Page 74 of Not In Love

"Even after everything dries up down there and gravity brings down our boobies and we’re mistaking each other’s dentures for our own," Mona said in a solemn vow.

They stood there for a moment, letting the sunlight soak into their bones.

And then Kash saw Diego and Tia, stepping out onto the grass from the house, framed by the golden light. They hadn’t told Tia yet, wanting just a little more time after the wedding first to absorb this…togetherness.

Suit jacket open, tie loosened, Diego moved carefully but stubbornly toward her. Tia clung to his good side, grinning wide, her white dress billowing around her like a little cloud.

The sight of them together—her entire world—punched the air right out of Kash’s lungs.

Before she even knew she was moving, she was stepping away from her friends, heading straight for him.

Behind her, Mona called out, laughing, "We’re losing her!"

Chaaru’s laughter joined in, bright and easy. “Oh, let her have the moment, Mon! You know how sugary sweet those early stages are.”

Kash tossed a grin over her shoulder but didn’t slow down.

As she reached them, she slipped her hand into Diego’s. He squeezed her fingers tight and under the guise of adjusting his crutch, leaned into her and kissed her cheek. “Hi, beautiful. I missed you in the last forty minutes and fifty seconds.”

Kash met his eyes and smiled. “Me too.”

Tia bounced beside them, tugging at Kash’s other hand, eyes sparkling.

Kash laughed, blinking against the sting in her eyes, the overwhelming fullness of this moment. This life she had almost lost because she’d picked strength and loneliness over connection and love.

If this was surrender, Kash thought, she would happily give in every single time. Especially since she never need be strong again alone.

EPILOGUE

The hotel room smelled like fresh linens and lilies. Soft golden lamplight washed over the big, crisply made bed, the muted carpet, the half-unpacked bag slumped against the armchair.

Kash sat curled on the edge of the bed in a champagne-colored silk shorts and top, bare feet tucked under her.

She was exhausted down to her bones. Her muscles ached, her scalp prickled from hours of pins and hair spray, and her body still hummed from the energy of the wedding reception and the seven-course dinner and the toasts.

Kaif had hugged her so hard before he and Muriel left for their honeymoon that she could still feel it in her ribs. Tia’s hug had been sleepy, her kiss sloppy, before she left with Diego’s mother to spend the next couple of days with her.

For all that Muriel had ordered her friends to keep quiet about her and Diego, his mother hadn’t missed the way he had kissed her temple at the reception or how his eyes kept seeking her.

Shrewd eyes gleaming, Maria had patted Kash’s shoulder before saying, “So you’re the reason my son’s been so happy these past few weeks. I must be slipping with old age because I should have seen this sooner, no? Muriel’s mama beat me to it.”

Kash sighed and leaned her head against the headboard. In all the hurry, she hadn’t gotten a chance to tell Diego that she’d even acquired his mother’s blessings.

Heart full, she checked her phone for any messages.

Mona and Chaaru had insisted that all three of them stay in a hotel suite for their "last girls' night," claiming they all needed one solid night of gossip and drinks before life caught up with them again.

Kash had complied happily.

Honestly, after the whirlwind of the past few days—and everything that had cracked open between her and Diego—the idea of being surrounded by her two best friends had sounded like a safe haven.

Except Mona and Chaaru had disappeared after giving her the room number, claiming errands.

Kash stretched out her legs, rolling her ankles slowly. Smiled to herself. Her facial muscles hadn’t probably gotten that much exercise ever before. Scrolling through her phone, she wondered if she had time to video call Diego before the?—

A sharp knock at the door interrupted her quiet reverie.

Kash padded barefoot across the carpet and opened the door. And nearly staggered backward.

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