Read Online The Rearranged Life by Annika Sharma - Free Book Online
Authors: Annika Sharma
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my own drink this time, a Sprite, making sure the two-liter bottle isn’t opened before I tip some into my glass.
See, I learn quickly
. I give myself a wry grin.
“Nithya, it’s about time you came and hung out with us!” Luca is a welcome distraction from James and his likely girlfriend. Sophia is wrapped in his arms.
“I figured it was time to come out of hibernation!”
He chortles, and I instantly fall for him a little bit–in a strictly platonic, dating-my-best-friend kind of way.
“Oh em gee, I love this song!” Sophia cuts off the pleasantries, and Luca rolls his eyes.
The beat has changed from a popular rock song to a danceable R&B tune. She takes hold of my hand and pulls Luca along. The two of them move smoothly, perfectly in time with the music and with each other. Luca’s a fluid dancer. Sophia spins me around, goofy with energy. It’s us in our own world. The song blends into one screaming about shots, and about twenty people crowd the area throwing their arms and drinks up in the air. Sophia and Luca are separated from me, and the ten feet between us might as well be ten miles. I try to wade through the crowd, but people bump and shove me every which way.
Hands are on my waist. The déjà vu hits me like a brick. I don’t want to be touched by a stranger, and I stop moving, pushing the arms away instinctively.
“Hey, you okay?” A confused looking boy stands behind me, puzzled.
“Uh, yeah, not feeling good.” I spot the door and rush toward it. I need air.
“Nithya?” Sophia asks as I blast by her.
I throw open the door and jog down the hall, ignoring that I’m in heels and a broken ankle is a real possibility. Snippets of music from different apartments float along, and bursts of chatter sound from the doors as I pass.
The fresh air is like a blanket. I bend down, my hands on my knees, gasping for breath. I manage to walk to the nearest half-wall, where the streetlights glow near the dorms across the street. My hands are clammy, and my heart patters against my chest like someone rapping on a door.
You’re okay
, I tell myself over and over.
Stop freaking out.
“You okay?” It’s James. His voice echoes around the parking deck.
“I’m fine… no. I don’t know. Panic or something.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” He leans near me, elbows propped on the wall.
“What are you even doing here?” The last thing I want is his pity. Again.
“I just saw your escape act. I told Sophia I’d check on you.”
“Are you always watching out for a crisis?” I snap. The unexpected anxiety makes me cranky. I’m equally annoyed James has seen me lose my cool three times now and has shown up each time to save the day. I don’t need that. I can save myself. As soon as I collect my thoughts.
“No, Nithya, of course not. I wanted to come say hi and you looked freaked and left. I just figured I’d make sure you were okay.”
“Won’t your girlfriend be annoyed by that?” I blurt out. My inhibitions have taken a dive off this parking deck along with any sanity I have.
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“That girl you were talking to in there.”
“Now who’s watching?” He smirks, his characteristic confidence back in a flash.
“That’s just… well. I just meant… No,” I stumble. “Whatever.”
“Well, if you want to talk, I’m here.” He turns and walks back toward the stairwell.
“Why did you save me that night?”
I need to know. It’s the start of everything. James would have meant nothing. He would be the guy who helped with my homework. I would have thanked him before we both moved on with our lives, unaffected like a beat on a regular sinus rhythm. Then he intervened, and didn’t let something horrible shatter my world, and now I’m bound to him. I have to know why.
He stops, and his back stiffens. I don’t break his gaze when he turns around and considers his answer.
“Two years ago, my brother and I visited my cousin at Georgia Tech.
See, I learn quickly
. I give myself a wry grin.
“Nithya, it’s about time you came and hung out with us!” Luca is a welcome distraction from James and his likely girlfriend. Sophia is wrapped in his arms.
“I figured it was time to come out of hibernation!”
He chortles, and I instantly fall for him a little bit–in a strictly platonic, dating-my-best-friend kind of way.
“Oh em gee, I love this song!” Sophia cuts off the pleasantries, and Luca rolls his eyes.
The beat has changed from a popular rock song to a danceable R&B tune. She takes hold of my hand and pulls Luca along. The two of them move smoothly, perfectly in time with the music and with each other. Luca’s a fluid dancer. Sophia spins me around, goofy with energy. It’s us in our own world. The song blends into one screaming about shots, and about twenty people crowd the area throwing their arms and drinks up in the air. Sophia and Luca are separated from me, and the ten feet between us might as well be ten miles. I try to wade through the crowd, but people bump and shove me every which way.
Hands are on my waist. The déjà vu hits me like a brick. I don’t want to be touched by a stranger, and I stop moving, pushing the arms away instinctively.
“Hey, you okay?” A confused looking boy stands behind me, puzzled.
“Uh, yeah, not feeling good.” I spot the door and rush toward it. I need air.
“Nithya?” Sophia asks as I blast by her.
I throw open the door and jog down the hall, ignoring that I’m in heels and a broken ankle is a real possibility. Snippets of music from different apartments float along, and bursts of chatter sound from the doors as I pass.
The fresh air is like a blanket. I bend down, my hands on my knees, gasping for breath. I manage to walk to the nearest half-wall, where the streetlights glow near the dorms across the street. My hands are clammy, and my heart patters against my chest like someone rapping on a door.
You’re okay
, I tell myself over and over.
Stop freaking out.
“You okay?” It’s James. His voice echoes around the parking deck.
“I’m fine… no. I don’t know. Panic or something.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” He leans near me, elbows propped on the wall.
“What are you even doing here?” The last thing I want is his pity. Again.
“I just saw your escape act. I told Sophia I’d check on you.”
“Are you always watching out for a crisis?” I snap. The unexpected anxiety makes me cranky. I’m equally annoyed James has seen me lose my cool three times now and has shown up each time to save the day. I don’t need that. I can save myself. As soon as I collect my thoughts.
“No, Nithya, of course not. I wanted to come say hi and you looked freaked and left. I just figured I’d make sure you were okay.”
“Won’t your girlfriend be annoyed by that?” I blurt out. My inhibitions have taken a dive off this parking deck along with any sanity I have.
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“That girl you were talking to in there.”
“Now who’s watching?” He smirks, his characteristic confidence back in a flash.
“That’s just… well. I just meant… No,” I stumble. “Whatever.”
“Well, if you want to talk, I’m here.” He turns and walks back toward the stairwell.
“Why did you save me that night?”
I need to know. It’s the start of everything. James would have meant nothing. He would be the guy who helped with my homework. I would have thanked him before we both moved on with our lives, unaffected like a beat on a regular sinus rhythm. Then he intervened, and didn’t let something horrible shatter my world, and now I’m bound to him. I have to know why.
He stops, and his back stiffens. I don’t break his gaze when he turns around and considers his answer.
“Two years ago, my brother and I visited my cousin at Georgia Tech.
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