Page 8 of Someone I Chose

Now, with books in her hand, she wanted to start reading right away. The next building was a small camera shop and the one after that, a coffee shop named Cup of Joe’s. She found a small table by the paneled window and enjoyed a cappuccino and the book. So those fiery red flowers she had seen all over the place were called Indian paintbrush. Neha liked that name. She skimmed the book until she came across a double page with a map of downtown Hallow Falls. She quickly oriented herself. So the general store doubled as the post office, and there was a fire department, an elementary, a high school, and a library too. This small town had everything one could ask for. There was a courthouse by the town hall, and nearby a lawyer’s office, R. Brendan and Daughter. Neha swallowed, just remembering her being without a job. Without a home. Without a life of her own.

Quickly, she downed the rest of the cappuccino and left for the general store. She didn’t enjoy any of the town’s facilities anymore and just wanted to be done with the groceries. The store had wooden flooring and walls, and even the shelves were made of wood. It held a sundry variety of products: groceries, hunting and camping gear, toys, basic household goods, and the like. They had one type of cell phone. Neha stared at its price. She had not even known there were phones for thirty dollars. This must be one of those burner phones from the movies. She gulped. This reminded her of her own predicament. She’d have to get in touch with her parents sometime soon. That wasn’t anything she looked forward to, and something she needed to plan. When she confronted her parents, she better have a plan to rely on: job, home… Or else her father would try to manage her life. She gave herself a little shake and focused on the groceries. She had promised to make dinner, after all.

* * *

She arrived at Jay’s place and carried two large paper bags into the kitchen. Stowing away her purchases, through the connecting doors, she saw Jay sleeping on the couch. She feared that her rummaging would wake him and finished as quietly as possible. Once she was done, she took the chance to peruse him. He lay on his back with his eyes closed and had bent one arm to rest his head on. He had his feet crossed on the armrest. To think she had thought he was chubby! This man was sheer muscle. The shirt had slipped the tiniest bit up and hinted at the abs she had a glimpse of the day she’d arrived. That hard-on had been massive, and she seized the opportunity to check it out once again. The jeans he wore were looser, and she assumed he was not hard right now, but there was a decent bulge. She licked her lips.

“You’re done ogling me?” he asked, with his eyes still closed.

“Yes, sure,” Neha assured quickly, only to add, “Not that I had been ogling you.” Embarrassment flushed her like hot air when opening an oven. Jay always was so respectful of her, and she did not seem to be able to return that favor.

“You were.” He pushed himself up into a sitting position and cleared his throat. “My mom called and insists we have dinner at the hotel today.”

Neha scrunched her face. “Is that a good idea?”

Jay got up and pulled the shirt in place. “When was it ever a good idea to not do as asked?” He startled and looked apologetically at Neha. “Sorry. That might apply to my mother only. She can be a squeaky wheel but would do nothing more than nag.”

Neha fiddled with the hem of her blouse. “I don’t know. I just…” She didn’t even know what she wanted to say.

“My wife suddenly showed up. You cannot think my mother would not want to meet you.”

“But what are we going to tell her?”

“Nothing. I already did.” Jay reached for the car keys. “We got married, not because of love but extenuating circumstances. We are trying to find out how things might work out.” He looked at Neha and his gaze held a challenge. “No way I’m going to tell her we’re not even trying.”

That was the thing: Were they trying to find out? It felt like it. But she did not know how to juggle resisting desire and giving the relationship a chance. A warm, fuzzy feeling settled in her tummy, and Neha couldn’t tell whether or not she liked it.

Neha followed him to his truck. He did not seem bothered by the tight switchbacks but looked like he had driven this road thousands of times—which he probably had. After twenty minutes, they went under the interstate’s overpass and Jay turned into the parking lot of a hotel, the Golden Eagle Hotel.

“Why is your mother staying at a hotel? I thought she lived here.”

“She does. She is the owner.”

“Oh.” In front of the hotel, by the sliding glass doors that led inside, there was a golden statue of a life-sized eagle. The shiny statue was in contrast to the building itself. Everything looked clean and well-kept, but simple and outdated. In the lobby, they met a young man with sideburns. Neha forced herself to keep her laughter in. This man looked like the villain from a seventies’ movie.

“Neha, meet my brother Kevin. Kevin, Neha.”

His brother? Neha silently scolded herself for judging him too quickly and shook his hand. “Hi.”

“Welcome,” he said and looked her up and down.

“Kevin,” Jay warned him. “She’s my wife.”

“Sorry, brother,” Kevin said.

Neha noted he apologized to Jay, not to her. And there had been a hint of mockery in his voice when he said “brother.” Her face pulled together, and she took a step back.

“No harm done,” Jay said. He looked at Neha and seemed to notice her disapproval. He silently bit his lips and slightly shook his head as a sign not to say anything.

Kevin led them into the restaurant, greeting guests left and right. Something about his servile assiduousness didn’t sit right with Neha. It reminded her of a client’s husband who had tried to murder his wife when he realized divorce would cost him. She side-glanced at Jay but couldn’t read his expression. Wasn’t he concerned, or did he just not want to show it?

The restaurant was decorated in a simple, modern style. Warm colors, mostly saffron and ochre, gave a calming feel. On sideboards and wrought-iron stands, simple flower arrangements made for color accents. The paintings that hung in recesses were modern renditions of Kubera and Ganesha. Easy modern Indian music played quietly. Neha looked around wide-eyed. Given the unassuming exterior and reception area, she had not expected a place this nice.

They reached a table at the back of the restaurant. A single woman rose and looked expectantly at them. She wore black pants and a white blouse that looked simple and sophisticated at the same time. She had her hair slung in a low knot at the back. The only piece of jewelry she wore was a silver choker necklace adorned with lapis. She hugged Jay, then turned to Neha, smiled broadly, and hugged her, too. “Welcome to the family,” she said, motioning for the three of them to sit. Almost instantly, a waiter rushed over and filled their glasses with water. Obviously, their dinner had been ordered already.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Neha. I’m afraid I hardly know anything about you. Jay has been very secretive lately.” Jay’s mother looked at him in a way that feigned annoyance.

Jay grinned and leaned back. He put his arms onto the bench’s back. For a brief moment, he touched Neha’s back, before he noticed what he had done and pulled back.