Chapter 8 #3
‘Okay. I’ve got all the ingredients and the recipe,’ he said, pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket.
Kaavi leaned over to take a look. The font was ridiculously large.
‘You printed this at the hotel?’
‘Yeah.’
‘But why is the font so big?’
‘Kaavi, we need all the help we can get,’ he said with a straight face.
She burst out laughing, especially when she saw that ‘Add Sugar’ was printed in bold red.
‘You know we’re not that bad. I just forgot the sugar. The cake wasn’t that terrible.’
He raised an eyebrow and said with a mock serious expression: ‘Kaavi, there’s no coming back from a sugarless cake.’
She laughed harder. ‘Okay, let’s get this show on the road.’
She pulled out the mixing bowl and the rest of the utensils, lining them up on the counter. He smoothed the recipe out on the surface, and they started working, slowly building the batter.
‘You look good in shorts,’ she said.
He grinned. ‘Can you stop judging my fashion choices? These are literally the only shorts I have here.’
He glanced down at his gym shorts, black T-shirt, and sneakers.
Kaavi popped the cupcake tray into the oven while Neel set the timer on his phone. They moved easily around each other as they cleaned up.
When the kitchen was spotless and the cupcakes were baking, Neel turned to her.
‘So, what do we do now?’
The look he gave her said everything. She didn’t wait to be asked. She reached for his T-shirt, tugging him towards her.
‘Kiss me, Neel.’
He grinned. ‘That would be a pleasure, Mrs Naran.’
His lips met hers, hungry. He lifted her effortlessly and set her on the counter, hands on her thighs. She moaned into his mouth as he kissed down her neck, his hands steadying her as she leaned back slightly.
Neel’s hands were already on her thighs, spreading them just enough so he could step in between. She gripped the edge of the counter, breath caught in her throat as his mouth found hers again.
He pulled her closer, his hands slipping beneath her dress while she pushed his shorts down. Her dress bunched around her waist as she wrapped her legs around him. His fingers moved fast but gently, hooking her underwear and sliding it off with one hand while steadying her with the other.
She leaned back slightly, letting him look at her.
He slid into her in one slow, deliberate movement.
She gasped, her head falling forward onto his shoulder, her arms wrapping tight around his neck.
He stayed still for a second, just holding her, forehead pressed to hers, breathing with her. Then they moved.
The rhythm built slowly. She moaned into his ear, soft and broken.
He responded with a kiss to her collarbone, the pace shifting, syncing, until everything blurred.
She found ecstasy quietly, her legs trembling, her arms still locked around him.
He followed seconds later, groaning against her skin, his body pressed fully into hers.
For a while, they stayed that way.
They’d just pulled on their clothes in the bathroom after having a quick shower when Kaavi suddenly froze.
‘The cupcakes!’
She bolted. Neel followed her into the kitchen where Kaavi grabbed oven mitts and yanked the tray out of the oven. The cupcakes were burnt beyond saving.
‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ she muttered.
Neel grabbed his phone off the counter.
‘How did the timer not go off?’ she asked.
He glanced at the screen. ‘Oops. Phone was on silent.’
Kaavi groaned.
The doorbell rang. She didn’t even look up.
‘Can you get that, please? I need to sort this out.’
Neel opened the door and blinked. Kaavi’s grandfather stood there, already reaching out to shake his hand. Then, without waiting, the old man stepped inside.
Kaavi swivelled round to face him, stunned.
Her grandfather never visited. When he wanted to see her or Sen, he sent a message and expected them at his house.
‘Well, it’s good to see you two together. Everything alright?’
They both nodded.
He looked at Neel.
‘When are you heading back to Johannesburg?’
‘At the end of the month,’ Neel replied.
The old man nodded. ‘So, in two weeks.’
He looked between them. ‘You two must get on with life. No use lingering here. The sooner you get back into routine, the better.’
Neel’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He checked it.
‘Sorry. It’s a work emergency. I’ve got to go.’
‘No problem. You must work. Go on,’ her grandfather said.
Neel gave Kaavi a small smile and left. As the door shut, her grandfather turned to her.
‘I smell burnt baked goods. That means you and I are walking to the bakery downstairs.’
Kaavi didn’t protest.
‘So, your grandfather arrived right after you guys did the deed?’ Shona asked.
Kaavi nodded. ‘Yeah. But I don’t think he knew. I don’t think he had a clue what was happening. Neel, though, feels like such an idiot. He’s convinced Granddad thinks he’s an idiot because he was so shell-shocked.’
‘Neel? Dumb?’ Shona snorted. ‘No way. That man is sharp and calm. Like, unnervingly calm. Level-headed too.’
Kaavi rolled her eyes. ‘You haven’t seen a hungry Neel.’
‘Ohhh, hungry Neel,’ Anni grinned.
‘Hey! Stop it. I didn’t mean that kind of hungry. I meant for food.’
She jabbed a finger at Shona. ‘I hate when you two talk about S-E-X.’
‘You spelled it out?’ Shona said, cracking up.
‘Because you,’ Kaavi continued, eyes narrowing at Shona, ‘are married to my cousin. I really don’t need to hear what you guys get up to.’
Anni laughed. ‘You can’t even say the word!’
‘But seriously, Kaavi,’ she added, looking at her properly. ‘You’re glowing. You look good. Happier than most women going through a divorce.’
Kaavi looked around Riya’s bar, still wondering why they kept coming back. The service was always terrible. But a friend was a friend and Gavin was a friend; thankfully, he was working today. Riya wasn’t, which meant they actually had drinks in front of them.
She turned to Anni. ‘Say what you want to say. I know it’s burning a hole in your chest.’
Then to Shona. ‘And you. You’ve got that look.’
Shona held up her hands. ‘Nope. I’ve got nothing.’
Anni mimed zipping her lips.
‘Oh, come on. Just say it. I’m not going to get mad,’ Kaavi said.
‘Fine. I’ll go first,’ Anni said.
‘That was fast,’ Kaavi muttered.
‘Shh. Just listen. Look, I know you’ve been through a lot. I know healing takes time. And I get that you think Neel’s just sticking around because of everything that’s happened. But seriously, are you happy with him?’
Kaavi didn’t answer.
Anni leaned in. ‘Why don’t you just tell him you want to stay married and be together? Why don’t you tell him the truth?’
A pause.
‘Somebody has to say it,’ Anni said.
‘I know, Anni. But what if I tell him … and he rejects me?’
‘But what if he doesn’t?’ Shona asked.
Kaavi shook her head.
‘I don’t know. I really don’t. I’ll think about it another time.’
She took a long sip of her drink. ‘Anyway. Can we change the subject? What’s happening with the workshops?’
Anni pulled out her notebook. ‘Alright. Kelly’s ordered the makeup kits from her supplier. I love that you chose a local shop to do the order. The kits are arriving on Sunday afternoon and she’s promised to deliver them to the hotel first thing Monday morning to be ready for you, Kaavi.’
Shona jumped in. ‘Just a heads-up, I’ll be in Durban for the first few days, sorting out the shop. So I won’t be there at the start.’
‘But I will. I’m there to help you and manage registration. We’ve got this,’ Anni said.
‘How are the numbers looking? It’s school holidays. I can’t imagine many kids want to spend their break at a makeup workshop,’ Kaavi said.
‘Are you serious?’ Anni stared at her. ‘Kaavi, we’ve got almost 30 girls signed up. They’re hyped. Because you’re doing it.’
‘Wait, really?’ Kaavi blinked. ‘You’re not just saying that?’
‘Really, Kaavi,’ Anni said.
‘Really,’ Shona echoed, leaning in. ‘You have no idea what this means to them.’
Kaavi stayed quiet.
Shona continued, ‘And it’s not about the makeup, not really. None of them even knows they’re getting free kits. They signed up because of the last one. They felt something.’
She paused.
‘Remember that girl? The one whose mom said her dad hated makeup and called women who wore it sluts? You sat with her. Talked about choice and power. About finding your voice.’
Anni nodded. ‘You changed something for her.’
‘These aren’t just classes, Kaavi,’ Shona said. ‘You’re teaching them how to own who they are and you’re rocking it.’
That night, after the catch-up with Shona and Anni, Kaavi climbed into bed and lay still for a moment.
Two weeks ago, her life looked completely different.
Her husband was back in her life. Her father, who’d cast a shadow over her life for years, even from a distance, was finally gone and somehow the grip he’d had on her without even being present was starting to fade.
Also, tonight, she’d learned something else: she was making a difference in girls’ lives. In real, lasting ways. It mattered. And for the first time in a long time, Kaavi went to sleep feeling just a little lighter.
Neel didn’t see Kaavi over the weekend. He’d hoped to, but a work emergency had pulled him into back-to-back video calls with export partners across Africa. There was no way out of them. By the time things finally quietened down, it was too late to knock on her door.
He figured he might catch her at the hotel on Monday during her lunch break from the workshops, but she wasn’t around. After waiting a while, he gave up, went back to his suite and buried himself in work again.