There's Something About Sweetie(91)

“But you … Sweetie, you’ve changed me. And you make me want to continue to change in the best possible ways. I should’ve just told you everything I was feeling, but I got all idiotic and selfish.” He got up and went around to where Sweetie was sitting and knelt before her in front of the swing. Taking her hands, he said softly, “I’m so, so incredibly sorry for hurting you. That was the absolute last thing I ever wanted to do.”

Sweetie watched him quietly, with only the occasional chirping cricket breaking the silence between them.

“Really? The last thing?” Sweetie asked finally.

He nodded, a little confused by the way she’d said it.

“What about eating a live toad—with warts—or hurting me?” Her dimple made an appearance.

Ashish kept his expression serious, though his heart was leaping like a happy fish. “Did I mention I love cuisses de grenouilles?”

“Er …”

“French for ‘frogs’ legs.’”

Sweetie snorted. “Okay. Dancing naked in front of the Bruins or hurting me?”

“The Bruins better get ready to see somethin’ really special.”

Sweetie giggled. “You’re crazy.”

“Crazy about you.” Ashish held her eye until her smile faded and she was serious too. “I love you.”

Sweetie looked like she was choking on something. After a long moment, just when Ashish was thinking he couldn’t take the suspense anymore, she said, “Y-you love me?”

He grinned. “Obviously.”

She placed her tiny, soft, irresistible hands on his cheeks. He closed his eyes for a moment, reveling. “I love you too, Ashish.” She leaned in to kiss his lips, first tentatively, then with more hunger. “Obviously,” she whispered against his mouth.

Ashish’s grin got even bigger. To be honest, he didn’t think he’d ever stop grinning.




Everything was perfect. Sweetie didn’t know if Suki, Kayla, and Izzy would think she was being soft by forgiving him. But this felt right to Sweetie. And that was all that mattered. He’d apologized. He’d given her an explanation that she felt was the honest, right one. He’d told her a little bit about the hard time Celia had been having at college, and she was glad Celia had had Ashish to turn to. (Andddd she was glad their whole text thing was over now. Come on. She was only human.)

But there was still one niggling thing left. Something she had to tell Ashish, so he knew how things were with her, too. So he could be prepared.

They were sitting on the ground now, Sweetie’s head on Ashish’s lap. He played with her hair, his big fingers warm and comforting.

“Ashish …,” she began, feeling suddenly nervous. She wiped her palms on her sweatshirt.

“Hmm?”

“Do you remember me telling you that I wanted to use our free pass on my birthday party?”

“Of course. This weekend. I even have a present all picked out.”

“Really?” She grinned up at him but then became serious again. Focus, Sweetie. “So, there’s something you should know. I wanted to tell my parents about us.”

“Yeah, you said. Dude, I’m so prepared. I have my impress-the-parents outfit ready to go. Button-down shirt, khaki pants, the whole nine.”

“Great, but listen.” Sweetie sat up and met his eye. “Ashish, if my parents say no, if they still don’t want us to date …” She took a breath. “I’ll respect their wishes.”

Ashish’s expression froze. “You mean you’ll break up with me?” he asked in a voice so quiet, so vulnerable, that Sweetie’s eyes immediately filled with tears.

She put her hand on his. “I’m sorry,” she said, biting her lower lip. “But I just can’t go against my parents’ wishes. As misguided as they are about some things … in the end they matter. A lot.” She laughed. “I know it sounds hypocritical after I’ve dated you behind their backs for the past month. But that was for me to prove something to myself, and I have. I know what I’ve always believed to be true is true—my ability to find romantic love isn’t tied to my weight. And I’m worth so much more than what bigoted, ignorant people might think.”

“So the Sassy Sweetie Project is a success?” Ashish asked, smiling.

“Totally.” She laughed and swiped under her eyes. “But now that I’ve done what I set out to do … I need to tell my parents. And if they still don’t understand …”

“We’ll have to break up.” Ashish nodded. Took a deep breath. “I get it.”

“You do?” Sweetie had expected more pushback, what with him being the original rebel and everything.

“I do. I mean, it totally sucks, but I get it. You’re like Rishi in some ways. You’re the golden, dutiful Indian child. I guess that’s one of the reasons my parents wanted us to date.”

Sweetie shook her head. “I don’t know about that.” She put a hand on his cheek, feeling the light stubble there. “Thank you for understanding. If they don’t agree … my heart will be broken. Completely.”

Ashish stroked her cheek, his eyes honeyed sadness. “Then I guess we’ll just have to make this moment really count.”