“But you do?”
“Yes.” Vedika nodded though her cousin couldn’t see her.
“That’s wonderful, V,” Kimi said warmly yet hesitantly. “If you’re finally feeling the tingles for Ashish, then it just makes it all the more perfect right? The fairytale is coming true.”
“Not him.”
Kimi went very, very quiet on the other end. “Someone else?” she asked, her voice a whisper now.
Vedika nodded again but she couldn’t get her voice to frame the words. Finally she managed a strangled ‘hmm’.
“V, it’s normal to feel attracted to someone,” Kimi said, after a beat. “Even if you’re in a relationship, you’re not dead. But you know what’s important, right?”
“That I don’t act on it,” Vedika whispered.
“Yeah.” Kimi agreed. “Look at me being the sensible one! I bet the damn pigs have reached London by now.”
Vedika laughed, a watery chuckle.
“Who is he?” Kimi asked, her curiosity filtering through the phone.
Oh no, that wasn’t something Vedika could share. There were lines and then there was this line. She wouldn’t be stepping over this one.
“Just someone I met in Goa,” she murmured.
“Well, like I said,” Kimi replied wryly. “You’re living the life I dream of.” Her voice gentled, aware that her introverted sister wouldn’t be able to handle too much. “You’re going to be fine, V. It’s a little slice of life that’s out of the ordinary. Once you’re back home, everything will fall into place.”
“Yeah.” Vedika exhaled. “I need to go shower now. Wash the ocean off me. We’ll talk later?”
“You…you went in the water?” Kimi sounded possibly dumbfounded now. “ Who are you and what have you done with my sister?” she demanded.
Vedika laughed. “I guess even I am capable of being adventurous once in a while.”
“Is it because of him?” Kimi asked, now sounding a little panicked. “This mystery man?”
“No, of course not,” Vedika lied, defensively. “Listen, I need to go for a bath. The water’s getting cold. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
Before Kimi could sputter out her objections, Vedika hung up. She slipped off her undergarments and stepped under the hot spray, allowing it to wash away her confusion, doubt and worry.
Her phone chimed, the alert signalling new email. But she didn’t bother with it. For now, all she wanted to do was wash away this day and with it the confusing feelings coursing through her.
When her fingers started to wrinkle, and she’d scrubbed herself raw, she stepped out and dried herself off, dressing in a comfortable pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She wrapped her hair in a towel, twisting it into a turban on top of her head. She’d just stepped out of the bathroom when she heard the knock on the door.
Frowning, she walked over and opened it. Daksh stood on the other side, a bag dangling from his fingers, camera kit slung over the other shoulder.
“I brought you dinner,” he said.
“From what I’ve been able to figure out,” he continued when she did nothing but stare at him, “you prefer bland food, nothing too rich or too spicy. I picked mashed potatoes, french fries, grilled chicken, and a light chicken soup for your dinner tonight. Figured something out of that should work for you.”
Vedika continued to stare at him, unable to summon a single, coherent word.
“May I come in?” he asked, holding the bag up in the air.
“I thought,” she said, finally finding her voice, “you were looking forward to the tandoori lobster.”
Daksh’s gaze snagged on hers and held it with an intensity that had her knees feeling strangely liquefied.
“Fuck the lobster,” he said, quietly.
