Page 39 of Rebound

I agree. I need the lowdown on hunky Patrick

Vera

I’m really itching for a drink.

Millie

Tamara?!

Vera

Tamamama

Krys

Millie

omg that’s so good. That’s what we should call you from now on.

You’re all the worst. I can’t drink and I don’t approve of Tamamama. But fine, girls’ night.

Krys

Yay!

Millie

Double Yay!

Vera

Yay! Yay! Yay!

“Let me get this straight,” Millie says after downing half her drink. “You’re living together, he’s cooking for you and you’re doing…nothing?”

“Exactly.”

Three sets of judgey eyes blink back at me and I sigh heavily. The Funnel is an old Chennai bar that’s not as popular as it once used to be. Which is a benefit, if you ask me. It’s too small, dark and dingy, but it’s always been a perfect place for the four of us to hang out. When we came back to Chennai—after college, marriages, divorces, heartbreak—this was where we would meet once a week. We’d drown our sorrows in delicious rum cocktails and make use of their chauffeur services to get home at the end of the night.

Chandran, the owner of the Funnel, became a friend and while he’s moved onto bigger and better ventures, he’s always taken such good care of us. It’s why we’re at the best table, with a steady stream of food and drink refills. It’s also why my friends are tipsy. Good thing they all have responsible men to pick them up if I choose to leave them there because of this bullying.

“Why are you doing nothing?” Krys asks, her usually sleek and straight hair an absolute mess from all the tugging and dragging her hands through she’s been doing tonight.

“What am I supposed to do? And hold on, why are we only talking about me?”

Vera shrugs and switches to water, chugging an entire glass before she burps. “We just want to make sure you’re okay, Tam.”

“I’m fine. Obviously I’m pregnant and unhappy I can’t drink, but I’m fine.”

More blinking from them and I want to scream. I love them. They’re my people. We’ve been connected at the hip since we were in our twenties and they mean the world to me. When shit happens, we call each other first. It doesn’t matter that Millie and Krys have the most incredible men, they’d still call Vera and me to help bury the body.

But, I don’t want to tell them about my struggles with Patrick. Only Vera knows the history we share, but even she doesn’t know how much I want this to become more. I’m still terrified of letting myself go with him. I’d love to blame the way my relationship with Kabir, but it’s Patrick I’m scared of. He has the power to love me and break me in the palm of his very strong hands.

“I had to fire a whole team today,” Krys blurts out and then whimpers as she covers her mouth. Our attention swings to her and she nods. “They were costing us so much money and making a mess of the accounts, I had to let them go.”

“Fuck, Krys. I’m sorry,” I say while scooting my chair closer to hers. I wrap an arm around her shoulders and she leans into me.

“They weren’t even apologetic about it. Just puffed out their chests and said they did what needed to be done,” she continues.