Mina sat against the left wall, her nose practically pressed to the screen of her phone.
This was family, Raj thought. She realized that she’d been strong enough to survive the loss of her brother, her mother, and the rest of her blood relatives, but Mina was the one person who could devastate her by ending the relationship.
“Don’t be an asshole, Raj,” she murmured to herself as she walked to the table.
Mina looked up as Raj approached. Her icy expression behind the black square frames of her glasses could lower the temperature in the room.
Hell. So much for understanding, Raj thought.
“Fashionably late, as always, right?”
Silence.
“Mina, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Robert’s new position,” she said, as she slid onto the couch facing Mina.
Her best friend set her phone aside and crossed her arms over her fitted maroon dress. One perfectly threaded eyebrow winged up.
Great. Raj wasn’t the best at apologies, but because her relationship with Mina meant more to her than her pride, she had no other choice than to be honest and open . . . even if it felt like jabbing needles in her eyeballs.
“It happened quickly,” Raj started. The words felt uncomfortable coming out of her mouth. “Robert and I worked together, we lived in the same house, but we had completely different schedules, different lives. You know that. He comes and goes when he needs to and so do I. A little over a month ago, he came to me and said that we were now in our thirties and it was time to think about having kids.”
Mina’s mouth fell open. “But you don’t want kids.”
“Yeah, not with him anyway. We had a contract, not a marriage. A friendship, even, but that’s as far as it went. I reminded Robert of the terms of our agreement and . . . well, he quit.” Raj shrugged, even though the betrayal still stung.
“So you knew he went to WTA?” Mina asked.
“No, not at first. I thought he was just sulking and that he planned on joining his father’s business. Then a week after I started helping you find out who leaked information from your boyfriend’s company, I got a security notice. I had left my computer unlocked, and Robert accessed files from my home office.”
“Shit, Raj.”
“That’s when I found out that Robert had gone to WTA, basically bartered my information for a job, and used me. I asked for a divorce, then I put my own money into helping you find out what was going on with your boyfriend’s company.”
The waitress approached the table with a cheerful greeting and began filling their water glasses. “Do you ladies need another few minutes before ordering? I can always put in a couple drinks for you.”
“Wine please,” Raj said. “White, dry, and crisp.” She rattled off three brands she preferred.
“I may not be staying here long enough to finish a drink, so skip me,” Mina said. Her expression was even more glacial than before. The waitress must have picked up on it, because she hurried away without another word.
“You should have fucking told me,” Mina hissed as she leaned across the table. “We’re best friends, Raj! Do you know how bad this situation is?”
This was not going well. Raj should’ve been better prepared. She knew that Mina’s sense of honesty and honor was as saintly as Guru Nanak’s. If she hadn’t been so distracted by Robert’s early morning visit, she would’ve focused more time on crafting her apology.
“Mina, I know I made a mistake, but I also know that I was trying to help you. I should’ve said something, though. I’m not used to being in that position.”
“That doesn’t change the fact—”
“I know,” Raj interrupted. She felt raw and exposed.
“I know it doesn’t change the fact that I didn’t tell you. I haven’t told you a lot of things, and I realize how wrong that is. You’re important to me and it’s like a series of bad mistakes that I’m paying for now. I’m trying to do what’s right, Mina. Please. Tell me you at least see that.”
After a long minute, Mina let out a sigh and reached across the table, palm up. Raj felt a flicker of hope and held on to the outstretched hand.
“How are you doing?”
Raj let out a breath and felt Mina squeeze her fingers. “I’m. . . . relieved.”
“You promise you won’t hold secrets like that again?” Mina said in Punjabi.
“Fine, fine. Changa, yaar.”
“Good,” Mina said. “Now all you have to do is ask my man for forgiveness.”
“Excuse me?”
Mina grinned, and it was the first smile Raj had seen from her in a long time. “I don’t want you to be at odds with Hem. As soon as I can arrange it, we’ll get together so you can apologize to him directly.” She held up a hand to call the waitress and asked for two menus.
“You’re just being mean now,” Raj said.
“Yup,” Mina replied without hesitation. “Just because I forgive you doesn’t mean I don’t expect you to grovel.”
“Okay, I’ll grovel and even buy you dinner. Just let me know when.”
“Deal.”
“Deal,” Raj said, and just like that, her world felt right again.
The waitress came over, handed them menus, and placed Raj’s glass of wine on the table.
“Thank you, darling,” Raj said. She smiled up at the waitress. The poor woman was going to get a huge tip
“Uh, sure. I’ll give you a moment,” she said.
“No need.” Raj honed in on the curry section. “I’ll have the green curry with chicken. And whatever your scale is for heat? I want twice as spicy, please.”
“Same,” Mina added and handed over her menu.
“Let’s talk about you now,” Raj said when they were alone again. “I feel like I’ve done my part in oversharing. Tell me how things are. Do you like the new job? I know leaving your mother’s old firm was hard on you.”
“Not as hard as I thought it would be,” Mina said. “It was no longer my mother’s firm, and now that I’m working at a functioning practice, it’s . . . amazing. It’s a whole different environment.”
Raj had met Mina years ago at a women’s leadership symposium, and it had been clear from the start that her friend had something to prove. Her uncles had taken over the law firm that Mina’s mother started before her untimely death, and Mina was determined to take it back. Thankfully, with Hem in her life, now she was focused on herself instead of revenge.
Raj swirled the wine in her glass. “I know your father took the job as SVP of Legal over at Bharat. Does he like it?”
“I mean, he started this week, but so far he’s thriving. I haven’t seen him this jazzed in forever. It’s nice. I feel like we’ve gotten closer since we no longer work for my uncles.”
“Being assigned the Bharat case was the best thing that could’ve ever happened to you.”
“Without a doubt.”
Raj looked down at her nails and started to pick at her cuticle. “Do you work with the other Singhs, too? With Ajay?”
“Ajay? I see him sometimes, and there is Sunday morning breakfast at his mother’s house . . . Wait. Why do you ask?”