Epilogue
FOUR YEARS LATER…
“Your husband is a fascist!”
Zara exploded through the front door of their penthouse, rage, frustration and teenage hormones swirling in a dense cloud around her angry face.
“Uh huh,” Tani replied, picking up her cup of herbal tea and sipping. She grimaced at the taste. God, she missed coffee…
Across from where Tani sat on the couch, snuggled under a throw with a book on her lap, Zara paced, her angry footsteps a perfect accompaniment to the cloud of her emotions.
The front door opened, more calmly this time, and Kabir strolled in. As it always did, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. Kabir walked over to where Tani sat and settled down beside her, drawing her legs into his lap. He massaged the soles of her feet gently and a happy sigh escaped her.
“This,” Zara hissed suddenly, making Tani jump, “is not South Korea. This is not a dictatorship.”
“And clearly the money we’re spending on private school is being wasted on you,” Kabir replied, stealing Tani’s mug and taking a sip. “Ugh!” He pulled a face. “What is this?”
“Herbal tea,” Tani replied mournfully.
“Are the two of you listening to me?” Zara screeched.
“It’s hard not to,” Kabir drawled, “especially when you hit that high pitch.”
“Oh ha ha. You’re so funny.” Zara planted her hands on her hips and glared at her brother. “You can’t stop me from seeing Josh.”
“I can and I did.” Kabir’s voice was inflexible.
Tani abandoned her cup of tea. There was only so many of her taste buds she was going to sacrifice for her health.
“Why are you being so mean?” Zara wailed, the dramatics as always on point. This one was going to take Broadway by storm when she debuted. “He’s the love of my life. Tani, you understand no? You fell in love with this one.” She points a disgusted finger at Kabir.
“The difference,” Kabir interjected smoothly before Tani could reply, “is that Bug had good taste in men. I know the Josh’s of this world. I’ve been a Josh. You can do better.”
“Good taste,” Zara sneered, derision dripping from the words.
“Hey!” Kabir protested. “She fell in love with a fucking rockstar.”
“Language,” Tani murmured, reminding herself eerily of her mother.
“Rockstars are supposed to be cool, fun, and rebels. You,” Zara sniffed, “are a disgrace. Stick in the mud, boring, pain in the ass.”
“Keep talking and your allowance is going to disappear for a while.”
“This is exactly what dictators do,” Zara intoned, “Use money to control you. I may as well move to South Korea now.”
“Make it North Korea and we have a deal,” Kabir snapped as Tani smothered a laugh.
Deciding a change of subject was in order, she asked, “Are you guys packed? We have a very early start tomorrow.”
“I’ll get to it.” The surly response had Kabir rolling his eyes.
“Now, Zara,” Tani said gently but firmly. They watched as their teenager flounced off to her room to pack, the door slamming shut behind her.
They were leaving for India in the morning, going home to attend Vedika’s wedding. Tani couldn’t wait to see everyone, get pampered by her parents, irritate her brother and, her hand curved around her still flat stomach, give them her good news.
“Doing okay?” Kabir murmured, his hand coming to cover hers, leaning in to kiss her.
“Doing fantastic,” she whispered, kissing him back.
“I don’t want you exerting yourself too much, okay? I’m not going to let you.”
Tani grinned and poked Kabir in the side. “You are a fascist.”
He growled, pretending to be offended, even as he drew her into his lap and snuggled her. “Kabs?”
“Hmm?” He nuzzled his face into her hair.
“You don’t think Vedu is rushing into this?
” Tani chewed on her lower lip as she spoke, her mind flicking to her sweet, sensitive, painfully shy friend, little sister really.
She barely knew the man Vedika was marrying beyond the fact that Vedika insisted he was good to her.
But going from first date to marriage in five months?
“It’s too soon,” Tani murmured, almost to herself.
“Not everyone meets the love of their life at the age of five,” Kabir said loftily.
Tani huffed a laugh, nudging his shoulder, but the worry in her eyes lingered. Kabir noticed. He always did. He reached across the couch and smoothed the small frown between her brows with his thumb.
“It’s going to be fine, Bug.” His voice was warm, teasing. “He’s marrying Aakash and Kanak Thakkar’s daughter. He’s probably been vetted by RAW at this point.”
She smiled, because he wasn’t wrong, but still, her heart twisted uneasily. Maybe she’d feel better once she met the guy. Maybe she should call Vik and see what his take on the whole thing was.
Except Vik had been suspiciously silent lately. Barely responding on the family group. Ignoring her personal messages altogether.
Kabir’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Is Advik coming over tonight or meeting us at the airport?”
“Airport,” she replied. Advik was halfway through his master’s at NYU, thriving, happier than she had ever seen him. At least she didn’t need to worry about that sibling. Because that’s what they all were, weren’t they? Every one of them, hers as much as Rehan was.
A sudden knock startled her, jerking her out of her thoughts. Who could that even be? Very few people were cleared to access their floor directly.
Kabir rose and strode to the door. When he opened it, Advik stepped in, dragging a suitcase behind him.
He looked terrible. His eyes were bloodshot, his beard unkempt, and his whole face flushed with barely contained anger.
Kabir shot Tani a look over his shoulder, eyebrows lifting. So much for Advik was thriving.
Advik cleared his throat. “I hope it’s okay… I came a day early. I just…” He rubbed his jaw, searching for words. “I wanted to be around family.”
“Of course,” Tani said immediately, rising to her feet.
Before she could say another word, Zara’s door flew open like it had been kicked.
“ADI!!!” she shrieked.
She bolted toward him, launching herself into his arms like a misguided missile. Advik staggered but caught her, laughing despite the exhaustion etched into him.
“Come with me,” Zara declared, grabbing his wrist and tugging hard. “I have to tell you something in private.”
The glare she levelled at Kabir as she said that could have melted steel. Kabir just rolled his eyes at her like the overgrown teenager he was. “Say bye bye allowance,” he called out to her retreating back.
Laughing helplessly, Advik let himself be dragged into her room. The door slammed behind them an instant later.
Kabir arched a brow. “Well,” he drawled. “It’s going to be an interesting trip.”
Tani exhaled slowly, a rueful smile tugging at her lips. That it was. That it absolutely was.