9.1 Sunny
"…and then she said that our girls were very pretty. And your auntie said…" Sunny pretends to listen to his mother talk. He isn't sure that he is succeeding. It is his last night in London, and all he can think about is how he hasn't seen Cassie for almost a week and will not see her for another two. And how much he actually wants to see her.
"…and when I talked to Patels, they invited us all to come for dinner, next Friday. You did buy a gift for them, didn't you, Sunil?" His mother's face on the computer screen frowns at him.
Sunny has stopped trying to explain to her that most of the purchases could be made right there, in Mumbai, no need to drag everything from London. And so, he simply answers, "Yes, mother." He is not in the mood to talk. He wants to see Cassie.
"What about Agarwals?
"Yes, I bought everything you asked me to. Whatever was on your list." He misses her. A lot. Even before he's realized that he was in love with Cassie, he used to miss her over the long weekends and their respective holidays. Now, since he's had a chance to hold her in his arms, taste her lips, her skin, to see the luminous blue of her eyes shine with want at him, the missing has morphed into a dull ache, and Sunny doesn't know what to do about it. He is thinking of stopping by the office tomorrow on his way to the airport. He hasn't come up with a plausible excuse for that yet.
"What about the football that Aman wanted, you found it, yes? The boy keeps asking about it," his mother plows on.
"Yes, mother, I got it. No problem." Since he has gone to Edinburgh, Cassie and he have barely even talked on the phone, and when they had, he could sense her unease. He is afraid that she's trying to distance herself from him, from what transpired between them that night in his house, from the possibility of this… whatever this is they has started. He keeps thinking that maybe he has made some crucial mistake with Cassie, overstepped, overcommitted, over…something…
"And the scarf for that team, it is red, I think, you know which one…"
"Mother, I have it. And yes, I packed it." When at the time of his leaving for Edinburgh, he asked Cassie for a date, he meant to put this…whatever this is between them… on a proper footing. He wanted to show her how they can be more than just co-workers and much more than just two people in a need of a shag. He wanted to prove to her that he can be her choice, because she definitely was his. He wanted… Sunny utters a deep sigh, completely forgetting about the conversation he is having with his mother.
"Sunil," his mother looks at him so that even through the computer screen Sunny can feel her disapproval. "It is important that you come prepared. You may not care, but I do. I want to look good in front of our friends and family."
With an effort he pulls himself from his reverie and says, "I apologize, mother. I understand." And as his mother takes a moment to check her list, he is back to thinking about Cassie.
When he brought the subject of the date for the second time, she laughed, "You are so persistent, I am beginning to believe you do like me, Sunny." I love you, he almost said, swallowing the words at the last moment. "But I can't. This Sunday is a big one – my dad just came back, the whole family will be at my sister's..."
"Did I tell you to bring the blue jacket we bought for you last summer? You also need an extra pair of light slacks…"
Once again Sunny has to drag his mind back to the conversation he is having with his mother, as she continues checking his readiness for the trip. "Yes, mother, I have everything," he says for the umpteen time in the last half an hour. What if he gets in the car now and drives to Cassie's house? He will wait for her till she gets home and then what? What will he say? What will he do? Sunny tries not to sigh too obviously. For the first time ever, he actually is not looking forward to his trip to Mumbai, but there is no reason to divulge this kind of information to his mother.
The doorbell sounds like a path to freedom, which he eagerly grabs. "Someone is at the door, mother. I have to go."
"Who can it be at this time of the night, Sunil?" she looks at him with suspicion.
"It is not too late here," he shrugs, somewhat surprised himself. However, at this point he'll take anything over another minute of this torturous list checking. "I will see you tomorrow."
"Call us, when you board the plan."
"Alright. Good night." He reaches for the keyboard to disconnect the call.
"And check everything…" his mother starts, while the rest of her words are drowned by the sound of another doorbell.
"Mother, I have to go," he gestured toward the hallway, "Good night."
"Good night. We love you," she finally concedes the defeat.
"Love you too. Tell the girls…" the screen goes blank in the middle of his sentence. "… that I love them," Sunny finishes anyway and goes to open the door.
When he does, for a moment he is frozen in shock.
"Did I wake you?" Cassie is smiling at him.
"Umm…no," he blinks slowly, half expecting her to disappear or himself to indeed wake up.
"Having a farewell party I wasn't invited to?" still smiling she pretends to try to look behind him, inside the house.
Somehow, he manages to shake off the stupor enough to step aside and let her in. "I was talking to my parents."
"Oh, sorry I interrupted." She doesn't sound all that contrite.
Sunny manages a lopsided smile as she passes him by, "Don't be. I should be thanking you."
"That bad?"
He shrugs and realizes two things at once. First, he is ridiculously happy to see her. Whatever reason has brought her to his place, he is immensely grateful. And the other thing, there are two of them once again sharing the small space of his hallway, and the last time they were here was the time, when… With an effort Sunny manages to halt that particular train of thought. Which is an achievement, because in the four days that he's spent in Edinburgh and in the two days that he's just spent at home, it is an absurd how many times he's pondered over every moment of that night, when Cassie let him… Bloody hell…
"You said you were going to your sister's…" he starts and trails off, too worried about letting something unintended slip out.
"I did. I went. But…I wanted to stop by and…" she hesitates, and suddenly Sunny feels how his heartrate jumps from normal to unhealthy in a split of a second. "…wish you nice holidays…"
"Thank you," he mumbles after a pause, not really trusting himself to speak.
"My brother is taking dad home, and you were on my way…" her luminous blue eyes shine at him with a bit of mischief, and he can't stop staring at her.
Apparently, he has had no idea what the unhealthy heartrate feels like, because at this point it has accelerated some more - as far as he knows his house nowhere near the route between Cassie's sister's and her own place. As casually as he can manage, Sunny leans against the wall to make sure that, if he is not misreading Cassie completely, he is still standing, when she tells him that she is willing to give this…whatever this is between them… a try. After a moment Sunny swallows and leans a little harder, because if he is misreading her completely, he also wants to remain upright after she tells him that this…whatever this is between them… has to stop.
Meanwhile, bouncing on the balls her feet, Cassie sticks her hands in her jeans' pockets and asks, "So, do you need help with packing or something?"
Packing? Sunny's brain takes a little too long to process the question.
"Sunny?" her smile slows down his ability to think even further.
You are so beautiful, an inconsequential thought comes to his mind in lieu of the answer, but somehow out loud he offers, "Umm, thank you, I think I can manage." And finally remembering he is supposed to be at least a gracious host, continues with, "Come, let me show you…"
