“Uh, yeah, totally,” Ashish said after a beat. “So fun. And … educational.”
Ma and Pappa relaxed, both of them smiling. “Yes, correct!” Pappa said. “And see? We gave you a free choice for number four.”
“I did actually have a request for that one already,” Sweetie said a little nervously. “If Ashish is okay with it too, of course.”
He raised his eyebrows, curious. “Sure. What do you have?”
“Well, May fourth is actually my seventeenth birthday party,” Sweetie said. “It’d be nice if Ashish could come. … That way when we do tell them, after three of the dates are done, it won’t be a total surprise. And he can meet them and I know they’ll warm to him.” She squirmed a little, as if she was embarrassed to be saying all that.
Ashish was secretly delighted. Meeting her parents in this context didn’t signal anything super serious, obviously. But the fact that she did want him to meant she thought they’d be impressed by him. Heh. Heh, heh, heh. You still got it, Ash.
“Of course he can go, if it won’t be an imposition on your parents,” Ma said.
“It won’t be,” Sweetie replied. “They told me I could invite a few friends.”
“Then it’s decided!” Pappa rubbed his hands together, something Ashish knew for a fact he did when he’d closed a big business deal. The thought annoyed him; it meant Pappa thought he’d won. And he so hadn’t. “Your first date will be Saturday.”
“Okay.” Ashish hopped up. “I’ll walk Sweetie to the door.”
“There’s no need for her to rush off,” Ma said. “Be a good host, Ashish. See if she wants a tour. She might enjoy the basketball court.”
“Just don’t take her up to your room,” Pappa said suddenly. “I don’t want any hank—”
“Okay, let’s go,” Ashish said loudly, drowning him out. He gently pulled on Sweetie’s elbow and she stood too, still looking pretty stunned at everything that had transpired. Could you blame the girl?
“Bye, Sweetie,” Ma said, waving.
“Bye-bye,” Pappa added.
“See you later, auntie. Uncle, it was nice meeting you.”
As the door closed, Ashish heard Pappa say in what he thought was a quiet voice but might as well have been an elephant trumpeting, “That’s a nice girl! She won’t stand for any hanky-panky.”
Oh God, Ashish thought. Kill me now.
They walked out of the vast study into the equally vast hallway and then crossed into a vaster … Sweetie didn’t even know what this was. A second living room? A den? It had a humongous fireplace in the corner, and the ceilings were about twenty feet high. Their footsteps echoed slightly as they walked.
So Ashish Patel lived in a mansion. It didn’t even surprise her. The way he held himself, the confidence with which he spoke, all of that signaled someone who hadn’t been denied much, if anything. Whatever doors his handsome face and rugged body didn’t open, she was sure his wealth did. But he wasn’t unbearably arrogant, Sweetie decided, watching him rub the back of his neck nervously. He was just cocky. And, somehow, that didn’t annoy her. Yet. After what she’d just witnessed, she wasn’t completely sure about her and Ashish Patel after all. His parents—especially his dad—seemed intense.
“So …” Ashish looked at her, his hand still resting on the back of his neck, the other in the pocket of his shorts. “How much do you want to run away right now? I totally won’t judge you if you do.”
Sweetie tried to laugh, but it came out high pitched and wheezing. “Um, a little bit. The thing is … your parents are—”
“Aliens in human meat-suits? Believe me, I’ve had that thought many a time, but I’m pretty sure they’re just a little strange.”
Sweetie did laugh this time. “No. I was going to say I think they really, really love you. And yes, their date idea is a little … out there. But I just don’t get it. Why are they agreeing to this? They obviously think it’s a bad idea to be doing this without my parents’ consent.”
“Oh, that’s, um, because of me.” Ashish gestured to the window. “Do you want to take a walk around the gardens?”
Sweetie shrugged, curious to hear what he had to say. “Sure.”
CHAPTER 12
Ashish led the way out into the hallway and then out of the French doors. As they wound their way into a gigantic, rose-scented garden full of whispering trees and neatly trimmed grass that would’ve looked at home on Downton Abbey, he said, “Okay. So the reason my parents still want us to date is because they’re apparently afraid I’ll get this reputation of being incompatible with Indian girls. They’re afraid that it’ll follow me around and when it’s time for me to get married to an Indian girl—because who else would I marry, right?—her family won’t want me.” He rolled his eyes. “I know, it’s ridiculous. I’m seventeen. But that’s just how my parents are. They live in fear of their black sheep of a son dying a lonely old man someday.”
“Well, yeah, it is kind of silly. And you could definitely marry a non-Indian girl. One of the happiest couples I know is my cousin Anjali and her husband, who’s a white American guy.” Sweetie glanced at him. “But, um … why are they so worried you’d get that reputation of not being compatible with Indian girls?”
He rubbed a hand along his jawline and cleared his throat. “Probably because I’ve, uh, never dated one.”
“Never?” It didn’t take a relationship genius to see that someone like Ashish had probably had a ton of girlfriends. And not one of them had been Indian? “Why not?”
He stuck his hands in his pockets as he and Sweetie wound toward a pond in the center of the garden. The sunlight sparkled on its surface. “I don’t know. … I guess I just didn’t like the idea of Ma and Pappa following me around, wondering if it was something serious. And I knew if I dated non-Indian girls, they’d just pretend like I was single, because to them, I could never be serious about someone who didn’t share my culture. Anyway, I just want to have fun, you know? I’m not like my brother, Rishi. He already has this girlfriend he knows he’s going to marry, and he’s still in college. So it suited me just fine that my parents never bothered with any of my non-Indian girlfriends. Even when I was serious with them.”
His eyes got this distant, guarded look, the honey hardening to stone. “Who were you … serious with?” She was immediately embarrassed, sure she was turning bright pink. Sweetie had no idea why she’d asked that, and not just asked, but asked with a jealous edge to her voice. Urrggh. Way to be chill, Nair.
Ashish looked away, as if he was looking at the pond. But Sweetie had a feeling he was trying to collect his thoughts. Whoever the girl was, she must’ve been really important to him. She tried not to let herself be bothered by the thought. She barely knew Ashish Patel, even if they had shared that little spark at their first meeting earlier today.
“No one,” Ashish said, his voice quiet. “No one at all.”
They looped around the pond, Sweetie’s tennis shoes squishing in the mud a bit.
“If you don’t want to date, I’ll totally understand,” Ashish said finally. A bird warbled above their heads, perched in the big oak tree. “I know it’s a lot. My parents’ list and the agreement, my reputation …”
Sweetie thought about it. Dating Ashish didn’t have to be a big thing. It wasn’t like Sweetie was looking for a future groom—she was under no illusion that every boy you dated had to be your true love or anything. This was about proving to herself that boys like Ashish Patel could and did find girls like her datable. That was all. Which meant that his parents and that ridiculous memorandum changed nothing. She looked at him. “You know, I think it’ll be fine. We should do it.” Oh no. That totally sounded like she was saying they should have sex. Feeling her cheeks glow incandescent, Sweetie added quickly, “Uh, their four-date thing, I mean.”
Ashish didn’t seem to think anything was amiss; he just looked genuinely surprised. “Really?”
Sweetie smiled. “Really. Besides, I think your dad would take me
to court if I broke the agreement.”
“Wow.” Grinning, he stuck a hand through his hair, leaving it all mussed. He would very easily look at home on the cover of Esquire or something. Sweetie tried not to let the thought intimidate her. “That’s impressive, not gonna lie. I thought we’d freaked you out.”
“Well, you did, a little.” Sweetie laughed, pulling her mind back into the conversation. “But I don’t scare that easily.”
Ashish smiled at her, big and bright, and her heart went thud. “I’m really glad.”
Sweetie pulled out her cell phone. “Um, I should go before my mom starts calling.”
“Okay. I’ll walk you to your car.”
Their hands brushed lightly as they walked, and Sweetie found her breath quickening. Seriously? She’d thought she was less shallow than that. But she couldn’t deny it; she found Ashish Patel incredibly, incredibly attractive. It occurred to her that now that they were going to be dating, there would be a real first kiss. And … maybe even more. She gulped a little. Ashish Patel might have dated thousands of girls. But the truth was, Sweetie Nair had never dated a single boy. The only time she’d been kissed was when she was seven, and Toby Stinton said he wanted to give her “boy cooties” so her face would “fall off.”
“By the way,” Ashish said, turning to her in the middle of the drive. She looked up at him, trying to quell her insecure flurry of thoughts. He stepped closer, his eyes smoldering in the setting sun. “I, uh, had a good time this morning. Hanging out with you, I mean.”
“Oh.” She gulped, her pulse quickening. “Me too.” Her eyelids fluttered almost without conscious thought. Flirting! She was flirting! At least … she thought she was.
Ashish took her hand, a half smile on his face. Sweetie tried to keep her breathing nice and easy and normal. Passing out was not an option. NOT AN OPTION. “Good. You know, contractual mandates aside, I’m really looking forward to getting to know you better.”
She gulped again. She’d be full of air if she didn’t watch out. “M-me too.” Acckkk. Couldn’t she think of anything else to say?
Smiling, Ashish let her hand go as they walked over to her car. He held the door open for her. As she got in and smiled up at him, she thought, I am so astonishingly unprepared for this.
He must’ve seen something flash across her face—panic?—because he leaned down, his brow furrowed in concern. “You okay?”
“Totally.” Her voice came out a squeak, but she forced herself to keep smiling. Oh heck. How many times had Ashish Patel kissed girls? How many times had he had sex?
“Okay.” He straightened and, smiling, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Her traitorous heart juddered in her chest. “I’ll see you later?”
“Me too!” she said, laughing a little hysterically. “Next weekend! Bye!”
He stood waving at her as she made her way down the drive. Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. Why hadn’t she thought this through? Why hadn’t she fully considered what it might mean to date Ashish Patel? Had she really believed all Ashish Patel had ever done was hold hands with girls? What if he was so experienced with new sexual techniques that she didn’t even know what he was talking about? What if he made a move next weekend, on their very first date, because he was so used to all his millions of experienced girlfriends throwing themselves at him? Sweetie knew she couldn’t back out now, not without totally hurting his feelings. Besides, she still wanted to date someone like Ashish Patel. She couldn’t just flee in fear, not now that she was Sweetie the Sassy Rebel. She’d totally lose face. To herself, but still. That was the most important.
Sweetie groaned. She had the feeling she’d just agreed to something way, way above her pay grade. And now there was no way to go but forward.
Sweetie was all jumpy at school the next day. Five more days, her mind kept saying. Five more days until you find out what a first date with a boy like Ashish really means. The thing was, it wasn’t all negative jumpiness. Part of her was … thrilled, almost aching, to find out what it would mean to feel Ashish’s big (hot—the boy was like his own mini nuclear reactor) hand loosely clasped around hers. To kiss him on those full lips for the first time. To hear him whisper her name under the stars. To find out why, exactly, his eyes always seemed just a little sad, even when he laughed. But there was a part of her that was worried it would all unravel. That she’d find out he was really shallow, that all he wanted was an “easy lay,” like those other awful jerks had said. There was a part of her that was terrified to get hurt, to find out that Amma had been right all these years.
“Heyyy, whatcha doing?” Someone grabbed her around the shoulders and Sweetie shrieked. Kayla raised an eyebrow. “Jeez. Someone’s on edge today. I know it’s not about that chemistry test you’re gonna ace.”
Sweetie took a deep, shuddering breath. “Oh, sorry. I was just … thinking.”
“I can see that,” Kayla said, adjusting her bright-green backpack. “Maybe a different kind of chemistry on your mind?” She laughed. “What’s going on? Did you text Ashish?”
Oh, right. Sweetie had actually forgotten that it was Kayla who’d given her his number Saturday night. It felt like forever ago. “I did.”
“Uh-huh … and I’m guessing the shrieking had something to do with that?”
“Yeah. It’s, uh, a long story, actually. I’ll fill you guys in at lunch.” Lunch and track practice were the only times all four of them got to hang out anymore at school. Junior year wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. “But how was the concert?”
“It was fabulous!” Kayla singsonged, and then launched into a minute-by-minute rundown of everything that had transpired Saturday night. Sweetie was glad for the chance to put aside her own thoughts and doubts for a few minutes.
The rest of the morning passed in a sort of fog. Sweetie managed to focus on her chemistry test—Kayla was right; she aced it—and then her brain turned back to Ashish and the Four Dates. They were watching a video in English lit. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her, then pulled the memorandum out of her backpack (she couldn’t just leave it at home, where Amma might see it). Smoothing it out on her notebook, she read it again. The temple. That’s where they were headed Saturday. But what the heck would they do there? What kind of a date was that? Sweetie wasn’t opposed to going to the temple. She went during the major religious holidays with her parents. It was a restful kind of place, with the bells and the smells of incense and the pujari chanting the prayers, the feel of the cool stone floor under her bare feet.
But still … it was a temple. A place of worship. She couldn’t think of a less romantic date than that. And maybe that was the point. Maybe Ashish’s dad was so concerned with … what had he called it? Oh, right, “hanky-panky.” Maybe he wanted somewhere that would essentially be environmental birth control. Sweetie sighed. That was still better than the alternative—accepting Amma’s opinion that someone like her should just stay inside, fully clothed, until she was thin. Besides, not having to worry about Ashish’s experience as a sexpert was kind of a gigantic relief.
Kayla, Suki, Izzy, and Sweetie sat at a picnic table at lunch, their backpacks on the grass at their feet. A light breeze ruffled Sweetie’s hair, and the sun was like a balm. She turned her face to it and closed her eyes.
There was complete silence at the table. Not normal. She opened one eye to see all three of her best friends staring at her. “What?”
“So? Are you gonna tell us why you wanted Ashish Patel’s number?” Suki asked.
“I texted you yesterday,” Izzy said, looking a little hurt. “You never responded.”
“Oh, yeah, sorry.” Sweetie took a deep breath. “Sort of a lot happened over the weekend and I just needed time to process, you know?”
“Hello?” Kayla’s eyebrows were up in her hairline. “That’s what we’re here for.”
Arrrgh. The guilt. Sweetie folded her arms on the table and put her head down. “I know. I’m sorry.”
She felt Izzy’s hand on
her back. “What’s going on?”
Sweetie sat up again but kept her eyes on the faded wood grain of the table. “So, um. I guess I’m kind of dating Ashish now.”
“You what?” they all said together.
Sweetie looked up at their thunderstruck faces and couldn’t help but smile. “Wow.” Sniffing, she continued. “Yeah. Um … it was this big thing, and I don’t think you guys want the nitty-gritty, but—”
“Um, I think I speak for all of us when I say we want the nittiest of the gritty,” Suki said. The others nodded.
Sweetie looked from one face to the other. She’d never kept anything from them. But this? She felt a little weird telling them not just about how Amma had said she was too fat to date Ashish, but the fact that she and Ashish were going along with his parents’ plan at all. Other people tended not to understand that. Even Suki. She listened to her parents and considered their opinions more than the kids whose parents had been born in America, but she was still allowed more freedoms than Sweetie. Although, it would be nice to have someone to talk about all this stuff to besides Anjali Chechi, who, let’s face it, had her own life to worry about.
“Okay. I’ll tell you.” And she did, detail by detail, starting from the time Ashish’s mom came up to Amma’s stall at the farmers’ market.
CHAPTER 13
When she was finished, there was complete silence.
“Oh … my … frakking … God,” Kayla said finally. Her brown eyes sparkled in the sun. “You’re going out with Ashish freaking Patel. I’m so frakking jealous.” Kayla always said “frakking” a lot when she was in the throes of emotion, because her parents cut her allowance when she cursed.
Suki put her hand on Sweetie’s. “I’m really glad you didn’t let your mom decide who you’re good enough for,” she said seriously. “It really sucks that she tried to do that.”
Sweetie felt a lump in her throat and swallowed. She just nodded; she couldn’t say anything else.
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