Chapter 18
TANISHA
Her father’s eyes tracked her as she paced up and down in front of his desk, the click of her sandals sharp in the quiet room. Frustration and anxiety warred for the upper hand as she tried to get him to understand her urgency.
“Dad, I’m telling you something is wrong.”
Karam leaned back in his chair, watching her closely. “On the basis of him storming out of a family lunch and ditching a shopping trip?”
“Yes.” Tani threw her hands up in the air.
Karam laughed. “Honestly, Tan Tan, that sounds like Kabir on a good day.”
“Dad!” She groaned in irritation. “Please.”
“Okay. What would you like me to do?” He was still smiling, an amused smirk that annoyed her.
“There is someone contacting him, all the time. Messages, calls. He doesn’t take them. But every time his phone pings, I see his expression change. Dad, it hurts.” She swallowed hard. “He hurts.”
Karam’s smile disappeared, his gaze sharpening. “He has a stalker or something?”
“I don’t know.” Tani shrugged helplessly. “He won’t tell me what’s going on.”
Karam frowned even as he reached for his phone. “Did something happen between Kabir and you, Tani?”
She froze, ice trickling through her. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know.” Karam thumbed his phone open, watching her. “You guys have seemed off since you came back. And Kabir and you…you’re never off. Never have been before.”
Her mind raced frantically, thoughts tumbling over each other like hamsters in a race.
“We’re not off,” she said finally, unable to come up with anything more convincing.
“Come on Dad. I’m twenty five, in love and getting married.
He’s…well he’s Kabir. He’s a freaking rockstar, older, definitely wilder, nowhere close to settling down.
I guess, we’re just…growing apart.” Her throat hurt as she forced the last couple of words out.
“Hmm.” Karam didn’t move, his gaze boring into her.
“Dad,” she said, her hands going to her hair, tunnelling through and tugging. “Please.”
Karam tapped on the phone he still held, dialling. It connected a second later and he said, “Ved, we need to talk.”
“No!” Tani surged forward but Karam held a hand up, palm out, stopping her from saying anything.
“Tani’s worried about Kabir.” Karam listened to what Ved was saying, the expression on his face growing grave. “Why don’t you come down to my office? Tani’s here with me.”
He put the phone down and looked at her. “Ved’s worried too. He picked up on the same things you mentioned.”
Tani groaned. “But Kabir’s going to think I snitched on him!”
“You did,” Karam said without remorse.
“To you! That’s different. You can’t bring his father into it.”
“I can and I am.” Karam looked at her steadily. “If it was you, I’d expect any of them to do the same.”
Her gaze fell from his, shame streaming through her. He wasn’t wrong but that didn’t make her feel better.
“What’s up with you Tani girl?” he said softly. “You’ve not been right since you came home.”
“I’m fine,” she said shortly. “We’re talking about Kabir now.”
“There was a time we didn’t talk about Kabir without talking about you.”
The soft words had pain pinching her heart, making her breathing tight. “Times change,” she murmured, blinking back tears.
“Nothing changes that much,” he replied. “Or it shouldn’t.”
A moment of silence and then he asked, “Is it Jay? Does he have a problem with Kabir and you being friends?”
“Friends?” She gave a watery chuckle. “He’s ten years older than me, Dad. We were hardly hanging out, or chasing each other on the playground.”
“There are all kinds of friends, Tan Tan,” he said quietly. “And Kabir and you were the best kind.” He leaned forward, holding out a hand for hers. “You didn’t answer my question. Is it Jay?”
Tani slipped her hand into his, let his rough fingers give hers a protective squeeze. The tears she’d been fighting slipped free.
“Yeah,” she admitted. “It’s Jay but it’s also me, Dad.”
“This is what you want?” he asked, his fingers tightening on hers.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “It is.”
At least she thought it was.
“But Tan,” he said quietly. “No man, not even me, should be telling you how to live your life, or whom to have in it. Make sure it is what you truly want before you do anything drastic.”
A knock on the door saved Tani from answering. They turned to see Ved walk in, Aakash at his back.
“Who invited you?” Karam scowled, rising to his feet.
“I don’t need an invite.” Aakash grinned. “I’m one of those people who is always welcome. Unlike you,” he added pointedly.
Ved rolled his eyes as Karam snapped, “Don’t you have a universe to run?”
“At this point, my friend,” Aakash sat down and made himself comfortable, “it pretty much runs itself.”
“Yash is on his way,” Ved said. “Hi Tani.”
She sighed. “Hi.”
Shit. Kabir was going to kill her. And for the first time, she wasn’t completely sure she didn’t deserve it.