Jana did not put her reader down or look at him. “When did I say I was upset? Imani was thrilled to see you in the airport.”
He chuckled low. “Imani was, but you weren’t.”
Jana sighed, closing the cover on her e-reader. Airline seats were so ridiculously tight that it was probably against the Geneva convention to be stuck next to an ex on one. Plus, he was…big. Maybe Jana should have splurged for business class. Or one of those blissful pod seats where she could be alone. “What exactly are you hoping I’ll say here? I don’t like surprises, and I was caught off guard, but it’s fine. It’s Rohan’s wedding, and if he wants you in the wedding party, then who am I to complain?”
Anil ran his hand over his chin. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I’d be here, but like I said, I wanted to surprise Mini. And…”
“And what?”
“I didn’t want you to back out of the trip because of me.”
Jana snorted. “Iwouldn’thave done that.” She wouldn’t have. She may have thought about it, but Kamila was her friend, and she’d made a promise to her. Itwouldhave been nice to be able to put up her defense walls before seeing him, though. Also, it would have been nice to get a full night’s sleep first. Maybe wash her face. Brush her hair.
“This could be an opportunity for us to get closer,” Anil said. “We can be friends again.”
Okay, first of all, she was practically sitting on top of the man in these seats, so Jana wasn’t exactly sure how much closer he wanted them to be. And also? When had theyeverbeen friends? They’d been lovers…and then this.
Jana’s eyes narrowed. “Anil, I’m too tired for this conversation right now. Can we just get through this flight?”
He smiled. It was funny—his smile had changed over the years she’d known him. Still devastatingly handsome, but less…mischievous now. He used to smile in a way that made everyone think they were in on an inside joke. He used to be so…playful.
Of course, he was still like that with Imani. But he seemed more…reserved now. Still social. Still charismatic. Maybe matured? Because he was older, of course. They both were. And being parents had to mature them.
Kamila had just said it was obvious that Jana wasn’t happy. Jana had no idea if she was actually happy or not, and she had no idea how Kamila could know something about Jana’s mental state that Jana herself didn’t even know, but now she wondered about Anil. Was he happy?
As far as Jana knew, the man hadn’t been in a serious relationship since Jana. Or rather, since his divorce. He moved to Toronto soon after Jana returned from the Tajikistan project, and then stayed so he could be close by for Imani, but was he happy in Toronto? Did he have regrets about becoming a parent unexpectedly? Did he wish things were different in his life?
Jana looked over at Imani, whose eyes had closed. “I think she’s finally asleep.”
“You get some sleep, too,” Anil said. “We’ll talk later.” He rustled through his bag and handed something to Jana. It was a new pair of cheap fuzzy socks—the kind you could get at the dollar store. “I already gave Imani a pair of these. They don’t give you socks on these economy flights anymore. I know you don’t want to put your feet on these airplane carpets.”
Jana chuckled. She most definitely did not want to put her feet down on this carpet. “Thanks,” she said. She quietly took off her shoes and slid his socks over the ones she was wearing. She was too exhausted to think about why he’d brought her socks, and she had no doubt theywouldtalk later. She was not looking forward to that conversation at all.
But right now, she just wanted to rest.
Chapter 5
The rest of the flight was uneventful. Once Imani had fallen asleep, Jana herself had a restful and comfortable nap. They were both awake when Mount Kilimanjaro came into view. The look on her daughter’s face when she saw the enormous mountain was beyond priceless.
After landing, Jana and Imani went down the steep stairs off the plane hand in hand, and Jana took her first lungful of hot, dusty Tanzanian air. This was Jana’s fourth trip to the country, and every time she set foot on East African soil, she felt simultaneous goosebumps and full-body contentment. Everything hit differently here. The air smelled different. The dirt was a different color. People seemed less hurried. Less intense. Jana traveled a lot, but Tanzania felt more like home to her than any of the other places she’d been to. Maybe the generations of her family who had lived here before immigrating to Canada was still deep in her DNA. She wondered if Imani would feel as connected to East Africa as she did.
After dealing with the chaos of immigration and baggage claim at Kilimanjaro Airport, the party was led to a small boarding area to wait for the chartered Cessna aircrafts to take them to Serengeti National Park. Despite sleeping for a good chunk of the flight from Amsterdam, Imani was cranky.
“Baby, you ate all the fruit bars. All I have are cookies,” Jana said. She’d already turned down another one of Mom’s cheddar-and-potato samosas, saying she wanted something sweet.
“But I want strawberry bars! Buy some!”
Jana tried to explain that this wasn’t like the Toronto airport with fully stocked shops, but trying to reason with a jet-lagged four-year-old was as fruitless as Jana was right now.
“Do you want circus cookies, Mini?” Anil said as he rustled though his bag. He pulled out a snack packet of the pink-and-white frosted animal crackers his parents often mailed to Imani with presents. Imani loved them, but they were a rare treat because they weren’t available in Canada. Or Africa, Jana assumed.
Jana was relieved he was two steps ahead of this meltdown, but it was also slightly disconcerting to see him so prepared. Like with the socks. Jana wasn’t used to seeing him be a dad in action.
“Oh, I brought this for you,” Anil said, holding something else out for Jana, too. It was a Clark Bar, a peanut butter and chocolate candy bar that Jana loved and that also wasn’t available in Canada. Anil was leaning down and helping Imani open her bag of cookies before Jana could say thank you.
Soon, Mom, Imani, Anil, and the bridal party, or the hashtag Bridal Brigade, as Kamila was still irritatingly calling them, boarded a small aircraft to take them to the Seronera Airstrip, the primary airstrip within Serengeti National Park. Rohan, Kassim Uncle, and the Groom’s Platoon were on a second plane. Imani fell asleep immediately after getting buckled into her seat, so Jana stared out the window at the scenery during the one-and-a-half-hour flight.
The view was spectacular. Vast, open plains with sparse trees and wispy grasses as far as she could see. This was all surreal. For the last few months, Jana had felt like she was on the brink of…something. And this trip—while she’d been dreading the whole socializing part of this wedding and safari—it could be a catalyst for her.
