My So-Called Bollywood Life(29)

“That’s…high.”

“Yup, and I heard that this one goes around almost a dozen times per ride so we get more time at the top.”

“Great…just great.” He bounced on his heels, and as they got closer to the front, Winnie noticed that Dev’s fidgeting worsened.

“You don’t like heights,” she mused.

“Nope.”

“I would’ve never guessed.”

“I hide it well.”

“You don’t have to go. I can do this by myself.”

“That would mean I’m a terrible date.”

“Dev, we aren’t on a date.”

“Next!”

Winnie moved across the steel platform and slipped into the two-seater carriage.

“We can leave—”

“No.” Dev’s warm fingers laced with hers as they sat pressed together from shoulder to knee. When the lap bar lowered and the carriage jerked forward, Dev’s grip on Winnie tightened until her hand ached.

    “Dev,” she said softly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize this was that big of a deal for you. There is still time to get off.”

“And look like a coward? Bullshit. I committed. I’m following through. But you may need to distract me.”

His eyes looked glassy now, and he was swallowing repeatedly.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Why did you ever date Raj?”

“What?”

“Seriously,” he said. “I could tell from day one that you guys had nothing in common other than the movies that you blog about. Why did you date him? When you two were in the bathroom fighting, he mentioned something about him trying to convince you that you were destined. He also gave you a bracelet or something. What’s up with that?”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect you to want to talk about that.”

“You asked.”

“I did. Okay. Uh, well. Does your mother have a family astrologer? A pandit?”

He shook his head. “She stopped believing in astrology when my father left us.”

Winnie winced. “Ah. Sorry. Well, mine does. We’ve had the same pandit since before my parents were married. My mom and dad trust him because he gave them two predictions that came true in the strangest way.”

“What were the predictions?”

“Decades ago, my mom’s mom, my nani, found this really young priest, Pandit Ohmi, and asked him when the most auspicious time for my mom to get married would be. Pandit Ohmi said that my mother would meet the man of her dreams in an accident, and although she wouldn’t get hurt, she’d lose her shoes.”

    “Are you for real?” he said, his death grip loosening.

“Like Salman Khan’s criminal record.” She felt the cool breeze against her face as the wheel turned. “And it came true. A few weeks later my mother was in the market with my nani, when the wheel of a small cart broke off and barreled into a bunch of stalls. My father was there, holding a giant watermelon for some reason. He bumped into my mother and dropped the watermelon. It splattered all over her shoes and clothes.”

Dev closed his eyes as the first circle completed. “You’re joking,” he said.

“That’s legit what happened. At least that’s what they tell me. Dad claims it was love at first sight. Total Bollywood style.”

They were halfway through the second turn when she said, “Nani went back to Pandit Ohmi and asked him if the marriage would work. Nani was worried since my mom got really sick when she was a kid and likely couldn’t have kids. My dad didn’t care, but of course everyone wanted confirmation. The priest said they’d have a child and not to worry. Everyone was so shocked when I was born. Nani and my parents called me a miracle baby, and since then, anything Pandit Ohmi says, they take at face value. Like the last prediction he made about my family.”

    “Which is?”

“Pandit Ohmi says my soul mate’s name starts with an R and he’ll buy me a silver bracelet.”

His grip on her slackened. “Are you kidding me?”

“Weird, right? I mean, yes, my parents were lucky, but in a way I believed in the prophecy because they believe in it.”

“Is that why you dated Raj?” he asked.

She shrugged and pulled out of his hold when her palm grew damp. “I saw how great my parents’ marriage was, and yeah, I wanted that for myself, too. Raj seemed like the right person. He said all the right things. I liked him.”

“This was before or after you and I met in freshman year?”

“You mean before our fleeting friendship?” she said, nudging him in the side with her elbow. “It was during, actually. Raj really started making a case for us to be together around the same time you and I were hanging out. I figured because you two had beef, you didn’t want to be friends with me, either, which is why you stopped talking to me.”

“That’s not true.”

“Oh yeah?” Her mouth was dry, but she couldn’t stop herself from asking the question. “Then what happened between us?”

“It kind of sucks being with a girl you like when she’s dating someone else,” Dev said.

Winnie’s heart thudded wildly. “You never said anything.”