Chapter 12: Falling for the Secret

Arjun and I half-dragged Aman to the hotel room. Arjun looked at the big bed, frowning. "He’s straight, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"You’re gay. Isn’t it weird to share a bed with a straight guy?"

I rolled my eyes. Aman and I had shared beds since half-pants days—he didn’t care. But I played along: "I’ll get another room."

Arjun said, "Come sleep with me."

Wait, two gay guys sharing a bed—sure, that’s not weird at all. But Arjun didn’t give me time to argue, just dragged me into his suite. It’s not like we hadn’t slept together before. Might as well wash up and sleep.

I grabbed a bathrobe and went into the bathroom, but Arjun followed. "Mr. Arjun, what are you doing?"

He started unbuttoning his shirt. I swallowed. "It’s past midnight. That means it’s Saturday."

I tried to protest. "Mr. Arjun, I told you last week—we’re done."

He dropped his pants, pulled my hand to his chest. "I never agreed. If you don’t want to, you can leave now."

I stared at the bathroom mirror, steam curling up, rain pattering against the glass. In India, we learn to keep our loves hidden. But as Arjun’s fingers laced with mine, my resolve crumbled. As the rain beat against the window, I let myself fall—just this once—into the one secret I couldn’t let go.