Chapter 4: Escaping the Scene

No matter what, I refused to lift my head from the pillow. Kabir probably never even considered that the person next to him might not be his girlfriend.

He patted my head: "Shy?"

The warmth of his palm lingered on my hair, making my scalp tingle. I mumbled, "You go."

He sounded helpless: "I’ll go make lunch. Be good and rest for a while. I’ll call you when it’s ready."

Bang—

The door finally closed.

Only then did I crawl out from under the covers, staring blankly at myself.

I pinched my arm. It hurt.

This wasn’t a dream at all.

Kabir is outside right now.

And I, as his sister, actually…

I only remembered that last night, we both went to a party, and there was something in the wine.

We both drank it.

Some cheap desi wine, the kind that gives you a headache for days. I was unbearably hot and lost all sense, while Kabir mistook me for his girlfriend, calling me ‘sweetheart’ over and over.

And then, things ended up like this.

I covered my face. What am I supposed to do now?

I have to find a way to escape.

The kitchen in Kabir’s place is open-plan, so if I just walk out, he’ll see me.

As I hesitated, Kabir came back in.

I heard the door open and quickly pulled the covers up over myself.

He gently patted my head through the blanket: "Still shy, baby?"

His voice was especially, especially gentle.

Oh god, does he always talk to his girlfriend like this?

"There’s no Coke at home. I’ll go buy a bottle to make Coke chicken for you. If you can’t find me, don’t worry, I’ll be right back."

Does his girlfriend also love Coke chicken?

Who doesn’t love something that delicious?

My mind flashed back to Mum making her special version, with soya sauce and a dash of green chilli. Wait, forget the chicken for now.

He’s about to go out.

God never shuts all doors.

Thank you, God. You still care about me.