The Book Keeper's Heart

Ch. 10: Two Eyes Aren't Enough

Nandini got up early, making sure Ryan wasn't awake and got ready. It was easy for men to get ready. All they had to do was shower, style their hair and throw on a suit. Women on the other hand...

She stared at the miles of fabric, hoping, praying, that she'd be able to pull off the look this time.

Saris were beautiful to see, but a pain to wear. The number of times she'd messed up folding the absurdly long fabric...she didn't have enough appendages to count.

But they were the standard for young adult women and older women. She couldn't wear what she used to anymore.

After showering and wearing her make-up, she set to getting ready.

Her pudge wasn't as visible, thanks to her lowering her calorie intake. It wasn't as pronounced, as she folded the fabric around her skirt and then threw it over her shoulder. In the pale, fluorescent lighting of the bathroom, the sari glowed.

It was a beautiful sunny orange, the silk part lined with gold colored fabric and designed with jasmine flowers outlines. She quickly put on her jewelry and took a step back from the full-length mirror.

I look good.

She glanced over at Ryan when she came out, as he was still snoozing away, even though the wedding was in an hour.

"Ryan," she hissed, shaking his shoulder a little. "Wake up."

He mumbled something unintelligible and turned over, pulling the comforter over his face.

"I'm serious! The wedding's starting in an hour. People are already getting breakfast."

He groaned and sat up, wiping the sleepiness from his eyes.

His hair was stuck straight up on his left side and there were small indentations across his face and arms, where the fabric had pressured his skin.

"Don't you know how easy it is for guys to get ready?" His voice still had some exhaustion stuck in it and it sounded throaty, causing her stomach to flip around in an awkward manner. He yawned and finally looked at her.

That's when she saw him fully awaken. His eyes widened and roamed her, looking up and down and his lips moved barely.

"You like?" she teased, spinning around.

"Sure...yeah," he mumbled. "I mean, it looks great. You look great."

In a matter-of-fact tone, she said, "I know how easy it is for guys to get ready, so get ready. We've still got time to eat breakfast. The wedding's supposed to start an hour from now, but it'll probably start thirty minutes late."

He shrugged off the sheets, grabbed a towel nearby and dragged himself towards the bathroom, unaware of the fact he was only wearing boxers and a t-shirt. Along the way, he grabbed his suit.

Maybe he forgot...

But damn her if she'd ever be able to see legs like that again. They were very toned and nice-looking legs, unlike her pudgy stumps. His boxers somehow shaped his behind very nicely...or was it the other way around?

She fumbled with the sari, pinning the fabric to her blouse and checked from all angles that she wasn't showing any skin. The last thing she wanted anyone to comment on was her rolls.

You're fat! No guy likes a woman with fat.

Despite her dad's claims about men not wanting a woman with fat, she guessed from the look on Ryan's face that that statement wasn't true. Her body didn't matter...it shouldn't matter, in the grand scheme of things, she told herself.