“Don’t worry, Kam. We got this covered. Talk soon.” Shelina disconnected the call.
Kamila got up. After a stop in the bathroom, she headed downstairs in her socked feet. The house felt so weird for a Saturday morning. Quiet. No dog jumping on her. No Dad reading his news sites and drinking chai. No Rohan criticizing her cooking. She peeked out a window—her car was still here. He must have taken the subway or an Uber.
He’d left without saying anything. Not really much of a surprise, as he’d clearly (or at least hopefully) realized that sharing a bed with his brother’s wife’s sister whose father had been hospitalized with a panic attack wasn’t the wisest move. Kissing her was probably an even worse idea.
After making coffee, she texted Asha to let her know she’d be over in half an hour to get Darcy, and then headed to her bedroom.
While she was dressing, she thought about what to do about the Rohan situation. She didn’t want to ignore what happened—namely, because she didn’t like the implication that she felt any shame over locking lips with him. That was the furthest thing from the truth.
Kamila was long past any shame for her lifestyle, and that included her sexual activities. Mom wasn’t around to call Kamila a harlot anymore, and Mom was wrong anyway. Kamila played safe and consensual, and she wasn’t really all that promiscuous anyway, not that there would be anything wrong with it if she were. She just knew what she liked and wasn’t shy about it. She realized she talked a good game and could be a bit of a flirt, but she liked to think she didn’t cross any lines or lead anyone on.
And at any rate, who the heck would feel shame about making out with Rohan Nasser? He was a top-tier catch. A ten in just about anyone’s books.
They’d just have to get over any awkwardness and actually discuss what had happened in the dim guest room while they were both dopey with sleep, feeling emotional and fragile after fighting. They would have to talk about the fact that they kissed and were on their way to doing a lot more than just kissing.
It was the right thing to do. She needed to salvage their friendship, and this was the only way. Problem was, Kamila had no idea how she was going to do it.
She was dressed by the time she finished her internal postmortem on the events of five hours ago. Wearing a vintage pale-yellow day dress, she threw on a burgundy cardigan and headed to Asha’s to get her dog.
Darcy attacked Kamila with jumps and kisses the moment she walked in the door. Kamila reached down and picked up her baby, snuggling her close.
“Darcy! I missed you. Did you have a nice sleepover with Lizzy?” At the mention of her BFF, Darcy squirmed to get free of Kamila’s grasp and go play with her friend.
“How’s your dad?” Asha asked, as she closed the door behind Kamila. Asha knew he hadn’t had a heart attack since Kamila had texted her last night.
“Apparently pretty good. Or so Shelina says. She’s with Rohan and Zayan at the hospital. I’ve been relieved of Dad duty for now.”
“Nicole’s at the hospital today—I told her to look in on him. You look exhausted. You haven’t had breakfast, have you? Want avocado toast?”
Kamila smiled. Asha knew Kamila didn’t eat when stressed. “That would be amazing.”
Crusty bread from Kamila’s favorite bakery smeared with ripe avocado, sprinkled with flecks of sea salt and black pepper, and garnished with a squiggle of vibrant sriracha hot sauce really hit the spot. The tension in Kamila’s shoulders fell by the second bite. She moaned in appreciation. “God, I needed this. I barely slept last night.”
“I can imagine. How was your dad when you saw him last night? Mood-wise.”
Kamila shrugged. “He was doped up. Shelina says he’s in good spirits now, but…” She exhaled. “I know his depression will be back with a vengeance after this.”
“Yeah. You going to try to get him a new psychiatrist?”
“Only Rohan can get him to see a doctor. And who knows if Rohan will do anything for me right now.”
“Of course Rohan will help if you need him! You know you can depend on him.”
Kamila exhaled. “Yeah, well, maybe before. Things have changed.”
“Why, because of that fight yesterday? Or is this because of Jana? Oh my god, did you find out thereissomething going on between them? Holy shit—”
“No!” Kamila interrupted. “There is nothing going on between them.” That was one thing Kamila didn’t need to worry about anymore. His spare-room antics wouldn’t have happened if he were involved with someone else. Hell, if he had a secret thing with Jana or any other woman, for that matter, he wouldn’t have let Kamila into his bed in the first place. He wouldn’t have pulled her close so their heartbeats were in sync as they slept.
And holy sweet mother of dragons, it really hit her that she’d actuallysleptwith Rohan. Not figuratively “slept with him,” which Kamila knew wasn’t always as intimate an experience as actually sleeping all night wrapped around someone. There was no way things could go back to the way they were before.
“I screwed up last night,” Kamila said. “Well, this morning. I’ve made things awkward. I don’t know if I can save our friendship.”
“What did you say to him?” Asha said with a scolding tone.
Kamila exhaled and rested her chin in her hand. “It wasn’t something I said. More like…something I did. Sort of.” She closed her eyes. “I kissed him again.”
Asha didn’t say anything. She was quiet so long that Kamila opened her eyes to see if her friend was still there. Asha’s mouth was wide open. Her eyes looked a few sizes larger than normal.
