“Let’s just say I’ll never take the internet for granted again. And having no phone service is way more isolating than I imagined. It’s been one thing after another, but I’m managing.” Meghna paused, then her tone brightened. “Hey, Dee just told me thatEthan Knightis at Moksha…” Meghna let her words hang in the air. “Pri, that is wild!”
“I know. And Dee wants nothing more than to be here,” Priya said, not wanting to say too much. She wasn’t about to spill her steamy plans with Ethan. This was her decision, her moment, and she didn’t want anyone else weighing in.
“And you?” Meghna pressed. “The divorce, moving back home, hosting Ethan Knight at Moksha—how are you dealing with all of it?”
“I’m…uh…I’m hanging in there.” Priya’s mind flashed back to her top hanging inside out around her neck while Ethan tried to pry it off. “But enough about me. I’m dying to hear how things are going with you.”
Meghna launched into an update about her new life in rural India—about how things hadn’t gone quite as planned, and she was in a new spot now. “Oh, and one more thing,” she said before hanging up. “When I spoke to Puppa, he asked me to remind you to find his address book.”
“Oh, right!” In all the excitement, Priya had nearly forgotten. “I’ll look after it right away.”There’s no way I’m letting my parents’ knack for ill-timed calls derail my evening with Ethan.
Priya slipped into a pair of flats and put on a necklace. As she reached for the door, she paused, then went back to her room to remove it. The last thing she wanted was for Ethan to think she was trying too hard. Ironically, looking effortlessly casual took a lot of effort.
Locking the door behind her, Priya skipped down the stairs, excitement buzzing through her. She had a hot date with Ethan and could barely think straight. Letting herself into Moksha, she headed straight for the basement and stepped into her father’s office. The familiar hum of the dehumidifier filled the space, droning on like it always did to keep the records safe from mold and mildew. Priya searched Puppa’s desk for his address book, riffling through the drawers. She finally spotted it under a ledger just as the lights gave a flicker. Snatching it up, she shut the drawer and headed for the door—but before she could reach it, the lights went out entirely, plunging the basement into darkness.
“Damn it!” Priya said out loud. She was still trying to remember where Puppa kept the flashlight when the power surged back on.
Priya sighed. The blackouts were becoming more and more frequent. Even without the required upgrade, Moksha’s wiring was due for a complete overhaul. It would cost a small fortune, and she wasn’t convinced it was the right move.
Priya looked at the address book in her hands, and wondered if she should just say she couldn’t find it. It would buy her some time, but it also meant she’d need to move faster with her plan to get Ethan out of here.
A sudden sharp, sizzling buzz jolted her from her thoughts. Priya froze, her eyes zeroing in on the old outlet powering the dehumidifier. A wisp of smoke curled into the air, followed by the acrid smell of burning wires. Within a second, a shower of sparks erupted from the socket, raining down on a cardboard box. The embers caught, flickering for a moment before exploding into flames.
Priya’s pulse slammed into overdrive. Grabbing the trash can, she braced herself to smother the flames. But then a thought crept in, insidious and undeniable.What if I just…let it burn? What if this accidental fire is a blessing in disguise?If Moksha went up in flames, her parents would have no choice but to walk away. The developer didn’t want the building anyway, just the land. This fire could solve everything.
As the flames climbed higher, Priya’s gaze darted around the room. Framed on the wall was the first Canadian two-dollar bill her father had earned, a relic from a time when two-dollar bills were still in circulation. Beside it hung a photo from Moksha’s opening day, a garland of dried marigolds draped around it. Priya’s gaze snapped to the shelf where a worn album held the only photos her parents had carried from India. A studio portrait from her childhood sat on Puppa’s desk—Mumma, Puppa, her sisters, and a much younger version of herself, all lined up in stiff formality.
The smoke alarm shrieked to life as the room filled with a thick haze. Heat pressed against Priya’s skin, but she hesitated, staring at the flames. This wasn’t just a building. It was a house of stories, of lives, of history. Every box, every file contained records of people who had been mourned, celebrated, and remembered here. It was also a place of incredible hardship and restriction for her family. Priya’s heart pounded as she stood rooted to the spot, caught in the push and pull between past and future, duty and freedom.
As the blaze intensified, something shifted within Priya. The sense of responsibility her parents had tried so hard to impress upon her turned into gut-deep instinct—something sacred, something worth protecting. Priya slammed the trash can down over the fire, but the flames shot out from beneath the edges, crawling along the baseboard like a living thing.
Priya staggered back, her nostrils stinging from the smoke.The curtain! Use the curtain!She seized a corner of the panel and yanked it hard. But before she could free it, a sudden sting flared up her leg.
“Fuck!” she gasped, glancing down in horror. Flames were creeping up the hem of her pants. She yelped and pulled them off, using the fabric to beat down the blaze.
But the smoke was winning. Hot, heavy, and pungent. Panic surged through Priya’s chest.I’m going to die trying to save the very place I want to escape.
Her breath came in short, frantic gasps. Her head spun, the room swimming in a hazy blur.Get down, her brain screamed, something she vaguely remembered from old fire drills.
Priya dropped to her knees, pressing herself to the floor.Where’s the door?She couldn’t tell, but she dragged herself forward, praying she was crawling in the right direction.
Somewhere behind her, wood crackled and split with a sharp pop. The fire was growing, its heat prickling against her skin. Beads of sweat slid down her neck. Priya coughed violently, her throat raw, her eyes burning so badly she could barely keep them open.
Then a sudden hiss. A cold mist exploded into the air, forcing back the flames around her. Priya blinked, tears rolling down her face. Through the haze, she saw Ethan, gripping a fire extinguisher as he fought the flames. Relief swept over her, and she collapsed onto the floor, limp and exhausted.
Ethan worked methodically, driving the fire back with each sweep. The flames sputtered and shrank until only small pockets of smoke remained. Tossing the extinguisher aside, he dropped to his knees beside Priya, his hands gripping her shoulders.
“Pri,” he called, his voice tight with worry. “Are you okay?” The alarm blaring around them couldn’t drown out the urgency in his tone.
Priya nodded, her breath coming in shallow bursts. Ethan let out a sharp exhale, relief flickering across his face. He shot to his feet and cranked the basement window open. Cool air rushed in, soothing Priya’s throat. Ethan’s gaze remained sharp, his body tense and on high alert.
“Damn it, Pri,” his voice cracked as he ran a hand down his face. “You scared the living hell out of me.” Sliding an arm under her, he helped her to her feet. “What the hell happened?”
Before Priya could answer, a loud snap echoed through the room and sparks leaped from another outlet.
“Don’t move! And don’t touch anything!” Ethan barked, grabbing the extinguisher and rushing toward the flare.
Priya’s head throbbed from the shriek of the alarm, the sound rattling her skull. Her limbs felt heavy, her balance wobbly as sheclimbed onto the desk. The room seemed to tilt, but she managed to wave a folder beneath the smoke detector. Relief washed over her as the piercing noise finally stopped.
