“Thanks, Micah,” Karina said as they walked away from the beach. “You were right, about how that would feel.”

Micah smiled at her. “Everything you want is on the other side of fear, Karina.”

* * *

After arriving at the house, Micah took Karina upstairs to the theater room. “Isn’t it beautiful?” he said, pointing out the ornate gold-leaf ceiling. “People used to sit here in the dark, staring at a screen instead of connecting with each other. I’ll let you get settled before dinner.” Before leaving, he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Karina was startled, then delighted, and finally told herself it must have been a platonic gesture, even as she wished it was something more.

There was a knock at the door and her heart quickened, thinking it was Micah again. But when she opened the door, she found Ericka, who leaned forward to hug her. “So glad you’re here! We’re neighbors.” She gestured to the room across the hall. “Need help?”

“Just figuring out where to hang my clothes, since there’s no closet in here.”

“Put them in our closet, mine and Zoe’s.”

“Oh, I don’t want to bother you when I need something,” Karina said.

“What?” Ericka giggled. “Door’s open all the time. Micah must have told you, right? We all keep our doors open, instead of walling ourselves off.”

“Yeah, right,” Karina said, though she didn’t recall hearing this. “If you don’t mind.” She picked up a stack of clothes and followed Ericka to her room.

Ericka made space in the closet. “Help yourself. Zoe and I share everything. We don’t need much, just a few outfits each.”

In the closet, Karina noticed a richly saturated red kurta sewn with tiny mirrors, a more decorative version of the ones her mother wore. “Yours?” She touched the sleeve. “From India?”

“I wish,” Ericka said. “I got it in Artesia a few years ago. I’ve always wanted to go to India, though, to a yoga retreat or meditation center. I’ve always felt a little Indian in my soul. Does that sound crazy? Have you been? What’s it like?”

“Not since I was young,” Karina said, still fingering the detailed embroidery of the blouse. She had visited her grandparents all over the world, her cousins in London. Her only connection to India was through Mom, her idols and prayers, her music and dance costumes, the food she prepared. Karina continued to mull this over as she finished unpacking in her room: how half-Korean Ericka could feel Indian in her soul while Karina didn’t know how to feel about it. She tried to match Ericka’s spirit of simplicity, taking out only the items she needed to live, and leaving the rest stashed under her bed before returning downstairs.

“Hey,” Micah said, putting his arm around her shoulders and drawing her into the kitchen. “We have a special dinner to welcome you.” He pointed to a large roasting pan just out of the oven, holding chickens nestled amongst carrots, parsnips and turnips.