Playing With Fire

Chapter 23 - But I won't

Just like her mother to order instead of request. That wasn't the only thing that made her uncomfortable in this situation. First, she knew something had to be going on. No way would her parents invite Shahru over. No way would they care enough to want to meet a guy she was dating if it wasn't Amir. Second, she wasn't even sure the whole pretend-we're-a-couple thing would still be going on. Not with the way things had ended for her and Shahru last night. "Um, I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Ma."

"Why? Do you have something to hide? If this man wants to date you, the least he can do is formally introduce himself to your family, unless of course It's he who has something to hide."

Great. Of course she would find a way to turn this around. She didn't want her parents to think any worse of Shahru than they already did. Not that they would ever think highly of him, anyway. They just weren't like that. They would never think a man like him would be good enough for her. Well, for them, actually. "He has nothing to hide, I'm just not sure of his plans. He may have to work."

"Your complex is falling apart so quickly he isn't able to take a night off to spend with you and your family?"

She wanted to ask her mother how, if that was even true, she could fault Shahru for that. Her father had missed all the important milestones in her life if he was on a case, but obviously that was okay. If Shahru had to work, it would be a completely different story.
Too bad she didn't have the guts to actually say that. "I'm sure if he knew it was important to me he'd be there. That's the kind of man Shahru is." Unlike her father. Or Amir.

"Perfect. See you tomorrow, Kajol. Don't be late."

Great. She'd not only just fallen into her mother's trap, but she'd also dragged Shahru into it when she had no idea if he wanted to be there or not.

* * **

Shahru shook his wet hair while he wiped his foggy bathroom mirror with a towel. It
had been three days since he'd walked out on Angel, and he had yet to see her since.
He'd played cat and mouse with her avoiding her like the loser he didn't want her to know he was. His conscience wouldn't let him avoid her any longer. She didn't deserve to be treated like that. She didn't deserve a lot of the shit that had happened to her and the last thing he wanted to do was add to it. If he was lucky. Scratch that. If she was lucky, she'd slam the door in his face after the way he'd walked out on her, so he couldn't hurt her again. He could go find a willing woman who wouldn't expect a call back in the morning, work out some of his pent-up sexual frustration, and get the cute little angel out of his mind for good.

Yeah, right. That little internal speech was bullshit for two reasons. One, he knew he
wouldn't go out and find another woman. Right now, he only hungered for Angel. Two, even if he did, he knew sex with someone else wouldn't get her out of his head. He wished it would, but in reality, he knew it wouldn't. Served him right that the first woman he'd felt interested in since Juhi was someone way too good for him who he'd never allow himself even a shot at having. She'd want something he wouldn't be able to give her, and if he tried, he'd only fail her eventually. It was in his bones, his DNA ... it was who he was.

Shahru didn't bother shaving the dusting of hair on his jaw. He brushed his teeth before going to his room to dress. A pair of socks, black jeans, white T-shirt and flannel later he headed back into the bathroom, ran his hand through his hair, and headed next door. The sooner he did this, the sooner he could get it over with and get back to his life pre-Angel. He'd be to her exactly what he was to everyone else in the building: the guy who fixed something in their apartment when it broke, just like he should be.

Kajol paced her apartment wondering what she should do next. At four o'clock she didn't have much time to decide. A smarter woman would have called her mother much earlier in the day and found some reason to cancel dinner tonight. A really smart woman would have never let herself get pushed into the dinner in the first place. Obviously she wasn't too smart. She'd somehow talked herself into believing Shahru would come and talk to her. That they could find a way around the incident from three nights before. He had yet to show up, and she had yet to build the courage to go to him. Part of her didn't feel as if she should have to go to him. He was the one who'd walked out on her, but if she'd been braver she would have gone.