Shrink to Fit by Dona Sarkar Page B

loss.
    â€œMa, come on!” Jay whined in return. Loudly.
    â€œJay! No more nonsense, come in at once.” Mrs. Dalal, a tiny, yet impressive woman with a dish towel tucked into the front of her sari appeared in the doorway. “Is that Leah talking to you? My God, she’s so thin. Ask her to come in as well, please. We need to put some food in her.”
    â€œMa.”
    â€œMrs. Dalal, really, I have to finish my run. And I have so much homework!”
    â€œLeah, you must come in for dinner. I’ve made chicken biryani! ” With that she disappeared.
    â€œComing, Ma,” Jay called back and turned to Leah. “And you better, too, if you know what’s good for you.”
    â€œMy run!”
    â€œLater. You do not want to annoy a small Asian woman. It will not end well.”
    The ends of Leah’s lips twitched. She had missed Jay. And his family. And the countless dinners she’d had at their place. The Dalal clan was a homey group of people, and being in their house instantly made you a member of their family…parental scolding included. “All right. But I won’t eat anything.”
    Leah thought she heard Jay snort as he opened the front door for her.

    â€œGod, your poor cousin. You think they’ll really marry him off to some random girl?” Leah leaned against the pillar on the front porch, still wiping tears from her eyes. She hadn’t remembered laughing like that in ages. Jay’s cousin had been visiting, and all the family had talked about was his pending arranged marriage. The poor sap sat quietly in the corner the whole night while everyone argued over whether his future wife should be able to cook and sing, or was just cooking acceptable?
    Luckily everyone had been so busy torturing the poor kid that no one noticed that Leah had pushed her food around for half an hour and had cleared her plate in the kitchen before anyone else had gotten up.
    â€œHe’s kind of a schmuck, so he might go for it. An arranged marriage, I mean.”
    Leah watched Jay swat at a fly circling the lone bulb on the porch. Despite his all-American-boy attitude, she knew he valued his cultures and traditions. “What about you? You think you’ll get arranged off? Not now. I mean when you’re old.”
    â€œGod, I hope not.” Jay laughed. “I hope I won’t be such a loser that I’ll need my parents to find me a wife.”
    â€œWell, you will be a loser, but don’t worry, girls like that. You’ll have plenty of options.”
    Crickets serenaded them as a gentle breeze blew strands of Leah’s wavy hair across her face. Jay caught hold of the ends of a lock. “I like your hair like this.”
    Leah reached out and removed the strand from his fingertips, her hand touching his. “All for you.” Her tone was sarcastic, but her words weren’t.
    She wanted to ask about Jennifer. Were they still together? If so, was he just playing with Leah out here tonight?
    She was too afraid of the answers.
    â€œI really need to go,” she sighed. She hadn’t done her homework. She hadn’t run her five miles. But the night had been worth it.
    Jay kissed her forehead. “Good night, babe. Ride with me tomorrow?”
    Ignoring the thudding of the heart, she placed a hand on her hip and was surprised to feel the jut of a hip bone.
    â€œWe’ll see. I have a line of hot guys from O.C. coming to see me.” Leah tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear. “They’re all into tall bikini models.”
    â€œI wouldn’t be surprised in the least.” Jay’s eyes traveled over her again.
    Leah brushed a hand up against his cheek and let it rest there for an instant. As she moved closer, the bare skin of her stomach grazed his belt. She touched her full lips to the stubble on his cheek. “Night.”
    She could feel his eyes watching her as she walked away. He was still standing still