Gemini

Chapter 12

For a while, the ECG machine beeped, filling the awkward silence between us. Sahara's eyes glinted the same way when I first told her about Gem. She had a thousand questions and was doing her best to question me.

The last time she interfered, it did not end well for either of us.

As for Monisha, instead of smiling, she was scrutinizing me. Without saying a word, she frowned.

I sighed and sat down. "Is there something you want to ask?"

Sahara bit her lips. "Are you together?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "I thought you want to ask something else."

She beamed. "I know how Moni is. I asked around how Kriti is. With Anita around, I can't enter her room. So, I kinda know how the two girls are. I just don't know you."

Something struck me. When I had been back at Lyra's, Gem did say that Tejat was a star. But just not like him.

"You know who Tejat is," I said softly.

She avoided my gaze. "Yes."

Moni looked at us both and then stayed silent as if she knew we both needed this.

"When?"

"Almost," she whispered. "Almost after our second date. When we went to Wayanad, Tejat told me everything. And... guessing you know it, Gem told you?"

In a way. He just helped me to understand. He never told me anything. His words. Not mine.

"Everything?" I asked.

She nodded slowly. "It's not that I wanted to keep this a secret from you. But he told me not to tell anyone. If I told you that stars existed and that you were working with one, would you have believed me last week?"

I shook my head. "I would have thought that work was getting into your head."

She gave me a thin smile. "That's what I thought so. And... and, Gem sort of knew that Tejat told me. And, he told me not to tell you anything. He told me that... you were not ready. I am sorry, Riga."

I pursed my lips and waved my hand. "I was not mad then because you kept this from me. But because you kept forcing me to be with Gem immediately after you got together with Tejat, as if it made all sense in your world."

Sahara's eyes widened. "Then what did Gem tell you?"

"You still don't understand where you went wrong, Sahara?" I asked.

She blinked. "I... I am... I am Tejat's Soul-Bound."

Soul-Bound. That word again. It was as if that word explained everything. A bond that went through time. That if I found my Soul-Bound, everything would be alright, that it would all be okay.

Even Gem, someone whom I had never pinned as a romantic, wanted a Soul-Bound. Hearing him and this, I could not help but think of such a thing for myself.

What if Gem was my Soul-Bound? Would that explain why I loved him so much? Or would that tell me why I was so comfortable with him?

But all I could say was, "Congratulations. I am so happy for you."

"You know what a Soul-Bound is," she said as if that explained everything.

I frowned. "What more should I be knowing?"

"That..." she paused, she looked into my eyes and then she flushed. "It's just that I assumed..."

"That?" I pressed. I needed her to talk to me now. She had assumed a lot of things in the past few days and that had torn our friendship.