Page 93 of The Ex Factor

“Yes, Amma, it’s a her.”

Silence.

“I don’t want to talk about it right now. Please, Amma.”

He ended the call and sank onto the armchair.

“Are you in trouble?” I asked, buried under cozy layers.

He looked up at me with a smile. “More than you know.”

“I’m sorry, Sujit. I really didn’t want to inconvenience you. You didn’t need to come at all.”

“Who else do you have here to care for you if you’re sick?”

“Just you,” I said with a sigh. “But I’m not comfortable accepting help, and I hate to be a burden.”

“You are not a burden,” he said gruffly.

Gathering my clothes and the damp bedcovers from the floor, he walked out of the bedroom. In the silence of the apartment, I heard cabinet doors open and close in the kitchen, drawers sliding on their smooth bearings and the light clink of glassware.

He returned with a bowl in his hand and placed it on the side stand to help me up. He propped some pillows behind me and handed me a bowl of soup.

“This will have to do until I figure out what else I can feed you. I might have to call Afra again.”

I accepted the bowl from his hand but said, “Aren’t you being a little too dramatic about a slight fever? And don’t you have to be at work?”

“Work can wait. Health cannot.”

By the time I was done with the soup, Imran had dropped off a thermometer, a personal humidifier, some over-the-counter medicines, and electrolytes. Suddenly, I was glad I had Sujit in my life, who had so many people who cared for him. But I instantly wondered how much they’d care for me if they knew who I was.

Tainted by association, Mom had said about Sujit. Wasn’t it true for me as well? Sujit’s family didn’t yet know who I was, but when they did, it would unravel so quickly. I wasn’t sure I would be able to bear the brunt. It could have been my fever that made me question myself and the validity of my feelings for him, but it was all right there before me, clear as day in my foggy head.

Sujit miraculously managed to get some dal and rice for me. I didn’t ask him how. He was a resourceful man with connections. I’d leave it at that. Plus, my brain was tired and hazy from thinking unnecessary thoughts, and I didn’t want to tax itfurther. I let him feed me the warm food, gulped down a tablet, and went back into a fevered sleep.

When I woke up that evening, the sun had already set. Sujit wasn’t in the room with me. I pulled the phone from the nightstand to check the time. It was just past seven. Sujit had been with me since early afternoon, and I was grateful. Feeling a bit healthier after the food and the rest, I tried to sit up.

SUJIT

The day had started out wrong and it continued to get worse with every passing minute.

That morning I arrived at the office to Devi’s troubled face. I had barely settled in my chair when she rushed in with the news that I had made my way into a tabloid, a news that had gotten the office space animated. Devi had managed to secure a copy for me. On the front page was a picture of me escorting Aarti to the charity event. The angle of the picture shielded her face but mine was visible, elated and enamored. Exactly how I felt around her.

I had hardly parsed through the filth written about us, when my cell lit up with a call from Amma. It was an invitation to come over for lunch on Sunday. Doubts niggled at my heart, but I dispelled them promptly. It wasn’t an anomaly for my mother to invite me over, especially when it had been a while. Yet, the timing seemed suspicious. It didn’t take long for rumors to spread like wildfire and my extended family spanned all over the region, with everyone’s noses in everyone else’s business.

Before I could call Aarti to alert her about the development, I got a text from her. My heart thudded at the thought that she had seen the gossip piece and I wasn’t near her to consoleher. Not that I imagined she’d be distraught. She was stronger than that. Nonetheless, it would’ve been ideal if I’d been the one to break the news to her rather than her finding out about it through others.

When I found out that she’d merely texted to cancel our appointment because she was unwell, it gave me a ray of hope. I was both concerned for her and relieved that perhaps she hadn’t seen the untoward gossip.

I heaved a deep sigh as I settled on the couch, just as the intercom rang with the doorman asking if he could send up a visitor.

It was Padma and I was at the door when she came up.

“Are you out of your mind?” she said the moment she had her foot in the door.

I heard Aarti cough from the room and said, “Shh, keep your voice down. She’s asleep.”

“What in the world are you thinking, Annayya? Or maybe you’re not thinking at all!” Padma cried.

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