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“Hey.” Lakshmi, nowdressed in a lilac silk kimono, walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa opposite Reeva. “Lee’s in the shower and then he’s going to get out of here. I... I’m really sorry, Reevs.”
Reeva opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. It was the first time in her friendship with Lakshmi that there’d ever been an awkward silence. But she genuinely had no idea what to say.
Lakshmi sighed. “I guess I should explain a bit.” Reeva nodded mutely. “It started... maybe a year ago.”
“A year!” cried Reeva. It seemed she’d found her voice. “You’ve kept this a secret for ayear? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I couldn’t at first. I was embarrassed. You know how we felt about Lee... It was too humiliating to tell you. I barely even understood why I was into him; I had no idea how to explain it to you. And then, over time, he specifically asked me not to. HR reasons and stuff. I didn’t want it to make things weird at work or, more importantly, make things weird between me and you.”
“But not telling me has made it even weirder! You’ve been keeping it from me for an entire year. I thought we told each other everything. I tellyoueverything.”
“I know.” Lakshmi had the decency to look truly sorry. “I guess I just didn’t want you to judge me.”
“Why would I judge you?! I mean, I have a lot of questions, yes. But I’m not going to judge you, obviously.”
“Well, you do sometimes. You know you can get a bit sanctimonious about things like this, and what’s right and what’s wrong.”
“I do not! Like when?”
“Like when I’ve had affairs with married men. Things like that.”
“But that’s because thatiswrong. It’s a fact.”
“Things aren’t always so black-and-white,” said Lakshmi. “Not in the real world. But they are for you. It makes it hard to open up to you about everything.”
“That’s not true,” said Reeva, stung. “I just know how it feels to be cheated on, okay?”
“I know, and that was the worst, but, Reeva, not every couple is the same. You can’t project your stuff onto me.”
“I’m not!” She frowned. “Sorry, how are you turning this on me? You’re the one who’s been sleeping with our boss for an entire year and lying to me. You slept with him on the night of my dad’s funeral when Ineededyou.”
“I know it looks bad,” admitted Lakshmi. “But the court case was real. I had to work. That’s why I didn’t come; not because of Lee.”
Reeva sighed. “Okay. Maybe I’m overreacting. I’m sorry if I am. But it’s a lot. I don’t really know what to make of it.”
“Thanks. But people do fall for their bosses. It’s not unheard of.”
Reeva’s eyes widened. “You’ve fallen for him? It’s not just sex?”
Lakshmi bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know. I don’t want to sleep with anyone else. He makes me laugh. I know he’s... Lee,but he can keep up with me in a way no man I’ve ever met could. I feel like we’re equals. And he has a side that he never shows anyone—he’s really fuckingsweet.”
Reeva stared at her. “Wow. I’m... I’m happy for you? But I can’t believe this has been going on for so long and you didn’t share it with me. I feel like I don’t even know you right now.”
“Don’t say that. I’m still me! How do my feelings for a man define me?”
“But you’ve been lying to me for an entire year,” cried Reeva. “No, don’t try and defend it by saying you’ve omitted, not lied. You’ve one hundred percent lied about how much you hated Lee. Why would you let me go on about how annoying he is when you were falling for him? I feel sostupid. And you’ve lied about where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing. Oh my god, it all makes sense now—the time you were weird about coming to Katy’s thirty-fifth birthday. Why you left the Christmas party early! Why you got the duke case.”
“Are you kidding?” Lakshmi stood up. “You did not just say that. Are you seriously telling me that you think my career success is down to me fucking Lee?”
Reeva looked down at the floor. She hadn’t meant to say that. But it was too late. “All I’m saying is that I don’t know now, do I?”
Lakshmi shook her head angrily. “This is bullshit. You’re meant to support me, not slut-shame me. What the fuck, Reeva?”
“You’re the one who’s been lying to me about Lee!”
“And you’re the one being a total bitch about it.”
Tears stung Reeva’s eyelids. “How can you be so cruel when I’m having the worst week of my life?”
