The Book Keeper's Heart

Chapter 2: Second First Meeting

In the history of all the receptions Nandini had gone to, this one took the cake for most horrible. By the time night came, everyone in her family had known about the break-up, thanks to the wonderful auntie network. She'd either gotten pitied looks, or cruel grins...he was a catch after all. The aunties wouldn't let him go that easily and now that Abhi was free, they'd be clamoring over him.

She'd shuddered, even though the candles in front of her had radiated heat; the fact that most of her family knew made her want to crawl underneath the tiled floor and never return. They'd poke fun at her, call her a second hand if she ever found anyone and generally be pains in her keister and heart.

Once dinner had been served, and the dance floor opened up, her mom found her, giving her a suggestion. "If you want to head out, go ahead and leave. There's no need for you to stay...not when everyone's eager to chew you out. Dad and I will deal with them."

Nandu snagged some extra food to take back to Lily and headed out. Her friend loved Indian food and she definitely

loved restaurant-made South Indian food. Hopefully, no one cared that she was gone, besides her parents.

The tears started halfway back. Even though the weather was cold, she had the windows mostly down, to drown out her loud sobs. The wind rampaged through her car, sending her hair everywhere.

She was thankful that Lily's place was still open late on Saturdays; even though all the other shops in the district were closed, she could still see lights winking at her. She didn't want to be alone right now. The fryer was still bubbling when she walked in, and she took in the awesome smells of fried food. It was like walking into a home she was welcome to. Even though she'd eaten her full several hours back, her stomach grumbled in anticipation.

She was in such a hurry to get everything out to Lily that she didn't notice the other person there. This always happened: if she was fixated on something, she wouldn't notice anything else, even if it was a six-foot thing, hulking in the tiny counter seat.

Out of all the men she'd ever met,

his face was the most aesthetically pleasing: handsome features, nicely shaped nose, thin cheeks that accentuated his smile and dark brown hair that just had to look perfect. She'd been so shocked that a handsome stranger was talking to her, she momentarily forgot what she was unhappy about and babbled out some apology.

Then Abhi's face came into her mind, taunting her about what it could've been, and the waterworks started over.

She was vaguely aware of someone rubbing her back, and another person pulling her hair back, pressing a warm washcloth to her now salt-streaked face. Whatever it was they were doing, it worked. In minutes she calmed down, though shuddering uncontrollably and hiccuping out more apologies.

The man extracted his hand from her back, still watching her as though unsure if she'd really recovered.

Lily however, still fretted over her, pulling out things to make some chip and dip and refilling the soda cup.

Nandu's throat felt like sandpaper and talking with it made her sound croaky. "I'm Nandini, and I promise I'm not usually like this." Her breathing was ragged, and she choked on the words.

"Ryan, and I totally understand," he murmured. She'd noticed, now that he was seated right next to her, that his eyes were a pretty grey-blue, like the sea on a cloudy day.

Abhi's kurta had been blue. Stained with sweat, but a beautiful deep blue.

She felt tears form again.

Was this how it was when you were going through a break-up, a serious one? She vowed to never make fun of another woman who was crying hysterically because of romance issues. Half of it was having her heart hurt and feeling betrayed that he couldn't be honest with her about it. It wasn't a matter of love, she knew it. She hadn't loved him.

There was also the embarrassment and

shame that she was now 'that woman'

in her family. The one with a broken

engagement and who wasn't pretty,

who wasn't even a doctor, so god forbid

any guy coming after her now!

And her parents. They'd gone through so much with her from when she was a little, her being a brat and always getting in trouble. She'd thought they'd be proud of her for being with someone who came from a good family. She'd finally done something right for once.

Which went down the drain about six hours back.

Lily slapped down a plate full of chips, beans and several of her signature dips: salsa, guacamole, and a spicy chipotle one. "Eat. Unless you're not hungry, then we can take this home," she ordered.

Nandu shook her head and ate. The food was delicious, one of her favorite comfort foods because Lily knew exactly the way she preferred her dishes. The dips were spicy, the guac was smooth and the chips and beans were perfect, not too salty and cooked thoroughly.

"Thanks...for putting up with this," she warbled, quickly adding, "both of you, I know I haven't seen you around." She looked over at Ryan. "It just happened

and I'm still reeling from it. And I'm sorry for bothering you."

Ryan finished off his burger, which now looked sad and deflated. "Again, it's alright. Also, what sane human being would get angry at you for being sad? I don't feel bothered at all. I've got two sisters, and I've seen my fair share of breakdowns." He gave her a small smile, which she returned.

Lily huffed. "I don't know why I have to tell you this so many times, considering how long we've known each other, but I've never felt bothered by you. Ever."

With that, she lunged over and hugged Nandu tightly as though trying to drill that fact into her body. Nandu moved the plate away before returning it.

"You'll get through this," she whispered, still squeezing Nandu. "And I'll always be here for you."

Nandu nodded and Lily let her go.

"So Ryan, what brings you here?" Lily chirped.

The sudden change in direction seemingly caught Nandini and Ryan off guard and both of them stared at her.

"What? I know when Nandini wants to move onto something else, and here's the chance to...?" Lily raised an eyebrow, nodding her head slowly as if to encourage them.

Ryan snorted. "Yes, well, I just moved here. Got a job with the local police department."

"Gack!"

A piece of chip had gotten lodged in Nandu's throat and she hacked, trying to get it to where it'd slide down easily, while ignoring the startled looks on the other's faces. It took a while, but by the time it was gone, she was sure her throat was now coated in the same saltiness as the chips had. Every time she swallowed, she could taste it.

Police? I'm going to be seeing him sooner than I thought.

But of course, it wouldn't be for the wrong reasons, right?

By the time Ryan was in bed, he wasn't sure whether the day was good or bad...it seemed neutral to him.

He'd made a couple of friends, ones who lived below him, and helped someone tonight.

Nandini cried a lot. She'd warned him that she wasn't normally like this, but he wasn't sure. It'd taken some time to calm her down. When he was getting ready to leave and pay, Lily informed him that Nandini had paid for it, as a thank you.

She'd offered to drive both him and Lily back, even though the apartments were right next door. To her, since she already had her car, and was driving anyway, they were welcome to hop in.

The books on his shelf glowed in the moonlight, as if tempting him to return to writing. But what could he write about? He'd hit the peak when Bandit was published; nothing else he could put out would be as amazing as that.

He'd be starting on Monday, and decided to visit the station on Sunday, after sleeping in peacefully. Nothing was better than waking up in the winter to a warm blanket and a nicely heated pillow, slightly accentuated with some drool.

After getting ready and eating a small

breakfast of cereal and bacon on the side, he headed out.

It'd gotten warmer, probably because of the sun shining bright and clearly, but he kept his lips inside his mouth, trying to prevent them from getting chapped. The wind, once again, slapped him, though it was lighter and felt more like a cold hand patting him.

When he walked into the station, Matt Flores thumped him on the shoulder. "Finally, you're here!"

He should've realized two people sharing the same, distinct last name in a small town would be siblings, but Lily had informed him that 'Yes, that annoying guy is my brother, and I don't understand how you are friends with him but good luck.'

Matt shared Lily's smile, which was big and bright, but he was a lot taller and ganglier looking, while Lily was short and fit. Similar hair and skin, but at a glance, he couldn't have seen them being siblings...maybe cousins.

The police station, whether unfortunate or fortunate, was stuck next to a bookstore, the last 'shop' in the district. It was all the way across

town, next to the entrance of the main square, which spread out vast and wide, enough to hold at least a small-sized concert crowd.

He thought it looked cute though. Red, faded brick surrounded the outside of the buildings and quaint little signs greeted shoppers in each store.

Matt showed him around, introducing him to others. It was a good thing he'd managed to contact someone within the department, because Ryan wasn't sure if the others would trust someone they didn't grow up with. Matt and he had met at the academy years ago but hadn't kept in touch regularly.

As he settled down into a seat, the front door slammed open, rattling the windows, and someone ran over, straight up to Matt, ignoring Ryan. He almost fell backwards in his seat and gripped the armrests.

It was his neighbor...the one he'd met last night.

Nandini looked a lot better, though her eyes were red and slightly puffyish; she now looked mad, as opposed to the sad that he'd been greeted with. Her hair was tied up and the layers cascaded

down her shoulders and back as she shook a finger towards his friend.

"I warned you to do something!" she scolded, her voice slightly hoarse.

Matt, almost script-like, grumbled, "What happened now?"

"Spray paint! All over the back of my store."

The way Matt had taken her story made Ryan think this probably happened before, because he seemed relaxed and not attentive. "Like I said, until we catch the culprit, just clean it up—"

"I'll shove this bottle of cleaning fluid up your ass, Matt, if you tell me that one more time. I'm tired of having to clean up after somebody else's mess." Her voice shook a little, warbling a bit as her scolding ended.

"I understand Nandini, though I'll appreciate it if you don't shove anything up my ass, we're trying to work on it-"

"You won't let me put up cameras and the ones your department uses to police the town are too old, what

should I do?!"

Ryan kept his face trained to the floor, observing a few roly-polys ambling by. He couldn't do much in this situation, given he technically wasn't working yet. Though from the exasperated look on Matt's face, he guessed this wasn't supposed to happen when Matt wanted to show him around.

"I'll take your statement, is there anything you found at the site of the, um, crime?" Matt took some papers out and a pen, getting up as though to follow her.

"Yes, I didn't touch it, but it should still be there...hopefully," she mumbled, now shrinking a little.

"Ryan," Matt asked, "you want to come too?"

As if a light was switched off in her head, the anger in her face dropped suddenly, replaced with embarrassment as she realized he'd been there the entire time. He was amused, yet worried; did she really not notice other people around her?

Matt looked between the two of them, and quickly explained, "Nandini, this is

Ryan. He'll be joining the team, starting tomorrow. Do you mind if he comes?"

She shook her head, and shut her mouth, turning fifty shades of pink, as much as the tone of her skin would let her. She held out her hand, as though to shake his and he obliged. "Nice to meet you, Nandini? Am I pronouncing it right?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

Nodding her head, she led the men out to behind her store, which was right next to the station.

Garish colors were spewed everywhere, black, neon pinks and blues. It hadn't seemed like they were writing anything, they'd covered the back wall completely in paint. There was a spot that was faded, and nearby, cleaning supplies laid about.

Matt went around, looking for anything that could help them, but as Ryan was standing near her, trying to catch her eye, he spotted something behind a crate.

~~~

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