Silently Falling in Love: Again (Edited)

Chapter 24 - Tarun Cha-cha

Alex – January 2007

It had been over two weeks since I'd seen Anjali because of the Christmas holiday. We were both scheduled for library duty this morning and I was looking forward to seeing her.

I kept looking at my watch; it was 11:15am. Library duty started at 11am; she was never late.

At 11:20, I heard Anjali, "I'm so sorry I'm late. Do we have a lot of work today?"

I looked over at her and it was the first time I'd seen her in Indian clothes; she was wearing a beautiful navy-blue salvar khameez.

"I'm sorry, I didn't have time to change, I had a puja at my parent's home this morning and I had to come straight to school to make it in time." She ran her hands down the front of her outfit slightly embarrassed.

"You look nice in Indian clothes. You should wear them more often," I said, hoping she would stop feeling embarrassed.

"Thanks," she said with an odd look on her face, which I couldn't decipher.

"Are we still on for lunch today?" I asked.

"I only have time for a cup of coffee. I have to head back to my parents."

"Coffee it is," I said as we split off and divided the books that needed shelving.

An hour and a half later, we were waiting in line at our favorite coffee shop.

"How were your holidays?" I asked Anjali while we waited for our coffee. I watched her smile, and she turned to me. "They were good. How were yours?"

"Ours too," I said, but didn't add how much I'd missed our coffee outings, library duty and the occasional long lunch.

"I'm glad school has started again," I added.

"Me too. There's only so much family you can tolerate. Plus, the routine is nice. It's predictable. At least there's peace while the kids are in school."

"Sounds like your vacation was chaotic," I observed.

"Two lattes for Alex," the barista announced.

I grabbed them from the counter and headed towards our usual table.

"Holidays in our household are chaotic. That's the norm," Anjali responded, she seemed like she wanted to share more but didn't. And I didn't push her.

"Listen, I've been meaning to ask you where the kids take swim lessons. I want to sign Jasper and Leah up, but I was looking for something close to the school."

"The kids take classes at a small family run pool near here. It's old-school, but the teachers are magnificent."

"What days do the kids go?"

"We go on Thursday afternoons," she answered before sipping her hot latte.

"Would you mind if we sign up for the same time? Maybe we can carpool."

Anjali hesitated before answering. "Yes, that would be great. Are you sure you don't want to check out other pools first? It's not one of those country club pools, but I think they give the best lessons."

I tugged on my t-shirt and laughed, "Do I look like a country club kind of guy? I'm not sure they would even allow me in a country club."

Anjali laughed. I enjoyed watching and listening to her laugh.

"Great, I'll sign up the kids at the same time."

"Sounds great."

"Hey, I almost forgot, my cha-cha is coming to town this week. Do you mind if he joins us for lunch on Wednesday after library duty?"