He nodded. “You’re trying to keep control of what you can. In your mind, the driver dies. So, if you’re the driver, you can’t let anyone down but yourself.”
Normally, she would be freaked out that anyone knew her this well. She looked into his deep brown eyes, searching for judgment or disgust. Instead, she found understanding and kindness. She gave a small nod.
They sat in comfortable silence.
She broke the silence. “Tell me about your sister.” Nimita was sure there was some unspoken rule of vacation hookups that said no deep family talk. But right now, she chose to ignore any and all rules. She wanted to know about what was important to him. His sister was important. If he didn’t answer, she’d shut up.
“She’s in remission. Has been for almost four years.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Yeah. She has to get tested a lot, though. There’s always a danger of relapse, and she has to be careful. Chemo left her with brittle bones. She pretends this is not true and ignores my advice all the time.”
She chuckled at his wry tone. He didn’t seem averse to sharing now, so she asked, “Okay, so what does she do? Does she have a boyfriend?”
“She’s a teacher. And no.”
“Would she tell you if she had a boyfriend?”
His eyes widened. “We are very close, so yes.”
“You’re not that overprotective brother who can’t stand the idea of his little sister having a boyfriend, are you?”
He stared at her. “No. No. Of course not.” He grinned at her.
She raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, maybe. But only because she could get sick again. She has a high-risk subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A lot of kids are lucky, they get treated, have a few hard years and stay in remission.”
“But not Malini?”
“No.” His voice was strained. “She’s relapsed twice. The last time she was eighteen, though, so she’s close to the five-year mark. It’s not a guarantee of health, but it’s a big milestone for leukemia patients. The likelihood of remission after five years is very low.”
Nimita shook her head, eyes soft. “Well, she is lucky that you care for her so deeply,” she finally said.
“That’s what I tell her.” He chuckled.
They had ordered room service and donned the hotel robes and talked while they waited for food. Their conversation wandered about, each of them seeming to absorb every detail the other offered, yet still wanting more.
“Who was the last person you were in love with?” he asked.
“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been in love.”
He raised an eyebrow at her.
“I’ve had a few relationships. But no one that I felt I needed to invite into the mess that is my family.” She shrugged. “How about you?”
“I guess I was actually in love with Simmy.” He shrugged. “Or at least what I thought was love.”
“What was she like?” she asked. A little green monster started growing inside her.
“Jealous?” He had the nerve to smirk. And look good doing it.
“Curious,” she countered, hoping she sounded deadpan.
“I thought I loved her. I mean I was still in med school.” He shrugged.
“What happened?”
