Tani sputtered out a laugh. “Say that in front of him” she invited, “I dare you.”
“Hell no.” Vik grinned. “I wouldn’t want to have my ass handed to me.” His smile faded. “You know he’s thought about it though.”
Yeah, Kabir had thought about it. He’d thought about all of it. He was only, endlessly, thinking about every angle of it, she thought resentfully. And yet, he didn’t think to tell her he’d inherited a sister.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” she said quietly. It never had.
“What does matter to you, Tan Tan?”
“He does.” The words were soft, barely there, but underlined with conviction.
“Then why are you running?”
“Do you know what’s been going on with him?” she asked, using the question to deflect.
“Yeah, I overheard my parents talking last night.”
“You eavesdrop on your parents?” She slanted a sidelong look at him.
“I like to keep track of the amount of shit I’m in.” He nudged her, his elbow digging in under her ribs. “You don’t?”
She laughed, surprised she was capable of the sound in the moment. “You’re an idiot.”
“Not as big of one as you,” he replied with another nudge. “Come on, Tan Tan. This is Kabir and you. Are you going to run? Or are you going to stick?”
She looked over to her suitcases, some full, some half empty with stuff haphazardly shoved into them.
“When did you get so wise?” she asked.
He stroked his chin, affecting a thoughtful pose. “Just call me Yoda.”
“Yoda, my ass,” Tani laughed, nudging him back.
Vik yelped, jumping to his feet. “Damn, you have bony elbows.”
Tani was still laughing as she grabbed Vik in a mock chokehold, both of them stumbling like overgrown childrenlocked in a ridiculous wrestling match. He groaned dramatically, pretending to yank free, and she burst into another giggle, her chest lighter than it had been in weeks.
Then her phone rang.
She loosened her grip on him automatically. Vik glanced at the screen and waggled his eyebrows.
“Oooh,” he crooned, “the old man’s calling.”
Tani shoved him away with a grin, breathless and amused as she reached for her phone and froze. Her stomach pitched as a chill slid straight down her spine like someone had poured ice water through her veins.
It wasn’t Kabir. It was his manager.
Tani swiped up immediately, her voice rough with fear she couldn’t will away. “Hello?”
“Tanisha? This is Varsha, Kabir’s manager.”
“I know,” Tani replied, already bracing for what she knew would be bad news. “What’s wrong?”
Varsha didn’t answer. Not immediately. And the silence was worse than anything she could have said.
“Is Kabir okay?” Tani demanded, unable to handle the quiet on the phone line.
“No,” Varsha said finally. “No, he’s not.”
