Page 34 of One Night Only

The suite is shrouded in shadows, save for the occasional flicker outside. A faint, silvery light seeps through the rain-streaked windows, softening the edges of the storm as dawn creeps into the sky.

Ani’s pacing the tight space near the foot of the bed, her back to me, cell phone pressed to her ear. “Of course, you didn’t disturb me. I’m in the middle of a night shift,” she whispers. “At the hospital, where else?”

It’s the false cheeriness of her tone, more than the lie itself, that jars me awake fully.

“No, Asha, I was already up. Just surprised to find you calling me at the ass-crack of dawn.”

There’s that earnestness again, and beneath it, a thin thread of some unnamed ache I sensed in her from the beginning. It’s strange and a little scary how easily I can read her. My ex, Sophie, used to complain that I was completely oblivious to her moods or needs.

Whether it’s the fact that I’m not an underfed, nineteen-year-old, soon-to-be-father anymore or the raw connection between Ani and me… I don’t know.

And don’t care.

It takes a while for my sleep-mussed brain to grasp the full ramifications of her easy lie. Then there’s the fact that shedoesn’t want to tell her sister that she spent the night with a man who’s nearly two decades older than her.

Obviously, this isn’t the time. Still, it pricks me right in the center of my chest as if a needle handled by a new nurse has punctured the skin in a rough thrust.

The weight of last night, the wildness with which she unraveled, the way I held her until we drifted off—it was so real that it feels like the entire world should know.

Before I can brood on why she might not feel the same urge, Annika gasps. “Oh, my God. Congratulations!” Her slender frame shakes with excitement. “Yes, of course, I’ll be there. This is such great news, Ash.” She laughs, breathless and bright, followed immediately by a broken sob, all in the space of a heartbeat.

A hand to her mouth arrests it, turning the sound even more pitiful. I have this gut feeling that it’s not me she’s trying to hide the sound from. But I can’t stay still for another second. The plush carpet muffles my steps as I close the distance to her.

Just as I reach her, she drops to the edge of the armchair as if she has no control over her limbs. Her shoulders curve inward. “Wait! You didn’t tell Mama and Papa? You called me first?”

Silent tears run down her cheeks as she nods. “Yeah, I’m sorry I canceled at the last minute. I couldn’t get any time off.” Another broken laugh. “Yep, of course, I’m the most talented nurse in the entire hospital, and they’re lucky to have me. No, Ash, listen. I’m so happy for you. I…” She nods again, thrusts her fingers through her tangled hair, and purses her mouth tightly, like she’s trying to hold so much in. Then, just as suddenly, her face pales. “Ash, we don’t have to talk about all that now. I don’t even…” She bites her lower lip. “Okay, fine. Later, maybe.”

The call ends, but she doesn’t move. Her fingers clutch the phone so tightly that her knuckles show white. The glow of the screen fades, leaving only the moody dimness of the room.

Kneeling in front of her, I clasp her cheek. “Ani?”

She raises her chin and presses her tear-stained face into my bare shoulder. Her fingers scrabble over my skin, as if she’s afraid I might disappear on her. The heat of her skin, damp and flushed, seeps into me. I smooth my hands over the back of her head, stroking through the sleep-warmed tangles gently. “Whatever it is, you aren’t alone, sweetheart. I’m here.”

She shakes her head, another quiet sob wracking her body. I wait, rubbing slow circles down her spine, hoping as hell to soothe her. When she finally speaks, her voice is small. “I’m sorry I woke you up. I tried to keep it down, but it was a lot.”

“Never mind my sleep,” I say, nuzzling her neck. Seeing her like this cracks my heart open as if someone has taken a sledgehammer to it. It’s me who needs the comfort of her scent, the beat of her heart.

For long minutes, she says nothing. At least, the sobs have left her. I’m more than happy to hold her if that’s what she needs.

Her face moves to my neck as she whispers, “That was my sister, Asha.”

“I gathered as much.”

“She has big news. And I’m the one she told first. That never happens.Never.”

I don’t know how one word could encompass someone’s heartbreak, but that word carries hers. My chest aches.

“You aren’t close?” I probe gently.

“She’s eleven years older than me. She and her twin, Akash. Then there’s my oldest brother, Amit, fifteen years older than me. All three of them are brilliant and successful in their chosen fields. I’m the baby of the family. And the black sheep,” she adds with a hiccup.

What she leaves out is clear as a horn blaring in my face.

I don’t think anymore. Pushing to my feet, I scoop her into my arms and bring her to the bed. She clings to me as I sit up against the headboard, her feet dangling to the side.

“Will you tell me what upset you about your sister calling you?”

She presses her forehead to my shoulder. “In the last couple of years, Asha’s been really trying to get close to me. Do all the things that sisters do together, I guess. She sends me these expensive gifts all the time, calls me to chat, texts me silly memes that she thinks are funny. But are just… cringe.”

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