Page 32 of The Matchmaker

“You don’t want me to get caught in a storm, do you? They’ve got extra scrubs in the office.”

Gertie climbs onto his chest and settles in, giving her own opinion on the matter. I shake my head and stifle a smile. We both know the real reason for this sleepover. He wants to keep an eye on me. I can’t say that I mind.

I head to the hall closet. Maneuvering around my aunt’s old boxes, I grab a blanket and toss it to him.

“I remember this one from college.” He pats it and yawns.

“It’s old, but clean.” I settle onto the love seat across from him and kick my feet onto the coffee table. I wrap a throw from the sofa around myself. Rain starts to fall again, plinking against the skylights. Echoing against the wooden floors. Soon it’s like an avalanche of water is pouring down—I look outside at the blur of rain. You’d think we were in a boat, lost at sea.

“I forgot to tell you,” he says. “I talked to my mother today.”

“How’s she doing?”

“She’s coming for a visit in August. She wanted me to ask if you needed any new clothes from that boutique near Anarkali Bazaar that you like. She’s going there later this week.”

“Always. Your mom has great taste. I’ll call her tomorrow. When are you going to Pakistan to visitthem?”

“Work’s been so erratic lately, it’s easier for them to come here. Last summer they were here for three months, remember? There’s no way I could ever take that much time off.”

“Nina’s doing it,” I say sardonically. “She’s here going on five months, and it looks like she’s putting down roots.” I tell him about the transcripts.

“A permanent Nina presence?” He looks at me. “What do you think about that?”

“Khala’s thrilled to have her home.”

“What about you?”

“It’s complicated. I’m glad Khala is happy. But every time I go over there now, it’s like I’m a stranger in my own home. Nina’s a gray cloud hovering over everything. She can’t let a moment go by without a snarky comment about the agency.” I think about our last interaction. The paint-streaked walls. “Though she’s right, I can mix up my priorities sometimes.”

“Nina can be difficult,” Azar says. “When you’re as unhappy as she is, it seeps out toward other people.”

“More like it spews out like a broken water main.”

“On the bright side, if they’re staying, that means more Lilah time?”

“That’s a definite perk. I’ve gotten pretty attached to her.” Lilah is a few years shy of the age I was when I moved into Khala’s house, not fully processing that my life had forever changed. Maybe I can help her navigate her own huge transition. I look at Gertie snoozing on Azar. Her temporary relocation to my place is probably permanent now. She’s adjusted great, but Khala misses her dearly. I make a mental note to bring my aunt by ASAP for some time with her beloved feline.

“Auntie’s doing okay health-wise, though?” Azar asks. “No slipups since your birthday?”

“She’s better lately.”

“Did you tell her about the wedding implosion?”

“No way. We need tokeepher in a good place. Dr. Pang said at her last doctor visit that stress is the worst thing for her. It’s hard, though. To see her so changed.”

“Her last scans all looked good.”

“No one, not even her neurologist, will get on board with the clinical trials.” I remember Nina’s dismissiveness. “She is getting older. It’s not like she could’ve kept up the pace she used to keep forever. But why not try to see what could work?”

“What about Khala? What does she want to do?”

“It’s like she’s given up. If Nina would be open to having a real conversation with me, we could team up and convince her to keep on trying. We can’t lose hope that something might cure her, or at least give her more time with us.”

“I’m sorry, Nur. This is all so hard.”

“It’s not like I have that many people in my life. I want to hold on to the ones Idohave.”

“You have me,” he says.

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