Chapter Eleven
Hannah
I’m a little worried about seeing the family.
I have a great relationship with my mom, and with Vik’s dad. They’ve always been good to me, supporting every dream I’ve wanted to pursue. But after I lost my job, I started putting some distance between us. It was easier than going over to see them, terrified I might crack and let something slip.
So, getting ready for what should, by all accounts, be a fun family lunch hasn’t been easy.
Vik’s cryptic warning that his coming would cost me certainly hasn’t helped. I’ve been jumping at shadows all week, half expecting him to appear and carry out whatever he has in mind.
Nothing happened. In fact, we’ve barely seen each other.
He’s been out of the house far more than I expected. Considering the public image he’s built as a secretive recluse, I assumed Vik shut himself away at home and only ventured out when it was absolutely necessary.
Apparently not.
I probably should have realized that after seeing him at the Crucible. But everything that happened there left me in such a haze that I never gave it another thought.
With so much time to myself this week, I found myself replaying that night over and over. Why was he there?
The only explanation I can come up with is that he followed me. He must have seen Lindsey and me leaving the house, changed his plans, and gone to the club after us.
But why go to all that trouble?
Was he trying to keep me safe? Or was it his way of showing me exactly what he wanted?
I sigh as I pull on my white platform sneakers. Mom insisted it was just a simple family lunch and there was no need to dress up.
Thankfully.
I settle on a blue-and-green plaid skirt and a pale blue t-shirt. It’s scorching outside, and I want something light and comfortable.
“Are you ready, Hannah?” Vik calls ten minutes before we’re due to leave.
Butterflies immediately take flight inside my stomach. I grab my handbag and join him in the living room.
Unlike me, who’s dressed for the weather, Vik is wearing a silver suit. The same hat he wore when we met at the diner sits perfectly on his head, although this time, he’s left the coat behind.
“Ready!” I stop beside him.
He tilts his head slightly. My skin prickles as his eyes slowly travel the length of my body before settling on the bare stretch of thigh beneath my skirt.
“You’re ravishing.”
He rises and gestures for me to lead the way. I’m grateful to be walking ahead of him.
That way he can’t see the smile that’s threatening to spread across my face.
Vik’s usual BMW isn’t in the driveway when we step outside. Instead, he opens the door of a large, boxy Rolls-Royce. I sink into the plush leather seat, surprised he’s had this hidden away in the garage the whole time.
I don’t ask, but I’d bet his choosing this car over the BMW has something to do with his dad. I can’t think of any other reason he’d take it out. Not that I’d go so far as to say he’s trying to impress our parents. He’s done enough in his career to earn their admiration a thousand times over.
Then again, maybe I’m overthinking it.
For all I know, he’s simply taking it out for maintenance. Keeping the battery charged or something.
We don’t talk much during the drive. I bet he’s just as nervous as I am. From everything Mom’s told me, Vik has kept his distance from the family ever since he left home. Apart from sending a couple of cards and making one phone call that nobody answered, he cut himself off almost completely.
It’s another mystery I’m desperate to solve. One I doubt Vik will ever let me in on.
“Will you do me a favor?” I ask as we turn onto our parents’ street.
“Isn’t coming here favor enough?” His eyes never leave the road.
“It is. I appreciate it tremendously...” I trail off.
The hard set of his jaw eases as he notices my nerves are getting the better of me. Without a word, he slides a hand onto my knee and gives it a gentle squeeze.
“What can I do for you, Hannah?”
“Don’t tell them we’re living together.”
I don’t know whether he planned to anyway, but I wanted to say it before we arrived. He gives a small nod, and the car slows to a crawl a few houses from our destination.
“I want to ask you something too, Hannah.” He doesn’t wait for my reply. “How did you really end up in this situation?”
Shit. I wasn’t expecting that.
After asking him a question of my own, it’s only fair he gets one in return.
The problem is I don’t have an honest answer. Only the lie I’ve been telling from the start. I’m too deep into it now to admit what really happened at the hospital.
Whatever this strange relationship between us is becoming, it’s been built on shaky foundations. And I’m not ready to watch it crumble.
So, I tell him the same lies again. That nobody’s hiring. That every interview seems promising until it isn’t.
With every word, the knot of guilt in my stomach tightens.
“Okay,” he says simply.
If he suspects I’m lying, he’s incredibly good at hiding it. I’m grateful he doesn’t push any harder because I’d crack.
Still... It’s difficult to believe his question came from simple curiosity. It’s almost as though he’s giving me the chance to confess before he forces the truth out of me.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this was his way of caring.
Our parents are waiting in the driveway when we pull up. Vik’s dad has one arm around my mom’s waist and a beer can in the other. In many ways, Vik is the image of his father. They share the same broad build. The same wavy hair. The same striking eyes.
But that’s where the similarities end. Vik has spent years sculpting his physique, while Damian has let himself go. Then again, Damian is much older and has been happily married to my mom for decades.
“Holy shit, is that a Phantom?” Damian almost shouts from the patio. “I fucking love that car.”
The corner of my mouth twitches. I knew it. Bringing the Rolls wasn’t about practicality at all. It was Vik’s way of making some silly, boyish power move.
I climb out first, and Mom squeals the moment she sees me. I hurry over to her and wrap her in a hug, at the bottom of the steps. Vik follows behind, every movement noticeably stiff.
“I can’t believe you got him to come,” Mom whispers into my ear.
Vik’s close enough to hear every word, but he gives no sign that he has.
“Neither can I.” I glance over my shoulder and give him a playful wink.
It happens without thinking. Almost like I’m trying to ease some of the tension pressing down on him. Even though he doesn’t need me to.
“Son,” Damian says. “It’s good to see you.”
“Happy birthday.” Vik offers his hand.
Damian brushes it aside and pulls him into a hug instead. Vik pats him twice on the back. Awkwardly.
We finish the greetings before heading inside. Mom announces lunch will be ready in an hour... “Or probably two,” she laughs before disappearing into the kitchen.
Vik and I settle into the same spots we’ve occupied since we were kids. Him at the far end of the sofa, as far from everyone else as possible. Me a few cushions away, tucked in close to our parents.
“Big game’s on,” Damian says. “You much of a sports guy?” The question lands harder than it should. I know things between them are strained, but hearing Dad ask something so basic makes me realize just how little they know about each other.
“Not particularly.”
The conversation dies almost instantly.
Damian clears his throat before taking another drink.
“Still rooting for the Longhorns?” Without Mom here, it’s up to me to stop the silence swallowing the room. “Or have you finally come around to supporting the Giants?”
“Longhorns all the way.” Damian chuckles. “You can take a man out of Texas, but you’ll never take Texas out of the man.”
“Make Texas a stripper,” Mom calls from the kitchen between fits of laughter, “and you’ve got the beginning of a very dirty joke, hon.”
Damian and I laugh.
Vik doesn’t.
Lunch follows much the same pattern. Every attempt the two men make to connect ends in awkward silences, clipped replies, and me trying to stitch the conversation back together.
God...
It’s frighteningly easy to slip back into old routines. I’d forgotten how bad things used to be. The tension is thick enough to cut with a knife.
The hour before lunch feels endless, although eating at least gives everyone something else to focus on. I’d thank the food if it could hear me.
By the time lunch is winding down, Vik is clearly ready to leave.
He came. He did what they wanted. Now he’s ready to disappear for another decade.
A knock at the door ruins his escape.
Almost grateful for the interruption, Damian hurries to answer it. It’s one of the neighbors from a few doors down. Before long they’re admiring the Phantom and laughing together. Mom joins them outside, quietly closing the door behind her.
And then there are two. Memories of our childhood come rushing back. Vik sitting exactly where he is now. A storm brewing behind his eyes. Furious about something Dad had done or said, yet unable to walk away.
But we’re not children anymore. He doesn’t have to face this alone. I slip my hand beneath the table and rest it on his knee, just as he did for me in the car.
“Are you okay?”
I’m the one who brought him here.
The least I can do is make sure he doesn’t leave here worse than he arrived.
“Fine.” His answer is automatic.
“It’s getting late. I need to get you home before my meeting.”
“Before we go.” I stand up from the table and tug on his hand to join me. “Why don’t we go see what Mom and Damian have done to our rooms? Might bring back some of the better memories.”
“Doubt it,” he says, but joins me anyway.
Stepping into my teenage bedroom is a surreal experience.
The memories come flooding back. Running down this hallway after school to get my homework done.
Hiding away in a blanket fort on the floor whenever the world became too overwhelming.
Pressing my ear against the bedroom door late at night, listening for movement on the other side. Trying to work out who it was.