He took a step toward her and reached for her arm, while she took a step back, hitting her back on her door. She couldn’t handle physical contact now. His arms dropped to his sides. He looked at her, eyes blank, brows tightly knit together.
“I wish I could defend myself,” he said, meeting her eyes. “But…I’m sorry.” He looked down at the stack of cardboard at his feet. “I’ll be leaving very soon. You can pretend none of this happened. I really…I didn’t want you to get hurt.” His eyes were so dejected that it weakened her resolve. He finally resembled the Nadim more familiar to her. The one from the hotel who told her for the second time that his soul knew when he was home.
He’d been playing her the whole time.
She turned and faced her door.
“Wait, Reena, one thing,” he said. She stilled but did not turn.
“I wasn’t using you. Or your dad. I know you have no reason to believe me, but you were the only real thing in my life for years. I’m sorry I made such a mess of this.” His voice trailed to nothing.
She stared at her closed door. He sounded sincere, but what did she know? She’d heard enough in those damn videos to know he could sound convincing. Her eyes welled with tears as her hand touched her doorknob. She didn’t move until she heard his door open and his footsteps disappear inside his apartment.
***
Reena stood in the hallway. Part of her wanted to knock on his door and throw herself in his arms, again. Apologize for not believing him and beg him to just go back to the way things were. She wanted to feel him around her, smell his soap in his neck, his hands on her waist. And she probably would have done it, if Marley hadn’t come racing down the stairs then.
“What is going on down here?” Marley asked.
“Nothing.”
Shayne was close behind Marley. “We heard you yelling. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you yell.”
Marley looked at Reena carefully. No doubt taking in Reena’s red, puffy eyes. “You okay, Reena? Come upstairs for a drink.”
A drink. Her shoulders slumped. “I, um…”
Marley put her hand on Reena’s forearm. “Come. Talk to us.”
Reena was pretty sure her parents wouldn’t want her to mention the business problems outside the immediate family, but she wasn’t much in the mood to do what her parents wanted. “Sure. I’d love some of that oolong tea, if you still have it.” She followed them upstairs.
The moment she was in her cousin’s apartment she fell onto Marley’s sofa. “Want to hear some dirt about my former Tanzanian/English boyfriend?”
Marley’s eyes widened. “Holy shit,former? It’s over already? You guys seemed so great together.”
“Yeah, well, apparently appearances can be deceiving.”
They took their tea out to the back deck, where Reena told them most of the story, skirting over the part where Dad lost money to the phony architect and the part where Mum spent her free time in a poker club. Best not to broadcast all their messy secrets to her mother’s brother’s daughter.
“Holy crap,” Shayne said. “He was engaged toJasmine Shah? I followed her Instagram.He’sthe mystery fiancé she was always talking about?”
Reena nodded. “He says they actually split a while ago.”
“And you don’t believe him?” Shayne asked.
She shrugged.
“He was really into you, though,” Marley said. “You have to believe that.”
“I believe he was very good at faking it. A little too good.” Reena paused, looking at the setting sun bathing the asphalt lot in an orange glow. “You think I should believe that he’s not with her anymore?”
“Why automatically believe the Shahs?” Marley said. “You don’t even know them, and hasn’t your father always hated them?”
Reena shrugged again.
“I dunno,” Shayne said. “I’d be more likely to believe our friend than thatinfluencerwho claims her hair is real. I couldseeher weave in one of her pictures, for god’s sake. And her hazel eyes? Contacts.”
“Shayne, don’t be catty. Nadim has nothing to gain by lying now. You should talk to him,” Marley said.
