Parents who abandon their children are universally loathed. Gehna, who was overwhelmed by things regularly, and often dreamt of escaping her life, could easily understand how someone might walk away. She couldn’t say that to Eram of course. ‘It wasn’t you.’

‘Yeah, it was. I mean, I know it wasn’t me me. I was two years old and barely even a proper human being. But it was still me.’

If his life was anything like the movies, Eram knew exactly how it would turn out. He would either go on a quest to find his mother with an old photo of hers that he would show to strangers, or he would bump into her completely by accident in a quaint cafe. She would tell him how long she had waited for this moment. He would ask her why she left. She would cry and apologize. They would hug, tentatively at first, but then with great intensity as Eram forgave her.

He shook off his reverie and looked around to see what Gehna was up to.

She was swinging her legs against the parapet and humming. ‘This could be Rotterdam,’ she said.

‘Sure. Except for that delicate perfume of fish and diesel. And you’re not blonde, thank god.’ He reached out on an impulse to tuck an errant twist of hair behind her ear.

Later that night, and at random in the years to come, Eram would remember this moment. How her breathing became ragged. The way his arms and legs felt full of lead, his head of helium. The silence between them had been thick enough to drown out the crashing sea.

He had turned away first. There are things in the world so bright and tender that it hurts to look at them too long.

6

Now that her mother had finally broken her long silence, Gehna missed the days they hadn’t been talking.

‘I can’t imagine what you were thinking, Gehna,’ Nina Rai said. ‘Actually, no, I have a pretty good idea. You thought you were in love. Kisses, yes? Holding hands at the mall. Buttered popcorn. Cuddles in front of a fireplace. Laughing in the rain. Love.’ She spat the word. ‘Let me explain something to you. What you call love is a marketing gimmick thought up by some suit in a Hollywood studio. Girls dream of being dipped on the dance floor by Ryan Gosling. Boys of exchanging cute banter with Emma-something. You want to know what love is? It’s a lie. It’s lust dressed up in its Sunday best.’

Wow, Gehna thought. Who hurt you, Mom? ‘Listen, if you need a hug, all you have to—’

‘Anyway, I hope you’ve learnt something from this.’ Nina Rai had shown up at Varun’s apartment with Druhi early that day to pack a few clothes for him. The doctors at the hospital had recommended that he stay with his parents for a while until he felt better. Varun had, surprisingly, agreed to the arrangement.