"Do you remember Ruhi? You met her many years ago," her dad asked Rafael when they were done posing for a zillion pictures with her parents and cousins."I didn't know that until she told me," he said to her dad and then muttered under his breath, only audible to her, "That stupid little shit. How old were you then? Seven?""Aha! A limo!!" One of the cousins squealed in excitement as a sleek white limousine pulled over the tarmac with its bright headlamps illuminating her face.Ruhi and the others peeked in to see the soft lighting, plush extravagant leather, and state-of-the-art entertainment system. "Oh, look! Another one is coming... I'll take the black one." Riya, Ruhi's favorite cousin, hopped in to admire the interiors."A third one is here. I think we will all fit in these three. You are also coming with us, right?" Ruhi's mom asked Rafael as a pearl silver limo came to a stop behind the first two vehicles."

The waterfront indoor venue on the sprawling 240-acre private beach was a sun-soaked glass building set atop a cliff that offered sweeping views of the big, Pacific blue ocean and kelp forest. The crashing waves and seagull chorus blended in with the ambient music and guests' chatter.Rafael had packed his wedding bags and arrived at the adjoining beach house to get ready with his best man and groomsmen several hours before Ruhi's arrival. He wanted to avoid all the noise and the circus field that part of his once peaceful mansion had turned into, thanks to her folks.He couldn't wait for everybody to leave and for his life to go back to being normal, with his dad minding his business, Alisha in a better mood, and his friends not asking any more stupid questions or coming up with new theories.The only unwanted addition would be Ruhi, a pain in the ass, who he has to slowly push away. He didn't expect her to act any better than a ho

Ruhi saw a black Nissan Rogue parked on a quiet street in the corner, hidden from the wedding venue by rows of cypress trees and live oaks. She didn't know how to stop the golf cart, which already looked somewhat battered on the side from riding along the rugged terrain. After passing by the car and failing to stop, she jumped out of the cart and let it roll down the street. "Hey!! It's not public property. We rented it." One of the two men, who was wearing a forest green hoodie and black cap, ran behind the rolling cart. Dhruv stepped out of the car. "Oh finally! It took these guys forever to sneak that cart in." He wrapped her in a hug and laughed at her condition, dragging sand with her trailing gown and a missing shoe. "Such useless idiots, claiming to be kidnappers," she muttered under her breath and then asked out loud, "Who trained you guys?" "No one. We learn by experience and from our mistakes." The second

Once Rafael's dad waved them goodbye and wished them a safe trip, Ruhi hopped into the car with a heavy heart. She was quiet and lost, not bothering Rafael at all.He would have snapped at her extra hard if she did. His throat was tightened with an unwanted emotion, a feeling he had always struggled to kick down once it took over.He remembered every single detail about the day his mom died, about how pretty she looked when he saw her that morning. It was the day he returned from a week-long stay at his grandparents' place. Her long, golden brown locks curled around her face as she put a tray full of his favorite mint chocolate chip cookies into the oven. He ran to wrap his arms around her feet in excitement and kissed the tiny baby bump. His dad told him on the way home he was going to get a little sister.  "My Rafy boy has grown tall in just a week!" She struggled to pick him up and kiss him. "So tall and heavy." She swung&nbs

"Aren't you going to change?" Ruhi asked Rafael hesitantly when he set his plate on the table and sat down next to her.She was glad no one saw what she did. Alisha and Michelle ignored her and showed each other some pictures of their nieces and nephews. Adira looked like she had a problem with Ruhi sitting next to Rafael. She stirred some creamer into her coffee with a grim face and refused to meet Ruhi's questioning gaze. Her husband, Eddy, Aaron, and Irene were very amused by the newly married couple."Your first fight, huh?" Irene asked Ruhi as Ruhi looked helplessly at Rafael."Correction: First fight today," Aaron chuckled.  Rafael ignored them and glowered at Ruhi with narrowed eyes and poked at the hash brown crusted quiche a little too hard with his fork. Her eyes lingered on him as he quickly gobbled his food."Looks like you don't need to eat. Are you just going to stare at him while he's eating and feel fu