Padma's phone vibrated on her desk.

It was three o'clock, two hours left in the workday, and if it was anyone besides Hermione then Padma wouldn't have answered. When she left at five o'clock, Hermione would be in a makeup chair and borderline unreachable until eleven. The new gig on BBC News at Ten was a perfect fit for Hermione, and it kept her in the country far more often than she had been the past ten years. But it also kept her far too busy four days of the week. Padma reluctantly answered the phone and put it on speaker so she could continue to read the form on her computer monitor.

"Hello?"

"Padma?"

"Bit of an odd time for you to call, Hermione."

"Cedric just told me he received a call from his best mate this morning, a man named Bastien Queensbury?"

Thank God Padma wasn't holding the phone, otherwise she would've dropped it. She forgot the form altogether and asked,

"Diggory knows Bastien Queensbury?"

"Cedric tells me they go back several years. At any rate, Cedric says this man asked you out yesterday and you said yes. He found your Instagram account, saw we're friends, and asked Cedric to ask me how best to impress you."

"Oh."

"Is this true?"

"Yes, he, um," Padma shook her head in disbelief. What an agonizingly small world. "I hadn't eaten lunch yet, it was so late in the afternoon, meetings had run late … I only had time to run to this little café on the corner so I had a coffee and an amazing croissant. I was so hungry, Hermione, I was stuffing it in my mouth, completely undignified. As I was walking back to the office, this mountain of a man came running after me, stopped me on the street and asked me out."

"And you said yes?" Hermione asked, not bothering to hide her skepticism. "That hardly sounds like you."

"He said I was powerful, Hermione. With croissant flakes all over my face." Padma giggled a bit. "It was so silly, he ran through everything he thought I'd need to know. He is a pharmacist, he only works about four blocks from this office, makes quite good money, has a degree in neuropharmacology … He's good-looking. And tall. Very, very tall."

"Cedric says he's a bit of a slut."

Padma laughed so loud she clapped a hand over her mouth. She quieted herself before conceding,

"That does not surprise me."

"You like him?"

"I do."

"What should I tell Cedric, then?"

Padma considered it. What did she want Bastien to know, and what did she not want him to know?

"Please tell Diggory I am impressed Queensbury cares enough to ask, but he does not get to cheat his way through our first date."

"I don't think he's looking to cheat his way through it, Padma." Hermione paused before admitting, "Cedric said this man isn't the sort to get nervous and he's really quite nervous about impressing you. I am under the impression this is quite serious in his mind, in a way that nothing before has been."

Padma knew exactly what she meant. It was clear on Queensbury's face, and then in his voice on the phone, that he cared about making this into something long-term. Why? What happened to make him put down the temporary and pick up something he hoped to be more substantial?

"If he truly wants to impress me, I suppose the way to do it is good conversation. The blokes I date seem to be quite banal, to the point where I've nearly gone the Parvati route of depending on our parents." Padma conceded, "I haven't, but I've been considering it."

Hermione offered, "Perhaps the universe is arranging something for you instead."

"I like him, Hermione." Padma sighed and admitted, "I Googled him and the first several photographs are him and Draco Malfoy with all their bits and bobs out at a gay club. When I asked him about it, he didn't care. He said those photos are proof he knows how to have a good time. There was something about him that I can hardly explain, except to say he's got a view on the world that's quite kind in nature for someone that size."

"How tall is he?"

"A bit shorter than Dean, probably."

"But … big?"

"Thick, would be a good word, I suppose. Stocky, maybe?"

"Perhaps that bodes well for other areas?" Hermione realized, "I suppose you've already figured that out for yourself, though. If Google is to be trusted."

"Should we make it that far, I expect to find myself well satisfied."

Hermione laughed. Padma admitted,

"I'm not quite sure what to wear."

Hermione muted herself for a moment, then came back on to say,

"I've got Cedric here. Ask anything."

Before Padma could say anything, Diggory insisted,

"I know I've never met you, but Bas is more excited than I've ever heard him. Said he thought he messed it all up cornering you like he did, and never believed you'd call back. I know Hermione doesn't have shitty friends, so I am all-in on this for him."

Padma blushed. He'd told Cedric Diggory, one of the most trusted, recognizable journalists in the country, that he was head over heels for her? After one brief conversation and a phone call? She took a deep breath and reminded herself not to get too excited about the prospect. It was a date. One date.

"The real impression for me is not just the date, then. It's the follow-through. How he tries to keep my interest is just as telling as the date itself. If you want to give him an advantage, that is what you should tell him."

"Right. I've just texted him, but I said that came from Hermione so he won't know you know."

"What should I wear?" asked Padma. "What does he—"

"Literally anything." Diggory paused then revealed, "He is definitely a tits man more than an arse one. But I think anything you believe is appropriate will be just fine with him."

"Thank you."

Hermione's voice came through the speaker.

"Text me how it goes."

"I will. Thank you, Diggory." Padma paused before asking, "What's he like?"

"Bas?" Diggory's laugh crackled through the phone. "He's a great friend. Always trying to be there for his friends when life's gone to shit. He was definitely a party bloke, drugs and alcohol and that sort of thing, but he's matured a bit. That's not really his version of fun anymore. I suppose the best way to describe him is that he's the type of man who will stand behind you if he believes you're right, but he's also very committed to his idea of what is right and what is wrong. He's also intelligent but nobody gets to that point with him, much. They see him at his size and form an opinion off that."

"He said I looked powerful." Padma admitted, "I liked that word the way he said it."

"He's never been worried about impressing a woman before. Bas is a good date, a good boyfriend, but he phoned me this morning and said, 'I saw her coming down the block and realized I never fucking learned to be a good husband.' He's at a point where, you know, he's given up the partying and focused on his career and his family, but his family is mostly other peoples' families. He doesn't have a person to come home to and he didn't realize that's something he wants until he met you."

"Oh."

"Don't get me wrong, he's a cocky ass much of the time, but he's charming about it."

"I'm certain Hermione will tell you all about our date tomorrow."

"Only with permission," came from Hermione's voice.

"Right."

Padma ended the call and looked at her screen, trying to concentrate on her work even as the words blurred together.

.oOo.

Standing outside The Tamil Prince, Padma was nervous. It was an odd sensation, something she hadn't felt often before. Surely never before a date. She had always been confident and there was something about Bastien Queensbury that shook her usual steadiness. Padma eventually settled on a knee-length, fitted dress in a tiger stripe print. The mock neckline and long sleeves were modest enough for a first date while clinging to her curves. Diggory had mentioned Queensbury liked women's chests, so Padma chose something to emphasize that area. She'd worn knee-high black boots and left her hair down, hoping he wouldn't be disappointed by her choice to cover up. It hadn't felt quite right to go in something she would wear to work, but a feeling lingered from their first meeting. A certainty that Bastien Queensbury would be in her life in a very important way.

"I cannot believe you showed up."

Padma turned toward that voice and Bastien Queensbury was right there, in arm's reach. He asked,

"Can I hug you, or—"

"Please."

Bastien had to lean down to hug her properly. His hand was large enough to spread nearly across the entire width of her back. It was rare Padma felt so small. He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek and Padma felt herself blush. He nodded to the restaurant and said,

"I've never been here before. Quite excited to try something new, as Blaise is very judgmental when we take him to restaurants."

Padma teased, "I'd love to see an Italian man try to criticize this restaurant's prawn."

Bastien laughed, and Padma couldn't help but smile back. She gave him a quick once-over, not to be gauche about it, and quite liked what she saw. It was rather funny, actually, that the burnt orange (nearly brown) colour of his button-down matched one colour on her dress. He opened the door for Padma and waited for her to walk through before stepping inside himself. She led the way to the host stand, then both she and Bastien were led back to their table. Bastien jolted around the host and pulled out Padma's chair for her. She sat and was a bit surprised when he stayed to push the chair in toward the table. Most men never remembered to do that. Point one for Queensbury, then.

They began the meal with the usual pleasantries. How are you? Who are you? What are your hobbies? Bastien had a delightful day at the pharmacy, then fretted about what to wear and called Cedric Diggory again to ask. His hobbies were traveling, running, and boxing. Bastien asked Padma to order for the table.

"You're clearly better equipped than I am."

The conversation was nice, basic until Padma asked the one question that had been poking at her brain since he first cornered her on the street.

"What's it like being best mates with people who have billions of Pounds at their disposal?"

"Good question. I like how you phrased the question. Most people are quite judgmental about my friends. As for what it's like?" Bastien frowned and conceded, "I dunno, we've been friends well over twenty years. It stops being a thing after awhile. Theo comes from decent money, but not Malfoy-type wealth. Blaise has so much money I don't even know if he knows where all of it is. To me, he's still the quiet seven-year-old I met all those years ago. He and Draco dated for about a year and that was the happiest I've ever seen him. Blaise can sleep with nearly any man he wants, to the point where it's a bit scary. He's really just looking for a forever love. He's an Italian Catholic who happens to be gay. Complicated man, but quite simple in his conservatism, really."

Padma was a bit skeptical.

"Conservative?"

"Traditional. Family, kids, work … Blaise isn't the sort to deviate from the traditional notion of what success looks like. He wants a husband, kids, wants to be a housewife." Bastien paused before adding, "With a dick."

"Oh."

"Instead, he's keeping Draco afloat after his wife died, caring for Draco's son the way a parent should. He's a better father to that boy than Draco is, but don't go letting on I said that."

"I won't."

"Grief has taken hold over Draco in some sort of way. It's been almost two years since Astoria died giving birth to their son."

Parma's heart sank low in her chest. She couldn't imagine the pain of being left behind in such an abrupt, devastating manner.

"Draco has more money than most of us would know what to do with, but he'd give every bit away just for one chance to tell Astoria that their son is alright. I don't know whether he'll ever come out of this grief; the mourning has changed him irreparably."

"You really don't see them in the context of their wealth, do you?" asked Padma.

"No, because I don't ask for anything. Draco paid for my schooling, but I didn't ask him to. Blaise bought me these nice lab coats with my name embroidered on them, because he thought that was a good way to show support for my career. They want me to do well and make sure I can go where I need to be. I'll admit, I've got a floor that is far higher than most because my friends will never let me or my dad fall into poverty. But we've earned that place in their lives."

"How?"

"Eh." Bastien hesitated before saying, "That's not the first date sort of conversation."

"Understood."

"What of you, then? Are you still friends with the people you met in primary school?"

"I suppose our friend group began in secondary school." Padma revealed, "My best girlfriends are Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley, Potter now—"

"No way!" Bastien's eyes lit up. "You know Ginny Potter?!"

"Since secondary school. Though I wasn't as close to them back then as Parvati."

"Parvati is your twin?"

"Yes. The four of us were the girls of the group, then the boys were Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Seamus Finnegan, and Neville Longbottom. Our other friend, Dean, technically belongs to the boys but he feels more like he belongs on our side of that dividing line sometimes. He is going through some issues with his husband right now; it won't end well. Seamus and Dean don't know how to communicate with each other anymore."

"Do you believe they will get divorced?"

"They will divorce, the only question is what each of them will lose in the process. Dean is clinging to their marriage with both hands, while Seamus is holding on best he can. I think Shea has grown apart from the rest of us over time."

"Divorce can be a good thing." Bastien revealed, "My mum and dad split up when I was ten. I was so happy they did because neither of them was happy and I could feel it. My mum remarried someone who makes sense for her, and my dad is just my dad."

"My parents are the sort to stay together through anything. I am not that way, and they view me as a disappointment in most areas."

Padma heard the bitterness in her own voice, but Bastien didn't press her on it. Instead, he asked,

"Do you want to get married?"

"Yes. I considered letting my parents set me up with someone, but it's not for me no matter how desperately I wish to be done with the dating process."

"Is that what I am?" teased Bastien. "A process?"

"I believe you must put things out to the universe for it to know you are ready. I asked for a husband and then you seemed to find me." Padma shrugged and sipped from her water glass. "How do you think you're doing so far?"

"I'm feeling a bit average, to be honest." Bastien admitted, "I don't know how to impress you. My, um, this is awful, but I found your Instagram and saw you're friends with Granger. Cedric Diggory is one of my best mates, so I asked him to ask Hermione how to impress you and she wouldn't spill."

Padma schooled her face into a neutral expression to feign as if she didn't already know that information. She confirmed,

"Hermione is a good friend."

"So how does a man become above average for a powerful corporate lawyer like yourself?"

Padma teased, "It's a process."

Bastien laughed, this big, booming sound that seemed to come from deep in his chest.

"Of course, it's a bloody process. Walk me through the steps, then."

"It begins at the entrance. You held the door, but it's more than that. You let me approach the host stand as I made the reservation, I led the way to the table, and you pulled out my chair for me, which was nice. Most men forget to do the push in, as well, but you remembered."

"Sounds like I nailed step one?"

"Yes."

"Bit worried I started high and it's only down from here," conceded Bastien.

Padma sensed genuine concern from him. She wondered,

"Why are you so desperate to make a specific impression? It seems to me you've been out with plenty of women before. Why do I make you nervous?"

"It's the husband impression, isn't it? I've never really given it a go before. Never found a woman I thought would get me, then I saw you and thought that's it. That's the woman who gets it, the wife, but it's clear I have to earn the husband vibe. Feels a bit presumptuous—"

"Do you want children?"

"No. I think I'd be a shit dad, and I have no interest confirming that for myself."

Padma pressed, "Not even one?"

"Not even one." Bastien sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. "If that's something you want, we are on separate pages. It's non-negotiable for me."

"I would be a terrible mother." Padma smiled down at her half-finished plate. "This is where I usually lose men. It's a non-negotiable for me as well."

"So we … We are on the same page?"

"It appears so."

"Why do you believe you'd be terrible at it?"

"Being a mum?" asked Padma. "I'd be terrible because I don't want to do it. I want to work. I want to travel, to have adventures, and not be encumbered by anything. Anyone. Why would you be terrible?"

"Because my dad's amazing. Raised me, then half-raised Draco, Blaise, and Theo. I'm sort of the one bloke who had a good father figure. My mates needed to learn to be a proper man in the smaller ways. And when what happened to Draco happened …"

Padma watched Bastien's face tighten into a frown as he recalled something particularly painful.

"My dad's a very heterosexual, traditional sort. But he's also been a big part of the gay community in our area for about forty years. I think he saw his value as being a huge enough fellow to protect people from others who wished them harm. That's the spirit he's always kind of hammered into me: you've got your size, use it to help people. I, um …"

This was a difficult topic for him, and that surprised Padma. He didn't appear to be the activist sort, but he clearly cared about being a good person.

"Blaise and Draco knew I was safe for them, even at our young age. We met when I was six and they were seven, but Blaise has been gay from his first breath. Draco, on the other hand, didn't quite know what bisexuality was for a long time. When he finally figured it out at fourteen, his dad threw him out. I'll spare details, but he showed up at my dad's door because he knew my dad would keep him safe. I want to be the person to keep everyone safe. Not the father figure, just the man people turn to when they've been handed a rotten lot. I don't think I'd be a good dad because I couldn't balance my kid and my job and my wife and that responsibility. Theo's got fourteen-year-old twins, named his son after me, I don't need anything more than that."

"Are you part of the community, too, then?" asked Padma. "The way your dad is?"

"Yes and no. I've been going to the clubs for ages because Draco and Blaise need a wingman who can suss out who wants to shag them because they're good-looking blokes versus who wants to shag them because they plan to sell their 'I had sex with a young billionaire' story to the Daily Mail. But the club's also not going to throw out the decent-looking bloke who isn't afraid to pull his trousers down in a game of trivia."

"It seems you care very deeply for your friends."

"Don't you?"

"Yes, but I believe my role is quite different from yours."

"Oh?" Bastien nodded to their waiter as he cleared the plates. "Thank you. How so?"

"You protect your friends from the outside, and I am more the plate upon which everything is balanced. I solve problems."

"Is that how your friends would describe you?"

Padma considered it. She answered,

"No, I don't believe that is what they would say. Ti would say that I am adventurous and rebellious. To borrow a word from my parents, she would say I am 'modern.' Ginny would say I am a badass, Hermione would say I am even-keeled, and Dean would probably say something quite sweet. The boys would use some variation of the word 'steady.' I try to be there for my friends—"

"When they've been handed a rotten lot?" Bastien teased with a wide grin. "Yeah, I don't think our roles are as different as you believed."

Padma felt herself blushing. She anxiously tucked her hair behind her ears and conceded,

"Perhaps not."

"Are you embarrassed?"

"No, not embarrassed so much as I just realized I really like you. I'd been hoping to find a reason not to and now I find myself wondering whether I have done enough to get you to like me."

Bastien gently nudged Padma's foot with his own.

"I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. Commanding presence even though you had croissant flakes all over your face and in your hair—"

"Oh, no."

"Then you tell me you want a life of adventure, you don't want children, and you bring in more money than me. There's nothing about you I don't like so far."

"Say we move in together." Padma asked, "What are your non-negotiables?"

"Separate bathrooms." Bastien insisted, "That's important to me. Shoes are left at the door. I prefer a house to a flat, but I'm willing to take a flat if it's third floor and below. And there's a lift."

"If we get a house, I'd prefer something detached," replied Padma. "If we share a wall with neighbors then we might as well be in a flat."

"For a nice flat I'd go to the fifth floor."

"A house feels more permanent. If we combine for one hundred seventy thousand per annum—"

"I'm in line for a promotion." Bastien winked and said, "Pretty big one. Bring me up to your level, babe."

Padma ignored the fluttering in her stomach and said, "We might get approved for a million-Pound mortgage, which won't get us much in London, but—"

"Look, I'm not saying I could get Blaise to finance my house, but I could—"

"My parents would be mortified if an Italian man paid for my house." Padma insisted, "If my parents like you, they'd be willing to finance half. Parvati and I are both unmarried at thirty, so pairing one of us off to a respectable man is worth it to them. Two million Pounds for a home ought to do us quite nicely."

Bastien smiled, his cheeks turning pink.

"My cock's all over the internet and you think I'm respectable?"

"Neuropharmacologist is respectable. They value brains over bits."

"Brains over bits?" Bastien laughed, softer this time. "I like that. I think your parents and me will get on just fine."

Padma doubted it, but he did say his stepfather was Bengali. Perhaps he knew more than she anticipated. She opened a real estate app and quickly typed in search parameters. She asked,

"Is there part of London you prefer?"

"Draco lives in Wiltshire and Theo lives in Wimbledon, so north and west?"

Padma drew an approximate radius in northwest London, close enough to her office and any other she might consider moving to. She scrolled through and Bastien sat patiently, watching other customers, sipping from his water glass.

"I'd fancy a garden."

Padma glanced up at Bastien to see him staring off into the distance. He was picturing their house. Their home. It should've been a turn-off, right? To be certain without so much as having kissed her. Except Padma found herself despairing the thought Bastien Queensbury wouldn't be in her life. She repeated,

"A garden?"

"Yeah, you know, a place to watch a sunrise or sunset. Plants everywhere. Draco's got these fabulous gardens and it's the part of the manor I envy the most. I love the green of it. The day after it rains, the plants are bright green … It's hard not to be happy when you're staring at so much green."

"Right, and a garden, then."

"Modern appliances. I don't like the traditional look for a home, I am far more contemporary."

Padma asked, "Do you cook?"

"I can hold my own in the kitchen. Blaise is a good teacher, he likes teaching people how to cook. Now I can't do any of this delicious prawn shit, but if you want Italian food I am a master of pasta. If you don't fall in love with me, you will fall in love with my noodles."

Padma laughed, and Bastien smiled at her like making her laugh had made this whole outing worthwhile. She returned her attention to her phone, before she could fall too much more for this man she only just met. Padma scrolled until she found a decent house … It nearly punched Padma in the face it was so perfect, so obvious that she was meant to live in that home with Bastien Queensbury. She handed Bastien her phone and watched as he scrolled through the photographs.

"Queens Park, it has a west-facing garden so we can watch the sun set. Five beds, three baths so we can host dinner parties and keep guests as long as we need without sacrificing a bathroom. It's near a park so if your friend Theo wishes to visit with his children, they will have a place to play."

Bastien frowned as he looked through and said,

"Wow." Bastien sighed and returned her phone. "So we're moving in together."

"You have to convince my parents first."

"Where do they live?"

"Croydon."

"My stepdad owns a grocery shop in Croydon." Bastien winked. "They're gonna fucking love me, babe."

"Why do I believe you?" Padma asked, laughing. "This should be ridiculous. Hermione will never believe I agreed to this."

"Oi, you are the one who started looking up houses. Now, I like that one you showed me because it has a tub."

"A tub?"

"Yes, a tub. Where you will bathe and I can lean against the doorframe watching you with your tits out."

Padma shifted awkwardly in her chair.

"You're thinking about that, are you?"

Bastien confirmed, "I am never not thinking about that. Beautiful woman in front of me who's going to buy me a house with a garden? I am all-in, Padma Patil," Bastien handed his card to the waiter, "and that includes your tits."

"I suppose I have gotten a preview regarding what you have to offer."

"A poor indication."

"Would you like to walk me home?"

Bastien raised his eyebrows and asked, "You can walk home in those boots?"

"I am about ten minutes north, and these are surprisingly comfortable."

"Then I would be happy to walk you home."

Padma felt as though she floated back to her flat. Bastien didn't say much. He held her hand, and Padma felt quite small next to him. She spent the walk thinking about how it would feel to kiss him. To be held by him. To be held by her future husband? She opened the entrance to the complex, then keyed into the lift. Padma's heart was racing, she was ready to invite him into her flat and into her life. She asked for a husband and the universe delivered with gusto. The lift doors opened, and Bastien said,

"Sixth floor. Too high for me, so I can't move in with you."

"I believe that is why we are buying a house."

"Would it be the Queensbury house or the Patil house?" Bastien followed Padma down the hall to her door and asked, "Could it be the Queensbury-Patil house?"

Padma turned toward her door and wondered, "You would take my name?"

"Would you take mine?"

"No."

"Then I have to take yours, yeah? Otherwise we're just two people living and shagging under the same roof." He paused before considering, "Bastien Patil sounds off, though. I'd go for Queensbury-Patil."

Padma opened the door and stepped inside, then turned around to say,

"Your Italian friend would need to buy you new lab coats."

Bastien teased, "He can damn well afford it."

"I had a nice time." Padma nodded back into her flat and said, "You should come in."

"No, ma'am."

Padma's heart sank. Was she not attractive enough? What man was offered sex on the first date and said no? Everything had seemed to go well … Where had she gone wrong? Their chemistry was great, they had mutual respect, and he'd outright admitted to looking at her chest. Had her modesty been a turn-off? She looked down at the ground and Bastien said,

"No, Padma, oi—"

Bastien tilted her chin up and leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips. She melted and leaned against him, pulled him close and felt her heart speed up. She'd never felt quite like this before. Padma didn't even have a word for the feelings happening inside her. Bastien pulled away and stepped back.

"When you phoned me yesterday, it was like my heart finally found its proper place in my chest. You are important to me, and if I come inside it turns the excitement of our time together tonight into something else. When I marry you, Padma Patil, I will tell everyone that on our first date I kissed you goodbye at the door like a proper gentleman."

When I marry you.

"We're getting married?"

"I'll ask your parents first. Leave that bit to me, and consider it me proving to you that I'm worth your while."

Padma admitted, "I don't know there's any way for you to make them believe you are worth my time."

"Doubt?" Bastien placed his hand over his chest and recoiled as if he'd been shot. "You wound me."

Padma laughed and shook her head.

"Phone me when it's done."

"The moment it's done, I will phone you."

"Will you do something for me?"

Bastien had a very earnest look on his face when he replied, "Anything."

Padma looked up at him and asked, "Will you kiss me the way you would if you weren't leaving? Just … Just how you'd do it if—"

Bastien pulled her close, both hands around her waist, and kissed her full-on. The feeling from that first, brief kiss hit again with deeper intensity. His lips were soft and she placed one hand on the back of his neck to pull him closer. She couldn't be close enough to him, every bit of fabric between them was too much. Everything about the kiss made sense, and everything about Bastien Queensbury seemed to fit what she was looking for. Every bit of Bastien Queensbury fit perfectly against her. Padma understood his decision to leave, but was desperate for him to stay the night. She pulled one of his hands off her waist and placed it on her chest as if to say, Let's not be proper; I'm not asking you to be a gentleman.

"Padma."

Bastien pulled back the slightest bit and looked down at his hand on her breast. He squeezed slightly and Padma pressed up against his palm. Bastien clenched his teeth and groaned.

"Babe, there's almost no padding in here. You're telling me this is all you?"

Padma felt her cheeks go warm when she nodded. She whispered against his lips,

"You don't have to leave."

Bastien kissed her again then said, "I have to leave, otherwise I'm going to keep snogging you until I can't feel my face." As if to emphasize the point, he went in for another lingering kiss.

"Bastien?"

"Hmm?"

"You've still got your hand on my chest."

"Yeah, yeah I do." Bastien stepped away and said, "I'm not certain I have the words for how deep the temptation is to take you up on your offer."

Padma could hardly find her breath. He had this half-drunk grin on his face and had stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep from touching her again.

"I wish you would, but … Perhaps you're thinking like a husband now and I should follow that lead."

"Is it mad I'm not questioning this at all?"

Padma shrugged. She watched as Bastien tried and failed to stop smiling. She admitted,

"I'm not questioning it either."

"I will see you soon, Solicitor Patil."

"I look forward to it, Neuropharmacologist Queensbury."

Bastien laughed so loud Padma was certain one of her neighbors would poke their head out their door. Padma closed the door and looked at him through the peephole. She watched as Bastien pumped his fist then fell back against the far wall. He pressed an open palm against the centre of his chest and smiled softly up at the ceiling. He nodded to himself then pushed off the wall and headed toward the lift. Padma stepped away and pressed the tips of her fingers against her lips.

If there was one thing Padma learned from this date, it was how desperately she wanted to give Bastien his garden.

.oOo.

Padma could hardly concentrate in her morning meeting. She could still feel the lingering warmth of Queensbury's hand on her chest. There was desperation there, a tension between the two of them. It made no sense to feel so deeply for a man after one date, but Padma wanted him. He said, I saw you and thought that's my wife. It didn't feel possessive the way it would if most men said it. He felt their connection from half a block away, and Padma herself was powerless against it.

Padma jumped a bit in her chair as the receptionist knocked on her door. She poked her head into the room and said,

"You have a visitor."

"A visitor?" asked Padma. "Tell them I'm busy. This is quite time consuming, I planned to skip lunch—"

"He is quite persistent. I think you should indulge him."

"Him?"

Padma raised an eyebrow. It couldn't be. There was no way Bastien Queensbury had already followed through on his promise to charm her parents. Padma stood up and followed the receptionist down the stairs, into the small lobby where all six-foot-three of Bastien Queensbury was waiting. He looked incredible. Bastien was in a white knit jumper with blue stripes on the cuffs and at the neckline. He'd pushed the sleeves up so she had a better look at his forearms and a series of intricate tattoos on the left one. He was so muscular and good-looking and how the bloody hell was he still single? Padma stopped in front of him and asked,

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, it's good to see you too, fiancée."

"Shh!" Padma insisted, "This is a small office. People can hear you and they will talk."

Bastien looked down at her like he was half tempted to shout the word "fiancée" loud enough for everyone in the office to hear. Instead, he offered up the iced coffee and buttered croissant in his hands.

"Dunno if it's the proper drink, I had to guess by the colour, but I felt bad leaving you at the door the way I did. I know it was the proper thing to do, but …" Bastien made a half-pained face. "I hoped you wanted a good shag as much as I did, so to make up for it I brought you lunch."

Padma accepted the iced coffee and croissant, unable to keep the smile off her face. In her most romantic daydreams, she never considered being swept off her feet by something so seemingly inconsequential. Yet, Padma's heart was racing. She felt the eyes of everyone in the lobby hopping from her to Bastien then back again. Padma looked up at him and said,

"You said you knew you wanted to marry me the moment you saw me. Did you mean that?"

"Yes."

"When you ask me to marry you, I want you to know this is the moment I decided to say yes."

Bastien leaned down to steal a quick kiss. Padma's eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment, and she smiled when he stepped back toward the door. He said,

"You're my girl, Solicitor Patil."

Padma felt her cheeks warm up as she sipped her iced coffee. Bastien nodded his goodbye, half-stepped out the door, then popped back in.

"By the way, I'm having lunch with your parents on Saturday."

"Somehow," replied Padma, "I'm not surprised."

Bastien laughed and glanced shyly down at the floor. He tapped his palm on the door frame twice then said,

"I've always been the sort to believe you should focus on the present, be in the moment, have fun, not project too far into the future. Never been quite able to see what my life looks like years, decades down the line. It's always been … blank. This morning I thought about what life looks like thirty years on, and I got this picture in my mind. It's you and me sitting in our garden, watching the sun go down. I've met a lot of women who make the present seem very good, but you're the only woman who has ever made me feel like life will still be worth living even when I'm old and grey and my dick doesn't work quite as well."

"It seems there was a compliment in there somewhere."

"I'll just say I love you and be done with it, then."

"I like your compliments," replied Padma. "Thirty years from now I won't care if your bits work quite as well, so long as you keep making me laugh."

"Brains over bits, yeah?"

Padma confirmed, "Brains over bits. Thank you for lunch."

"Anything for you, babe. Be seeing you Saturday, after I convince your parents to let me marry you."

"Somehow?" Padma sighed and said, "I believe you will."

Bastien winked and just before he left, he said,

"Love you."

The door closed and the receptionist immediately asked,

"What was that about?"

Padma shrugged and bit off more of her croissant. She washed it down with some of the iced coffee and realized that Bastien Queensbury had spent his entire lunch making sure she had lunch. Padma smiled and revealed,

"We're going to have a garden."