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“Oh my god, you need to stop coming out of nowhere!” cried Reeva. “Can you wear some shoes so I can hear you creeping up on me?”
“I like my feet to breathe,” said Sita. “And can you not call the girls ‘gorgeous’? We don’t want them growing up feeling their worth is based only on their beauty. Oh, and next time you tell my kids your theories on death, you might want to check with me. You know, as their mother and everything.”
Reeva flushed with shame. “Sorry. Yes.” This was where the similarities between being a divorced parent and a divorced aunt ended; when it came to raising the kids, her opinion didn’t matter.
“Auntie Wee, your dad says he wants cucumbers,” announced Alisha.
“Lotsof cucumber,” clarified Amisha.
Sita rolled her eyes. “There’s some downstairs. I already chopped it up. I imagine he’s also requested you eat it for him, so go ahead.”
Reeva raised her eyebrows as the twins raced down the stairs. “Cucumber?”
Sita shrugged. “They fucking love it. Are you planning on coming downstairs at some point?”
“Yeah of course, I just had a bunch of work calls to do,” lied Reeva. She was embarrassed for her sister to find out she’d woken up after eleven a.m. “Hey, where’s Nitin?”
“He already left,” said Sita. “He has work to do, so he’s gone back to London. He’ll be back for the funeral. And I’ve spent the whole morning making lunch and cleaning the living room. So maybe you could—”
“Reeva, door for you!”Jaya’s voice cut through their conversation.“Reevaaa!”
“I, uh, think it’s flowers,” explained Reeva, grateful for the excuse to slip out of the room. She could hear Sita muttering something about it being “all right for some” as she made her way down the stairs. After just one night in the same house as her sisters, Reeva’s life in London—like her quiet, spacious flat where absolutely nobody ever barged into her room—felt increasingly far away.
“Surprise!”
Reeva halted mid-step. It was Nick. In the actual flesh. Her—actually, he wasn’t her anything because they hadn’t used labels yet—was standing in the narrow hallway with three-day stubble, dressed in a light blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves showing his tanned forearms, grinning at her with his warm hazel eyes. Reeva felt her ovaries drip with desire, and then suddenly became acutely aware of the fact that Nick was standing uninvited in her dad’s house and she was standing there with dripping-wet hair, zero makeup, and a T-shirt with no bra.
“Oh my god, Nick! Uh, what are you doing here?” asked Reeva, crossing her arms over her chest, while simultaneously trying to fluff up her hair so she looked less like a drowned rat.
“I wanted to be here for you. I hope... I’ve not overstepped a mark?”
Reeva shook her head in a daze. “Uh, no. Of course not.”
“This is so cute!” cried Jaya. She was still standing by the door, with a face of full makeup, dressed in a stylish floral dress. Reeva shot her a look of pure irritation. How had her sister, who never got out of bed until midday, known today was the day to get up early and lookLove Island–ready? She felt an irrational burst of anger at Nick for not thinking to call before turning up. Did he not realize it would take Reeva at least an hour’s prep to get ready for his arrival—from hair removal on her body to hair maintenance on her head? She wasn’t Jaya, who was permanently in “cute girl” mode. Reeva needed advance warning to make sure she looked, and thusfelt, good. It was why she was of the firm opinion that spontaneous surprises were not conducive to healthy relationships. Not that she was going to tell Nick that anytime soon. “You must be Reeva’s boyfriend! I’m Jaya.”
Reeva looked away in panic. This was getting worse by thesecond. She should have spoken to Jaya about Nick the previous night and stressed that they weren’t an official couple yet. But instead, she’d run out of the room like a scared schoolgirl. She felt her cheeks burn up, but Nick just smiled and casually reached out a hand to shake Jaya’s. “Yeah. I’m her boyfriend. Nick. It’s great to meet you.”
“Nice of you to tell us yourboyfriendwas coming.”
Reeva spun around to see Sita standing behind her. Again. “It was a, uh, surprise. I didn’t know he was coming.” Up until a second ago, she hadn’t even known she had a boyfriend.
“Well, lunch is ready,” said Sita, walking past them all and going into the kitchen. “I guess I’ll lay an extra place. Jaya, come help.”
Reeva smiled clumsily at Nick. “Sorry about her. That’s... Sita. And the less rude one is Jaya. Oh, she introduced herself already, didn’t she? I’m being weird. Sorry. I just... did not expect to see you here!”
“Hey, come here.” Nick held his arms wide open. “I’ve missed you.”
Reeva walked into his arms and let her eyes close as he hugged her tight. It felt so good to be held. By her boyfriend! She couldn’t believe he’d finally used the label. And he’d driven all the way to Leicester to see her. Reeva opened her eyes. Shit. He was in Leicester. In her dead dad’s house. With her family. Who had zero concept of boundaries.
“How, um, how long are you going to be here for?” she asked. “Sorry, I mean, how long can you stay for?”
“Well, I was hoping to stay a night. If you can put me up, of course. But if not, I’ll head back tonight; it’s not a problem. Whatever works for you.”
Reeva forced herself to smile breezily. “Of course you canstay. I’d love that. Just, uh, let me pop upstairs and freshen up.” With her wet hair plastered onto her head, Reeva was panicking that her patch was visible. She tried to nonchalantly rest her left forearm on top of the patch as though it were completely normal to wear her arm like a hat. “I’ll be right back!”
“Sure,” said Nick. “Sorry, I’ve caught you in your pajamas.”
Reeva flushed. Her cropped T-shirt and wide-legged palazzo pants were not pajamas—she’d actually thought she looked quite cool—but Nick was used to seeing her in work clothes, so his confusion made sense. She forced herself to smile brightly. “Right, I was about to get changed.”
