Aisha turns, surprised, and the look on her face is laughable. Because everyone sitting in this room can tell that this must be a joke. A joke which isn’t funny.
“What?” Aisha asks.
“I wanted to spend a day with you,” she says. “Maybe you could guide me. I leave after that. I got an email last night. My dorm is ready.”
“You would listen to my guidance?” she asks, and I bite back my smile.
That’s my girl.
“Obviously,” Chhavi rolls her eyes. “Do I have any other choice? Besides, this place is still new to me.”
Aisha looks at me, and if she wants to cancel, I will let her, but I really wanted to spend the night with her.
In fact, I want to spend all of my nights with her. Because during the day she can pretend all she wants, but during the night she comes back to me, comes back home, and it makes all the trials and tribulations of the day worth it.
She makes coming back home worth it.
I used to hate coming back home to a silent house back when I used to live in turns with my mom and my dad. Because my dad would be at work and my mom would be busy too. The silence used to kill me. It used to send me down a weird meltdown that made me dissociate from everyone.
I got so used to that numbness that when Aisha and I started living together, it took me time to settle down in that chaos. She was loud and always so bubbly, and it used to make me wonder how someone can have that much energy.
But when she quieted down, I realized how much her voice, her loudness, made my life better. Her chaos was my peace in disguise. She made life worth living, and I remembered to never take that for granted.
“We will go out for a lunch,” she says. “I am not canceling our dinner.”
“Works for me,” Chhavi says, and everyone standing is surprised at her being so understanding at the first try.
“See, you burnt it,”Maasays, and Aisha steps aside with a dramatic huff.
“You were making it,” she exclaims.
“But you burnt it,”Maacounters, and we all laugh.
“I wonder how Dad put up with you,” Aisha counters.
“He loved to put up with me. That’s why you’re here.”
Aisha covers her ears, her face going red, and I cover my mouth to hide the fact that this conversation is hilarious.
“That’s a disgusting thing to say. I am going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“Won’t change the facts.”
“Maa!”
We all burst into tears while laughing, and I am hit with the realization that we are all going to miss this so much.
Aisha Kapoor
“Why does your husband keep sending flowers?” Sasha asks, agitated as she places the third bouquet of pink roses in my office.
“I don’t know, Sasha,” I say, trying to hide the smile on my face and the giddiness in my voice but failing to do so. “You might as well call him and ask.”
I turn to my monitor to send a few emails. Our book tour with Sienna is approaching soon, and I don’t want to make any mistakes. This book tour is extremely special and crucial for us.
Personally, I was very happy with the timing of this book tour because when I announced my wish to get divorced, I knew it would be a good distraction. Now, knowing that things are getting better between us, I don’t really want to go away from him for too long.
Clingy or whatever it is called. I want to spend time with him. After all, I have spent years with distance between us.
