THIRTEEN Ravi

THIRTEEN

Ravi

Ravi was pretty sure he'd never been rejected before. He didn't know if that was an absurdly cocky thing to think or if he was just being honest with himself. It's just that he'd never had a chance to shoot his shot and be put down so quickly and efficiently.

After dinner, they headed to the movie out on the green. Just like the letter had said, they found the hidden balcony where they could see the projector. They were able to sneak out chairs from the adjacent classroom without setting off any alarms, so they didn't have to sit on the cold floor, which was nice.

While they watched, Ravi remembered the cult classic movie Twilight. Edward and Bella in the chemistry lab. Edward couldn't stand the smell of Bella because he wanted her so much. And damn if Ravi didn't understand for the first time how smell was intoxicating.

Not that he wanted to suck Jessie's blood or anything, but he was hyperaware of the woman sitting next to him, and it was a whole new experience for him.

Then, like every night after they studied in the library, he walked her back to her dorm, winked, and then headed to his condo.

He hadn't written in a few days, but the next morning, he sat at his desk with a cup of coffee and his half-finished document. Deep in his consciousness, he knew that Jessie was the reason he felt inspired. Because of their time together, he was compelled to create. And because she was his muse, he wanted her advice and input even though she would likely encourage him to trust his instincts. Because that was exactly the type of advice that Jessie would give him.

While Ravi sipped his coffee, he added a few paragraphs to what was shaping up to be a narrative that felt more personal than he'd planned, and then sat back to look at his work. When the words didn't come anymore, he packed his bag and headed to the library to meet with the person who dominated his thoughts.

As he crossed the courtyard, Ravi waved to some familiar faces who called his name, before entering the rear entrance of the library. He completed his regular elevator routine but was disappointed when he got to their study room on the basement level and found it empty.

His pulse quickened at the thought that something might have happened to Jessie.

RAVI: Hey, I'm in the study room. Where are you?

JESSIE: Hey, I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you. My parents ended up surprising me this morning. They both flew in for parents' weekend. I'm out today through Sunday.

Parents' weekend. Ravi remembered when his parents showed up during his first year. The president and the deans of the STEM departments wanted meeting after meeting. Since that experience, he'd asked his folks not to show up. He always gave one excuse or another as to why they shouldn't come.

RAVI: No sweat. Have fun.

JESSIE: Thanks.

Maybe this was a good time to hang out with the guys he hadn't seen for a while. Since he'd become so busy with Jessie, his brothers had grown increasingly demanding of his time. Some of their folks probably weren't in town yet, at least not until Saturday afternoon. That meant he had all of Friday night.

He left the library and was walking toward the shuttle stop that he planned on taking to his building when his phone buzzed. Jessie's name appeared on the screen. He didn't even have to think twice about answering when he usually avoided calls.

"Hello?"

"Hey," she said, her voice slow and cautious. "Please say no."

"No to what?"

There was the sound of hushed whispering and quick exchanges in the background. Jessie sighed. "My parents saw that I was texting a friend and they would love to meet you. They want to extend an invitation for brunch tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. Only if you're interested. There's a Pancake House about ten minutes' walk from the freshman dorm that's close to their hotel. Join us if you'd like."

Ravi grinned. "You know what, Jessie? I think I will."

"Ravi, please have mercy—" she whispered.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said cheerfully, and hung up. He grinned at his phone, a sense of excitement for the first time in a while coursing through his bloodstream.

His weekend got infinitely better.

Ravi had never met the parents of a girl he was dating. He'd met Sahdna's parents plenty of times at fundraisers and different events back in San Fran, before they had gone out a few times and decided they were better off as friends. But he didn't know them because he was dating their daughter. They just happened to go to the same parties. This brunch with Jessie's parents was different.

The night before, he did a ton of research, scrolling through all her social media, studying the pictures she posted with her parents and her brother. He went to the university store first thing in the morning.

When he got to the Pancake House, Jessie was standing outside on the sidewalk with two older Indian parents. Jessie's mom wore capris and a visor, while her dad wore a polo shirt tucked into the jeans he had hiked up to his midtorso.

"Hello, Ahuja family!" he said once he was within hearing distance.

"Oh my god," Jessie said, covering her face with one hand.

"You must be my daughter's friend," Jessie's mother said. She approached him with her arms held wide. Ravi put the bag on the ground and returned her hug.

She smelled like spice and flowers, different from his own mother, who always smelled like expensive French perfume.

"It's great to meet Jessie's parents," he said. He held out a hand to Jessie's father. "Sir."

"Oh please. Call me Uncle."

"Okay, Uncle. It's nice to meet you."

"You as well! Were you doing some shopping this morning?" Jessie's father pointed to the bulging bag that he'd left on the sidewalk.

"Oh, this is for you," Ravi said, and picked up the bag to give it to Jessie's father. "The student center was giving out free sweatshirts and T-shirts and hats to the first one hundred people there that morning. I just happened to be walking through and getting my cup of coffee and realized that you might want some official Hartceller University gear."

Jessie crossed her arms over her chest. Her expression was mutinous. "I literally worked the information desk this morning, Ravi. There were no plans for giveaways."

"I think it was a last-minute decision by the student body." Ravi motioned to the bag. "They had some great stuff for parents' weekend."

Jessie's father took out the sweatshirt that read, "HARTCELLER DAD." There was a matching hat, mug, and T-shirt. The smile on his face was worth the deception. Underneath it were matching sweatshirts in red and white, the university's colors, for Jessie's mother.

"We were planning to go to the university bookstore after brunch," Jessie's mother said as she slipped the sweatshirt over her head and refastened her visor. "We were hoping that there was some sort of sale this weekend so we could get a magnet. This is so much more than we imagined! You've picked out the perfect items in just the right size."

"You're welcome. My parents have a few things from their first parents' weekend, too."

Their eyes widened. Jessie's father reached out and clapped Ravi on the shoulder. "Your father has made a name for the Indian community. We're proud of him."

"I am, too," Ravi said. Even if he's never proud of me.

An employee wearing all black pushed open the front door and shouted to the sparse crowd outside. "Ahuja, party of four!"

Jessie's mother raised her hand. "That's us! Come on, our table is ready."

Jessie held Ravi's arm until her parents went ahead of them. She leaned in close and whispered, "What in the world are you doing?"

Ravi shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"There was no giveaway at the student center, was there?"

"I told you," Ravi said innocently. "Last-minute kinda thing."

He tried to follow her parents, but Jessie gripped his arm to hold him back. "Hey," she said. "Thanks. You didn't have to do that for my folks, but I appreciate it. They never would have been able to afford all that stuff. You made their day."

Ravi looked around to see if anyone was watching. Then he lifted a hand and ran his thumb over the curve of her jaw. She stiffened, but she didn't pull away.

"Thanks for inviting me," he said. He registered her shock, the slight confusion and insecurity that flashed in her expression. Then he walked to the restaurant entrance to open the door for Jessie.

Ravi expected to be fielding questions for the entire brunch about his family, about AI or the future of technology, and about any of the salacious drama in Silicon Valley. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Jessie's parents were more interested in him. They asked what his major was, what classes he liked, what he did on the weekends, and if he had any favorite movies or books.

He felt humanized. He felt like he was his own person.

Jessie squirmed in her seat the entire time, but he could see that despite her discomfort, she was really happy to see her parents. She welcomed their casual touches, her mother's frequent hugs.

"Ravi," Jessie's mom started when the food had arrived. "What are your plans for after college? Are you going back to the West Coast?"

He felt his throat tighten, then glanced at Jessie, who focused on the plate in front of her. "I think so. The other option is grad school."

"That's very good," Jessie's father said. "I have my master's, and it served me well over the years."

"Does it help you with your business?"

He rested his forearms against the edge of the table as he forked a tiny triangle of pancakes. "It helped me when I was an engineer."

Ravi barely controlled his jaw from dropping. "You were an engineer?"

Jessie's father's shoulders straightened, and he smiled proudly. "I was. IBM had sponsored my visa. Jessie's mother and I were both international employees. Then I was laid off. I was lucky enough to get another job quickly that continued to sponsor my visa, but I knew I had to start thinking about what would happen if I was laid off again. We saved all of our money, we were able to apply for the green card, and then after I qualified, I left my job and put all of my savings into the store that I've been running ever since. That store has helped us thrive as a family even though we don't have much."

Jessie laid a hand on her father's arm, her smile warm and genuine. "You and Mama have always been the best, Papa."

"No, you're the best, my beta," he said, and patted her hand.

They shared a look filled with so much love that Ravi felt homesick for the first time he could remember. Maybe he should go visit his father and talk about this internship in person. He could even mention his manuscript, but he doubted that would be met with warmth and understanding.

No, he thought. Talking to his father was never worth his time. There had never been a single moment where he felt understood by him.

"You're all really lucky to have each other," he said.

Jessie's parents smiled at him, their faces beaming with joy. It was the same happiness that Jessie would share with him in fleeting moments. Now he knew where she got it from.

And he felt so ashamed that it burned in his gut like churning bile. Sure, Jessie was serious, but why wouldn't she be the kind of person who grew up happy? Just because her life had been different from his didn't mean it was less than or worse off than his had been. If anything, it was better. She had people who appreciated and loved her for who she was, and as cheesy as it sounded, that was something that money couldn't buy.

"Now, Jessie," her mother said. "Why don't you tell us what you two have been up to? Are you dating?"

"Oh my god, Mom, no, I told you we're working on a project together for class."

"Oh? What project is that?"

Jessie looked at him, and for the first time that day, her smile was for him. "It's actually a really interesting story. It involves a woman who wrote a bunch of letters. There's a chance she is part of a campus legend that people talk about to this day. But you can't tell anyone."