10. Miley
R OHIT
Hey Miley, guess who got your number?
New phone, who dis?
I got your number from Dylan. It’s Rohit
Don’t know anyone by that name, sorry
I guess you’ll be going to this fancy gala alone then…
I’m kidding!
And I’m not?
I didn’t know Rohit was so funny. Maybe bringing him to the gala isn’t going to be a terrible idea after all.
I look up from my phone as I hear my name and put it away quickly.
“Miley! I’m so happy to see you back so soon,” Angela chirps as I walk into the nail salon. “What has you smiling like that?” she wonders with a click of her tongue.
Startled, I wipe the smile off my face, one that I didn’t even realize I had. “I need my nails done for a special occasion,” I explain as I give Angela a quick hug.
“Oh, finally, you have a boyfriend who is taking you on a nice date?” Angela looks relieved as she sits down on her stool and grabs my hands.
“No, no boyfriend. But a nice party that I am getting dressed up for,” I answer as Angela wraps my fingers in tin foil.
“Dress color?” Angela asks. I know the wheels of her imagination are turning, trying to think of the perfect nail design.
“Emerald green, strapless, sweetheart neckline, fitted body, flares a little at the waist,” I reply as I try and fail to open a photo on my phone. Angela hands me a stylus to use on my touch screen, considering my fingers are all wrapped in foil.
Angela oohs and aahs at the photo that Dylan took of me in the dress. Even though Dylan isn’t accompanying me to the gala, we still went shopping together. I bought a dress for the Planned Parenthood event and Dylan bought one for the Young Investigator’s awards ceremony.
“Gorgeous dress! Will you wear gold jewelry? Green and gold is a beautiful combination,” Angela advises knowingly.
“Yes, I think I’ll wear my gold hoops, no necklace, because of the neckline of the dress.” I close my eyes, trying to picture the look.
“Wonderful! How do you feel about a gold chrome French on most of your fingers, with gold chrome flowers on the accent nails?” Angela shows me a photo on her phone of a similar design.
“I love it,” I say truthfully. “But can we do the French at an angle? I had a regular French not that long ago,” I request. I really like to have fun with my nails.
“Great idea, Miley, let’s get to work,” Angela says.
I can hear Aunt Sue thinking so hard in the corner. I know exactly what she is going to ask me, just as she says, “Miley, who will be your date to this fancy event?”
“Uhhh, just a friend,” I mutter under my breath.
“Does said friend have a name?” Aunt Sue probes.
“Yeah, Rohit,” I say reluctantly, not wanting to give away too many details because it will one hundred percent get back to the rest of my family. “He’s just a friend of a friend from work.”
Aunt Sue looks unconvinced, so she continues with her rapid-fire questions, as if we were playing twenty questions. “And what does Rohit do at work? Is he also an anesthesiologist?”
I sigh and wonder if she’ll have some preconceived notions about male nurses. “No, he’s a nurse.”
“A male nurse! I thought you said his name is Rohit. He doesn’t sound Filipino enough to be a nurse!” She laughs.
I can’t help but laugh along with her, knowing she is kidding. Sort of, not really.
When I’m finished with my manicure and pedicure, Aunt Sue stops me before I can leave. She places a small box in my hands.
“Some earrings for the gala. I know you said you’d wear your gold hoops, but I just ordered these trendy gold teardrops, and I think they’d look gorgeous on you,” Aunt Sue explains, with love in her eyes.
“Aunt Sue, I can’t,” I insist, flattered, of course, but the gift is too much and I try to push the box back into her hands.
“Just look at them,” she pleads.
I open the box and my mouth falls open. The earrings are stunning.
“I’m sure your friend of a friend from work will be just as speechless when he sees you wearing them,” Aunt Sue says with a wry smile. And then, she’s walking away before I can protest.
With my new earrings in tow, I head home on the uptown E train. The train is crowded as everyone is heading home or heading out to dinner. A baby is crying in a stroller because she probably realizes she is taking up too much space while the mom is looking at her phone, oblivious to the sobs.
As I get jostled, my bag falls off my shoulder. I bend to retrieve it and notice the gala invitation and tickets. I realize I should give Rohit one, since he will need it to get into the fancy event.
I check my phone for the address that Dylan gave me, then get off one stop earlier than I normally would to walk a few blocks west.
When I arrive at his apartment, I see a beautiful brownstone walk up. I double check the address, glancing between my phone and the number on the building, but there’s no mistake. This is the place. A delivery guy has been buzzed in and holds open the door for me.
Rohit is in apartment 3, so I make my way up the three flights of stairs.
I lift my hand to knock when the door swings open and a beautiful woman emerges. She is tall, stunning, with latte colored skin and luscious dark hair. Her eyes look familiar, but I don’t think I have ever seen her before. Maybe she works at the hospital… I can’t be sure.I’m not the best at placing faces. For all I know, I’d worked beside her on a long shift and just can’t remember. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d forgotten someone.
One time I ran into a patient at the grocery store and she recognized me immediately and I had to pretend I knew exactly who she was. If she had been in a hospital gown and unconscious, then perhaps I would have recognized her.
I open my mouth to apologize to the tall goddess in front of me when Rohit appears behind her, looking freshly showered with a towel wrapped around his waist.
I swallow hard once and then again.
His body is… perfect?
He is so very tall… maybe more than a foot taller than I am. His skin is a beautiful warm brown, deliciously hairless. I see words in dark ink over one side of his chest that I can’t quite read from this distance and I resist easing forward and squinting to make them out. I’ve never much cared for tattoos, and I still don’t, but on him, I can’t help thinking it’s sexy.
If that wasn’t enough, he has a six-pack I picture running my hands over, leading down to a very pronounced V as it disappears into his towel. His hip dips should be illegal. I tear my eyes away from his body and train them on his eyes instead.
My mouth does not appear to be working.
“Miley?” His voice draws me back in.
“Uhh, sorry to interrupt. I’ll just be leaving now,” I stammer, jerking my thumb over my shoulder.
“Don’t go! I’m actually leaving,” the woman says.
“Um okay.” I think my brain is short circuiting as I turn my attention back to Rohit. “Dylan gave me your address, so I thought I would stop by and give you your ticket. The gala still requires a paper ticket to get in. I figured we could just meet there, since…” I don’t get to finish my sentence.
“Are you kidding me?” the mysterious woman interrupts. “It’s a gala! Rohit is going to pick you up, like the gentleman I have taught him to be,” she says with a sure nod.
I wonder why his girlfriend would be okay with him going to a gala with me, maybe they’re just fuck buddies. But even then, I don’t know many women who would be okay with this, let alone encourage it.
My confusion must be apparent on my face because she lets out a loud laugh as she realizes what I must be thinking.
“Oh my god, this is not what you think! I’m Reena, Rohit’s twin. I see he has never mentioned me before.” She flicks him a glare. “I actually came over to help him finalize his look for the gala. That’s why he always looks so good. I’m his secret weapon.” She offers me a warm smile as she squeezes past me to descend the stairs. No wonder her eyes looked familiar, they are the same light color as Rohit’s.
Rohit is just standing there, half naked, with an amused expression on his face. He let this play out exactly as he knew it would. I’m gonna throttle him when I get the chance.
He decides now is the time to start talking, after I’ve made a blundering fool of myself. “Of course I will pick you up. I also have your address. You’re not the only one who can extract information from Dylan.”
He smirks as he leans forward and grabs both tickets from my hand. When his body is mere inches from mine, I catch the fresh scent of mint.
“I’m taking both of these just so you can’t back out. See you on Saturday,” he says as he waves goodbye to me and shuts the door.
I lean against the wall to catch my breath for a second. When did it get so hot in here and what have I gotten myself into?