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I grin at him as I raise my fingers to my mouth and suck them clean, not giving a fuck if he realizes what I’m up to. If Raya won’t make it clear he can’t have her, I will.
“Have fun rewriting that report,” I tell him as I straighten. “And don’t forget to keep your eyes off what isn’t yours, or you might find something you won’t like.”
Raya narrows her eyes in warning, and I chuckle as I turn around and walk away, pure satisfaction coursing through my veins.
Thirty-Three
Lex
My heart is pounding as I storm into the house, having cancelled all my meetings, only to find Raya sat on the sofa with countless blankets around her and a tub of ice-cream in her lap, a Bollywood movie playing in the background. She looks up at me with tears in her eyes, and I walk up to her, my arms wrapping around her.
“What happened, little fairy?” I ask, my heart clenching. I came rushing home the second Pippy notified me that Raya skipped her classes and was crying on our sofa, but she couldn’t tell me what caused it. Raya doesn’t seem to have done anything out of the ordinary today, and there isn’t anything in the papers that could’ve upset her either. Is she upset I haven’t been able to see her in a couple of days now? I’ve been working late, and a few of my meetings had me catching flights back and forth, leaving me with very little time to even sleep.
My wife chokes back a sob and points at the television. “She knew,” she says, fresh tears falling from her eyes. “She knew her son was close by the second he set foot in that mall.”
I frown and rub her arms, at a complete loss. “O-Okay,” I murmur, nodding. “In the movie, you mean?”
She nods and begins to cry harder. I stare at the movie, unsure what to do. Should I get it banned if it makes her cry? She points at the television again and sniffs. “Also, you ruined my chances to marry Hrithik Roshan,” she says, glaring at me as she pulls her knees up and stares at the screen stubbornly. “He would’ve learned a tongue twister for me, you know? You just don’t understand.”
Who the fuck is Hrithik Roshan? I wrap my arm around Raya’s shoulders as I slyly try to google the name, only to find out he’s a popular actor, but I can’t find anything about the tongue twister she’s talking about. I bite down on my lip as I shoot Leia a quick text.
Lex:
I think my wife wants to leave me for Hrithik Roshan over a tongue twister that he knows? Do I need to be worried about this guy?
Leia:
LOL. No. He’s married, and you’re richer, younger, and better looking. Don’t worry about it. If you want to make your wife smile though, learn to say the tongue twister I’m about to text you.
Leia sends me a sentence that looks like complete gibberish, and I raise a brow, glancing back at my wife. She’s still every bit as upset as when I first walked in, and I’m not any closer to understanding why. “So, it’s just the movie that made you cry?” I ask gently.
She looks back at me, and instantly tears begin to fill her eyes again. “Yes,” she says, choking back a sob.
I instantly pull her into my arms. “I see, darling,” I murmur, confused. I glance over the living room, taking in the assortment of snacks spread over the coffee table. “Did you, um, did you eat a real meal today?”
She shakes her head, and I lean in to press a kiss to her temple. “Let me see what we have, okay? I’ll be right back.”
She nods, her gaze appreciative as I rise from my seat and pull my tie loose. I walk into the kitchen, thinking back to that time my brothers sat me down and explained how they keep their wives happy. Maybe one of Raya’s favorite foods will cheer her up?
Raya is never upset like this, and it throws me entirely off. It worries me more than I imagined it would, and unease runs down my spine. I’m starting to have feelings for her that I swore off, and I can’t fight it. Seeing her crying is tearing me apart, and I don’t know how to the implication of that.
I hesitate for a split second before calling my mother-in-law. My in-laws and I have gotten closer as Raya and I spend our weekends tinkering with tools in their home and helping around the house, but I’m still not fully comfortable calling either of them.
“Lex?” she says.
“Hi, um, Mom,” I say hesitantly, still not completely used to calling her that, despite her continuous reminders. “I was just calling to see if you could tell me how to make your lamb biryani?” I ask as I instructLolato grab me some rice.
My mother-in-law laughs. “Oh, sweetie. It takes hours to make biryani. Why would you want to make that all of a sudden?”
I hesitate before explaining Raya’s sudden strange somber mood, and she laughs again. “I see. It’s the last week of the month, isn’t it? She probably just got her period.” I frown and shake my head. While that might be true, she’s never been likethatwhile on her period. “If she’s been under a lot of pressure at school or otherwise lately, her hormones become more imbalanced than usual, and she becomes very sad,” she adds. “Some months she’s perfectly fine, but every once in a while, she just gets very emotional. It isn’t biryani she wants, Lex. Buy her a salted caramel and chocolate milkshake from her favorite chain. It’ll cheer her up instantly.”
“Really?” I ask, not sure I believe her. “She’s been crying.”
My mother-in-law doesn’t seem fazed at all. “I promise you; it’ll work. Don’t worry, all right?”
I nod to myself as I thank her and end the call, before turning back toward the living room nervously. I’ve never seen Raya cry before, and it fucking breaks my heart. Not knowing how to fix it and not being able to find a concrete cause to eliminate is making me feel beyond helpless.
“Little fairy,” I murmur. “I’m thinking of going for a drive. Would you like to come with me?”
