The Dating Plan(47)
“So you have a motorcycle,” Mehar Auntie said, her tone slightly curious.
“Yes. It’s easier to get around the city.”
“What club are you with?” she asked. “Are you full patch? I watched all of Sons of Anarchy, so I know what it’s about.”
“Auntie-ji.” Daisy shot up again. “He’s not in a motorcycle gang. He just rides for transportation.”
“You won’t be riding for transportation,” Mehar Auntie warned. “No Daisy on the motorcycle. If your father were here, he would say the same.”
Liam chuckled. “I promise not to take her for a ride unless she asks.”
“Can you do tricks?” Mehar Auntie tipped her head to the side. “Ajay Devgan did a full split on two moving bikes in Phool Aur Kaante, and then there were all the stunts in Hero—standing on the seat, five men on one bike.” She hummed under her breath, and Daisy felt a warning tingle in her chest.
“No!”
“Do you know the song ‘Ding Dong’?” Mehar Auntie jumped up, singing and dancing to the iconic song, albeit without her usual flair given the limited space.
“Auntie-ji! Sit down. You might disturb people.” Daisy shot a frantic glance around the waiting room where photographs of people and their pets covered the bright white walls. A woman with a cat in a carrier sat in one of the colorful plastic chairs and a man with a birdcage was talking to the receptionist. No one seemed annoyed. In fact, everyone was smiling, amused by her aunt’s antics.
“She’s a Bollywood fanatic,” Daisy explained to Liam. “We teach Bollywood dance classes together, and . . .” She gestured to her aunt. “She loves to dance.”
Liam laughed, the sound rippling over her skin, easing her tension. He scrolled through his phone to a YouTube version of the song. “Let’s help her out.”
By the time the last few notes of the song faded away, everyone in the waiting room was clapping along. Daisy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but her muscles were no longer tight and she could breathe again.
“He’s a good boy.” Mehar Auntie patted Liam’s shoulder. “Maybe I should go home and get some rest since you have extra company.”
“I’m happy to stay as long as you need me.” Liam placed his hand, palm up, on his knee and Daisy took the invitation. Warm, solid flesh squeezed her hand tight.
“If you’re okay with it,” she said to her aunt. “I know you love Max . . .”
Mehar Auntie leaned down to whisper in her ear. “He came all this way for you. You don’t need an old auntie when you have . . .” She gestured to Liam, her lips curved in a knowing smile as she turned to leave. “This.”
“You passed the test,” she said after her aunt had gone. “Good call on the music. There’s nothing she loves more.”
“I aim to please.” Liam squeezed her hand. “Do you need anything? Are you hungry? I can bring you something to eat.”
She needed Liam to not be Liam but another kind, caring man who would race through the city to sit with a woman in an animal hospital after only three fake dates, a man who would not only humor a Bollywood-loving aunt, but also enjoy her show.
“Avocado and hummus quesadillas.”
Liam chuckled. “What about baked tofu fries?”
“Batata vada.” Jana Auntie’s potato fritters, coated with chickpea flour and served hot with chutney, were one of her favorite snacks.
“How about that crunchy snack food in the red bag that your relatives always bring from India?” Liam put an arm around her and she leaned against him.
“Kurkure Masala Munch?”
“That’s the stuff. Loved it. It was an effort not to eat the whole bag.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “I appreciate your restraint, but that was your bag. Sanjay never liked it and I had my own hidden away.”
He stared at her in mock horror. “You mean I could have eaten it all?”
“Every bit.”
She dragged her teeth over her bottom lip, berating herself for falling so easily back into their old banter. It was almost too easy to get comfortable with him, to feel the pull of longing and forget the abject humiliation and the soul-destroying pain. She had rules and she needed to stick to them. Rules kept her safe. Feelings, not so much.
“You don’t have to stay.” She pulled away from his warmth. “It was nice of you to come, but I might be here all night.” She gave a resigned shrug, hoping he would take the hint. “Even if I wanted to go, I can’t get up. I think my muscles are locked in this position.”
“What if you have to pee?” He moved their clasped hands so he could rest his ankle on one knee, all cool and casual like he hung out in animal emergency hospitals with fake fiancées every night.
“Seriously?”
“I’m very serious,” he said. “They won’t want you to pee on the floor. It’s not hygienic.”
“I don’t need to pee, Liam.”
He raised a dubious eyebrow. “You didn’t pee at my grandfather’s house, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t pee when you picked up Max and brought him here. That’s a long time. I have superior bladder function and even I couldn’t go that long.”