Daniel leans forward, an impish gleam in his eye. “I would expect nothing less.”
Mar clears her throat and folds her hands under her chin, all business. “Daniel, tell us about your childhood,” she says.
“Well, I was adopted by my parents when I was an infant,” he starts, tucking into his food at the same time. “I grew up in a suburb of London called Woodford. It was pretty uneventful and ordinary and I feel lucky for it.”
“Were you an only child?” Emoni asks, piling some fish onto Mica’s rice bowl. Daniel nods and Emoni looks at me. “Just like our Cassia.”
Daniel and I look at each other and he squeezes my thigh under the table again. “Yes. Both of us are such difficult spoiled brats, aren’t we?”
Laughter all around, a musical sound in my grandparents’ lush garden. Then it’s Emoni’s turn to lean in, and I know that she’s about to get serious. Interrogation mode initiated. “What’s your romantic journey been like?”
He drops his head slightly, rubbing the back of his neck before looking up with a sheepish grin. “Well, truth be told, I’ve been quite the typical bachelor.”
Some huffy sounds are made around the table, and I hold back from laughing. Daniel continues, “I have had one or two serious girlfriends. One in uni—college, that is—and then one several years ago. But, like Cassia, I’ve been building my career and business for the past decade or so. And because of that, I have not had much of myself to give until recently.”
Everyone has questions, but Emoni is not done yet. “And how did it feel when you met Cassia?”
Daniel pauses and looks at me, his heart in his eyes. “When I met Cassia, I felt everything in me still,” he says, not breaking eye contact with me. “I had been going-going-going my entire life. Reaching for the next thing, the next goal. It’s quite American of me, really.” His amusement makes him pause. “And, really, I knew the next big step was finding my partner. And I felt something in me just click the first second I met her. I felt like, ah, there she is. You can stop now.”
Because we’re meant to be. Because we’ve met in one or many lifetimes past.
A sigh comes from Sunny. “It’s the best feeling. Cass, what about you? What did you like about Daniel?”
“Well, I had to get over his hideous looks first,” I say. Morelaughter. Mar laughs a little too loudly. “But once I was able to overcome that obstacle, I found myself so impressed by his passions and drive. How much he notices the natural and designed world. His confidence that makes him a strong leader. So well-respected by everyone in his life. And just…we’re so on the same wavelength. We know what we want and the kind of life we envision.”
“And what kind of life is that?” asks Stu.
Again, Daniel and I look at each other. “A partnership built on respect,” he says.
“With lots of good food, books, and nineties movies,” I add with a grin.
“Always,” he says. “Growing old together in the sunshine.”
“Sitting on a deck made out of sustainable wood.” I smile at the vision of it.
Emoni is beaming. “And a house full of grandchildren? You have a family business to carry on after all.”
I turn to Daniel, smile still on my face, but find his wavering. “Ah,” he says with a nervous laugh. “I think I will make an incredible uncle, for now.”
The silence after that is like a physical presence. It sits on my chest and makes it hard for me to breathe.
What the fuck?
Someone somewhere clears their throat loudly—I think it’s Halabuji—and everyone starts talking at once, trying not to put us in the spotlight anymore. Then, maybe reading my mood, Logan asks Daniel to help him get something from the kitchen and he gets up, giving me an apprehensive glance before doing so. I smile, trying to act cool.
Only when he’s gone does everyone look at me, again.
“Did he say what I thought he said?” Emoni asks in a loud-hushed voice.
“He did,” Halabuji says grimly, meeting my eyes over the table. “You guys never talked about this, Cassia?”
Mar flinches for me. “It’s not her fault.”
“Everyone, calm down,” Halmoni says, finally. “Don’t make this a bigger deal than it is.”
“It’s a big deal!” Emoni says. “He cannot be serious!”
Everyone starts bickering and I sink back in my seat. When I look up, I see Sunny staring at me intently. She mouths,Sorry, and I shake my head. How could she have known?
