Kamila exhaled. “Friends. Like, tell-each-other-everything kind of friends?”
Rohan looked at her intensely. He’d always done that. Looked at her like he wasn’t sure what to make of her. Finally, he spoke quietly. “Yes. Exactly that kind of friends.”
They stared at each other for several seconds. Kamila didn’t know what he was thinking. She knew what she was thinking, though. She was thinking that it would be utterly impossible for her to look at that face, the face of her friend, and not tell him everything she felt for him. And she knew that telling him would be the end of the friendship.
Unless…that look in his eyes. He was still staring at her. Could she be wrong about his feelings? She’d had a lot of friends. None of them had photoshopped a picture of the two of them in their retirement together. That didn’t sound like a friend thing.
Could it be possible? She didn’t know how to ask.
She exhaled. “Okay, then. Let’s be the kind of friends who tell each other everything. Would you tell me if you developed feelings for someone? Like…strong feelings?”
He stared at her even longer. Eyes still unreadable. The rain pelted loudly in her ears.
“I would tell you,” he finally said. “I wanted to recently. But…the current situation made it hard to say anything.”
She waited for him to say more. Because she wasn’t completely sure what he meant. Or…who.
Eventually, he looked away. “Kamila, don’t pretend you don’t know it’syou. I’ve developed feelings foryou.”
Kamila blinked, staring at the side of his face. He’d said the words. It washer.
“How can you not see it?” he asked, turning back to her. “Almost everything I do is for you.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head and looking down at the photograph. “You tolerate me. You think I’m troublesome. You humor me. You’re fond of me, but that’s it.”
“I’m in love with you.”
“What did you say?” she whispered, looking up at him.
“I love you,” he said, intense eyes boring into hers. He wiped the wet hair off his forehead and took a step back. “I wasn’t planning to say that today. I had the picture made because I wanted to show you that we could still be friends, still be a team, no matter what. But then after what your father told me today, that you were determined to run Emerald alone…I saw your plan and, Kam, I…am so proud of you. I fell in love with you even more. I’ve been a fool. Everyone underestimated you, especially me. You had a huge setback and were let down by me and your father, and you decided to create something amazing out of it. Call me names, Kam. Call me a dirty old man, tell me you don’t want anyone to feel this way for you, to grow too attached to you. Tell me off, and then maybe I’ll be able to stop thinking about you like this. But don’t stop being my friend.Please.”
Was this a dream? Could it be real? “But…this…this isn’t possible. You can’t…How long…” Her voice trailed. She didn’t know what to say.
He looked away, into the rainy sky. “It’s been a long time. Maybe a year? I don’t know. I was too far gone by the time I knew what was happening.”
“But you kept all that from me. About Emerald and Dad retiring.”
He leaned against the railing next to her, still not looking at her. “Your father told me that’s what you would have wanted. And I told myself I didn’t have the right to interfere in your relationship with him. I hated keeping that information from you. I should have asked you whatyouwanted.”
“But…I…” She honestly had no words.
“After that night, when your father was hospitalized…when we kissed—”
“We did a lot more than kissing, Rohan.”
He finally looked at her, pink tingeing his cheeks. It was adorable. “Yeah, I remember. I thought maybe that was our time. I know you were just tired and emotional that night, but I was going to say something to you the next day. Formally ask you on a proper date. But then your dad told us his final decision to retire, and if you came to work at HNS, it would be too complicated. And then in the dog park, you were adamant to that guy that you weren’t looking for a relationship.” He sighed. “I know I screwed up and I wish I could make it make sense, Kamila, but you know me. You know me like no one else does. If I loved you less, I’d be able to explain myself better. If you wanted a part of HNS, you could have it. If you wanted to never work another day in your life, I’d make that happen. If you want Emerald, it’s yours. Just tell me what you want, and you can have it. Even if you don’t want me.” He looked out into the rain.
This was real. Not a dream. She slowly put the photograph back in the plastic bag and put it on the railing behind her. She took Rohan’s hand in hers. “What if what I want is you?”
His head whipped around, and he looked at her. Such a lovely face. When had she not loved it?
He smiled ever so slightly. “Say that again.”
“Literally all I want is you. I love you. So much. But I…I couldn’t imagine you felt the same way. Rohan, I’mKamila. I don’t fit in your world.”
He shook his head and squeezed her hand. “Fuck fitting in myworld. I want you in mylife.”
She closed her eyes for a second, overwhelmed. But when she opened them, he was still there. Looking at her like that.
