“Your father and Mr. and Mrs. Chauhan have known each other for some time through the temple.” Her mother turned in her seat and even Jiya’s father seemed suddenly interested in the conversation. He passed Jiya a small smile and her pulse started to thrum. There was something in the water here. Whatever it was, Ajay didn’t seem to be the wiser, either. They traded a look, both of them shifting in their seats.
“Ajay’s mother and father have expressed interest in investing in a restaurant,” Jiya’s mother continued, pushing aside her plate. “Of course, they wouldn’t want to run it themselves. The medical practice is where their passion lies. However, in our many conversations, Mrs. Chauhan suggested the possibility of opening a second location for Spice.”
Jiya dropped her fork, but thankfully her mother had broken out the cloth napkins and it cushioned the fall. “A second Spice? Where?”
“Details will fall into place if we can find the right opportunity,” Ajay’s mother answered. “But we think you would be a great candidate to run the new location, Jiya.”
“Me?”
“Yes.” She’d never seen her mother look prouder. Or more excited. “You are more than ready. You’ve been helping me manage Spice since you were practically a child.” She paused to sip her drink. “You would need help of course.”
Two ticks of silence passed.
“I’m guessing that’s where I come in,” Ajay said wryly.
“Yes, well…” Mrs. Chauhan rushed to say. “There would be a sizeable investment on both sides. It’s only natural that we would want to solidify that partnership.”
Partnership. In other words, marriage.
The implication slapped down onto the table like freshly caught trout.
Of course, marriage had brought them there tonight. This discussion wasn’t surprising, even though they were moving forward at a rapid pace. But Jiya never expected the partnership she was looking for to be incentivized.
A second restaurant could mean a lot for her parents financially. It would be a mark of pride for them, having two locations. One operated by them. One operated by their daughter and son-in-law. They would be partners. They would share goals and celebrate milestones. Wasn’t that what she was after? Someone to be all in with? Now, she could have those things. And with some hard work, she could own her own business, too.
That should excite her a lot more than it did.
When she closed her eyes, though, she could only hear the hum of the engine in her ears. She could only see the blue water and multicolored land below. The wheel in her hands.
Andrew was there, too. Front and center.
Only heartbreak lay in that direction, though. Heartbreak with nothing to show for it. The organ in her chest would surely sputter and beat dully for the rest of her life, but she could still build something. Move forward in the opposite direction. She could still construct a life to be proud of. With someone else. The alternative was to stand in the middle of the rope bridge, without crossing to either side. And hadn’t she already made this decision? To leave dreams of Andrew behind? Their night together couldn’t change anything. It certainly hadn’t for him.
She made a choked sound. “I, um…”
“Would it be all right if I spoke to Jiya alone?” Ajay pushed back from the table and stood. “I think we can agree this is a lot at once.” He looked at her. “Jiya?”
“Yes.” She blotted her mouth with the napkin and stood. “Talking sounds good.”
It didn’t escape her notice that all the parents looked thrilled at Ajay and Jiya’s wish to be alone. She guided him to the garage and knew immediately it was a mistake. Andrew was everywhere. They’d spent a thousand summer days inside this garage, drinking sodas and building castles in the sky. He’d killed spiders in her honor, bandaged cuts on her knee and endured her emo phase when she only wanted to listen to Evanescence.
She’d fallen in love with him inside these walls.
“Hey, listen. I’m so sorry about that,” Ajay started. “I didn’t know it was coming.”
“No, I could tell. It’s fine.”
Seeming relieved, he pushed a hand through his black hair and Jiya took another moment to look, really look at him. He was handsome, in his late-twenties, like her. He wore a blue button-down shirt and slacks, but a tattoo peeked out at the small of his wrist and he wore a silver thumb ring, telling Jiya there was more to Ajay than met the eye. She got a good feeling from him. Like they could be friends. Like maybe they could laugh together.
Love wasn’t even within the realm of possibility for her at that moment. Maybe it never would be again. But she had to move on with her life sometime.
“Do you even want to run a restaurant, Ajay?”
He blew out a breath, taking some time to think about his answer. “Honestly, yeah, I wouldn’t mind giving it a shot. There’s definitely a time limit on how long a man can work as a stockbroker without selling his soul.” He pinched his fingers together. “And I’m just about there.”