‘Coming,’ Shona said, then rubbed Kaavi’s arm. ‘It’ll be okay.’
Kaavi walked slowly towards the others. She wasn’t ready to try on anything, not yet. But she looked over her shoulder at Neel, who stood just outside the entrance leaning against the shopfront with his hands in his pockets, waiting.
He just looked at her, expressionless.
They got back to Rally later that afternoon after having lunch in Umhlanga. Neel couldn’t help but notice that everyone except Kaavi had found their Diwali outfit. Even Natara. She was practically bouncing, thrilled about her new outfit and the simple joy of a girls’ day out, even though he had technically been there too.
He dropped Kaavi off. Anni and Shona said they’d hang around with her for a bit before heading home. Natara and Neel went back to The Grand Meyer. Natara said she was going to nap, but he knew her better than that. She was probably already on the phone with his mother, giving a full breakdown of the day.
Neel went to his room, took a long shower and sat in front of his laptop to catch up on work. Emails had piled up while he was away, but after a few minutes of scrolling, he realised he wasn’t reading anything.
His mind had drifted.
He shut the laptop.
A walk would be better.
He grabbed his phone and left his room, heading towards Kaavi’s apartment. He wasn’t sure if Anni and Shona would still be there, but even if they were, it was a chance he was willing to take.
Kaavi opened the door and when she saw it was Neel, she forcedherself to sound casual.
‘Hey, what’s up?
‘Hey. Nothing much. I was taking a walk and figured I’d stop by, see what you were up to.’
‘I was deciding what to get for supper. Although I’m not really hungry because we had such a big lunch today,’ she said, stepping aside to let him in.
Neel walked in and dropped onto the couch. Kaavi was already in her pyjamas – a strappy top and shorts. He was in gym shorts and a T-shirt.
‘I noticed you didn’t buy anything today,’ Neel said.
‘Yeah … I have a lot of clothes I’ve picked up over the years. I think I’ll just wear something I already have.’
‘For Diwali?’ Neel asked, a little surprised. The women in his life always made a thing of getting something new for the festival.
She just nodded. There was a pause, then Kaavi added, ‘Okay, can I be honest, Neel?’
‘Obviously. You can always be honest with me. What’s going on?’
‘I don’t know about Diwali,’ she said, shifting a little. ‘My mother called the other day. Traditionally, since my father just died, we’re not supposed to celebrate, but there’s nothing traditional about us, if you get what I’m saying. I mean, we didn’t even do any of the rituals. So it’s just confusing.’
Neel leaned back. ‘I get it, Kaavi, I do. And that’s probably why you’re feeling so pressured?’
‘No,’ she said quickly. ‘No, I’m not pressured to do anything. I’m just …’ She paused. ‘Not pressured. Just confused.’
‘Did you reply to that email from the designer?’ Neel asked. He hadn’t meant to bring it up, but he desperately wanted to know.
‘No, not yet. I’ll do it later,’ Kaavi said casually.
Neel sat back. He couldn’t believe how calm she was about it.So casual. Like it was just another task on a to-do list. Like it didn’t mean she was leaving.
He looked at her, beautiful, barefoot Kaavi in pyjamas, and felt that familiar weight settle in his chest. He had one full day left with her. Tomorrow. Thursday. His flight was at ten on Friday morning.
Then he’d be back in Jo’burg.
Would the divorce papers be signed? He didn’t know.
Was this the moment to bring it up? Probably not.
