Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 118042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 590(@200wpm)___ 472(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 590(@200wpm)___ 472(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
I climbed into the car.
I shifted it into gear.
And drove away.
Chapter Twenty-Five
………………………….
Ily
I OPENED MY EYES TO HEAVEN.
Sunshine set a silver and white room on fire, painting every surface with gold. Silver-scrolled wallpaper danced sunlight around, sending it bouncing off a white tallboy, two chairs, and a dreamy painting of horses galloping in wave froth on the beach.
I was so warm and comfy.
So content and safe.
But wait…pain crept into awareness. A low ache in my veins and a steady burn in my chest.
What happened?
Yawning, I looked to the right.
And all my discomfort vanished.
I smiled. “Krish.”
My brother grinned and came to sit on the bed. He sat lightly beside me, careful not to touch. Placing something white and fluffy beside him, he shrugged. “Missed you, Khushi.”
Happy tears pricked my eyes.
Any pain I felt couldn’t compete with the sheer wonderment of this moment. I wanted to reach for him, but I didn’t know what level of tolerance he had today. Instead, I just drank him in. I studied the glossy blackness of his hair, the endless wisdom in his dark eyes, and the quirk of his handsome mouth.
People often said we looked similar despite not sharing blood.
I liked to think we did, even if it wasn’t possible.
He never looked away from me, not finding it awkward to hold eye contact like some. We shared an entire conversation in that look, all while his hand kept petting whatever it was he’d placed beside him.
Looking down, my eyebrows rose. “That’s a bunny.”
He smirked. “That’s a Tiger.”
“Tiger?”
He rubbed his fingers along the rabbit’s short white ears. “His name is Tiger. He’s a jersey woolie.”
I snuggled against my pillows, melting with joy. My heart smouldered with pain as if it’d been punched a few times. But it still knew how to love, how to thrum.
God, it’d been so long. Too long. I’d missed him so much. Missed our connection, our unexplainable bond, and how he viewed the world.
Innocent and all knowing.
Calm and centred.
“And why is Tiger on my bed?”
Krish stroked the adorable creature’s black-splashed nose, his finger ever so soft, his eyes pooling with love. “Because you left, and I had no one. No one quiet to be with anyway.”
I nodded, memories unspooling the longer I solidified in this dream.
I had left.
First by choice with a few days holiday with my ex-boyfriend and then by duress with Henri.
Henri…
My aching heart pinched. I looked around the room. “Where’s Henri, Krish? Do you know?”
“I don’t know anyone called Henri.” He looked down, petting, always petting his little bunny. The rabbit was more than content to accept his love, curling its little front feet and collapsing into a ball. Its cheeks chattered, and brown eyes half closed.
“He’s purring,” Krish whispered. “They do that, you know.”
I smiled even though my pulse picked up, worrying about Henri. The last I’d seen of him was when he ran after Victor. He’d been bleeding and hurt. Everything had been so dark and smoky. The air reeked of death and bitter blood.
Glancing down at my body, I noticed clean skin and a white t-shirt.
This definitely had to be a dream. I had no fear. No wounds. Just pure sunshine and love with my brother.
Maybe you died back there on the island.
I stiffened.
Perhaps.
Maybe we’d never won.
Maybe we’d failed and all the jewels had perished.
So…this is heaven?
With our family’s faith, I shouldn’t be here. I should be choosing another lifetime or waiting for loved ones before starting again.
Yet this…this was nice.
“Where are we?” I asked softly.
Krish looked around the room. “In the home of the man with the black heart.”
I instantly tensed. “Victor?”
His eyebrows knitted together. “No, I don’t think so? We came on a plane.”
“You…” My mouth fell open. “You came on a plane?” How was that even possible? My brother could barely stand walking through our neighbourhood if there were too many cars or people. The very idea that he’d gone to an airport and sat in a congested aircraft?
Just…it’s not possible.
“Tiger came too. The pilot said he could.”
“I think I’m missing a few pieces of this story, Krish. Do you think you can help fill in the blanks for me?”
His shoulders bunched, but he kept his hand on Tiger and relaxed again. “You left, and everything was so noisy. You know they mean well but they’re ever so loud.”
“Our parents?”
He nodded. “They missed you. They were on the phone a lot. Crying. Shouting. Looking for you. One day, I couldn’t take it anymore. I slipped through the back gate and sat on the swing in the park. It was noisy there too but at least it came from the pigeons and children, not adults and their worries.”
I risked touching him.
Placing my hand over his on Tiger, I murmured, “I’m so sorry I left you.”
He shrugged. “It’s okay. In the park, I found Tiger. He huddled under a bush. He was so scared. Everything was so noisy for him too. He can’t help it just like me. The vibrations were just too jagged, too sharp. When I touched him, I had to be the quiet for him, just like you were the quiet for me.” He beamed at the rabbit. “We were the same. We helped each other. When I went to go home, he hopped after me. I scooped him up and took him. We found quiet together.”