Before she could stop him, he shoved the door open, calling out, “Look who I found loitering around.”
Her gaze clashed with Kabir’s stormy ones, his face an expressionless mask but his eyes…his eyes latched on to hers like a drowning man on a life raft. And whatever was going on in here, he was drowning.
“Tani?” he said huskily, taking a half step towards her before checking himself.
She opened her mouth to say something but her gaze snagged on movement behind him. A young girl with her hair pulled together in a braid, framing a serious face. An expressionless face with stormy eyes. Just like the man who stood beside her.
“Hi,” she said, smiling slightly. “I’m Tanisha.”
No answer.
Kabir stepped forward, unconsciously moving closer to Tani, his warmth seeming to make her own cold insides simmer.
“Tani, this is Zara. Zara, this is-“
“Your whore?”
The words slapped the welcoming smile right off Tani’s face.
“What the hell did you just say?” Kabir asked, his voice a hiss.
“My mother told me all about her,” the girl said insolently. “Said that she’s-“
“You’re going to stop talking right now,” Kabir warned. “I don’t want to hear the rest of your mother’s poison repeated here. Not now. Not ever.”
“Kabir,” Tani’s voice was level but an undercurrent of shock and confusion ran through it. “Who is this?”
His gaze met hers, lost and defeated. “My cousin and soon to be legal ward.”
Right. She looked to the girl, her insolence having given way to defiance as she glared at Tani, her arms crossed over her chest.
“How long have you known about her?” She couldn’t wrap her head around it, around Kabir having kept such a large part of his life secret from her.
“A couple of weeks.”
A couple of weeks. A hysterical giggle climbed her throat but she swallowed hard, squashing it. “A couple of weeks. You didn’t tell me.”
“You were a little busy getting married to someone else, Tani,” Kabir said, unconsciously mimicking his sister’s angry defiance. “Remember that? At what point was I supposed to pull you aside and tell you my problems.”
“I’m not a problem,” Zara snarled. “I told my mother that this was a bad idea. I don’t care what happens to me but I am not going with you.”
“Going with me?” Kabir spun around. “Going with me where? Look, we haven’t figured anything out but we have time and –“
“I don’t care,” the girl shouted, her voice full of tears. “I don’t have time and I don’t want you.”
“Alright.” Tani took a deep breath, trying to channel her mother’s calm and poise. “Let’s take a moment to breathe.”
“Fuck you,” Zara said, venomously.
Tani took a startled step back.
“Don’t talk to her like that!” Kabir snapped.
“I will talk whichever way I want to. I know you hate my mother and I know you hate me,” Zara seethed. “And you know what? I hate you too. So I don’t care what my mother says but I am not going anywhere with you andher.”
“I don’t know what your mother has told you but this behaviour is not going to get you anywhere.”
“Good,” Zara said, glowering at him.
