Chapter Five-Part I "Scream," he said.
She actually smiled, so silly was the notion. "Tai would have heart failure, and so would my brother."
"Look, just take a few minutes and try to chill out."
"How do you propose I do that?"
"Let's talk about something else, just for a little while…..until Prithvi comes back."
"I can't think about anything else right now."
"Sure you can," he advised. "Try, Kripa. It might help clam you down."
She reluctantly agreed. "What should we talk about?"
"You," he decided.
She shook her head, but he ignored it and continued on, "It's odd, don't you think, that we've never met before today?"
"Yes, it is odd," she agreed. "You've been my brother's closet friend since you were little boys, and he lived with you family all those years, yet I don't know much about you at all. Prithivi came home for summer vacation, and you were always invited to come too, but you never did. Something always came up."
"My parents went over once," he said.
"Yes, they did. Your mother brought family photo with her, and there is one of you…..actually it's the entire family…….and Prithvi……standing in front of a fireplace at Christmas. Would you like to see it?"
"You've got it with you?"
She didn't have any idea how telling it was that she carried the photo with her. He watched her dig her billfold out of her purse. She'd put the picture in one of the plastic covers that came with all the billfolds, and when she handed it to him, he noticed her hand wasn't trembling anymore.
He looked at the photo of the Khanna family clustered around each other. Prithvi was there too, squeezed in between Angad's brothers Kavya and Manek.
"Your mother helped me learn all the names," she said. "You're a little blurry though, and Kavya's elbow is blowing half your face. No wonder I didn't recognize you today."
He handed the billfold back to her, and as she was putting it away, he said, "I know a lot about you. Prithvi had pictures up on the wall, the ones the matron sent of you when you were little."
"I was very homely."
"Yeah, you were," he teased. "All legs. Prithvi would read me some of your letters too. It used to tear him up that he couldn't bring you over to live with him. He felt so guilty. He had a family, and you didn't."
"I did all right. I spent my summer vacation with Grandfather, and the boarding school was really very nice."
"You didn't know any other way of life."
"I was happy," she insisted.
"But weren't you lonely?"
She shrugged, "A little," she admitted. "After Grandfather died."
"Are you comfortable with me?"
The question jarred her. "Yes, why?"
"We're going to be spending a lot of time together, and it's important that you feel you can relax around me."
"How much time will we be spending together?"
"Every minute of every day and night until this is over. It's the only way, Kripa."
"Exactly what is it you do for FBI?"
"I work for the lost-and-found department."
"What is it you find?"
"When I'm lucky?"
"Yes, when you're lucky."
He leaned over in his chair and then glanced back at her. "Kids. I find Kids." Without pausing to give her time to absorb that bit of news, Angad commented, "Your brother went crazy when he found out you were modeling."
His eyes were the most chocolate brown eyes she had ever seen, and when he looked at her directly, she felt as though he was trying to see inside her mind. She wondered if he were analyzing her every move as though she were a chess piece. Was he trying to find her vulnerability?
She smiled again. "Yes, he did get a little crazy. That episode merited a long-distance call to the Matron; I couldn't believe my own brother would tell on me."
"The Matron……her name was Gayatri, wasn't it?
His memory was impressive. "Yes," she answered. "After Prithvi told on me, Matron called the people I was supposed to be visiting during the summer break. They were very wealthy, and I had met an Italian designer through them."
"He took one look at you and wanted you, right?"
"He wanted me to model his spring fashions," she corrected. "And I was in several shows."
"Until Matron Gayatri dragged you back to the school."
"It was mortifying," she admitted. "I was put on probation, which meant pots and pans for six months. Overnight, I went from glitz to dishwater hands. Do we spend every minute together, Angad?"
He didn't miss a beat, "When you brush your teeth, I'll squeeze the toothpaste."
Once again he switched back to the topic of her past. "Eleven months later you were on the cover of one of those fashion magazines, and when Prithvi showed it to me; I couldn't believe it was the same scrawny little kid with skinned knees."
He was giving her a compliment, but she didn't know how to respond, and so she said nothing at all.
"You and I are going to be inseparable," he said.
"Do you mean that first thing in the morning you'll be standing on my doorstep before I've even gotten dressed for the day?"
"No, that isn't what I mean. I'll be getting dressed with you.Which side of the bed do you sleep on?"
"I beg your pardon?"
He repeated the question.
"The right side."
"Then I'm on the left."
"Are you joking?"
"About the bed? Yeah, I am. But I'm going to do whatever is necessary to keep you safe. I'm going to blatantly invade your privacy, and you're going to let me."
"For how long?"
"As long as it takes."
"What happens when I take shower?"
"I'll hand you the soap."
Edited by ndnhottie110586 - 17 years ago
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