Page 117 of Born in Sin

He glared back, putting a finger over his lips. Virat opened the door to Amay’s apartment, stepping into the darkened space. Amay and Dhrithi were out on a date night. Virat knew thatAmay was going to ask her to marry him tonight, so they’d be busy for a while.

He walked over to the pantry, his torchlight the only beam of light in the apartment.

“It should be on the shelf behind the breakfast staples,” he murmured.

“Since when are cornflakes and milk staples?” She watched him rummage through the boxes, frowning when they didn’t find it.

“What kind of spy are you?” she grumbled. “You didn’t even get the location of the target right.”

Virat turned on an exasperated huff. “First, I’m not a spy. I’m a fixer.”

“And second,” Amay said as he turned on the light. “You two are useless at this stealth stuff.”

Cara shrieked, jumping behind Virat and shoving him forward. He stumbled to a halt before giving her a wry look over his shoulder. “You and your dog are always willing to sacrifice me to the first visible threat.”

“And third,” Ishaan said from his spot, leaning against the wall behind Amay, his arm draped over Mayukhi’s shoulder. “You two are the least deserving candidates for that trophy.”

“Actually,” Mayukhi yawned. “That would be me. I am easily the worst student in this bunch.”

Dhrithi smiled. “You’re also the smartest. Book smarts,” she said, snippily, giving Ishaan a little side eye. “Aren’t the most important thing in the world.”

“Oye, Ms. Topper,” Ishaan straightened. “You are the very definition of book smarts.”

“You losers.” Mayukhi rolled her eyes. “Need a life.”

Cara shifted slightly to her right, something gold catching her eye. Amay’s snack counter was pretty impressive for a doctor. But right there, behind the packet of banana chips was a glint of gold. She reached with her hand until her fingers grazed the tip of the metal.

“How about we arm wrestle for it?” Virat suggested, moving so he blocked Cara from everyone’s view.

“Arm wrestle?” Amay raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were Switzerland.”

“His ethics are melting faster than a glacier in climate change.”

Cara tuned out as her fingers closed around the trophy. She pulled it out carefully, without making any sudden movements. A second later, it was tucked under the voluminous folds of Virat’s sweatshirt which she’d thrown on when they’d made this harebrained plan. She stepped forward, pressing her palm into Virat’s. His fingers closed around hers, strong and sure.

“You’re right,” Virat agreed, keeping the smile from his face. “We don’t deserve the trophy. We were just messing with you guys. Anyway, Ams,” he added, deflecting neatly. “Wasn’t tonight date night?”

Amay grinned. “That’s just what we told you because you two were very obvious with your plans.”

Virat looked at Ishaan. “You knew where the trophy was and didn’t try for it?”

“In case you didn’t notice, we’ve been busy taking down the Sons of Andhaka.” Ishaan folded his arms over his chest and glowered.

“Yeah, I did the heavy lifting on that one too,” Virat shot back, edging towards the door with Cara snuggling up under his arm. He could feel the hard edge of the trophy digging into his ribs.

Ishaan was still spluttering at his back when Virat waved and said, “Well, if that’s all then, we’ll just get going.”

“Not so fast.” Virat and Cara froze. “Let’s get a drink together. It’s been forever since we’ve all been together without having to plan a takedown under stress.”

Before they could refuse, Dhrithi was wandering over to the fridge to pull out a bottle of wine. She poured out six glasses of wine and set it on a tray.

“Why are you holding your stomach?” Mayukhi asked, wandering over to Cara and narrowing her eyes at her midriff.

Cara’s mouth dropped open for a minute and then she mumbled, “I don’t know why but it hurts a bit.”

“Why?” Amay asked, his eyes alert and trained on Cara’s stomach. “Does it feel bloated? Is the pain internal or surface level? Do you have a fever?”

“It’s gas,” Virat blurted out. “She’s very gassy. Always gassy.”