Page 56 of The Promise of a Traitor

Tomorrow. Her engagement day. Aastha sat down on the side of the bed, the breath seeming to leave her body. She was getting engaged to Advik tomorrow.

Her mother and his had been constantly on the phone, frantic arrangements being set in place for what was starting to look like a remarkably big party for something that was happening in such a hurry.

Amyra nudged her with her shoulder. “Are you happy?”

Aastha considered that question. Was she happy? Deliriously. Was she scared? Epically. Was it possible for them to have their own ‘happy ever after’ or were Advik and she only fooling themselves? Setting themselves up for future heartbreak? She didn’t know.

“I have to get to the café,” she said, not answering her sister’s question. “There’s a birthday party order that I need to see to.”

“Aastha Di.” Amyra’s voice stopped her as she moved to get ready for the day. “Don’t do this. Not for them.”

“I’m not doing anything for them.” Aastha pulled out a dress, a cream linen shift with tiny flowers embroidered on it. It was a gloomy day outside, rain pattering along the windowpanes in a steady dribble. The least she could do was dress for the kind of summery weather she craved.

She was just about to disappear back into the bathroom when Amyra said, “Then don’t do it for me. I’m not going to live long enough for your sacrifice to be worth it.”

“Shut up.” Aastha’s hand clenched around the doorjamb. “Your illness isn’t terminal.”

“Aastha Di,” Amyra’s tired exhale had her heart clenching. “The constant battering my body is taking, I honestly don’t think it can last too long.”

“And I could die tomorrow in a train wreck!” Aastha snapped.

There was a moment’s silence and then Amyra said, “Only if you get on a train. When was the last time that happened?”

“Around the same time you got into an autorickshaw, brat,” Aastha grinned. Her phone pinged and both sisters glanced at the lit display.

“Oh great,” Amyra grumbled. “He’s messaging again. Weren’t you guys up till about one last night talking? What’s left to say?”

Yes, Aastha thought with a smile. They had been. Talking about everything and nothing all at once.

Pick you up in half an hour?

She replied with a quick yes, placing the phone face down on the bed.

“I thought you had to get to the café?”

Amyra’s snide question had Aastha elbowing her. “He can drop me off.” She got up to head to the bathroom and paused. “Why don’t you come with me? You can study at the café. I’ll set you up in a corner table towards the back.”

Amyra shook her head. “I’ll just study in bed. It’s easier.”

Which was code for ‘I’m too tired to get out of bed.’ Aastha hesitated. Maybe she should let Rohan handle the party and stay home with Amyra. The odds of her having a seizure were always higher when she was tired.

“Go,” Amyra said. “I can almost see your worries and fears dancing around your head. Please go!”

Aastha showered and changed quickly. When she exited the bathroom, Amyra had her headphones on and her face buried in a physics textbook. She kissed the top of her head and exited the room only to run smack dab into engagement madness in the living room. Her mother had overturned what looked like the contents of her entire wardrobe in the living room and was pawing through piles of brightly coloured clothes. She glanced up when Aastha stepped into the room.

“Oh good!” Binita said brightly. “You can help me figure out what I can repurpose from this for your trousseau.”

“I have to get to work,” Aastha muttered, stepping around Binita’s madness.

“You can spend an hour helping out at home,” Binita snapped. “When was the last time you did anything for us?”

When was the last time you did anything for us? A bubble of hysterical laughter stuck in her throat. She’d been working herself to the bone trying to earn enough money to keep them afloat, taking care of Amyra, and keeping them all sane. But when was the last time she did anything for them?

“The yellow chiffon ghaghra fits you well? For tomorrow?” Binita called out, even as she spread out a pale peach saree, her hands trying to smoothen out the wrinkles.

Aastha didn’t bother with an answer. She just slammed the door shut behind her, leaving the toxic atmosphere of her home behind us. She took a deep breath of fresh air as she stepped out of the building and onto the pavement outside.

Advik was waiting for her, his car idling by the front gate of the building. She hurried over and slipped into the passenger seat, pulling the seatbelt over her and locking it into place.