But Avi had been so genuinely apologetic and remorseful since he’d come home. He never actually thought his letter telling Krish that he wasn’t at fault would send Krish searching for hisabductor or killer. Avi had done it partially for the same reason that Krish had put trackers on himself in case he disappeared on his mission. He’d only wanted to give his brother some closure and an untarnished memory.
After meeting him, Sejal could see why Krish had bailed Avi out so much over the years. Krish’s younger brother was damn charming. She hoped that would serve him well when he testified against his former partner and colleagues.
Avi would have to present himself to serve out his own sentence soon, too, but it was way more reduced than it would have been if he hadn’t pled guilty and cooperated.
Krish found Sejal in the room immediately, as he usually did, and a smile split his face. He came to her and held out his hand. She took it and stood.
“Maybe they’ll do it now,” Rhea whispered loudly to Aarthi, and got an elbow in return.
“Do what?” Sejal asked.
“You know very well that they have bets running on when you’ll get engaged,” Isha said. She hadn’t let go of their niece, and Ananya’s arms were tight around her aunt’s neck, too. The two of them were best friends.
“Oh.” Krish surveyed the parents in the room. “You’re all going to lose. Sejal doesn’t want to get married, and I don’t really care.”
There was an immediate outcry, as there always was.
“You’ll change your mind.”
“It’s a beautiful commitment.”
“Don’t you want to belong to one another?”
“You’re meant to be with each other. Remember the necklace?”
“More tick!”
The last shout came from Ananya, but it completed the chorus. Krish held his hand up, to get everyone to subside. “How about we just announce in front of everyone that we love each other, and that’s enough?”
Sejal smiled at him. He’d told her he loved her after buying her a salad one day, a few months ago, and she didn’t think she’d ever get tired of hearing it. He said it so easily, like it wasn’t a big deal, and she’d come to realize that when love was real, it was easy.
“Sejal, I can’t believe you’re being so stubborn.” Aarthi crossed her arms over her chest. “Cheating me out of a wedding.”
“I have very good reasons for not wanting the legal trappings of marriage.” No matter how much she loved and trusted Krish, to Sejal, marriage, the piece of paper, still felt suffocating, like she was drowning under a huge wave. It wasn’t like she’d had the best examples of wedded bliss growing up.
Maybe one day her mind would change, or maybe it wouldn’t, but she was content with how things stood right now. “But if you want a big party, we could host one, if you like.”
Aarthi opened her mouth, then closed it. “A party would be nice.”
“Let’s do it in some tropical spot,” Mira said, and placed her head on Naveen’s shoulder.
Sejal smiled. “A beach would be amazing.”
Avi cleared his throat from where he stood next to the hearth. “I will, sadly, have to RSVP my regrets. I will probably be in a jail cell.”
They collectively winced, but Avi lifted his hand. “Sorry, sorry, gallows humor! It’s fine, I’m fine with it. We love an accountable king, don’t we?”
Sejal cleared her throat. “Aarthi, Rhea, why don’t you organize our non-wedding party?”
Rhea had already pulled her glasses out. “Get your computer, Aarthi. Don’t worry, I won’t look at your search history.”
Krish’s mother frowned at Rhea. “Like I’d leave it for you to look at.”
Krish grabbed Sejal’s hand and dragged her away. They went upstairs to their room. She considered talking, but they did enough of that. It was rude to leave, perhaps, but Aarthi and Patrick were the hosts, not them.
He stripped her clothes off in that methodical, deliberate way he had, then grasped her by the hips and pulled her closer. She lifted her head and kissed him.
It was the kind of kiss two people might give each other after being shipwrecked for years and craving human contact. She consumed him and gave him life simultaneously. He ran his hands up her sides, skimming the sides of her breasts.
