My parents finding out early wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would destroy all my carefully laid plans. If we stuck to my timeline, I knew what to expect. If we didn’t, anything could happen, and that type of uncertainty made my skin crawl.
“I don’t think that’s it,” Neha said. “I think you’re worried they won’t approve or that they’ll scare Sebastian away.”
I kept quiet.
“Or…” Her eyes narrowed further. “Maybe you’re not ready to tell them because you don’t know how you feel yet.”
I still didn’t respond.
“No, that’s not it.” She tapped a finger against her arm.Tap, tap, tapuntil she paused, and realization dawned. “You’re scared. This is your first real relationship in—”
“Stop.” I cut her off. “Don’t play therapist with me, okay? I’m asking you, sister to sister, topleasekeep this a secret until June. That’s only two months from now.”
Neha’s forehead creased. For a brief, shining moment, I thought she might agree, but then she shook her head, and all my hopes came crashing down.
“I’m sorry, but dragging it out won’t do anyone any good,” she said. “The longer you wait, the worse it’ll be. I know how Mom can be, but I know how Dad can be too. Hehateswhenpeople keep secrets from him.”
Panic and frustration coiled in my gut.
I loved my sister, but sometimes, I wanted to strangle her. “Neha, please,” I said, but I knew it was a lost cause. I recognized the tilt of her chin and the firm set of her mouth. She wasn’t going to budge.
“We’re having dinner with the Laurents next week. Dad should be in a good mood,” Neha said. “You need to tell them then. If you don’t, I will. It’s for your own good. Trust me.”
CHAPTER 36
Sebastian
FUCKING NEHA.
Out of everyone we could’ve run into at bowling, wehadto run into Maya’s rigid, uptight sister.
Maya had spent the past week panicking about tonight’s dinner at my parents’ house, but a strange calm enveloped me as I entered their brownstone.
In hindsight, hiding our relationship from her family had probably caused more issues than it’d prevented. Neal, in particular, hated when people lied to him, and that included lying by omission. Revealing that I’d secretly been dating his daughter behind his back for the past month and a half wasn’t going to win me any brownie points, but what was done was done.
Even if I could change the past—knowing we’d end up in this predicament if I didn’t—I wouldn’t have traded the past month of bliss for anything. Having Maya all to myself for those weeks was worth whatever recriminations her parents threw my way.
My only worry was how she’d handle it, but we’d deal with it together. I was also banking on her mother’s elation to calm some of her father’s inevitable anger.
However, my calm fizzled when I stepped into the dining room, where my parents were already seated. The Singhs weren’t here yet, but something was off. I couldn’t put my finger on it. It was a current in the air, a subtle shift in energy that made the hairs on my nape prickle and goosebumps run up and down my arms.
I hid my unease for the time being and greeted my parents.
“Sebastian!” My mother gave me a double air kiss. “I’m sohappy to see you. You look wonderful.”
“Thanks, Maman.” My smile vanished when I greeted my father. “Papa.”
He inclined his head. “Sebastian.”
My mother chattered on about her upcoming spa vacation with Shilpa, Maya’s mom. They were going to some fancy new place in Switzerland.
I listened and asked the appropriate questions, but my sense of unease deepened. It wasn’t related to our conversation or even my father, who was busy with his phone. It was more like a warning tingle, similar to the way I could smell an impending storm or guess when a jump scare was about to pop up during a horror movie.
The Singhs arrived soon after. Maya came in behind her parents, and the knots in my gut loosened when she flashed me a quick, conspiratorial smile.
Besides Neha, everyone thought we barely tolerated each other, so we exchanged only a brief hello before we settled into our usual seating arrangement—my father and Neal at opposite ends of the table, the rest of us occupying the seats between them. It was a smaller affair tonight, consisting of myself, Maya, our parents, and her sisters. Her grandmother and her sister’s partners were conspicuously absent.
Maya and I had agreed to tell our families together after dinner. That meant we had two hours before the grand finale, give or take. Until then…