"You could move in with Anandur and me," Wonder offered. "We have a spare bedroom. You'd have company, and Anandur and I both cook."
Tula shook her head. "I love you, but I can't live with you and Anandur. That would be too awkward, and besides?—"
She broke off as a flash of red caught her eye.
Esag had just walked into the café.
Their eyes met across the space, and Tula's heart did a silly flip.
He looked tired, like he hadn't slept well, and his blue-green eyes were shadowed, his red mop of hair disheveled.
He looked beautiful.
Tula hated that she noticed.
Wonder followed her gaze and smiled. "Esag! Over here!" She waved. "Come join us."
Tula wanted to kick her sister under the table.
Esag approached, his hands in his pockets. "Good morning."
Wonder gestured to an empty chair. "Sit. I'll get you coffee and food. What do you want?"
"A tuna sandwich, but I can get it myself?—"
"Nonsense. Sit." Wonder was already heading to the counter, leaving Tula alone with him.
An awkward silence stretched between them.
"How are you settling in?" Esag asked. "The house okay?"
"It's fine." Tula picked at her pastry, not looking at him. "It's actually lovely."
"Good. That's good."
More silence.
"Where's Tony?" Esag asked, and Tula felt something in her chest clench.
"He left."
Esag's head snapped up. "What do you mean he left? Where to?"
"He moved out. Last night." Tula forced herself to meet his eyes. "He's staying with Kaia and William. He said it was too painful to live with me after I ended things between us."
"You ended things,” Esag said, as if it were a statement, not a question.
"Yesterday." Tula twisted her napkin between her fingers.
"Here you go," Wonder said cheerfully as she put a cardboard tray with a cup of coffee and a sandwich down in front of Esag. "Eat up. Tula and I need to get going soon. I made an appointment with William to get Tula a phone. We need to bring her up to speed on modern living."
37
ESAG
Tony left.
The words echoed in Esag's mind as he stared at Tula across the café table, trying to process the implications.
