and my dreams since we were in grade school and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Naina took his hand again and squeezed it.
His eyes rested fleetingly on their joined hands, and India thought she would cry. Then his gaze came back to the camera. “The only other thing I’ll say on the matter is that there is nothing clandestine or nefarious about that picture. It was an honest and private moment, and it should not have been violated. I’m in love with the woman in that picture. And that’s the truth.”
India’s gaze clung to his across the screen, and for a moment it was just the two of them in the world. Then they went to commercial. Never in her life had she felt so many things, but the overriding sense was one of disorientation. This could not possibly be her life.
“India?” Tara and China said together, as India stared at the brightly patterned rug on the bedroom floor. God, please don’t let them see.
“India?” They both said again, and she heard her name in his voice. Their stupid dance: India? Yash?
She looked up.
“What is going on?” China asked, also sliding the question sideways to Brandy.
“You heard the woman. She and Yash were caught on camera.” India picked up a throw on the bed and started folding it. “They should be a little more careful.”
“India! Who is idiot enough to believe her?”
Hopefully, all of California, given that India’s face was not visible in the pictures. But that was China’s car they were leaning on. Those were India’s clothes. The rudraksha beads on her wrist were her beads. And this was her family. They knew.
India shoved the throw at her sister. “Anyone who has an interest in Yash winning needs to believe her.”
That stopped China in her tracks, and India took advantage of it. “I have a class to teach.” With that, she left.
A PERIOD OF three weeks should be enough for the pain to lessen, shouldn’t it? Twenty-one days was the magic number for setting a habit, wasn’t it? Apparently it wasn’t long enough to break a habit. Or Yash Raje was just a tough habit to break. It would happen, eventually.
After leaving him at the foot of the mountain three weeks ago, India had taught four classes a day along with seeing clients and packaging the incense Tara was churning out. If she left even a moment open, everything started to spin out of control.
Nights were especially brutal.
A lifetime of mastering how to empty her mind, how to focus her breath, how to live in harmony with the universe even when it didn’t give her what she wanted, and here she was, with no clear path for how to get past this.
“You’ve been in here for hours.” China tiptoed into the yoga room.
Before India could jump up, China sat down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder, holding her in place. “Your students have been gone for half an hour.”
Had it been that long?
“Should you be teaching so many classes?” China asked, her tone gentle, careful.
“Who’s going to teach the classes if I don’t? Who’s going to make the incense sticks? Who’s going to see clients?” Not everyone could fly to the other side of the world on a whim.
Good thing she didn’t say that last part, because as soon as she said what she did say, guilt gripped her.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Don’t be. You’re stretched too thin. I get what you’re doing.”
India tried to stand, but China held her back again.
“I should have seen what was happening. I did. I saw how he looked at you. I should have asked you about it, but I was too wrapped up in myself. Can you forgive me?”
“You’re misunderstanding the situation.”
“India, I just spent six months with someone who made me sign an NDA to make sure no one found out about us. What Brandy said to me the other day was true. ‘NDAs just mean you can’t talk about it. What’s obvious is still obvious.’ You and Ya—”
“China! I told you. You’re misunderstanding the situation.” India’s heart raced and ached. The only way she knew how to bear this was to never talk about it. “The only reason I’ve had to work this hard is because . . . because there’s something Mom and I haven’t told you.”
China rolled her eyes.
It was time to tell her anyway. They were behind on the payments already. The late notices would start soon. India needed help.
You need to accept help too.
“Mom