AAYAT’S POV

The restaurant is exactly what I had imagined. Lavish, expensive and with a live musician. Ananya spots me instantly. She and Faisal get out of their seats and walk over to greet me by the entrance.

“Thank you for joining us.” She says. “I’m sorry I had you move between Hyderabad and Mumbai twice in less than five days. And now you’ll have to fly back-“

“I’m not going back.” I didn’t want to start like this but the cat had to get out of the bag eventually. “What do you mean?” Faisal asks. “I’m going back to England. My flight is tomorrow. My parents and I had a fight and I left.”

I know she wants to hug me but she holds herself back. “Where are you staying?” She asks. “In a hotel nearby.”

“Nonsense!” She chastises. “You’ll stay with us and we will drop you at the airport ourselves. You’re not going to stay alone-“

“I’m not alone. My husband is here.” They both blink in confusion before Faisal shakes himself out of his shock. “I thought he was dead.” I gape. Ananya nudges him. “He wasn’t dead, he was in a coma.”

Faisal scowls at her. “You told me he is almost dead.”

“No I didn’t!”

“Wow.” I say. They both jump away from the topic. “Anyways,” my friend says, “you’ll both stay with us. We will drop you ourselves. Also why didn’t you bring him with you?”

I look around nervously. “I did actually. I wanted you to meet him. He is taking a call outside but he will be back soon.” Ananya smiles. “I’ll finally see the man who has you head over heels for him. He better be pretty or I’ll be disappointed.”

“You’re so shallow.” Faisal tells her. “Shut up pretty boy.” He throws a hand up in the air. “So, when did he get here?” Faisal asks.

“He woke up from his coma almost a month ago, took some time to recover and then came here to find me.”

“He flew in from England to find you?” I nod at Ananya’s question. “I need a man with this level of dedication.” Faisal slowly but surely turns his head towards her. She pats his cheek without looking at him. “You did good too.”

“Aayat?” I turn with a smile. “Harry! These are my friends, Ananya and her husband Faisal.” I wrap my arm around his, feeling at ease every time we touch, and blink in confusion when all three of them freeze.

“You motherfucker.” Faisal growls.

“You cunt.” Harry responds in boredom.

“Me, cutie.” Ananya shrugs at my frown. “I was feeling left out.”

“What is happening here?” I ask. Both men glare at each other with razor sharp eyes. “Will someone answer?” I ask again.

“Why don’t you ask your friend.” Harry grunts. I look at Ananya, who keeps a hand on Faisal’s chest as if he will pounce any minute she doesn’t stop him.

She smiles apologetically. “We all went to college together.” Oh? “When? Where?” I have so many questions. World isn’t that small. How come I became friends with the same people my husband went to college with?

“Probably when you were in sixth standard or something.” Ananya jokes. Right, these people are ancient. “Why are you married to a girl so young?” Faisal asks Harry.

“Mind your own fucking business.”

“I’ll break your nose.”

“Hello everyone! I’ll be your server tonight. I’ll lead you to your table. Is everyone having a good time?” This seems like the worst time.

“Great time.” Faisal says like he hates living.

“Fantastic.” Harry says, matching the tone. This is going to be the worst dinner I’ve ever had.

—

The glass almost breaks by the force with which Faisal puts it on the table after drinking his whiskey in a single gulp. Harry places his glass back politely though he did almost chug the scotch out of the bottle as if it’s beer until I stopped him.

Nobody has said a word and these men are just glaring at each other and drowning their liver in alcohol. Ananya clears her throat tentatively and smiles. “Hey Harry. How are you?” That’s the most decent reunion response.

Harry stops glaring at Faisal and looks at Ananya. His shoulders relax a little. “Hey shortcake.” Her lip wobbles and her eyes water before she looks down at her lap and calms herself down.

Even Faisal’s eyes soften. “You disappeared. You didn’t even say goodbye before leaving. I lost both my friends on the same day. Did you not miss us at all?” She asks on the verge of tears again. Harry sighs.

“I’m sorry. I was on the verge of going mad, I just did what I could. I didn’t think to reach out after I was calm because it had been a while.” I have no idea what happened but it does seem like they were close before.

I also don’t know what two friends Ananya lost. If one was Harry, who was the other one? A waitress puts our food on the table and the silence is almost suffocating once she leaves.

“How long have you two been married?” Harry asks. “Thirteen years.” Faisal says. Harry smiles into his plate. I’m sure no one else can see it but I do. He is genuinely happy for them.

“What? You two jumped into marriage the second you left that island?”

“Yes.” Faisal grumbles. He still seems pissed at Harry. “Will you stop brooding like a loner with no life?” Harry asks. Faisal picks up his fork and points it at my husband’s face. Ananya shrieks and holds her husband’s hand to keep him from committing murder and I pull Harry back.

“You absolute parasite!” Faisal grunts. “I really wish I could break your face, you motherfucking traitor!” The restaurant staff approaches us and tells us to either keep quiet or leave.

The men decide to take their issues outside. As if that is reassuring. “I have no appetite.”

“Me neither.” Ananya says and we both try to pay the bill but Ananya wins that battle and we both rush out to the dick measuring context happening in the parking lot.

This is an absolute wreck. Literally!

~~~~~~

HARRY’S POV

This fucking dick throws a giant rock at the windshield of my rental. The glass flies everywhere. He is going to fucking pay for that. I pick up a similar rock and smash it against his car.

“Stop throwing a tantrum like a fucking child!” I yell. God knows what his problem is. He didn’t even like me. All he ever did was try to push me away from him and act like my existence bothers him.

He punches me square in the jaw. Fuck! “Oh my god!” My wife yells. “Stop it Faisal!” Shortcake screams. I wipe at the corner of my mouth and see blood. This reptilian! I return the favour and swing one right for his face.

My knuckles split and I shake my hand but the ridiculous amount of blood dripping down his face makes it worth it. Ten points to me for putting up with his shit. He looks at me a little horrified. I’ve killed more people than this one has seen die in movies.

“What is your problem?” I grunt as I tip my chin in question. He scoff. “You! You disappeared without a fucking trace!” I did do that. Found someone to make me not appear in the UK nobles either for a long while.

I was killing people, I didn’t want to be tracked down.

“I thought you were fucking dead for almost eleven years!” I haven’t seen him for thirteen. “And what about the other two?” He makes a move as if he wants to punch me again. “I found you. Somewhere on that godforsaken island.”

Hmm, so he found me while I was still on a murder spree. “Then?”

“Then what?!” He spits. “What did you do after that, you knob?” He frowns. “Knob? Do I look like a door handle to you now?”

“Knob means idiot, ya fucking arse. Now speak!”

“God, you’re British.” What the fuck is that supposed to mean? “Well, god you’re Indian.” I respond back. Our wives are standing at a distance and watching the both of us be absolute morons.

“Is that supposed to be an insult?” He asks. I shrug. “Was calling me British supposed to be one?” He nods. “Yes. You “civilised” cunts ruled over us for two centuries.”

“Well what am I supposed to do? Apologise? I wasn’t fucking there, you imbecile. Now move the fuck on and tell me what you did after you found out I wasn’t dead.” He shakes his head in resignation.

“Nothing.” Well that was heartbreaking for no fucking reason. “I wasn’t going to step on that fucking island and I truly believed you went mad and started a fucking cult there. Trying to wake up your dead girlfriend.”

I narrow my eyes. This man had no faith in me. Well fuck him. I haven’t been moping around for him in the last decade either. “Why the fuck would I want to wake that snake up?” He shrugs.

“I don’t know. She was the love of your life or something I guess.” I punch him again and turn to Aayat. “She was not the love of my life. I loved her, yes but not that much since well.” I killed her myself.

She doesn’t exactly seem upset, she just raises a brow. Well, that’s still fine. The last time Joëlle was brought up, I fell into a fucking coma. Don’t need that happening again. Faisal shoves me hard in retaliation for the punch I just dropped on his pretty boy face.

I fall onto the gravel and he gets on top of me before grabbing my collar and almost choking me. “I fucking mourned you! I thought you were dead! For ten years I cursed the fate for taking my best friend away from me once again!

And you were just living on the cursed island that ruined everything for me! How fucking dare you abandon me?!” I shove him hard so he is the one on the ground and I’m gripping his collar.

“Your life, your fate, your marriage. What about me, huh? Have you ever thought about me, you jag? Ever thought about what I was going through?! I loved Joëlle! As horrible as she was, I loved her and I killed her for you!

I chose you and when I was mourning a dead girlfriend, you told me to go bury her and get over it! You fucking psychopath! I needed a friend to talk to. If I wanted to hear orders I would’ve called my fucking father!

I wasn’t partying on that goddamn island for ten years Faisal.” I get in his face. “You didn’t kill everyone. You fled, sure but that cult was still alive and was planning to find you and avenge the death of their stupid fucking deity.

I spent ten years of my life killing every single one of them with my own hands so they don’t come for you or Ananya. I am the reason the two of you are alive and married and will keep being so in the future.

I proved my friendship over and over again you fucking cunt while you couldn’t find me and decided to ignore where I was once you did.

I haven’t been to that island since I found my wife there two years ago. I’ve been living in England, in a perfectly traceable place. Where you didn’t bother finding me!”

I shove him back against the floor and he stops trying to fight me. We both pant, especially as I stand up and almost slip on his phone. I pick up the device and look at the cracked screen until it lights up on its own and I see his Lock Screen.

It’s a picture of him and shortcake. But that’s not all. “You have kids.” I realise as I look at a boy who seems older than the rest and looks a lot like Ananya but with Faisal’s eyes.

There are also two other boys that are twins and have goofy smiles on their faces. And if all this wasn’t enough, shortcake is holding a toddler dressed in a yellow frock with a yellow hair band in her hair.

She also looks exactly like her mother. These two have kids. They have four kids and one is a girl. They got their girl back. I watch him stand up and take the phone from me.

“The eldest is twelve. His name is Kiaan.” He then points at the twin boys, one by one. “This one is Ridhaan and this is Vihaan. They are seven and this,” he points at his daughter, “this is Meher. She turns two in a month.”

The fight leaves my body and in its wake is something worse. Something like exhaustion, like I’ve lost. It was never a competition between the two of us but I hate that he has all of them.

He probably sees me looking so lost and wraps his arms around me. “I have missed you so much, Harry. So fucking much, I can’t describe it. When I got to know you were alive I thought you abandoned me. And I hated how that felt.”

I try to stop it but the tear somehow falls. “I fucking hate you.” I mumble as I wrap my arms around him. “You abandoned me, Faisal. You have a wife, kids, happiness. I never had anything until I met Inayat and even then I was in a coma for a year.

I am happy for you but I hate that you got a family in the last decade while all I got was blood on my hands and a wife I’ve disappointed.” His hold tightens.

“The only reason I have a family is because you protected all of us from afar. I’m so fucking sorry I wasn’t there.” He pulls away and holds my shoulders.

“Come home.” He says. “I always wanted you to be a part of my family.”

“Do you think they’ll kiss?” We both frown as we turn towards our wives. “I hope not.” Aayat says.

“Why?” Ananya asks like she is hoping that we would in fact kiss. “Because they’re both married. To us.” My wife says. Ananya shrugs. “Would still be fun honestly.”

I scowl.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Faisal asks.

“Oh shut it, you pretty boy.”

~~~~~~