Don’t miss this exclusive deleted scene from Jeevani Charika, featuring characters from Playing for Love and her new novel, Picture Perfect!
Sam finished putting the branded tablecloths on the tables and looked around the function room of The Nest with a small sigh of satisfaction. She and Luke had arranged the tables and set up the standing banners and temporary posters showcasing Shanti Bags designs earlier. It had seemed like an odd idea to have a party to celebrate Shanti Bags moving into the bigger offices upstairs, but she hadn’t had much fanfare in real life for when she’d announced her collaboration with Boutique Belvoir, so it was a celebration to cover both, really. Or, as Niro put it, something to acknowledge just how far she’d come.
As though conjured up by the thought, Niro nudged the door open and came in with a stack of white cake boxes. Behind her came Luke, carrying even more boxes.
‘The cupcakes are here,’ Niro announced. They put the boxes down.
Sam picked a box and cautiously opened the lid. She gave a little squeak of excitement. Inside were cupcakes, each decorated with a generous swirl of icing and the Shanthi Bags logo on an edible cake topper.
Seeing them suddenly brought it all home. She put her hands to her mouth. ‘They’re amazing.’ Tears prickled at her eyes.
Luke put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. ‘You’re amazing.’
She nodded, blinking. ‘If you’d told me two years ago that I’d be here…’
‘You’d have wanted to know exactly how you got here and you wouldn’t have believed it,’ said Niro, firmly.
Sam glanced at Luke. No. She wouldn’t have believed it. He smiled at her and tightened his arm around her. She wiped her eyes.
Niro found the bag containing the cardboard cake stands. ‘When you two have finished mooning over each other,’ she said, ‘maybe you can give me a hand.’ She took a cardboard stand out and started to assemble it.
‘I can’t, I’m afraid. I have a meeting. But I’ll be back up later.’ Luke kissed Sam again and released her.
‘Make sure you are,’ said Sam.
‘Yeah,’ said Niro. ‘You don’t want to miss meeting her parents.’
Luke’s smile vanished to be replaced with a look of terror.
‘Niro!’ said Sam. Luke was nervous enough without Niro teasing her. ‘You’ll be fine,’ she said to Luke. ‘We’ll see you later.’
When he had gone, Sam stood next to her cousin and they assembled the cake stands in silence. She glanced at Niro’s face, serious with focus. While she had been busy with Luke and with the business, she had stopped spending as much time with Niro and now she was noticing changes. The main thing was that Niro rarely went out. Two years ago, before she’d moved in with Sam, Niro had walked a lot – roaming around taking photos of objects and places. Now she rarely went out, even to the shops. She had gained weight and seemed quieter and easier to annoy than before.
‘Niro,’ Sam said, cautiously. ‘Is everything okay?’
Niro didn’t look at her. ‘Why wouldn’t it be?’
She noticed that this wasn’t an answer. ‘I know I haven’t been around much lately–’
Niro looked up sharply. ‘Sam. You’ve been getting a business off the ground. You were busy. You don’t have to apologise.’ She smacked one piece of cardboard into another with extra force. ‘You don’t have to babysit me.’
‘I know, I know. But I worry about you. I can tell that you’re … not happy.’
‘Well, no,’ said Niro. ‘My career is dead before it even started and I’m a little hung up on my ex. Neither of which is that unusual though, right?’
It had been over a year since Niro had dumped her cheating boyfriend and moved in with Sam. She had hoped that time would heal Niro’s wounds and that she’d bounce back to her old self, but it hadn’t happened. If anything, Niro was getting quieter and less outgoing by the day.
‘I’m sorry. Look. Let’s do romcom movie night next week.’
Niro raised her eyebrows. ‘You’re busy.’
‘Not too busy for you, though.’
For a second, it looked like Niro was going to argue with her. But then she smiled, a small, un-Niro-like smile. ‘That would be nice,’ she said. ‘I’d like that.’ Then, as an afterthought, she added, ‘You can invite Luke too, if you like. So long as you promise to behave yourselves.’
Sam laughed. ‘Maybe for the next one.’
Niro nodded. ‘Okay. I think we’re done. Let’s unload the cakes.’ She glanced speculatively at the cake boxes. ‘Do you think we should try one to check they’re okay?’
***
It was nearly time for people to arrive and Luke hadn’t come back yet. Sam left Niro in charge of meeting and greeting people and went to search for him. She found him in his office – pacing.
‘Luke.’
He looked up. He seemed wide-eyed and worried.
‘What’s wrong?’
He tried to shrug, but failed to make it convincing. ‘What if your parents hate me?’
She shut the door and went up to him. ‘They can’t. No one can hate you. You’re un-hateable.’ She put her arms around his neck.
He relaxed a fraction. ‘That’s not a real word.’
‘No. But it’s a real sentiment. You’ll be fine. Just be yourself.’ She paused before adding, ‘maybe not much Blaze today, though. Okay?’
‘Noted.’ Blaze was Luke’s avatar for online gaming, and it was the persona in which Sam had first met him. She liked Blaze, but today she needed Luke.
‘Excellent.’ She kissed him gently. ‘Now come on.’
Upstairs a few people were already there, milling around, chatting and admiring the display of samples. Sam grabbed a drink and went round to thank them for coming.
By the time Thatha and Aunty-Amma arrived, there was a reasonable crowd, so that the business looked super successful. She grabbed Luke’s hand and dragged him over to meet her parents.
She put her palms together and bowed. She didn’t normally bother, but it seemed appropriate right now. Her father acknowledged her and looked at Luke, who did an awkward bow-type thing, his eyes still looking a little wild.
‘Um …Thatha and Aunty-Amma. This is Luke. Er … my boyfriend.’
Luke bobbed his head again. ‘Hi.’
There was a beat of silence as her parents assessed him.
‘It’s very nice to meet you, Luke,’ Aunty-Amma said. ‘Samadhi tells us you run an online event business.’
‘That’s right,’ Luke said. ‘I help other people run online events.’
‘That sounds very interesting. Tell me, what sort of events?’ Aunty-Amma stepped through and steered Luke away, leaving Sam alone with her father.
‘So … you’ve met him now,’ Sam said, quietly, to Thatha.
He nodded. ‘I haven’t spoken to him.’ He glanced at where Luke was patiently explaining something to Aunty-Amma. ‘Your Aunty-Amma seems to be getting on with him though. No doubt she’ll have found out everything there is to know by the time she’s done.’
Sam grinned. Aunty-Amma was a counsellor for a bereavement charity. So yes, Thatha was probably right.
‘Can I get you a drink? Or something to eat?’
She saw her father’s eyes light up at the sight of cake.
‘I’m sure I can have just one cake,’ he said. ‘Since it’s a special occasion.’
***
Niro had been helping with the drinks, but everyone seemed well looked after. She had just picked up her own glass when she spotted her mother and Kumudhini Aunty come in.
Niro’s mum, Sam’s stepmum and Kumudhini Aunty were an unlikely trio. Niro and Sam called them the ‘Aunties’. The quiet one, the blunt one and the loud, opinionated nightmare, Niro thought. Niro was used to her mum, so the nagging about settling down just washed over her now. Sam’s stepmum, who was Niro’s actual aunt, was quiet and caring and Niro loved her best of all. Kumudhini Aunty was … well, she was something else.
She hurried over to greet them and make sure they had drinks.
‘Nirosha!’ her mum said. ‘What a wonderful thing your cousin sister has done.’
‘Yeah, Amma. Sam’s amazing. She’s done so well. All by herself as well.’ With a little bit of luck, but whatever. It was mostly Sam doing it alone.
‘And she’s found time to get a boyfriend,’ Amma said, meaningfully.
‘Amma…’ Niro warned.
‘That boy that your Lokuamma is talking to. Is that him? Is that Samadhi’s boyfriend?’
Niro barely had time to nod before the two older women were off, moving determinedly towards Sam’s stepmother and Luke. Fascinated, she followed.
‘These are my very good friends, Upali – who is Niro’s mother … and this lady is Kumudhini.’ Sam’s stepmum laughed. ‘I’m Ruvani. Just in case Sam forgot to tell you my name.’
‘Pleased to meet you, Aunties,’ Luke said.
In her mind, Niro cheered. Luke had clearly been taking notes when she’d briefed him on aunty-handling techniques. She saw the Aunties exchange an approving glance.
‘So Luke,’ said Kumudhini Aunty, never one to let occasion spoil a good bit of gossip gathering. ‘What do you do for a living?’
‘Well I—’
‘He’s just been telling me,’ said Ruvani. It sounds fascinating.’
‘Thank you,’ Luke’s eyes darted from one aunty to another. ‘Um … I enjoy it.’
Niro watched for a few minutes, amused, as Luke faced the Aunties. She had been dealing with them her whole life. To face thei fierce attention for the first time must be terrifying. Poor bloke.
He looked up at her with panic in his eyes and she took pity on him. Glancing around the room, she could see Sam was busy talking to her father, fidgeting and casting the odd anxious glance at Luke. Well, if Sam couldn’t extract herself to save Luke, Niro decided, she would just have to do it herself.
‘I’m really sorry, Aunty,’ she said to Aunty K, who was mid-question. ‘I need Luke to help me with something.’ She took out her phone. ‘Luke, there’s something wrong with this app, can you sort it out please?’
Luke stared at her perfectly functional phone and gave her a puzzled frown.
‘Can you fix it?’ she asked, pointedly.
He understood. ‘Oh. Yes. Let me see.’ He took the phone off her and made a few random swiping motions. ‘There. Should be okay now.’
‘Wow. Amazing.’ Niro waved her phone at the Aunties. ‘He fixed it.’
Kumudhini Aunty, who had daily battles with her phone, looked impressed. So did Niro’s mum. Her aunt, who was pretty tech savvy, looked like she was trying not to laugh.
‘If you’ll excuse me,’ Luke said. ‘I have to go and talk to that gentleman over there.’ He rushed off.
‘Well, he seems nice,’ said Niro’s mother. ‘Polite and helpful.’
‘Yes,’ said Sam’s stepmother. ‘And Samadhi is clearly blossoming in his company. I think he’s good for her.’
Niro congratulated herself on successfully diverting the oncoming disaster of the Judgement of Kumudhini Aunty. Of course, she could now tease Luke about needing to be saved from some tiny Asian Aunties. She turned to find the Aunties watching her.
‘Now then,’ her mother said. ‘All that’s left to do now, is to find someone for Niro.’
‘Ah, don’t worry,’ said Kumudhini Aunty. ‘I am already on the case.’ She patted Niro’s arm. ‘Don’t worry, Nirosha. We’ll find a man to marry you. I promise.’
Wait, what?
Oh no.
Picture Perfect is out in eBook now.
