“No, I had something to ask you, but let me enjoy this view first. Show me the rest of the bed.”
He moved his phone farther so she could have a wide shot of his headboard.
“You have more pillows! Not just the ones I bought you!” There were two other decorative pillows there, in a deep green with a mitered gray stripe around them. Kamila would have preferred them brighter, but they were still a huge improvement. “Hey,” she said as she made a realization. “Your new pillows are the exact color of my head scarf.” She’d tied a green-and-gray scarf around her hair to sleep instead of the bonnet tonight.
“Great minds and all that,” he said, grinning. He brought the camera closer to his face again and leaned back. “So, what did you need to ask me?”
“Oh, right.” She hesitated. “Are…are you coming for breakfast tomorrow morning?”
He blinked. “I don’t know. Am I invited?”
Kamila bit her lip. “I mean, yeah, you’re always invited. And Dad didn’t get his business talk last week. He’d love to see you. But I know it’s far…and…you know, to come all this way just for—”
“I’ll be there. Can I pick up breakfast? How about Montreal-style bagels? I can get whole wheat for your dad.”
Kamila grinned. “Clearly you know that carbs are the way to a girl’s heart.”
He laughed. “You didn’t have to FaceTime me to ask that, though. You could have texted.”
She leaned back against her headboard. “I could have, but then I wouldn’t know about your new pillows. So, my impulsivity was fortuitous. I knew you’d be up.”
He settled back in his bed, too. “I was about to turn off my lights. How’s your dad doing?”
“He’s good. Quite good, actually. Would you believe he’s learning to cook?” She paused. “Everyone keeps asking me how Dad is.”
“And not enough people are asking how you are?”
“Oh, no! I didn’t mean it that way!” For once, that wasn’t a hint for people to pay more attention to her. “I meant I’m lucky. Everyone is looking out for Dad. He’s blessed. I am, too.”
“He’s lucky to have you. Can I askyousomething, Kam?”
“Go ahead.”
He looked at her a few seconds before speaking. He felt so…present. Like he was really here in her room. It didn’t feel like they were talking through phone screens. Finally, a small smile slid onto his face.
“How areyoudoing, Kamila?”
She smiled wide. “How nice of you to ask, Rohan. I am well, all things considered. I’m feeling a little stressed about how much stuff I have going on right now, but I’m managing, thanks to the help of my amazing friends, present company included. Did I tell you I haven’t had a cooking disaster in weeks?”
“A Toronto miracle! How many virgins have you sacrificed?”
“Shush, you.” She told him about the Malaysian noodles, the Thai rice bowls, then they talked about what kind of biryani they should get for next Friday’s Bollywood night, since she wasn’t canceling again. Even though that was the same weekend as the Aim High party and the Dogapalooza.
She probably should have been more stressed about the Aim High party, since their board meeting was the week after it. If Kamila wanted them to vote to put Emerald on retainer for all their financial needs going forward, she really needed to impress everyone at that party. And she still wanted that retainer. Eventually, Dad was going to be returning to work, and securing the Aim High account was the way to prove to him, and everyone else, that she could manage Emerald if he only worked part-time. But she was fine. Everything had been going so well with Anil, and the party was shaping up perfectly, too. Kamila was not worried.
“Fine,” Rohan said. “We’ll do your rom-com next week—even though we had a comedy last time, too. But then, classic Bollywood drama. Maybe even black-and-white.”
“You know I’ll change your mind later. You can never say no to me.” She smiled and bit her lip, batting her eyelashes.
He laughed. “Kam, you are, as always, trouble.”
“Yeah, but I’m your trouble. Now I need my beauty sleep. Good night, Rohan. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Kam. Sleep well.”
Kamila disconnected the call and turned off her light with a huge face-splitting grin.
This. This was exactly where they were supposed to be.
