Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Hickey Heard Around the World
The morning after the India crew's big announcement, Jay woke feeling blissfully happy.
Her family was growing. Her wedding was approaching. Her life was perfect.
She stretched in bed, then froze.
There was a mark on her neck.
A very obvious mark.
From last night.
"Oh no," she whispered.
Keifer stirred. "What?"
She pointed at her neck.
He looked. Winced. "That's... prominent."
"KEIF!"
"What? You were very enthusiastic."
"I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE!"
He pulled her close. "We'll cover it. Makeup. High collars. Problem solved."
"You don't understand. Percy will notice. Yuri will notice. EVERYONE will notice."
"We can handle it."
She looked at him. "We've never handled anything."
"Fair point."
---
They tried.
Jay wore a scarf. A beautiful scarf. Perfectly positioned.
She walked into the office feeling confident.
Yuri was waiting.
With his phone.
On a video call.
With Shreya, Akshi, Chethan, and Mithun.
"GOOD MORNING, JAY!" Yuri sang. "I HAVE A QUESTION!"
Jay's blood ran cold. "Yuri. No."
"YURI YES!"
He zoomed in on her neck. "IS THAT A SCARF? INDOORS? IN A WARM OFFICE? HOW ODD!"
Shreya squinted at the screen. "Why is she wearing a scarf?"
Akshi leaned closer. "Is she hiding something?"
Chethan gasped dramatically. "A HICKEY! SHE'S GOT A HICKEY!"
Jay's face went red. "I do NOT—"
Mithun, calm as ever, observed, "The scarf is strategically positioned. The likelihood of concealment is high."
"MIT HUN! NOT HELPING!"
---
Yuri grabbed Jay's scarf and pulled.
The mark was revealed in all its glory.
The video call erupted.
Akshi screamed with laughter. "IT'S HUGE! KEIF, YOU ANIMAL!"
Shreya was crying. "That's—that's—I can't—"
Chethan was on the floor of whatever room he was in. "BEST MORNING EVER!"
Mithun's calm facade cracked into a small smile. "Impressive."
Jay grabbed the phone. "MIT HUN, DON'T YOU DARE!"
"I'm just observing."
"OBSERVE SOMEWHERE ELSE!"
---
Akshi, still laughing, launched into her story.
"OH! This reminds me! Shreya and Mithun! Horror movie! Three nights ago!"
Shreya's face went red. "Akshi, NO!"
"AKSHI YES!"
Chethan popped back into frame. "I was THERE! It was GLORIOUS!"
Mithun's expression remained calm, but his ears turned pink.
Akshi continued. "So we're watching a horror movie. All of us. Shreya is TERRIFIED. Like, hiding behind pillows, screaming at every jump scare, the whole thing."
Shreya buried her face in her hands. "I hate you."
"YOU LOVE ME!"
---
Chethan took over. "And then! The SCARIEST scene! The ghost appears! Shreya SCREAMS—"
"And MITHUN!" Akshi jumped in. "Mithun just—reached over—and COVERED HER EYES!"
The video call lost it.
Percy, who'd joined at some point, was on the floor. "HE COVERED HER EYES? LIKE A ROMANCE HERO?"
"LIKE A ROMANCE HERO!"
Mithun cleared his throat. "She was scared. I helped."
"HELPED? You pulled her against his shoulder and let her hide there for the REST OF THE MOVIE!"
Shreya's face was the color of a tomato. "It was COMFORTING!"
"IT WAS ROMANTIC!"
---
Akshi continued. "AND THEN! When the movie ended and she finally looked up—THEY WERE LIKE THIS CLOSE!" She held her fingers an inch apart.
Chethan nodded. "I saw it. Almost kissed. SO close."
Mithun's ears were now bright red. "We were... recovering from the movie."
"RECOVERING! THAT'S WHAT WE'RE CALLING IT!"
Jay, forgetting her own embarrassment, was howling. "MITHUN! SHREYA! HORROR MOVIE CUDDLES!"
Shreya pointed at her. "YOU HAVE A HICKEY! YOU CAN'T TALK!"
"I CAN TALK! MY HICKEY IS FROM MY FIANCÉ! YOUR CUDDLES ARE FROM YOUR 'FRIEND'!"
The emphasis on "friend" was unmistakable.
---
Percy grabbed the phone. "OKAY! So we have TWO couples! Keif and Jay—hickeys! Mithun and Shreya—horror movie cuddles!"
C.N. joined the call. "I'm updating the betting pool. When do Mithun and Shreya admit their feelings?"
Akshi immediately answered. "They're STUBBORN. Six months minimum."
Chethan disagreed. "They almost kissed. Two months. Max."
Mithun looked at the ceiling. "I'm right here."
"We KNOW!"
---
Yuri zoomed in on Jay's neck again. "Any comment on the hickey situation?"
Jay grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. "MY COMMENT IS THAT YOU'RE ALL DEAD!"
Akshi waved. "LOVE YOU TOO, SISTER!"
Shreya managed a smile. "Welcome to the club of being exposed."
Jay laughed despite herself. "This club is terrible."
"THE BEST kind of terrible!"
---
Mithun, recovering his composure, addressed Keifer. "For the record, your hickey technique needs work. Too obvious."
Keifer raised an eyebrow. "And your horror movie cuddle technique?"
Mithun paused. Then almost smiled. "Effective."
"EFFECTIVE!" Akshi screamed. "HE ADMITS IT!"
Shreya grabbed the phone. "OKAY! Call's over! Bye!"
"NO! WE'RE NOT DONE!"
But she ended the call.
The remaining group—Jay, Keifer, Percy, Yuri, and whoever else had gathered—stared at each other.
Then burst into laughter.
---
Jay leaned into Keifer. "Our life."
"I know."
"India is still haunting us."
"Haunting? Or blessing?"
She smiled. "Blessing. Definitely blessing."
He kissed her forehead—carefully, avoiding the hickey. "Love you."
"Love you too. Now help me hide this before the next video call."
"Too late," Yuri said, holding up his phone. "I already sent the screenshot to everyone."
"YURI!"
"WHAT? IT'S CONTENT!"
---
End of Chapter Sixty-Seven