Page 16 of Pomegranate Kiss (Charmed in Charleston #2)
Chapter Sixteen
W eeks had passed, and still the lingering press of Lex’s lips and the taste of pomegranate haunted Cam even now.
She finished setting the dinner table, the silverware cool in her hands, and sank into her seat after another grueling day back in school. After being out in the real world for so long, the return was a far different experience from the first time around. The scent of her mother’s paanch poron spices vaulted her back in time. For almost being thirty, living in her parent’s house was an adjustment, since she still held a lease at her apartment in Charleston.
As much as she was determined to finish out her degree and head in a new direction career-wise, the regrets continued to leech color from her landscape. She should’ve told Lex earlier. Cam would’ve had to be blind to miss the devastation in those hazel eyes, how Lex seemed to shatter even as she worked hard to keep her mask in place. But Cam had tried calling, tried texting, tried emailing, and the only response she got was silence.
Message received, loud and clear.
Not like that filled the void left in her heart or extinguished the doubts about her own sexuality her six months with Lex raised. The rare moments she was willing to be honest with herself, she began to realize how little interest she’d always had in men. How her time with Lex had been the deepening strokes of a paint brush she’d been missing from every relationship.
“You have been so quiet since you returned home, amara kan’ya ,” her mother said, stirring the pot of haleem she prepared. “Is going back harder than you thought?”
Cam’s voice stuck in her throat. She wanted to talk to her mother and father about everything going on in her head, but she knew the responses she would receive. Cam couldn’t bear a fight with her parents, not when her entire life was in transition. Her mom glanced up to look toward the front door, waiting for her father to return home from work.
“It’s different this time around,” Cam admitted, veering toward safer territory. “I feel a lot more focused in my direction, having the work experience of knowing what I’m not a fan of now and getting a better idea of where my passions lay.”
Except those weren’t the only passions she’d pursued.
Their bedrooms, the hotel room, hell even Magnolia Cemetery held memories of Lex. She hadn’t been back to Charleston yet like she’d promised Danny, because the idea of running into Alexis Dukas was almost too much to bear.
She had been prepared to risk her career and her family for Lex, but in the end, Cam stalled, and Lex never offered anything more.
“Graphic design will be a sensible career, and you gained valuable experience in the meanwhile,” her mother said with a soft smile, turning the burner off. She proceeded to ladle the thick spiced lentil soup into the bowls she’d set out. Four bowls.
“Is someone joining us for dinner?” Cam asked, her eyebrows furrowing. She hated surprises. They made it impossible to prepare a game plan for a situation.
Her mother’s eyes twinkled in a way she didn’t trust. “Well, your father and I have been talking…” Her gaze drifted to the door as the key clicked into the lock and the knob rattled. “It looks like they’re here now.”
Cam’s heart thumped harder in her chest as she gripped onto her utensils like she prepared for war. Would it be one of their relatives? She didn’t think she could sit through another family dinner with Auntie Ranya, who held nasty opinions on almost everyone she knew. Most of her family was still in Bangladesh, but a few lived in the area.
Her father entered the kitchen, his dark black hair parted to the side and streaked with silver, and his thick glasses perched on his nose. Behind him trailed a younger man who looked about her age. This guy was tall, broad-shouldered with a full head of thick, dark hair. Based on his rounded, prominent jawline and the similar arch of his nose, he had to have Bangladeshi heritage as well.
Her stomach sank. Between the mischief in her mother’s eyes and the arrival of a man her father couldn’t possibly work with, she had the feeling where this train headed. The idea made her very cells revolt.
“Camilla, Munira, I’d like to introduce you to my friend Safwan Mustafi’s son, Nazir. He’ll be joining us for dinner tonight.” Her dad announced his presence with an intent Cam didn’t like.
Nazir flashed a smile that Cam didn’t hate, but the glimpse of those pearly whites didn’t set her at ease. He’d obviously been filled in on whatever plan her parents concocted, and she hated being left in the dark.
“My, you’re far more handsome than your father let on,” her mother demurred, wiping her hands off on her apron. She began to carry the full bowls of haleem over, still steaming. The rich scent of spices permeated the air, infusing her parent’s kitchen. Yet even in this familiar place, she couldn’t help but feel like she was being ambushed.
“It’s a pleasure to join you tonight,” Nazir said, taking the seat her mother offered. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Camila. Your father has told mine such wonderful things, but he never mentioned how gorgeous the Muhuri women were.”
Mom fanned herself. “What a gentleman, right, Camilla?”
Cam pursed her lips, not thrilled with any of this. But she’d maintain civility. “Sure. Pleased to meet you, Nazir.” She forced a smile she knew looked fake, but with the way her parent’s stares bored into her, she was apparently on display night.
She busied herself with digging into her lentil soup. Normally she loved this meal, but with the interloper at their table, each bite tasted like ash on her tongue. His gaze gleamed every time he stared at her, clearly interested.
“Where do you work, Nazir?” Her mother asked, dominating the conversation.
“I’m at a law firm in the city. Prosecution,” he said, offering a polite smile as he took his first taste of the soup. He let out a low noise in his throat. “Mrs. Muhuri, this is delicious.”
“My wife’s cooking never fails to remind us of home. Our daughter spent years as a chef as well.” Her father stepped in, trying to sell her as best as possible.
“Though I quit that job and I’m back to school now.” Cam couldn’t help herself, wanting to be out of this situation ten minutes ago.
“Your father said you were finishing up a graphic design degree?” Nazir asked. “I didn’t realize you were so multi-talented.”
Ugh, her parents had given him every single detail about her. She hated this surprise attack from the moment it began. Truth be told, Nazir was handsome, held down a great job, and had already earned her parent’s approval. He should be the whole package.
Yet Lex pretty much ruined her for men. Really, for anyone else.
Every time she caught Nazir’s gaze drift her way, all she could think of was the scorching way Lex scanned over her and the glow of her hazel eyes. When Lex looked at her, she saw every insecurity, every secret she hid away, and accepted them anyway. Nazir’s stare remained superficial, not permeating past skin.
“Truly, it’s not talent,” she said, “just an indecisive nature, I suppose.”
“Modest as well,” Nazir continued, his grin widening. “I can appreciate that.”
Strike her down now, this man would not stop. His persistence didn’t seem so dissimilar from Lex’s aggression, truth be told, but the difference was her interest. When Lex had pursued, Cam wanted the attention, even if she hadn’t been willing to admit it yet. This felt manufactured, hollow in comparison.
Cam forced down another couple of spoonfuls, eager to excuse herself from the table. She lapsed into silence while her parents continued to grill Nazir. They heaped praises upon him with each question he successfully answered, each box he ticked off their perfect son-in-law checklist. Cam wasn’t na?ve, she knew what her parents had planned from the moment her father walked through the door with him.
Yet, there was a significant part of her they didn’t know about. One that would make any heterosexual arranged marriage a nightmare. One she’d only just started to acknowledge herself.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to excuse myself for a moment,” Cam said, pushing up from the table and bringing her bowl with her over to the sink. Somehow, she’d stomached the food, but it churned right now. The squeak of a chair across the hardwood followed as she stepped into her parent’s living room and placed a hand over her forehead.
She blazed right now, anger flaring inside her and mingling with the ripped canvas of her pain at the loss of the closest to true happiness she’d come. Not like she could tell her parents anything about her relationship with Lex either, without opening a door that might get slammed back in her face.
Footsteps padded behind her.
Cam turned around as her mother approached.
“Camilla, you’re being rude to our guest,” her mother said in a low, quiet voice, the kindness leeched away.
“Care to tell me why he’s here then?” Cam challenged. “Maybe he would’ve gotten a politer reception if I’d been prepared rather than ambushed.”
Her mother glanced to the ground before looking into her eyes. “You’ve been single for far too long, my love. I know you wanted your time to find the right man for you, but you’re getting older. Your father and I felt it best we intercede. Nazir is from a good, Bangladeshi family, and he’s perfect for you in every way—a successful lawyer, handsome, and kind. You couldn’t ask for a better husband.”
Bile rose in Cam’s throat. An arranged marriage. That was what she feared.
Too bad for you, I’m gay stuck in her throat. She wanted to rebel against this with all her heart, but she heard the careful edge to her mother’s tone. They wouldn’t budge on this one, and she’d just started back in school. She couldn’t swing commuting from her apartment in Charleston right now, and she couldn’t afford two rents.
“Let me get to know him first, mama,” Cam asked, a cajoling tone in her voice as she pushed for a compromise. “I know you and father were arranged by your parents, but you raised me here, where we do things differently. He seems nice. I was just overwhelmed.”
Her mother pursed her lips, but then she smiled and nodded. “Good girl. You’ll come to care for him in no time. It was like that for me when I first met your father. I was so scared and nervous. I wanted to be a good bride, and I didn’t know what sort of husband he would be. I’m thankful to this day for what a perfect man I married. We just want the same for you.”
Cam wanted to scream.
Their intent wasn’t malicious, but they didn’t understand a thing about her. They’d supported her decisions, but only the ones that aligned with their own preferences and choices.
She swallowed back the rage bubbling inside her, the way her entire body and soul revolted at the idea of entertaining this for even a moment longer. Lex didn’t want her, and she had no other prospects. Cam had only promised to get to know him better.
Yet every step as she followed her mother back into the dining room felt like a betrayal.