25. Rohit
I ’m exhausted and sweaty after the charity tournament. Even though I changed shirts on the court, I just didn’t feel like I could go with Miley and her family to the bubble tea shop without a shower. Luckily, the locker rooms at the ITA are serviceable. After I rinse off properly, I feel human again.
I quickly get dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt, fix my hair, then smooth down my beard in the mirror. Ordinarily I’d stop to get something to eat, but I find myself in a rush to get back to Miley. By the time I catch a train downtown and locate the bubble tea shop, over an hour has passed since I last saw her, which is an hour too much.
I smile to myself when I think about how good she looked today in that fitted black top. The way she admitted she doesn’t understand tennis but came anyway has me feeling some kind of way that I can’t explain. When I thought she had a crush on David, though, I know exactly what I felt–pure green jealousy. Since I’m fairly confident that she was joking about it, I suppose David can keep his pretty little face intact.
As I enter the bubble tea shop, I see Ruby behind the counter ringing up a customer and Charlie sitting at a table in the corner, reading something on his phone. I look around for Miley, but don’t see her. Ruby catches my eye.
“She’s next door at the nail salon. She should be almost done if you want to go say hello.” Ruby’s eyes dance with mischief, but I’m not sure why.
“Thanks, I’ll be right back,” I say as I head out the door.
The minute I enter the nail salon next door, three heads swivel in my direction. My eyes are drawn to one person only, Miley. She’s sitting at a table across from an Asian woman with pink-streaked hair. Miley’s hands are gloved and inside little white boxes.
“Hey, I’m almost done. Sorry, I didn’t know when you’d be here.” Miley looks at me with a sheepish smile.
Before I can say anything, a slightly older woman sashays from the back of the room to me and takes my arm.
“You must be Rohit,” she says with a knowing smirk. “Come, come sit right here next to Miley.” She pulls out the seat next to Miley and then sits across from me. She looks at me intently.
Miley turns to me with wide eyes, and I can see her shoulders tense. I wrap my arm around the back of her chair and lean in. “Don’t worry, we got this,” I whisper. I’m so close my upper lip grazes the top of her ear and I feel her shiver against me.
Just then, the light on the little white boxes goes off, and she removes her hands. The person across from Miley stands.
“All done!” she exclaims, peeling the gloves from Miley’s hands. “I’m Angela, Miley’s favorite nail tech,” she says. “I’m sure she’s told you more about me than I’ve heard about you. Since she’s said next-to-nothing. I’m glad to see you actually exist. Though come to think of it, maybe she’s kept you a secret because she’s trying to keep you all to herself, so handsome.” With a sly smile, she excuses herself.
Miley shakes her head at Angela’s retreating form.
She then turns to me and says, “And this is Aunt Sue.”
As she gestures to the seated woman, I notice her thumb, pointer and pinky finger are deep plum, and her ring finger is a slightly lighter shade with a sparkly silver swirl on it. The pinky is pure silver sparkle.
Without thinking, I take one of her hands into my own. “So this is why your nails always look so nice,” I blurt.
“You’ve noticed?” Miley’s tone holds surprise.
“I like this purple color,” I say, absentmindedly touching her first few fingers. “But this design on the ring finger and the sparkles on the pinky are really cool.” A slight blush creeps on Miley’s cheeks.
“I’ve known Miley’s parents forever; she is like another daughter to me,” Aunt Sue interrupts. I suddenly remember we aren’t alone, and I let go of Miley’s hand. “Miley is such a good girl,” Aunt Sue continues. “Only she works too hard and doesn’t come to see me enough.” Aunt Sue tsks.
“You’ll get no arguments from me,” I nod in agreement.
Miley swats my shoulder with her freshly manicured hand.
“But you must be pretty special too, because Miley hasn’t shown interest in anyone in years, so there must be something about you.” Aunt Sue’s head tilts to the side as she appraises me.
“Me? No, I’m not special, I’m just lucky.” I wrap my arm around Miley’s shoulders and she scooches closer to me.
Aunt Sue nods in approval. “Tell me more about yourself, Rohit. How long have you known our Miley?”
“We’ve known each other for years, but we only started dating a few months ago,” I answer, sticking to our rehearsed script.
“Are you from New York?”
“Yes, I was born here, but my family is originally from India. My parents still live on the Upper East Side.”
“Siblings?”
“One, a twin sister, Reena. She just got engaged.” Something about the rapid fire questions leads to unfiltered honesty.
Miley gapes at me. “She did? I didn’t know.”
Aunt Sue grunts, and Miley’s eyes travel from me to her. She then jerks as if she suddenly remembers something.
“Aunt Sue, Rohit just played tennis for hours, he must be starving.” Miley nods to me and says, “I ordered sandwiches from next door. They are probably ready by now.”
“You ordered me a sandwich?” My voice betrays my surprise. Her face is so close, I lean a little closer and give her a small kiss on the forehead. These affectionate mannerisms started out as pretend, but now come as second nature to me and I don’t even know if I want to hold back anymore.
“Yeah, of course. We can take them back to the bubble tea shop.” Miley stands and circles the table to give Aunt Sue a hug.
“Have fun, sweetie, and bring this boy back for dim sum sometime soon,” she says. “I’m not done with him, and I’m sure your parents would like a crack at him as well.” Her smile is smug as she waves us off.
I take Miley’s hand as we walk out the door of the nail salon. She directs me to turn left, away from the bubble tea shop. I notice she doesn’t let go of my hand, and I smile. We walk past a few store fronts and finally she stops in front of a banh mi shop.
“I didn’t know what you like,” Miley says apologetically. “I ordered two different sandwiches. You can have whichever you prefer, or we can split half and half.” She lets go of my hand to wave at the girl working behind the counter.
“Miley, so good to see you. Here’s your order,” the girl chirps as she hands the bag across the countertop.
“Thanks, Tiff,” Miley says. She waves then asks, “Would you like to eat here, or at the bubble tea shop?”
“Why don’t we sit here?” I gesture to one of the empty tables. Ruby and Charlie are great, but if I’m being honest with myself, I’d like more time alone with Miley.
I pull out a chair for Miley and she regards me suspiciously. “You don’t have to act like that when it’s just us,” she whispers.
“I want to.” I shrug, without giving further explanation. Miley blushes as she looks down to lay out two foil-wrapped sandwiches in front of us.
“This one is a classic. Ham in two flavors with a broiled egg,” she explains. She lifts the other package with a flourish. “This one, I customized.” She smiles.
“What did you create?” I ask, curiously. Her eyes are shining with excitement and I can’t help noticing how beautiful she looks when she’s happy.
“Fried chicken, with spicy mayo, avocado, and a runny fried egg. With all the usual fixings of cucumbers and pickled vegetables, of course.” She eagerly opens the package. “Which one do you want?”
I laugh. “I want whichever one you don’t want, and I think that means I want the classic.”
Miley throws her head back, exposing her long neck, and laughs. “Am I that obvious?”
“Actually, you’re still a pretty big mystery to me,” I admit, holding her gaze. My hands reach across the table for the classic sandwich. Miley moves it closer to me and our fingers brush. We stay like that for a moment, but then she pulls away quickly.
We silently dig into our sandwiches, and Miley’s moan of approval sends me into a semi-hard-on state. Thank god there’s a table between us.
Miley leans forward with her sandwich outstretched, and says, “I’m not that selfish. You can have one bite.”
I lean forward and take a large bite of her sandwich, my eyes never leaving hers. She inhales sharply as I lean back and lick my lips. “That’s… mmmm,” I say, my turn to groan.
I see a flush cross her cheeks.
“Don’t downplay it, Rohit. It’s the best thing you’ve ever tasted.” Miley scoffs as she leans back.
My eyes roam over her face hungrily, and I lean forward to whisper, “Yet… it’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted yet.”