Dating Dr. Dil (If Shakespeare was an Auntie #1)(46)

For the first time in her life, Bindu’s entrance was right on time. Everyone gravitated toward her like moths to a flame.

And when she heard a buzz coming from the drawer she’d just slammed, Kareena knew she’d reached the end of her rope. Scanning the kitchen, then the living room, she spotted Veera first and tried to catch her attention. Her bestie was still engrossed in a conversation. Bobbi was still nowhere to be found, and Prem was speaking with Mona Aunty’s husband in a corner.

No one would care if she left, Kareena realized.

She backed out of the sliding doors leading onto the deck and closed it behind her. She needed a moment with her car, with her memories, away from everyone. Especially Dr. Dil.





Chapter Fourteen

Prem




Mom: You’re kissing a woman in public, Prem.

Prem: Yes, I’ve heard from the family WhatsApp chat this week.

Mom: Now you have to marry her.

Prem: Please tell me you’re joking.

Mom: You ruin all my fun.

Prem: If my life is your only source of entertainment, you need better hobbies.

Mom: I do, but your father doesn’t like anything I want to do.

Prem: Your hobbies shouldn’t be attached to Dad’s.

Mom: He gets sad if I do things on my own.

Mom: Is there something between you two?

Prem: No, Mom. I’m leaving.

Mom: Fine. But just know that if you don’t visit soon, your father and I will.

Prem: Noted.





Deepak: Hey, have you seen Bunty?

Prem: What? No. Why do you ask?

Deepak: I haven’t seen him, that’s all.

Prem: Is Rina’s friend boring you?

Deepak: No, she’s awesome. But if Bunty makes this uncomfortable for all of us by doing something stupid, then we’re going to be SOL. He has the car keys.





Prem knew that the party was going to be a setup. He was willing to chance it because he was desperate to see Rina again. He hadn’t been all-consumed like this with a woman ever.

Their second kiss changed everything. It meant that the first time he tasted her wasn’t a dream, because he could replicate the feeling of being with her. Now he was hooked. Her mouth was the only thing that he could think about since their Met Museum date. Between patients, late nights while he was lying in bed, during his workouts in his building’s gym.

When Sonali Aunty asked him to bring a few friends to a dinner party, he figured Bunty and Deepak could help distract everyone so that he could have a talk with Rina.

What he didn’t expect was for her to punch him in the mouth by standing in the window like a queen, and then calling him a liar. She practically glowed with fire when she told him off.

Their kiss at the Met was for show. That was the whole point of their date, wasn’t it?

Dinesh Uncle clapped him on the shoulder. He’d been going on for twenty minutes about his kids at MIT and Harvard. “Hopefully my son goes to medical school and does something as important as you. It’s a hard road, but I salute you for doing this for our community. Not enough physicians in America understand our health needs are different. Increasing numbers of my patients have heart disease and diabetes. It would be good to refer them to a safe place.”

“Thanks, Uncle,” he said. Prem wasn’t expecting people to be open and accepting of his plan at an aunty party, but he’d been pleasantly surprised. Now if only he could get away to find Kareena.

“Your center should bring you some money, too,” a voice said from behind him.

Prem turned and came face-to-face with an older man with Kareena’s eyes. His mouth was set in a thin line, and he was the only one who didn’t introduce himself, or welcome him, even though it was obviously his home. Prem didn’t blame the guy. Prem was smooching his daughter in public after he’d said some very choice words to her on video.

“Hopefully,” Prem said slowly. “But that’s not the objective. If I wanted money, I would’ve gone to Einstein.”

His brow twitched at the name-drop. “You sound like my daughter.”

“It’s one of the things we’ve found that we have in common.”

The man hummed. “You know, she has it in her head that she wants a love marriage.”

“She told me. Kareena said that you and your wife had a love marriage.”

Sadness and exhaustion painted the older man’s face at the mention of his wife. “What Kareena continues to ignore is that marriage, either for love or for economy, can be hard. I’m afraid my practical daughter is being very impractical here, and you’re going to take advantage of her.”

“Kareena and I have our differences, but we aren’t lying to each other.”

Lying. The word echoed in his head from Kareena’s earlier accusation. Were they lying to each other? Or better yet, was he lying to her about what he felt? No, feelings had nothing to do with it. Science, chemistry, a physical attraction to pheromones.

For fuck’s sake, he was spending a lot of time justifying something that was already consuming him whole.

And that’s what freaked him out the most. Being with her was becoming his biggest priority, and Rina deserved to know the truth.

He had to talk to her. He scanned the crowd, and when he didn’t see her, Kareena’s father cuffed his shoulder. “You’ll find her in the shed sitting in her mother’s car.”