Dating Dr. Dil (If Shakespeare was an Auntie #1)(14)

“I’d like to think it was instantaneous, but we were friends for a semester.”

“Let’s look at your health before Loken and after. Did you feel like you were eating better, sleeping more, more productive, before or after you fell in love?”

Bindu let out a musical laugh, and Kareena knew that her sister was purposely trying to draw everyone’s attention in the room to herself. Kareena sat at the edge of her seat with her hand still in the air.

“I was definitely sleeping more and way more productive before Loken and I confessed our feelings for each other,” Bindu replied.

“And that’s because our health takes a back burner when we get distracted by love. However, a relationship based on compatibility as the foundation will lead to a healthier lifestyle. Love, on the other hand, specifically the long-term effects of love, is linked to an increase in heart disease.”

Kareena made a strangled sound. She’d been fleeced! The way Prem spoke to her the night before made her think that he was on the same page when it came to love. Her reality was looking worse and worse. She almost had sex with this man in the back office of an Indian restaurant.

“What we need in our lives is less emotion in establishing relationships,” Dr. Dil continued. “Love doesn’t have be a factor at all.”

“But I do believe it’s a nice side benefit,” Bindu said with a laugh. “I mean, isn’t attraction one of the first things that brings people together?”

“Feelings of lust and attraction are collectively the illusion of ‘love,’ but that can fade with time. In a recent study, researchers concluded that trust, communication, and compatible lifestyle are the top traits that couples look for in a suitable match, not love. The concept of love actually encourages individuals to take advantage of each other.”

Kareena was practically on her feet now. The producer motioned for Dr. Dil to cut.

Dr. Dil glanced at Kareena one more time, then smiled into the camera. “Let’s revisit this conversation after a short commercial break. Stick around, everyone. We’re just getting started.”

The cameras cut, and the studio went dead silent.

Kareena stepped over a cable wire and moved toward the stage. “You hypocrite!” she shouted. “After everything you told me yesterday, I thought you were one of the good guys, but it was all just an act, wasn’t it?”

Prem glanced at his crew then back at her before getting to his feet. “Maybe we should talk in my dressing room.”

“No way.” Kareena’s head rang, and she lowered her voice to control the throbbing in her temples. “We know what happened the last time I was alone with you.”

Sounds of grumbling rose from the crew. Someone whispered, “Oh my god.”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Bindu asked.

“Yes,” Prem responded.

“No,” Kareena said at the same time.

Prem held up his hands in surrender. “I think there has been a bit of a misunderstanding about what happened, Rina—”

“Her name is Kareena,” Bindu interjected.

Prem glanced at her sister over his shoulder before turning back to Kareena. “Oh?”

“I was protecting myself,” Kareena replied. “Obviously not well enough.”

Dr. Dil stepped off the platform stage to stand next to her. He was as tall as she remembered and made her feel dainty standing next to his broad-shouldered, six-feet-plus height. Damn it, he smelled great again, too. Even in her hungover pissed-off state, she wanted to crawl all over him.



“I would love to drive you home, but since I’m on call, I can’t leave Jersey City,” he said. “But would you be comfortable coming over to my place?”

Kareena remembered her last hookup and the guy’s porn studio camera set up in the bedroom. She couldn’t risk it again until she got to know Prem better. “Maybe we could just find a quieter spot away from the bar?”

Prem nodded. “You know what? My friend Benjamin actually owns this place. He has couches in his office in the back where we can sit . . . and get to know each other better. Is that okay with you?”

That sounded great, Kareena thought. She didn’t care that she was going to be in a stranger’s office. She just wanted more time with Prem.

“Lead the way,” she said.



“I got an SOS call.” Prem interrupted her train of thought. He looked back at his producers and then at Kareena. “I came back to find you after I hung up, but you were already gone.”

“Because I was in a private office stuck with my sweater vest over my head,” she hissed.

Prem leaned in until their noses were practically touching. “I’m sorry about that. I was an idiot, but that doesn’t make me a liar.”

“But you are,” she said, louder now. She took a step back for distance and clarity. “You are on a network targeting older South Asians, telling a bunch of aunties that marriages based on compatibility, not love, are the only ones that can work, while you’re duping younger generations into thinking their feelings are misleading. You’re gaslighting people by using Bindu Mann as an example. Hell, you duped me last night, too! Do your viewers know that you use romance to get your way in your personal life?”

His eyes widened and his mouth gaped like a fish. “We didn’t talk about love at all! And this has nothing to do with arranged versus love marriages,” he snapped.