snack area. He wanted to talk before moving on to the next form of entertainment.

“I told you the truth when I told you I loved her,” he admitted. “But I started dating her because she was your cousin.”

Chanda nodded. “You said so earlier, but it’s hard to take in. I can’t imagine you doing something like that.”

---