“It’s built for speed, and it’s perfect,” Kareena said. She scowled at him. “Have some respect for my vehicle.”
Prem took her empty box as well, and after she finished wiping her hands on the napkin, he took it from her and linked her fingers with his.
Prem squeezed her hand. “Can I ask you something?”
Kareena nodded.
“Has it sunk in yet for you that I dropped to one knee and proposed on live television?”
She snorted. “No, not at all.” They were planning on going ring shopping in a few days. Even though they’d only known each other for four months, Prem knew that she’d want to pick something out on her own. Maybe when they found the right ring, it would seem more real. The idea of having a real symbol of their commitment together was more and more exciting the longer Kareena thought about it.
“It hasn’t sunk in for me, either.” Prem cleared his throat. “I know we haven’t talked about a wedding date, but I’m assuming your sister is going to kill you if you set the wedding any time close to her event. Which means we’re not getting married for a while. I want to be with you, though. In your space. Is your dad still postponing his retirement until you buy the house from him?”
“I think so. But don’t worry, the time will be here before you know it.”
“Not nearly fast enough,” Prem said. “I’m ready. I want more. With you. With us. More dates. More trips to the shore. More scrambled eggs with chaat masala in the mornings. The sooner the better.”
He pressed a kiss against the corner of Kareena’s mouth. She shifted until their lips met. She tasted hot sauce and Prem and cupped his stubbly cheek. This is perfect, she thought. This was worth waiting for.
When they pulled apart, Kareena swiped a thumb over her bottom lip and enjoyed watching Prem’s eyes narrow on the gesture.
“For now, are you coming home with me?” he asked.
“I’d like that.”
He leaned in to kiss her again, but Kareena’s phone buzzed in the car mount. Her sister’s name flashed across the screen.
“I’ll get it later,” she said. “She is probably calling to make sure I got her apology text.”
Kareena pulled Prem back in for another kiss, but her phone began ringing again.
Prem sighed. “You might as well pick it up.”
She groaned but answered the phone. “Bindu? What’s up?”
“Kareena? Listen, I need a favor.” She sounded like she was in the middle of a crowd. The dull echo of an overhead speaker buzzed faintly in the background.
“Where are you?”
“The airport.”
“What? Where are you going?”
Bindu let out a giggle. “Loken and I are eloping! We’re headed to Vegas. We don’t have classes until next week, so we’re just going to go, get married, and be done with it!”
“Oh my god, Dadi is going to kill you.” Just the thought of her grandmother finding out that one of her granddaughters got married without family around was like envisioning a bomb detonating. And that bomb was dangerous.
“About that,” Bindu said. “Can you cover?”
“Bindu, how the hell am I supposed to cover your elopement? Dadi is going to be on the first plane out, where she’ll find you and drag you by your hair down the Las Vegas strip back to the airport, and back to New Jersey!” The very thought of Bindu forgoing the entire wedding that she’d been planning for months was the most outrageous thing that her sister could do.
“Just make something up, okay? Oh! They started boarding. Love you, Didi.”
“Bindu, wait—”
Kareena heard the click of her sister hanging up the phone and pulled her cell away from her ear to look at the blank screen. “Damn it. She put me in a position, again.”
“Who says you have to help her out?” Prem asked. He was sipping from her drink. “You can always just tell Dadi where your sister is when she asks. Let Bindu figure it out later.”
Her gut reaction was to disagree with him. Of course, she’d cover for her sister. But then again, even though they’d made up after her engagement party, Bindu didn’t seem like she had changed all that much.
“You know what?” Kareena said. “You’re right. Why am I worried about it? Bindu’s life, Bindu’s problem.”
Prem leaned across the center console and began nibbling on her jaw. “We’ll deal with it in the morning.”
“We?”