Lakshmi picked up her drink. “I know you don’t drink, honey, but you sure you don’t want a shot?”
Jia might have snatched the bottle of tequila if she didn’t know even a sip would leave her ill tomorrow.
Rhiannon drummed her fingers on the table. “I don’t understand. He doesn’t want to live with you?”
Self-pity settled into Jia’s bones. “I guess not.”
“That doesn’t sound right,” Katrina said slowly. “You’ve been telling us every thoughtful thing this guy has been doing for weeks. Why would he suddenly run cold like this?”
Jia dashed at her eyes with the backs of her hands. “Because he realized he doesn’t like me, only we’re married now, and he can’t back out.”
“Eh.” Lakshmi shook her head. “There’s ways out. That doesn’t hold water. There’s no need to banish you to the basement.”
“Then maybe he didn’t want it in the first place. Maybe he got pressured into everything and he’s making the best of a bad situation. Maybe he just wanted the money from his inheritance.”
“In that case, fuck him.” Rhiannon wrapped her arm around Jia’s shoulders, and she leaned into her friend’s side. “Tomorrow, we’ll go get your stuff from his place.”
Something broke in Jia at the thought of never seeing Dev again. Oof, that would hurt way more than any catfishing could.
Lakshmi cracked her knuckles. “We can still kill him, if you like. Make it look like an accident.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Katrina reached across the table and grasped Jia’s hands. “Let’s all take a second. Jia, did you ask him why he did this?”
“No.”
“Because as someone who has been with someone fora minute now who doesn’t like talking or explaining themselves but is selfless almost to a fault, I can tell you that occasionally you have to directly ask them why they’re doing what they do. You might be surprised by the answer. No one tells you that this is a big part of relationships. Sometimes it’s not all about big misunderstandings.” Katrina’s eyes were warm and kind. “Sometimes it’s about learning how to talk to each other. We all have insecurities, and we have to help each other navigate around them.”
“Ugh.” Jia scrubbed her eyes. “It’s so much work.”
“Yeah, I know. I’d like to say it’s always worth it. For some people, it isn’t. I think for you, it could be.”
Lakshmi handed her another paper towel, and Jia dabbed at her eyes. “What if he gives me a terrible answer? How will I recover?”
“With us, silly,” Katrina said matter-of-factly. “With your sisters. Ain’t no man in the world who is impossible to recover from. You only need the right support to do it.”
Jia sighed. “Loving people is so annoying.”
“It is,” Rhiannon agreed. “I also have good feelings about you and Dev, though.” She rose to her feet. “Just in case... Sienna, turn back on and tell us what the maximum murder sentence is in the state of California.”
Jia’s watery chuckle fell over Sienna’s robotic confusion. “I’m tired.”
“Then you’ll sleep here,” Katrina said. She nudged Jia’s plate toward her, and Jia reluctantly picked up the rest of the sandwich. “Tomorrow, you’ll confront your husbandand ask him what the hell he was thinking. And then you see what he says. He’ll either give you a good answer, or an answer that will result in us preventing Lakshmi from putting a hit on him.”
Lakshmi nodded, mouth turned down. “I am on board with this, though I really hate how little you all utilize my dark web skills.”
“So much for all my newfound confidence and not caring what people think of me,” Jia said glumly to Lakshmi.
“One, it’s your husband. You can care what he thinks of you. Two, did you miss the part where I told you it took me years of therapy to get that kind of confidence? I gave you this magical tool like two minutes ago. Have a little patience.”
Jia’s spirits rose a little. “That’s true.”
Rhiannon looked between them. “What are you two talking about? Are you friends now?”
“We’re getting there.” Lakshmi winked at Jia. “Which is good. Trying to pass the Bechdel test with only you two is tough.”
Jia glanced around the group. “Has someone else been having man problems?”
“We were trying to explain to Katrina that Jas most definitely intended her ring as an engagement ring, but for someone who loves communication, she doesn’t want to clarify things with her boo,” Lakshmi explained.
