Page 107 of Rebound
It takes him a few minutes to meet my gaze, but when he does, Patrick nods. It’s a firm promise and I wait for him to say the words. “You and me, Lotus. Together. I promise.”
“Don’t hide from me, okay? It is scary, for both of us, but it’s important we do this as a unit. You protect me, I protect you. Forever.”
His forehead knocks into mine gently. “I protect you, you protect me,” he echoes. “Forever.”
After a toe-curling kiss to seal our promise, we get back to making our dinner. I finish the coconut milk and let it cool while Patrick loads up the pressure cooker with the idli thattu and steams the idiyappam. I clean up the kitchen, wiping down counters and putting things away. When everything is ready, he serves the perfectly cooked string hoppers onto plates and I drown mine in coconut milk before sprinkling sugar over it. His serving is a little more respectable and it cracks me up with how careful he is with his intake of food. We settle on the couch and with the television playing a random show from our ‘continue watching’ list, we eat our dinner.
When he laughs at jokes we’ve heard a million times, I know this is going to be one of the hardest things we do as a couple. But we’re doing it together.
Thirty-Eight. Honour
Tamara
“Duuuude, this place is sick,” Vikram drawls. He charges into the apartment and collapses onto the couch. “Oh my god, this couch. Can I live here?”
“Fuck no. Take off your shoes,” Patrick calls out and I smile at how dad-like he sounds.
Everyone else piles into the flat as I pad barefoot to the kitchen to get myself some water. Today was the baby shower hosted by Tessammai and Patrick’s mother. They rented out a gorgeous house close to the beach and invited all our family and friends who live in the city. The food was catered, there were games and the cake was made specially by Julia Christopher. It was hot as fuck, but being surrounded by so many people who were excited for us and celebrated us was what mattered.
Since we’ve been so busy, Patrick and I didn’t set up a baby registry. We told our guests they could either bring something they loved from when they were kids or donate to Patrick’s foundation, Reach for the Stars. I know the time will come when we need to get the nursery ready, but right now it’s at the bottom of my list. Both of us have so much going on and work is taking all of our respective time.
Especially since the Julia Christopher project is finally underway. After she approved my presentation and we spent a million hours together, we finalised the plans. I knew she was going to be demanding and particular, which works perfectly well with my style as an architect. So every time she made a ridiculous request, I countered it with a better suggestion. After a week of this back and forth, we finalised the contract and I’ve been working tirelessly to get her bakery up and running.
After the festivities, we were sent off. Despite every offer to help them clean up, the parental figures insisted we go rest. The cousins and siblings invited themselves to our place. I realise in all this time, I’ve never had anyone but my girlfriends here. Even then, it was only on nights when Kabir was out of town or ‘late at work.’
Since Patrick moved in, we’ve been going zero to sixty trying to figure out how to make things work. While it’s a lot louder than I expected, I smile at the sight of Vikram and Nina fighting over the remote while Elias and Vera stand at the shelf of photographs. Varun, in all his unflappable glory, sits quietly and admires my apartment.
“I think this was a terrible idea,” Patrick whispers as he comes up behind me, hands on my hips.
“I’m worried Vikram and Nina might break something.”
“I’ll make sure they replace it.” He chuckles and kisses the side of my head. “In case I haven’t said it enough today, you look beautiful.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”
He hums and kisses down to my neck, pressing his lips against my throat. We made a deal this morning to pick each other’s clothes. I already knew what I wanted to wear, but I still let Patrick think he was making the choice. The pink dress called to me when I saw it in the store and knowing they had it in my size was an even bigger win. With a sweetheart neckline and an A-line skirt, the dress was an absolute dream. Plus, it curved over my growing bump beautifully. I put Patrick in a light green printed shirt and brown trousers and insisted he tie his hair up. As much as I love my long-haired Viking, the beauty of his face really comes through when his hair isn’t distracting you.
The sound in the flat suddenly explodes with the television coming on and Vikram hooting, which makes Patrick growl against my skin.
“Who should I kill first?”
I laugh and turn to face him. “Why don’t you offer everyone something to drink and sit down for a bit.”
“Where are you going?”
“To pee. Your giant baby is pressing against my bladder.”
He rolls his lips inward to stifle his laughter and I shake my head. Once I’ve peed and gathered my hair into a messy bun, I return to find everyone sitting on the couch with their attention glued to the TV. Well, everyone except Elias. He’s standing in the kitchen, typing away furiously on his phone.
“Not interested in...what are they watching?” I ask as I sidle up to him.
He chuckles and puts his phone away. “Sonic the Hedgehog. There’s a movie apparently.”
“And everyone cares about this?”
“Nina and I used to play the video games as kids. I’m guessing so did everyone else.”
I lean against the counter and watch as an animated blue creature runs around. I can’t hear the dialogue, but the subtitles tell me enough. I turn to Elias and nudge him gently.
