“What? No smart-ass comeback?”

“If I had one, I would’ve already given it.”

“True.” She studied my face like she was reading code. “Dark. Brooding. Sure. It makes sense. Your mother must’ve seen it on your face the moment she laid eyes on you.”

“I was an adorable baby, the sunshine of her life. I don’t mind the name.”

“Because Sunny is pleasant. Unlike Bane.”

“Since Bhanu means ‘sunny,’ we can’t have two Sunnys, can we?”

“You’re right. That’s too much sunshine in the world.”

“I’m essentially saving the world from combusting from all this heat. You’re welcome, world.”

She rolled her eyes, but she’d never admit that my nickname for her bothered her, even a little. Or was in any way annoying. “As perplexing as you are, you’re a grump named sunshine. Ha! Get it!” She cackled.

“Smart-ass to the end. That wasn’t even funny.”

“Then why are you smiling?”

“You must have that word confused with ‘unimpressed.’ ”

She looked up from over the rim of her cup, her thick lashes fluttering. She didn’t have a comeback but held my gaze. And…well, maybe her face wasn’t hard to look at. All right, it was pretty easy, like the flash of a spectrum of colors with the movement of indented lines when scrolling through perfectly written code. Mesmerizing. Satisfying to watch.

What…the hell was I thinking? And why was I staring?

Bane blew out a breath. “So impassive. Do you even have emotions? Better yet, do you even know what emotions are?”

Ah, excellent. My stoicism was finally working in my favor. She couldn’t tell I was admiring those thick, dark lashes framing rich brown eyes, the sparkle of her nose stud on her petite nose, or those full lips stained with pink. Lips that puckered every time she took a sip.

Strange. When Sejal accused me of being robotic, it was a verbal stab, a brawl, a call to arms that both angered and ridiculed. When Bane said it, it was just her jesting, a way for us to keep volleying quips. And I didn’t mind it one binary byte.

Thirteen Bhanu

Sunny and I parted ways after we’d returned. His friends had been very nice and welcoming, and it was different to see him relaxed. But there had been thinly veiled animosity with his ex, which led me to needing to know what had transpired between them.

No! No! Don’t fall into the drama trap! Or break any of the rules of this arrangement.

On the car ride to the farm, Sunny had taken me away from the bride’s group and it was a no-brainer to know why. He didn’t want our ruse to fall apart. But I’d joined the ladies on the way back, and it had been fine. Sunny had insisted to no end to go couples or Uber, but I’d somehow managed to talk him down off his weird ledge. The deception wouldn’t fall apart, and I’d had a nice time.

Maya sat in the back seat with me, Sejal drove, and April navigated the conversation from up front. Every time they aimed to get more details about me, my life, or my relationship with Sunny, I expertly maneuvered back to them. I honestly wanted to know more about them. My energy may have been drained being around strangers, no matter how much effort I put into my pulled-back shoulders and smile, but people were fascinating. Which helped keep my anxiety at bay; no sudden need to hide in another room, no socially overstimulated brain shutting down, no withering posture wishing to fade away. Sunny’s friends had made me feel as comfortable as being one of their own.

For example, April kicked ass in a field dominated by men. She was a manager, didn’t take any crap, and made a point to wear some shade of pink and/or shimmer daily. Aside from pink being her favorite color, she loved to see how uncomfortable it made some men in STEM.

Maya was Gujarati, just like Aamar, Sunny, and myself. She spoke seven languages that she’d learned just because, and had a map of the world with a hundred pushpins indicating where she’d been. Her goal was to reach every continent, including Antarctica (apparently tourists were allowed during the summer months, most likely staying put on a boat), and as many countries as possible. The idea of traveling exhausted me, but it brought her to life.

Sejal was…not interested in talking. Which made me want to know even more!

Aside from the standishoffish vibes from her, surely it must’ve been strange for her to be in the same car with her ex’s current girlfriend, but sis had nothing to worry about. In fact, if she wanted Sunny back and he wanted her, I’d be all for it. I sort of wanted to tell her that.

Honey, if he’s the love of your life and you want him back, take your shot.

But that wasn’t my business. Even though I would help them.

Once we’d returned to the hotel, the groups went their separate ways. More bonding time for friends, which was great. Being around strangers who wanted to know everything about me had depleted all my energy. I was tuckered out.

I returned, alone, to the villa for a quick nap, only to be awakened by Diya jumping into bed with me.

“Ugh. What time is it?” I groaned, prying open my eyes.

“Almost six, Sleeping Beauty.”

“The original Sleeping Beauty has horrific underlying tones of assault.”

“Don’t sour the mood when you know what I’m here for.”

“To feed me?”

Diya tapped my belly and I flinched with a giggle. “Surely your man fed you while you were out.”

“Just coffee.”

“Nah. He needs to do better than that. Can’t ever let your loved ones be in want of food.”

“No one said anything about love.”

She snuggled up against my side. “Maybe not yet.”

Pangs of guilt plucked away at my conscience. I should probably tell her the truth before she created some fanciful future for us. I didn’t want her upset with me later on, much less disappointed.

“Are you going to have a big fat Indian wedding?”

And…there it was.

“Because I need to know ahead of time to get outfits. I haven’t been to an Indian wedding in years. I miss getting extra, not to mention the food. Kimo doesn’t want an elaborate wedding, and neither do I. Sounds stressful to plan one.”

“Wait.” I turned my head toward her, bumping my chin against her forehead and rubbing her head with an apology. “You and Kimo are discussing marriage?”

“We’ve had chats. Nothing saying we’re ready for the next step, and who knows? Maybe the next step for us is to move in together.”

“Oof. Don’t tell the parents that. Speaking of parents, don’t get them all excited about Sunny. You don’t get excited, either. Trust me.”

“Too late. Trust me. And what do you mean? You sound like nothing will ever come out of this.”

“We’re…newish.”

“Well, if he has any common sense, he’ll put a ring on that finger and a baby in that uterus.”