Page 109 of Rebound
He smiles, eyes dancing over the five people in our living room. We invited Millie, Krys and their husbands to join, but being a weekend, they had other family commitments. So we promised to get together in a few weeks. While I’m not antisocial, I’m not the biggest fan of being around people for too long. At work, I lock myself in my office when I’m overstimulated. In the short time we’ve been together, Patrick and I know exactly how to read each other and understand what the other needs. So this is a lot, but like I said, they’re the people we love the most and knowing they want to be with us is what makes this worth it.
“Mathai is not a good name for a kid,” Vikram argues and Patrick flips him off. “Pick something like Vikram or Varun. Strong, sturdy names.”
“I like Mathai,” Varun supplies from the other end of the couch and Vikram groans.
“You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“What? It’s a solid name.”
Vikram waves him off and then continues. “Maybe you should go with something else from the holy book. Like Jonah or Moses.”
Nina smacks him with a cushion and shoves him aside. “How are you related to this guy?” she asks Vera, who is so busy laughing she can’t respond.
“We’ve got other options,” I say. Truth is, we’re not really thinking that far ahead. Patrick’s name choices are still at the top of my list, but until the baby is born and in our arms, I refuse to make any decisions.
“You know what I really want to know? Godparents,” Vikram says and at his smug expression, I glance at Patrick, our eyes widening. We never even considered it. While both of us were raised in Christian homes and went to church with our grandparents, religion has never been important to us.
“We’re not religious,” Nina says and Vikram scoffs.
“Neither are we. Tam designs sex rooms for crying out loud.”
“One, that’s fucking cool. Two, religious people have sex,” she counters.
Vikram’s stunned into silence and busies himself by drinking his beer—I’m not sure where it came from since this house has been alcohol-free for months. I look at the people gathered and know our kid would be so lucky to have all of them as godparents. But if I was to pick one…
“Varun,” I say and he turns to me. “I’d be honoured if you would be our baby’s godfather.”
“What?” He looks and sounds so confused. Vera and Vikram look at their brother with proud smiles and instantly I know I made the right choice.
“When I was a kid and first living with your family, you were the one who protected me from the monsters in the closet. You were there when I would wake up crying every night. You reminded me that even though my parents were gone, you would always be there for me. You’re my hero.” I sniffle and see tears in Varun’s eyes. “And I know you’ll do the same for my kid when the time comes. So what do you say?”
He nods and I push to my feet as he rounds the coffee table to give me a hug. He’s as tall as Patrick, but broader and hugging him is like embracing a cuddly bear. He squeezes me once more before pulling away.
“It would be my honour,” he says roughly and kisses my forehead.
As he returns to his seat, I wipe my face and look at Patrick. We might not have discussed this, but on some level we always knew who we’d pick. He blows out a breath and smiles.
“Ninan…”
“Oh fuck no,” she mutters and all of us laugh.
“Love you, kid,” Patrick says with a smirk.
“You’re an asshole. I will spoil the kid rotten, but that’s a responsibility I’m not ready for.”
Everyone laughs and Patrick turns to my cousin, her eyes watery and wide. “Vera, there’s honestly not a single other person in the world better suited to be their godmother.”
She blinks and nods, fanning her face like it’ll stop the tears.
“When Tamara and I first met, she talked endlessly about her sister and best friend. How no matter what happened in the world, you’d always be there for her. And over the past few months, I’ve seen how much joy and love you bring into my little brother’s life. If our kid gets even an ounce of that, they’d be the luckiest human in the world.” Patrick reaches over and squeezes Vera’s hand and she smiles.
We let the moment settle into our bones before phones start pinging. Vera’s eyes widen at whatever she sees over Elias’s shoulder and Vikram’s reaction echoes in the room.
“I’m going to kill that fucking asshole.”
Nina peers into his screen and swears under her breath. “Returning Indian captain Kaia Philip reminds us why she’s the bad girl of cricket,” she reads. “Her ex leaked nude pictures of her early this morning.”
Now I understand Vikram’s rage—Kaia’s his best friend. When he started playing cricket, she would always come around the Thomas house looking cute as a button and ready to take on the boys. Their friendship has clearly stood the test of time if he’s ready to burn down the world for her. It’s not Vikram’s reaction that has me intrigued, it’s Varun’s. I’ve known him my whole life and I can read the tension in his body, the tight way he’s holding himself as he uses his thumbs to slowly type out a message. Then he stands up, eyes fixed on his device.
