Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
“W hat do you think?” Arjun asked, panting. “Honestly, Sophia, it doesn’t get much better than this.”
She looked around. “It’s nice,” she said, not sounding fully convinced by even this small declaration. The smell of humus hung deep and rich in the air, as fragrant as fine wine. Even though it was Saturday afternoon, Buena Vista Park was deserted, except for the few squirrels that chased each other through the trees.
Arjun led Sophia over to the benches on the hillside. Using the bench he and Nisha had shared felt strange, so he sat on the adjacent one. “Come on, take a seat,” he called to her, gesturing to the spot beside him. “This right here is the best way to look at San Francisco.”
She looked dubious. “Really? The best?” She put her hands on her hips. “What about Coit Tower? Twin Peaks? Or even Bernal Heights?”
He shook his head. “Okay, this is my favorite way to look at San Francisco,” he sighed, trying not to betray his annoyance. “At least check it out.”
“The bench looks kind of dirty,” Sophia told him, looking distastefully at the chipping green paint.
Arjun shook his head. “All right. Is there another place you’d like to sit?”
She checked her watch. “I have to leave soon, actually,” she said. “Not that this wasn’t fun—I just have a bunch of pre-work for the professorship that I need to get done.”
“Can it wait?” he asked. “We just got here.”
“You can stay,” said Sophia. “Really, it’s fine. I’ll take an Uber back to my place.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll see you tonight for dinner, right?”
“Of course.”
He watched Sophia climb down the slope once more, take a turn down the path, and disappear into the trees. A feeling bubbled up in his chest, a feeling that he understood but couldn’t quite name—like trying to describe a vague pain to your doctor. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Sophia; on the contrary, he liked her very much. On paper, she was the perfect partner.
But that’s just it, he thought. “ On paper.” But what about in real life?
He shook his head. There was no point in asking questions like that. After all, that was the strange bargain he’d made by pursuing an arranged marriage: he was not in love with Sophia, and he wasn’t meant to be. They would marry, and they would build a love together.
There was a rustling noise behind him. Arjun turned around to see a woman moving up the trail. She was wearing black leggings and a baggy green hoodie—the same color as her eyes.
His heart began to beat very quickly. “Nisha?” he asked.
She looked unsurprised to see him, as if she’d expected him to be there. “Hey, Arjun,” she said, and there was a kind of tiredness in her voice, as though she’d been walking for a long while. She remained where she stood, ten feet away from him, her back to a thicket of wildflowers.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. “What are you doing here?”
“You know this park is for everyone, right?”
He laughed, felt how good it was to laugh. “It’s great to see you, Nisha. That article you wrote…” He was momentarily lost for words. “Thank you,” he said at last. Thank you so much.”
She gave the smallest of nods.
“I’m sorry,” Arjun told her, stepping closer. “I really am, Nisha. I mean, running off like that, when you were so honest and vulnerable with me. I was…I was too afraid to face myself.” He paused. “Why did you do it? Why did you write that article?
She shook her head. “When you care about someone, you don’t just turn it off.”
“I care about you, Nisha,” he said immediately. “I care about you a lot. More than anyone, I think. I just…I want us to be okay. I miss?—”
“Arjun?” came a voice.
It was Sophia. He saw her walking back up the hill, a thin line of sweat trickling down her forehead.
“Sophia,” he said, trying to appear nonchalant. “What are you doing back here?”
“I dropped my phone,” she replied. “Have you seen it?”
He shook his head. “I’ll help you look,” he said, bending over. He glanced off into the trees where Nisha Nandan had been standing just a moment ago. Now, she was gone.
“Who were you talking to?” Sophia asked. “I heard voices.”
“No one,” replied Arjun, his brain in a sudden fog. “Just a hiker who got lost on the way up.”
As he squatted near the ground and searched for Sophia’s missing phone, Arjun wondered what he would have said to Nisha if Sophia hadn’t shown up when she did.