in on Jason and my horrid date with Artie. Ren frowned and couldn’t understand why anyone would willingly date Artie.
“He kind of tricks girls into dating him, like me,” I explained. “He’s just super judgmental and self-involved.”
“Hmm.” Ren unwrapped his last sandwich and stared at it, considering.
I laughed. “Are you full, Tiger? It would be a shame to skip your blackberry milkshake. They are the best in the country.”
He retrieved another straw and popped it in the top of the shake. “Here, share it with me.”
I took a sip, and Ren leaned over and sucked down about a third of it in one big slurp. Then he grinned.
“And you said you’d never share a milkshake with me again.”
I teased him with mock dismay, “Oh, no! You’re right! Well, this one doesn’t count. I was talking to your better tiger half. So my promise is still valid.”
“No, you definitely reneged on your promise. And my tiger half is definitely not my better half. That just gives me more incentive to prove you wrong.”
After dinner, we drove to a nearby park and decided to take a walk. Ren grabbed a blanket from the trunk.
“Am I allowed to hold your hand on a first date?” Ren asked.
“You always hold my hand.”
“But not on a date.”
I rolled my eyes at him but held out my hand. We strolled in the park for a while, and he asked me lots of questions about America and its history and culture. He was easy to talk to. Everything was new and fascinating for him.
We stopped at a pond. Ren sat down, pulled me back against his chest, and wrapped his arms around me.
“Just trying to keep you warm,” he said defensively when I shot him a knowing look.
I sniggered. “That’s the oldest trick in the book.”
Ren laughed and brushed his lips against my ear. “What are some other tricks I should try out on you?”
“Somehow, I think you’ll figure them out all by yourself.”
Despite my teasing, being close to him did keep me warm, and we talked and watched the moonlit water for hours.
Ren wanted to know about everything I’d done since I’d left India. He wanted to see Silver Falls, go to the Shakespeare Festival, go out to movies, and try every restaurant in town.
After he’d finished grilling me about things to do and places to go in Oregon, the conversation changed.
He squeezed me tighter and said, “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
“Nothing was the same when you left. The spark of life was gone from the house. Everyone felt it. I wasn’t the only one who felt your absence. Even Kadam was subdued. Kishan kept saying that there was nothing the modern world had to offer him and often threatened to leave. But, I caught him on more than one occasion eavesdropping on your phone calls too.”
“I didn’t mean to make your lives more difficult. I’d hoped to make things easier. Make your acclimation back into the world a little less complicated.”
“You don’t complicate my life. You simplify it. When you’re near, I know exactly where I should be—by your side. When you were gone, I just ran around in confused circles. My life was unbalanced. Out of focus.”
“So I’m your Ritalin, huh?”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a medicine that helps people concentrate better.”
“That sounds about right.” He stood, scooped me up in his arms, and said, “Don’t forget, I need frequent doses.”
I laughed and pecked him on the cheek. Ren set me on my feet, folded the blanket, and we walked back to the Hummer with his arm around my shoulders.
I felt good. For the first time in months I felt whole and happy.
When he walked me to my door, he said, “Shubharatri, Kells.”
“What does that mean?”
He flashed me a brilliant, weak-in-the-knees kind of smile and pressed a lingering kiss on the palm of my hand. “It means ‘goodnight.’”
Confused and slightly frustrated, I went to bed.
Confused and slightly frustrated was the standard theme while dating Ren. I wanted him to be around much more often, but he was determined to go through what he called customary dating practices. This meant leaving me to my own devices unless we had a planned date. He wouldn’t even let me see him as a tiger.
Every day, he’d call to see if I was available. Then, he’d ask me out to a movie, to dinner, to go get hot chocolate, or to check out a bookstore. When he determined the date to be over, he left. He completely disappeared, and I