You're Invited(27)

And it didn’t feel like anything had changed. She narrowed her perfectly lined eyes at me and put her hands on her tiny waist. She was wearing a crop top, jeans with rips in them, and more makeup than I typically wore in a year. Only the very rich and the very privileged could get away with an outfit like that in Colombo. But now that I’ve had some time away from the Fonsekas, I’ve realized that it must have been hard being Kaavi’s younger sister—being compared to someone so perfect all the time. While Tehani had many of the same physical features as Kaavi, like the same wide eyes and the same full lower lip, they weren’t arranged the same way, somehow. It was like looking at Kaavi through a misshapen glass. Or maybe it was just Tehani’s hardness that always made me feel that way.

“Hi, Tehani.”

I was surprised when she gave me a warm smile.

“Amaya, hi. It’s been so long.” She stuck her cheeks against mine, which felt even more awkward than the aunties downstairs. I could smell cigarettes under her expensive perfume. I’ve never cared about her smoking, or her drinking, or her experiments with LSD that got her sent to a fancy rehab center in India, but I know for certain that Mr. and Mrs. Fonseka did.

“You must be here for the wedding. Kaavi will be thrilled. And I see you’ve already met Nadia. Such a cutie, isn’t she? Here, let me take her outside. I’m sure you two have a lot of catching up to do,” she said, yanking the toddler out of Mr. Fonseka’s hands and leaving, nanny in tow. I guess she’d grown up too. She was certainly the only Fonseka who seemed happy to see me, at least.

“I should go also,” I said. I couldn’t stay in this room a moment longer. “I don’t want to keep Kaavi waiting.”

I didn’t wait to see what he said, in case he insisted I immediately return to LA or something.

Tehani had already disappeared, and I peeked downstairs to see if that was where she went. I couldn’t spot her, but Nadia was at the foot of the stairs with her nanny. She peered up at me and gave me a little smile.

I took a quick step back and returned to Kaavi’s room. This was too much. This was all too much. I took a deep breath. Tried counting to five. It didn’t work.

Why was Kaavi being like this? I should have known better than to just come here. I was such an idiot, thinking they finally wanted to make amends. And now here I was, sneaking around shamefully, like a dog who had been cast out and accidentally wandered back home.

I looked around Kaavi’s room. There was a curling iron on her dresser, plugged in, and the indicator light blinking. I picked it up and felt its warmth. This would do for now. I placed my foot on the corner of the dresser and tugged up the cuff on my jeans. Then, holding my breath, I pressed the barrel of the curler onto the inner side of my ankle. It took a second for the pain to register, but when it did, I felt a little more centered. Like I could finally focus.

I’d just put the iron back when the door to Kaavi’s bathroom opened. She stepped out, looking like she did in her posts—flawless. She was wearing a silky champagne-colored jumpsuit, and her hair was in soft waves that fell over her shoulders. How did she even get her hair to behave like that in this humidity? I’d have frizz, and pit stains, and smudged mascara before I even left the house.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” She smiled, but she was tapping away at her phone. She still hadn’t made eye contact since she first saw me. I guess it was natural for her to be stiff. The last time we met, I’d told her that I hated her and never wanted to see her again. That I wished she were dead.

“So, I was—” But we were interrupted. Again.

This time by Mrs. Fonseka, who burst into the room, slightly red in the face. I don’t remember there being this many constant interruptions in the Fonsekas’ house.

“Ah, there you are.” She was panting slightly.

Kaavi raised her eyebrows. “Where else would we be?”

“I thought . . .” She peered down the corridor but pulled herself together as quickly as she first appeared. “Anyway, Kaavi, you better get going soon. The car is ready. And also, Laura is awake, and she’ll be coming with you.”

I had no clue who Laura was, but Kaavi frowned.

“Laura? Is that really necessary? She can go some other time, no?”

“No. She’ll come with you now. She’s already downstairs. Hurry up or you’ll be late.”

“Everything okay?” Tehani asked. She’d appeared behind her mother, even though I didn’t notice her when Mrs. Fonseka barged in.

“Just trying to get Kaavi to hurry up and go for her fitting,” Mrs. Fonseka muttered. She didn’t give me a second look as she stormed out of the room. Obviously, she didn’t leave her meeting and rush upstairs just to tell Kaavi that she was running late. She wanted to check up on me. And judging from this Laura person joining us, it appeared that she didn’t want me to be alone with Kaavi either.

“Amaya, have you seen Kaavi’s dress yet?” Tehani asked.

“Um, no. Not yet.”

Kaavi was busy at her dresser, applying lipstick and spritzing on some perfume.

“Do you want to see it? Kaavs won’t mind, will you?”

Kaavi barely glanced in our direction.

“No, no, go on ahead. Just hurry up or Amma will be on my case again.”

“Come on.”