“So … you think she’s going to blackmail you about whatever she found out from being in the booth next to us?” I ask.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” She sighs. “My sister and I … are not friends. She’s actually kind of the reason why I’m doing this.”
“You’re pretending to date me because of your sister?” I have to ask the question slowly, because I’m not sure if I’m getting it right. What do I have to do with Nik?
“No … I’m pretending to date you because I want to be Head Girl because of my sister,” she says. “My sister is like … perfect. She has been perfect in my parents’ eyes for my entire life. I’ve been living in her shadow.” It’s difficult to imagine Ishita living in the shadow of anyone. She is the most determined person I have ever met. She oozes self-assurance in a way that I’m not sure anyone else in the whole world does. Maybe Beyoncé, but that’s it. Though I guess her sister didn’t exactly seem insecure either.
“Well, now my sister’s fucked up and it’s my turn to step out of the shadows and be exactly what my parents want me to be,” Ishu says.
“You don’t think that’s … screwed up itself?” I ask. “I mean … she’s your sister. Shouldn’t you be trying to help her if she’s in trouble?”
“She’s not in trouble.” Ishu shrugs. “She just … finally made some mistakes.” Then, Ishu grins a wicked smile that both terrifies me and—if I’m being perfectly honest—makes me feel a weird tug right in my belly. I just shake my head and take a deep gulp of my hot chocolate. The rain seems to be dying down outside and I want to get home before it gets properly dark. I definitely don’t need to get any more involved in whatever drama Ishu has going on.
chapter fourteen
ishu
I’M NOT SURPRISED TO FIND NIK AT THE DOORSTEP OF the house when I get back from my “date” with Hani.
“Have you really been waiting here in the rain?” I ask, trying to push past her to open the door. But she doesn’t let me through. She stands firm.
“Ammu and Abbu are inside,” she says. “So I don’t want to go in yet.”
“Yes, well. This is where I live, so—” I make another attempt to get past her but I guess Nik is stronger than me, because she pushes me to the side and farther away from the door.
“I just want to talk,” she says.
“I haven’t spoken to Ammu and Abbu yet, if that’s what you want to ask me about,” I say. “And I don’t know if I will and I don’t know that if I do, it’ll make any difference. And—”
“I spoke to them,” Nik interrupts. “Yesterday. The four of us had dinner together.”
“The four—”
“Yeah, four. They met Rakesh.” From the way she says it, I know it couldn’t have gone well.
I still have to ask. “And …？”
“Nothing I say is going to sway them toward my decision,” she says. “Rakesh and I are going back to London tomorrow morning. I just wanted to see you before I left.”
“You already saw me. “I point out, though I don’t really want to draw attention to our brief meeting outside the restaurant.
“Are you really seeing that girl?” Nik asks. “Like … you’re dating her? Like … you’re gay?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I can’t keep the waver out of my voice. And I can’t help the fact that my heart is beating a mile a minute. It’s so loud that I’m sure Nik must be able to hear it. This is the worst thing she could have found out about me. With this, she can make Ammu and Abbu hate me.
“Okay.” Nik actually steps aside, like she’s decided to let me through. That doesn’t make me feel any less nervous. “Just … she seems really nice and … if Ammu and Abbu ever find out and give you trouble, you just call me. Okay?”
“What?” When I meet her gaze, Nik actually seems genuine. Like she’s offering me a helping hand instead of using this information to help herself out.
Nik shrugs. “We’re not kids competing against each other anymore, Ishu,” she says, like she’s become all grown up in the few days since she got here. Like she’s a completely different person to the sister I’ve known for most of my life. “I know it’s important for you to impress them, but when—if—things go south, you can come to me. I just want you to know that. Okay?”