Page 98 of The Ex Factor

“Look, Sujit, you know I’ve loved you like a little brother.”

“Yes, I know.”

“So let me tell you that what I’m about to say comes from a place of love and concern, not judgement.”

I nodded and placed my whisky tumbler atop a coaster on the glass table before me.

“Aarti is not Tara,” she said.

“She definitely isn’t,” I reassured.

“She’s not a substitute for Tara either. She walked into your life when you were reeling from hurt, pain, and humiliation. You met her when you had received the invitation to Tara’s wedding.”

Her words gave me pause. “How did you know about the invitation?” I asked softly, fending off shame and embarrassment.

She sighed. “Devi mentioned it inadvertently. She didn’t know we weren’t supposed to know. Everything goes to her desk first, remember? She thought I knew. Otherwise, I wouldn’t doubt her discretion one bit.”

I’d never doubted her discretion either.

“Why did Tara send you the invitation, Suj?” Cathy asked with concern.

I shifted back in the chair and reclined against the back. “Because when we parted, I said we would be friends. This is her way of showing she still cares about me and wants me to be a part of her life. She wants me to be happy for her.”

“Are you happy for her?”

“Absolutely. I wouldn’t wish her anything but happiness.”

“Are you still in love with Tara?”

I laughed. “At this point, it seems all of you are more obsessed with Tara than I could ever be.”

“Don’t deflect. Answer the question.”

I put my ankle over my knee and leaned back in the chair. “If you’d framed that question differently, the answer was yes.”

“Differently how?”

“I love Tara as a person. I care about her. I respect the choice she made for herself. But I am no longer in love with her, if that makes sense.”

“That’s psychobabble.”

“That’s the reality of human emotions. Tara brought joy to my life. She taught me how to love, how to have fun. She made me laugh?—”

“She also made you cry, dear brother,” Cathy argued.

“She did, but not with malice. She was distraught too. I cannotnotgive her the benefit of the doubt just because she put her happiness before mine. That’s everyone’s right, isn’t it? How can I hold a grudge against her for that?”

“So where does that leave you?”

“With the ability to love others.”

“Do you love Aarti?”

I smiled wide. “Well played, Cathy. There’s a reason I liked you since the first time Sri introduced us.”

That made her grin.

“And your answer is?” she prodded.

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