Page 69 of The Promise of a Traitor

“Mmph,” Aastha mumbled, hopping on one foot and almost toppling over. She braced herself against the bed and tried to rub the burgeoning bruise on her ankle.

Amyra rested her head on Aastha’s shoulder letting out a little sigh of contentment. “Yesterday was lovely,” she said with a dreamy little smile.

Aastha froze. “It was?”

“Of course it was,” Amyra giggled. Giggled! “It was your engagement, after all.”

Aastha cast a cautious look in her direction. “Right,” she murmured. “So you had fun?”

Amyra straightened, excitement causing her face to flush. “Yes. They’re all so much fun.”

“They?”

“Jiju’s cousins.”

Right. Jiju. The term of respect had her heart sinking in her chest.

Amyra didn’t seem to notice her worried expression, continuing to prattle on, “Do you think I should cut my hair like Zara’s? It was so cool, how it fell in waves down her back.”

“Your hair is beautiful,” Aastha said automatically, her mind scrambling in a million different directions. How badly was her sister’s heart going to break when this engagement was called off?

“They’re all so good looking no, Di?” Amyra asked now, her voice uber casual.

Aastha’s antenna quivered as she watched her younger sister’s face. “I guess so,” she said warily. “Who exactly are we talking about?”

“Oh all of them,” Amyra tried to pull off a nonchalant shrug but it was contradicted by the red spots in her cheeks and her glittering eyes. “You know, Zara, Vedika, Daksh, Rehaan…”

Amyra’s voice went up a decibel, almost squeaking on the last name. Oh Rehaan, Aastha thought….Very badly, her sister’s heart was going to break very badly.

“Amu,” she began.

“I know,” Amyra snuggled closer, kissing Aastha’s cheek. “I know. A boy like him would never like a girl like me. But it’s nice to dream, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean a girl like you?” Aastha bristled angrily. “Also, Rehaan is way too old for you. If he said or did anything-“

“Of course he didn’t.” Amyra smiled wryly. “Look at me, Di. Don’t act delulu.”

Aastha was about to argue when a knock on the bedroom door startled them both. The door opened and her mother poked her head around it, smiling brightly.

“Aren’t you girls going to come for breakfast? I made poha.”

The girls gaped at her.

“What?” Binita asked irritably.

“You cooked?” Aastha asked.

“Is it poisoned?” Amyra demanded, simultaneously.

Binita glared at them. “It’s a happy day,” she snarled. “We haven’t had a happy day in a long time.”

“You look really happy,” Amyra observed.

Aastha suppressed a smile even as her heart twinged in her chest. The happy days were fake and weren’t going to last very long.

“Dining table. Ten minutes,” Binita said crisply, disappearing from the doorway.

“I hate poha,” Amyra grumbled as she shoved the covers aside and got out of bed.