Me: This is NOT funny. You set me up to fail!
Liya: This is all circumstantial; Brandy said he needed a place for a few weeks and I was leaving town anyway. Then you needed a place. Was I supposed to say no to you, or go back on my word with him?
Me: I guess there are worse things in life than waking up to a fantasy in my bed.
Liya: I don’t really believe you, but nice try. Y’all need to work out your issues before you decide to marry someone else. So. Talk. And maybe get some. Just to make sure you’re over him.
Her text was immediately followed by a bunch of emojis. Heart eyes, water squirts, devil horns, eggplant, and a fire. How could one get so raunchy with cartoons? Leave it to Liya.
The time on my cell phone flashed six thirty. I hurried back upstairs.
When I ducked inside, Daniel was still asleep in bed, lightly snoring as I stood over him with arms crossed, wondering if I could drag all two hundred pounds of muscle out of bed for the next three weeks or erect a barricade between us at night. The sound of him sleeping thrust me back to college. The best morning had been any morning waking up beside him.
I shook my head, shaking loose any images of what we often did in the morning after waking up.
I took a quick, frigid shower to cool off and changed into a pair of gray slacks and a lavender blouse.
In the living room, I shoved everything I needed for a day of work into my backpack and was grabbing Grandma Thompson’s leftovers when Daniel emerged from the bedroom. His sweatpants hung low, exposing the V-cut of his hips. And shirtless! The shame! The flagrant display of side muscles had me gawking so hard that I might as well have given him a thumbs-up when he caught me staring.
Daniel scratched his head and casually said, “Your jaw’s about to unhinge.”
I clamped my mouth shut, then sputtered, “You slept topless next to me.”
He turned toward me and smirked, running a hand down his rather well-maintained abs, then disappeared into the bathroom.
I swerved around and chugged from my water bottle, then promptly refilled it before heading to work. The thirst was real…in more ways than one.
* * *
The best thing about going to the hospital was that no one ever told me to leave. It was my day off, but I needed to study and catch up on this presentation and make a slide deck so amazing that attendings would use it to teach residents how it was done. The lord knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate at the apartment, waiting for Daniel just so I could avoid him.
The hospital was eerily quiet, like the days-leading-up-to-a-full-moon sort of quiet.
The physician lounge was barren and boring, especially when all the pastries had been picked over, leaving the least favored: bran muffins, plain Danish, and half-torn bagels. Heathens.
Instead of working, I found myself wistfully replaying the morning in my head—because bless the gym that had catered to Daniel for the past six years—when Reema texted.
I leaped for joy! Mama Duck was home from her honeymoon and finally awake! I headed over right away. With Rohan out, it was just me and Reema at my old place. She was on the couch in her sweats, her hair damp, and eating treats she’d brought home from her honeymoon.
She ate another Parisian chocolate and groaned. “Ugh. I’m about to start my period. I feel the cramps coming.”
“Crampus is upon us. My app notified me that I have another week.”
She giggled at my menstrual take on the demon Krampus. If men had battled him once a year and thought it a victory, then we women who slayed the monthly version should be revered as heroes.
“We’re still synched? At least I’m not pregnant,” she said. “What kind of mess would that be? All the aunties would be wagging their tongues, busting out calculators and calendars and pregnancy date wheels to see if there’s even the slightest chance we did it before the wedding.”
“But if you were!”
She grunted. “Yes. For sure you would have your hands all up in me. I wouldn’t want any other woman probing my lady parts.”
“I’d be the best auntie.” I paused. “Oh. Ugh. I’d be an auntie. I’m too young for that.”
“No, you’re not. None of us are. You just refuse to mingle with people who have kids, aside from a few. Once their kids start to speak, you’re going to be Preeti Auntie. All day, every day. Face it, we’re becoming the next generation.”
I’d like to think age was nothing but a number, but in my world, each day was a ticking clock, a countdown to an engagement, a wedding, kids of my own. The mention of things to come pushed Yuvan to the forefront of my thoughts. I wondered if I could be as happy with him as Reema was with Rohan.
“Well, for now, hooray for menstruation to remind you that you’ve successfully evaded the purpose of your uterus for another month,” I said. “I’m not ready for my period. Stop putting me off schedule.”
She rolled her eyes. “No one is forcing you to menstruate. I didn’t have a private talk with your uterus to purge.”
“You don’t have to. It’s science.”
She laughed. “Okay. I’ll try to hold off as long as possible.”
“That’s all I ask. Just grip that membrane tight.”
“Oh, boy…” She pushed the box of chocolates toward me. “You have to try some of these treats I brought back.”
In one indulgent bite, I saw why people made such a fuss about Paris. “You must be so tired from getting in late last night. You’re absolutely glowing, though! Did you enjoy your honeymoon?” I asked longingly.
“Yes! It was magical. Maybe it was the whole newlywed thing, or getting a wedding done and over without a hitch, or getting a vacation, or all the wine and food…it was probably the wine and food.”
“I bet it was delicious.” I could almost taste the decadent cheeses and world-renowned bread. This chocolate was amazing, but it wasn’t enough to satiate my desire to try Parisian food in actual Paris one day.
“We couldn’t stop eating!”
“I would love to eat all day on vacation.” I slouched and patted my belly. I’d been gorging on leftover wedding food for too long.
“You deserve one after residency is over. I recommend Paris. Hey! Maybe we can do a girls’ trip. After your residency but before Sana gets married.”
“Yes! I’ll need the time to just veg and not think about work or studying. It’s going to be weird not to be in that mind-set.”
“Until then, I didn’t forget about my girls!” Reema ran behind the counter and returned with a bag. “For you!”
I squealed with joy. “You didn’t have to!”
“You’d be mopey if I didn’t,” she jested.
“What is this?” I pulled out the largest item, which was heavier than I expected. “A bag of…flour? I know the bread is to die for, so it must be the flour, right?”
“It’s a dummy-proof crepe mix from one of the top cafes that makes these mouthwatering crepes. We were eating crepes all day long. This is it! For the, um, culinarily challenged, an easy step-by-step package.”
“I mean, how hard is it to make crepes?”
She scowled. “Coming from you? Who cannot make a decent pancake without wrecking the first three attempts?”