barbarian than me? Perhaps I’ve misjudged your character. You obviously make questionable choices based purely on lustful impulses. I thought you were of a higher moral caliber, Kelsey.”
“Really, Art—” I started.
Ren stuck his face very close to Artie’s and threatened quietly, “Do not insult her again. The young lady has made her position clear. If I ever hear that you are hounding her or any other young woman again, I will come back and make your life very uncomfortable.”
He stabbed Artie’s day planner with his finger. “Perhaps you’d better write that down so you don’t forget. You should also make a note to yourself that Kelsey will not be available again. Ever.”
I’d never seen Ren from this perspective before. He was lethal. I would be shaking in my shoes if I were Artie. But, as usual, Artie was oblivious to everything except himself. He didn’t see the dangerous predator lurking behind Ren’s eyes. Ren’s nostrils were flared. His eyes were fixed on his target. His muscles were taut. He was ready to pounce. To mangle. To kill.
I put my hand on his arm, and the change was instantaneous. He let out a tense breath, relaxed his stance, and slid a hand on top of mine, covering it with his.
I squeezed his hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”
He opened my car door for me, and after making sure I was buckled in, he leaned in and said, “How about a kiss?”
“No. You didn’t need to act so jealous. You don’t deserve a kiss after that.”
“Ah, but you do.” He grinned and kissed me until I changed my mind.
Ren was quiet on our drive home. “What are you thinking?” I asked.
“I’m thinking that maybe I should buy a bow tie and a sweater-vest since you seem to like them so much.”
I laughed and punched him on the arm.
Later that week, I saw Ren engaged in a serious conversation with a pretty Indian girl. Ren seemed a little perturbed. I was wondering who the girl was when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Jason.
“Hey, Kelsey.” He joined me on the steps and followed my gaze. “Trouble in paradise, huh?”
I laughed. “No. So what’s up with you?”
“Not much,” he replied, digging into his backpack and handing me a theater magazine. “Here’s a copy of that article. The one with your picture in it.”
On the magazine cover was a picture of Jason and me standing next to the car. My hand was on the old lady’s arm as she thanked me. I looked awful. Like I’d been hit by a car.
Jason suddenly stood up. “Uh, you can keep it, Kelsey. Catch ya later,” he called over his shoulder as Ren approached.
Ren stared after Jason. “What was that about?”
“Funny, I was about to ask you the same question. Who’s the girl?”
He shifted uncomfortably. “Come on. Let’s talk about it in the car.”
After he pulled out of the parking lot, I folded my arms across my chest and said, “Well, who is she?”
He winced at my tone. “Her name is Amara.”
I waited, but he didn’t add anything else. “And . . . what did she want?”
“She wanted my parents’ phone number . . . so her parents could call my parents.”
“What for?”
“To arrange marriage.”
My mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”
Ren grinned. “Are you jealous, Kelsey?”
“Darn right, I’m jealous. You belong to me!”
He kissed my fingers. “I like you being jealous. I told her that I’m already taken, so don’t worry, my prema.”
“That’s just weird, Ren. How can she want to propose marriage when you don’t even know each other?”
“She didn’t exactly propose marriage; she proposed the idea of marriage. Usually, the parents handle it, but in America, things have changed slightly. Now, it’s more like the parents screen potential mates, and the kids get to pick from their choices.”
“Well, you’ve been through it once already. I mean, you were engaged to marry Yesubai. Did you want to marry her? Your parents picked her out especially for you, right?”
He hesitated and spoke carefully. “I . . . accepted the match, and I looked forward to having a wife. I hoped to have a happy marriage like my parents had.”
“But would you have picked her for a wife?”
“It wasn’t up to me.” He smiled, trying to appease me. “But, if it makes you feel better, I did pick you, even though I wasn’t really looking for someone.”
I still didn’t feel like letting this go. “So you would have gone through with it, even though you didn’t know