Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating(51)

The food tastes even better than it looks. Almost as soon as I’m finished eating, Ishu grabs my hand and pulls me up the stairs.

“I hate dawats,” she mumbles under her breath.

“Well, the food is always good,” I say. Ishu raises a questioning eyebrow but I don’t think she should question how good her mom’s shorisha ilish tastes.

She opens up the door to her bedroom, and almost as soon as the two of us are through it I hear the click of the lock behind us. It’s not like we haven’t been alone in her bedroom, or in my bedroom, before. But for some reason, now the thought of us here together in a locked room makes my heart beat a million times faster than usual.

“It’s just so the kids can’t come in,” Ishu explains.

“Yeah … that’s what I figured,” I say. “You’re pretty obsessive over everything being organized.” I cast a sweeping look over her bedroom. It’s pristine. “How is this cleaner than the last time I was here? There aren’t even any books on your desk.” If I didn’t know this was Ishu’s room, I’d be doubtful anyone lived in it.

“I wasn’t going to let the guests see a messy bedroom.” Ishu’s voice sounds a little insecure. Like she really thinks she’s capable of having a messy bedroom.

“Because Uncles and Aunties love coming to scope out your bedroom?”

She shrugs and settles onto her bed. There’s so much space beside her, but I hesitate before finally sitting myself down at the farthest end of the bed, as far away from Ishu as I can get without making it weird. Though from the way Ishu glances at me, I’m pretty sure things are already weird enough between us.

Time seems to slow down as the two of us sit there. It’s deathly silent, though we can hear the hum of voices floating up from downstairs.

Finally, after what feels like hours, Ishu turns her whole body toward me, a frown etched into her face.

“So, are we going to talk about what’s bothering you?” she asks.

My heart stops, and I glance up. I can only meet her gaze for a moment before looking down once more, at the bright blue of her duvet cover. She’s given me the opening to ask about her sister and the guide, but the words feel clogged in my throat. “Nothing … nothing’s bothering me.”

Ishu heaves a sigh and the bed creaks with the weight of it. “This should have been one of the rules in our guide, right? What to do if our fake dating leads to … awkwardness?”

I glance up once more to see Ishu looking up at her ceiling like something up there will have the answer to her question. Does she really not know?

“Something … happened.” The words slip out of me. For a moment, I’m not sure I’m the one who’s said them. But then Ishu looks at me with curiosity written on her face and I know that I have. “Your sister.

Curiosity turns into confusion on Ishu’s face, and she scoots forward. “My sister?” Did she … do something?”

“I thought you knew,” I say, but the more I speak the more sure I am that Ishu didn’t break any of the rules. Ishu didn’t tell her sister. She didn’t share our guide with her. “I was looking at our Google Doc a few days ago, and … your sister was on it. She … has access to it.”

Ishu blinks slowly, like she’s having a hard time processing this information. “You didn’t share it with her?”

“I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

“You think I sent it to her? On purpose?”

“It’s the only explanation,” I say, even though now it sounds ridiculous. Of course, Ishu wouldn’t send her sister this on purpose. Not after literally running away from Nik after our first date. Not after what she told me about her relationship with Nik.

“Why would I send it to her?” Ishu asks.

“I guess … you wouldn’t,” I say. “I just assumed … but … after everything that happened at Seven Wonders, I should have known …”

Ishu bites her lip. “What if I sent it to her by accident?” Pausing, she looks up to meet my eyes. “She didn’t say anything about it to me, so … she must not have told anyone yet.”

It’s the “yet” that makes me afraid. I can’t imagine what would happen if people found out that all of this has been an act. Aisling and Dee would never let me live it down—they would never ever believe that I’m really bisexual. They’ll be convinced that I did this whole thing as a stunt for attention.

“So, you think she’s going to tell someone?” I ask. “Because if people find out …”

“I know.” Ishu’s voice is little more than a whisper. “She could … tell my parents.”

Silence sits between us again. But this time there’s nothing awkward about it; it’s heavy with the knowledge that someone knows our secret. That with just one click, someone can undo everything that we’ve been working toward.

Ishu’s face is contorted into an expression that I’ve never really seen on her before. I edge toward her until we’re basically face-to-face. “It’s going to be okay. Your sister … she won’t tell anyone.” I try to say it with conviction that I definitely don’t feel.

Ishu meets my gaze, and her expression softens. For the first time today, I notice that she’s wearing makeup. There’s a hint of eyeliner around her eyes, and a tint of pink on her lips. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ishu wearing makeup before. The familiar knot tugs at my belly, and I feel warmth creep up my neck.