I gripped the edge of the table.This is not the time, Ananya. Focus. Breathe.
Jai’s here. I didn’t want him to see me like this.
In. Out. In– nothing. The corners of my vision started blurring.
‘Honey, I’m home.’ The sing-song voice came from far away.
Then, a door slammed shut. Like a shot from a pistol, it startled me.
Oxygen rushed into my lungs. And with it came shame. Guilt. All of this was happening because I was betraying him, breaking his trust.
‘Ananya?’ Rhea came into view, looking concerned.
I forced a smile onto my face, picking at my nail. ‘Huh?’
‘You kind of … What happened there?’ she asked, studying Jai and then me.
‘I … um … Jai loved my designs and offered me a job,’ I replied. ‘I was just shocked, that’s all.’
She frowned as if she didn’t believe me.
I gave her a look.Please, drop this;Jai’s here.
‘That’s such great news!’ Rhea’s tone was excited, but I could tell she didn’t mean it.
I forced another smile. ‘Yeah,’ I said, turning to Jai. ‘Thank you, it means a lot.’ I wasn’t entirely lying. It really was amazing.
Jai didn’t look like he believed me either.
‘But I think now isn’t the time for it. I’ve signed a contract to stay until Kavita is back, and I don’t want to leave you high and dry,’ I said. ‘It’s only a couple of months anyway.’
‘Are you sure?’ he asked. ‘I can get a temp to fill your position.’
If I left, there was a good possibility that Rekha would fill this position with someone who would actually spy on Jai. And I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t know what her intentions were, but I had a feeling they weren’t good. I’d waited all my life for this opportunity; I could wait for Kavita to return and make sure he was in good hands.
‘I am.’ I nodded.
Somehow, the three of us ended up on the sofa, and Rhea was telling us about her date.
‘… so I order a matcha—’
‘Just like a goat,’ I chimed in.
‘It isnota grass smoothie!’ She chucked a pillow at my head. ‘And this dude pulled out a shaker bottle and a protein powder sachet from his bag.’
‘He didn’t.’ My eyebrows shot up.
‘I wish he didn’t,’ she muttered. ‘Then he asked the barista to shake almond milk and the protein powder in his bottle and use it to make coffee. I felt like the whole café stopped to judge me. The server definitely did.’
Jai and I burst out laughing.
‘I wanted to crawl under my table and die,’ she groaned, hiding her face in her hands.
‘And this doesn’t even make the top five of her most disastrous dates,’ I told Jai.
‘No way.’ He shook his head with a chuckle. ‘If that’s what’s out there, you deserve a medal for your patience, not judgement.’
‘Thank you!’ Rhea said and then glared at me. ‘That’s how supportive you should be. Be a better friend.’
