For a second, Kabir forgot how to breathe as he took her in. His cousin, his sister, his soon-to-be ward. She stood there like a statue, her entire body motionless, her face showing none of her thoughts.
But Kabir saw what others didn’t because at a point in his distant past, he’d stood in the exact same position as her. Alone, lost, and bereft, left to the mercy of strangers…unsure of his welcome and scared of what lay ahead. He knew what it cost to hold that mask of indifference and he knew now what he had to do.
“Hello Zara,” he said softly. “I’m Kabir, your brother.”
CHAPTER 36
TANISHA
Life in Mumbai was chaotic,crowded, and messy. But for once, it felt like the city understood her. The honking horns, the shouting vendors, the fumes of exhaust in the air, the rush of people moving with too much urgency and too little space, it all mirrored the noise in her head, the clutter in her heart and the mess her life currently was.
Tani stood on the sidewalk, rooted in place as a stream of pedestrians flowed around her like water around a stone. Some muttered under their breath, some shoved past, but she didn’t move. Her eyes were fixed on the towering entrance of the stadium ahead of her.
The security guard by the gate kept glancing over at her, giving her the kind of look reserved for suspicious packages and emotionally unstable women hovering outside concert venues.
She dragged in a deep breath, bracing herself for what she had to do. It didn’t help. She tried again, slower, deeper, edging on desperate. Still nothing.
Her lungs worked but her courage didn’t. Her mother had dropped her here right after they’d left the hospital. Tani hadinsisted she was fine, insisted she could handle it, insisted she didn’t need anyone hovering.
Shikha had asked if she wanted her to stay and Tani had said no, because Tani always said no when she meant yes.
Now she stood alone on a Mumbai sidewalk, clutching her phone with clammy fingers and feeling every single one of her choices like bruises beneath her skin.
She regretted letting her mother leave. She regretted telling her she was fine. She regretted… God, she regretted so many things.
Tani had a lot of regrets.
One deep breath. One steady step. That’s all she needed. But her feet felt cemented to the pavement, and her heartbeat was a drumbeat she couldn’t match.
She needed to get inside because somewhere inside was the one man she wanted to see. The one man she needed to see.
Kabir.
But she didn’t know if he would want to see her. And so, her feet wouldn’t move.
“Tanisha?” Rahul stood behind her, his hands full of what looked like a food order, burgers and fries.
Tani’s stomach rumbled at the smell wafting her way. She pressed a hand to it, embarrassed by the loud noise.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked, waving her forward. He gestured to the security guard and the man let them through without any fuss. “Does Kabir know you’re here?” he asked.
“No, I-“ her voice failed her. “I wanted to surprise him.”
Rahul laughed, shifting sideways to allow some workers to pass as they walked by carrying a long board. “It looks like it’s a day for surprises for him.”
Tani’s stride hitched. “What do you mean?” she asked, hurrying after him.
“Well, you know,” Rahul said, holding up the paper bag in his hand like it was evidence in a trial. “It looks like a day for visitors.”
They reached the corridor that led to the dressing rooms. Tani slowed down, her heart beating triple time in her chest.
“Oh,” she said. “Maybe this is a bad time. I can come back later.”
“Don’t be silly,” Rahul said cheerfully, marching down the hallway. “He’s always happy to see you.”
“Always, huh?” she asked, smiling weakly.
“Well,” Rahul grinned. “Almost always.”
