“Are the two of you listening to me?” Zara screeched.
“It’s hard not to,” Kabir drawled, “especially when you hit that high pitch.”
“Oh ha ha. You’re so funny.” Zara planted her hands on her hips and glared at her brother. “You can’t stop me from seeing Josh.”
“I can and I did.” Kabir’s voice was inflexible.
Tani abandoned her cup of tea. There was only so many of her taste buds she was going to sacrifice for her health.
“Why are you being so mean?” Zara wailed, the dramatics as always on point. This one was going to take Broadway by storm when she debuted. “He’s the love of my life. Tani, you understand no? You fell in love with this one.” She points a disgusted finger at Kabir.
“The difference,” Kabir interjected smoothly before Tani could reply, “is that Bug had good taste in men. I know the Josh’s of this world. I’ve been a Josh. You can do better.”
“Good taste,” Zara sneered, derision dripping from the words.
“Hey!” Kabir protested. “She fell in love with a fucking rockstar.”
“Language,” Tani murmured, reminding herself eerily of her mother.
“Rockstars are supposed to be cool, fun, and rebels. You,” Zara sniffed, “are a disgrace. Stick in the mud, boring, pain in the ass.”
“Keep talking and your allowance is going to disappear for a while.”
“This is exactly what dictators do,” Zara intoned, “Use money to control you. I may as well move to South Korea now.”
“Make it North Korea and we have a deal,” Kabir snapped as Tani smothered a laugh.
Deciding a change of subject was in order, she asked, “Are you guys packed? We have a very early start tomorrow.”
“I’ll get to it.” The surly response had Kabir rolling his eyes.
“Now, Zara,” Tani said gently but firmly. They watched as their teenager flounced off to her room to pack, the door slamming shut behind her.
They were leaving for India in the morning, going home to attend Vedika’s wedding. Tani couldn’t wait to see everyone, get pampered by her parents, irritate her brother and, her hand curved around her still flat stomach, give them her good news.
“Doing okay?” Kabir murmured, his hand coming to cover hers, leaning in to kiss her.
“Doing fantastic,” she whispered, kissing him back.
“I don’t want you exerting yourself too much, okay? I’m not going to let you.”
Tani grinned and poked Kabir in the side. “Youarea fascist.”
He growled, pretending to be offended, even as he drew her into his lap and snuggled her. “Kabs?”
“Hmm?” He nuzzled his face into her hair.
“You don’t think Vedu is rushing into this?” Tani chewed on her lower lip as she spoke, her mind flicking to her sweet, sensitive, painfully shy friend, little sister really. She barely knew the man Vedika was marrying beyond the fact that Vedika insisted he was good to her. But going from first date to marriage in five months?
“It’s too soon,” Tani murmured, almost to herself.
“Not everyone meets the love of their life at the age of five,” Kabir said loftily.
Tani huffed a laugh, nudging his shoulder, but the worry in her eyes lingered. Kabir noticed. He always did. He reached across the couch and smoothed the small frown between her brows with his thumb.
“It’s going to be fine, Bug.” His voice was warm, teasing. “He’s marrying Aakash and Kanak Thakkar’s daughter. He’s probably been vetted by RAW at this point.”
She smiled, because he wasn’t wrong, but still, her heart twisted uneasily. Maybe she’d feel better once she met the guy. Maybe she should call Vik and see what his take on the whole thing was.
