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Chapter twenty-five

Summer School

Josh

“About this wedding of yours, Junoon,” Father starts our morning conversation.

Ugh . Not this again. “Father, I’m sure that Nani ‘s dream wasn’t prophetic. Karma and I aren’t planning on getting married. We just became boyfriends, for heaven’s sake!”

“Boyfriends?” Mother shakes her head as she sits down next to my father. “No, Junoon—it’s Saraswati that you will be dating, I’m certain of it. Once you get to know each other better, you will see that a marriage between the two of you makes much more sense.”

Do I really have to spell it out to my parents? I was hoping we could avoid this conversation. “Mother, Father… I won’t be marrying any woman. Sara Wilson seems very nice, but it’s her brother that I’m dating. You know, because I-I’m… gay.“ There, I said it. Are they going to reject me for telling them the truth? What will I do if that happens?

“Junoon.” My father stops, his voice wavering. “Son, your mother and I love you. Nothing will ever change that.”

“But you have chosen a difficult path.” Tears spring to my mother’s eyes. “We fear for you, Josh.”

My throat tightens. “I love you, too. Please don’t worry about me. Everything is going to be fine. I’m going to get my master’s degree in Cosmology—“

“About that,” Father cuts in.

”—and then hopefully get a job at NASA,“ I hurry on. “Maybe I’ll get married to a man someday, but that’s nothing you need to worry about now.”

“Are you sure?” Mother asks. “Your grandmother is quite certain that the wedding will happen during Diwali.”

This Diwali? “But The Festival of Lights is in November!”

“Yes, and there’s much to prepare before that time. We don’t have a moment to waste.” She pulls a list out of the pocket of her lab coat. “First, we need to schedule a time for the traditional Wagdaan ceremony, and then there’s the engagement party to plan.”

Crap. We’re back to talking about the wedding. “I’ve got to leave for my internship in just a few minutes,” I tell them. “Can we talk about this another time?”

“Fine.” She folds her arms across her chest. “But this conversation isn’t over.”

As we say our goodbyes and disconnect, a million thoughts race through my mind. Wasn’t Diwali mentioned in my lightning storm dream a couple of months ago? I’m pretty sure Nani and I talked about both Diwali and the Law of Karma . Was it all just a coincidence? And why am I suddenly having such strange dreams?

I mull over my grandmother’s prophecy as I walk across campus to the cosmology research lab. The North Quad is beautiful this time of year with its lush green lawn and sprawling maple trees, but all I can think about is Nani ‘s vision of my boyfriend… or possible fiancé. She did say that I would marry a prince—I remember that part of the dream—but my private nickname for Karma couldn’t have anything to do with that, right?

Lost in thought, I wander into the classroom and almost bump into Dr. Yoshida.

“Josh, I was hoping you would come early.” The professor greets me with a pat on the shoulder. “I heard your speech at graduation and there are a few things we need to discuss.”

Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good. “Yes, Dr. Yoshida. Is there a problem?”

“No, no. I’m sure everything will work out fine, but I do need to talk with you about—“ The door to the classroom opens and Petra enters, followed by Gabriel and Charlotte. “Let’s discuss this later,” the professor tells me.

I add another worry to my growing list as I sit down with the other interns at a table. What does Dr. Yoshida need to talk to me about? What exactly ‘will work out fine’?

The head of the Cosmology department addresses us from the front of the room, his hands clasped behind his back as he paces back and forth. “I’m glad that you’re all here. You each have something unique to offer the team and the Dark Energy Survey project as a whole. I’m hoping that together we’ll gain insights that we couldn’t achieve alone. For this reason, you will be working in alternating pairs. Question each other, learn from each other, push the boundaries of what you know… and imagine what might be possible.”

Oh no. The other interns have already started their graduate studies. Gabriel has even earned a doctoral degree! I’ve barely got my bachelors’ degrees under my belt. What could I possibly contribute to the group?

“Petra, you’ll be working with Gabriel today. Charlotte, you’ll be with Josh. Here are your assignments.” Dr. Yoshida hands each of us a project manual. “I’ll review your work one-on-one, as well as during group think-tank sessions. Be sure to write down any questions you may have for me, and feel free to use any of the equipment in the room. Are you ready to get started?”

I stare at Charlotte, who returns my nervous look. Together, we walk to a far corner of the room and sit down at a table across from each other. Ready or not, I guess we’re study buddies.

“It’s nice to meet you, Charlotte.” I hold out a hand.

The freckle-faced grad student shakes it. “You, too, Josh. I heard your speech at graduation. Do you really know the Golden Gladiators?”

“Oh. Uh, yeah—most of them,” I say. “I’ve roomed with JR Bennett for the past three years.”

Charlotte’s eyes widen. “Wow, ESPN’s #1 draft pick! Do you think you could introduce me to him? I’d give anything to meet one of our National Champions.”

“Sure.” I shrug my shoulders. “We’re getting coffee at Whole Latte Love this afternoon. Would you like to join us?”

“Do you mean it?” she squeaks. “Yeah, thanks!”

Well, at least this is something I can offer my DES teammate. Hopefully, it won’t be the only thing. “May I ask you about your thesis? What made you decide on gravitational lensing of dark matter as your primary focus?”

I grow more and more excited as we discuss the data she’s gathered. This is why I’m devoting my summer to the Dark Energy Survey project—the possibilities for scientific discovery are literally endless! Thank god I switched my grad study major to Cosmology. There’s nothing I’d rather do with my life than to figure out what’s actually out there. To connect a few pieces of the cosmic puzzle... What greater accomplishment could there be?

After going over our individual assignments, we map out a plan to cross-coordinate our findings. It’s going to be a major feat just to organize the vast amount of data in front of us. The scope of our work is staggering—from cataloging the visible objects, like stars and nebulae, to measuring the invisible substances we can see solely through mathematical projection. Even though our small group will only be analyzing a tiny portion of the entire DES dataset, the sheer volume of information is enough to keep us busy long past the summer months.

“Good work, everyone. Let’s call it a day,” Dr. Yoshida tells us at the end of the session.

Charlotte and I stand up and stretch, then give each other a high-five. Now, that’s how research is done. With a start like this, I can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer holds!

A short time later…

“Wow, JR Bennett!” Charlotte cranes her neck as she gazes up at the former football star. “Just wait ’til my brothers hear that I met ‘The Gladiator’s Shield’ !”

“Um,” JR mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know I’m not on the team anymore, right?”

“Yeah, dude ditched us to study genetics.” Tyrell makes a gagging face as he waltzes over, an iced cold brew in his hand.

Charlotte’s eyes grow wide. “H-hi, Typhoon,” she stammers.

“Hey, girl. How you doin’?” The linebacker looks her up and down, licking his bottom lip.

She backs up, a combination of thrill and panic in her eyes. “I gotta go, Josh. See you later.”

Tyrell looks over his shoulder as she hurries away. “Science girl’s got a little somethin’, but not like that bubble butt at the counter. Daaamn .”

I follow his line of sight. “Hey, isn’t that Ruby?” I ask JR.

“I think you’re right. Yo, Ruby!” he calls out to our friend.

The twink turns at the sound of his name, waving when he sees us. After picking up a whipped cream-covered frappé, he saunters in our direction.

“Man, that dude’s a dude,” the linebacker huffs.

“Hey, bitches,” Ruby greets us all, though his eyes never leave Tyrell’s chest. He licks his glossy bottom lip as he ogles the man’s pectoral muscles. “How you doin’?”

I hold back a laugh. It’s about time the football player got a taste of his own medicine. “Ruby, this is our friend, Tyrell. Tyrell, this is Ruby—he’s a stylist.”

“And a former competitive gymnast,” Ruby says, then grabs his foot and lifts his leg over his head. As he maintains perfect balance on one fashionable shoe, he stares deeply into Tyrell’s eyes.

“Damn, boy!” The football player whistles. “If I was into guys, I would hit that so hard.”

The stylist gives him a smug smile before lowering his leg. “I don’t mind being an experiment, if you’re feeling bi-curious.”

He considers the offer for a moment or two before shaking his head. “What am I thinking? No . There’s this girl I’m trying to get with, but she thinks I’m a total player.”

“That’s because you are a total player,“ JR reminds his former teammate.

Tyrell crosses his arms over his chest. “That was the old me. For this girl, I would change my ways.”

“Not to sound bitchy, but the first thing you should change is those jeans.” Ruby makes a tsk-ing sound as he looks at the athlete’s baggy pants. “We can show off your assets better than that, Babydoll.”

“Ruby helped me dress for my first date with Karma,” I tell my friend. “He knows all about fashion and style.”

The linebacker raises his eyebrows. “Oh, yeah? Do you know a good brand of jeans that won’t crowd my man-parts? I gotta wear ’em baggy or my boxers ride up.”

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to tell you,” JR says in a lowered voice. “Ruby helped me find a brand of underwear that fits, y’know… guys like us.”

“Large?” I ask.

“Extra-large.” Tyrell grins as he fist-bumps his old teammate.

Ruby lets out a wistful sigh. “Another Trophy Boy on the team? Gurl, I need to start dating football players.”

“You should come hang out with us at Roscoe’s sometime,” I tell him. “There are lots of football players there on Sundays.”

“OK, maybe some weekend when I’m not seeing clients. Speaking of…” Ruby hands Tyrell his card. “Babydoll, after I’m done styling you, your girl won’t be able to take her eyes—or her hands—off you.”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” He holds out his fist to the stylist for a bump. “I gotta go now, but I’ll call you later to schedule something.”

“I gotta head out, too,” JR says. “I’m meeting Fletcher at the lab.”

As the two men leave together, Ruby pulls me to a booth in the back. “Spill tea, Sweetpea. Did you and Karma play with any of your new toys?”

“A few.” I grin as I slide into a seat. “Karma called me the Lord of the Ring.”

He lets out a high-pitched squeal. “Sir Sweetpea for the win! What’s next? Handcuffs?”

“Done.”

“Blindfold?”

“Done.”

“Prostate wand?”

Ooh… that’s something we haven’t tried yet. “I’ve heard about prostate orgasms, but I’ve never actually had one. What are they like? How do you give one, and can a dom receive one from his sub?”

“Oh, honey. I have so much to teach you.” Ruby pats me on the hand. “This is what you need to do the next time you and Karma are alone…”

While my mentor instructs me on full-body orgasms, I thank god for ‘higher education’. The only thing better than having these lessons will be doing the homework.

Summer school is in session—and I intend to get an A+.