“Susheela aunty lives in Ernakulam. She has rooms ready for you tonight, and she and Ramakrishnan uncle will bring you to Alappuzha tomorrow.”
“You’re not staying?”
“No,” Abilash said, leading them toward the car. “I had to come in to Kochi to pick up some things for school, so I offered to pick you up. Susheela aunty agreed so she would have time to finish getting everything ready. Ramakrishnan uncle has to work late tonight so he won’t be home until after dinner. Susheela aunty drives these days, but only if she has to. She’d much rather let someone else drive.”
Trent listened absently to the conversation as the names went in one ear and out the other. They all figured on the list of Nik had given him, but there were so many of them—eleven plus spouses on one side of the family and eight plus spouses on the other—that Trent had given up. He’d meet them and figure it out as he went.
“Susheela aunty is my father’s youngest sister,” Nik said. Trent sent him an appreciative smile. “She was always my favorite aunt growing up. Probably because going to see them was a special trip instead of an everyday thing. It’s easier to get around now with more roads. We used to have to travel the canals in boats to get to some places.”
“They moved from Changanacherry to Ernakulam about the time Nikhilesh moved to the States,” Abilash added. “Have you seen their house in Ernakulam, chettan?”
Abilash grabbed their suitcases before Trent could offer to help and swung them into the trunk of the Tata sedan. “No, I’ve only seen pictures,” Nik said. “Trent, do you want to sit in the front?”
“No, go ahead,” Trent said. “You haven’t seen your cousin in a while. You’ll enjoy catching up with him. Besides, I’m so tired, I’ll probably be asleep as soon as we start moving.”
Nik smiled at him, his expression a mixture of tenderness, sympathy, and love. Trent smiled back, sure everyone on the street could see how lucky he felt to be in love with Nik. While he knew they had to be discreet, he couldn’t make himself care at the moment. He climbed in the backseat of the car and let Nik and Abilash’s conversation wash over him. They switched to Malayalam, but Trent didn’t care. He was too tired to talk right now, and he’d need to be awake and functional when they got to Nik’s aunt’s house, so he’d take the time to rest now.
The sound of the car door slamming startled him awake sometime later. He opened his eyes to meet Nik’s dark gaze over the back of the seat.
“Are you ready for this?”
“Of course,” Trent said automatically, but when he opened the car door and the hot, perfumed air hit him in the face like a brick wall, he stumbled a little.
“Easy.” Nik grabbed his elbow to steady him. “Let’s go inside where it’s cool. We can have a cup of tea and you can take a shower. Then we’ll eat and sleep and feel better in the morning.”
Trent hoped they’d be able to sleep together, but Abilash had mentioned rooms, not room, so he didn’t expect to get that lucky.
“Can I have the shower before the tea?” Trent asked. Even after the drive in the cool car, he was hot and sticky and not fit for human company.
“I’ll see if Susheela aunty has the water heater turned on,” Nik said. “If not, you might prefer to have your tea first while it heats up.”
Trent blinked, trying to process the words.
“It’s hot here, and electricity is expensive,” Nik reminded him. “A hot shower isn’t always pleasant, and even when it’s what people want, they prefer to heat the water at that moment and turn it off when they’re done so they don’t use electricity keeping the water hot.”
It made sense when Nik explained it, but it was one more incredibly foreign thing after too many hours without sleep or anything familiar. Trent could feel a meltdown brewing. “I’ll deal with a cold shower if the water isn’t hot. I just need to be
“You’re not staying?”
“No,” Abilash said, leading them toward the car. “I had to come in to Kochi to pick up some things for school, so I offered to pick you up. Susheela aunty agreed so she would have time to finish getting everything ready. Ramakrishnan uncle has to work late tonight so he won’t be home until after dinner. Susheela aunty drives these days, but only if she has to. She’d much rather let someone else drive.”
Trent listened absently to the conversation as the names went in one ear and out the other. They all figured on the list of Nik had given him, but there were so many of them—eleven plus spouses on one side of the family and eight plus spouses on the other—that Trent had given up. He’d meet them and figure it out as he went.
“Susheela aunty is my father’s youngest sister,” Nik said. Trent sent him an appreciative smile. “She was always my favorite aunt growing up. Probably because going to see them was a special trip instead of an everyday thing. It’s easier to get around now with more roads. We used to have to travel the canals in boats to get to some places.”
“They moved from Changanacherry to Ernakulam about the time Nikhilesh moved to the States,” Abilash added. “Have you seen their house in Ernakulam, chettan?”
Abilash grabbed their suitcases before Trent could offer to help and swung them into the trunk of the Tata sedan. “No, I’ve only seen pictures,” Nik said. “Trent, do you want to sit in the front?”
“No, go ahead,” Trent said. “You haven’t seen your cousin in a while. You’ll enjoy catching up with him. Besides, I’m so tired, I’ll probably be asleep as soon as we start moving.”
Nik smiled at him, his expression a mixture of tenderness, sympathy, and love. Trent smiled back, sure everyone on the street could see how lucky he felt to be in love with Nik. While he knew they had to be discreet, he couldn’t make himself care at the moment. He climbed in the backseat of the car and let Nik and Abilash’s conversation wash over him. They switched to Malayalam, but Trent didn’t care. He was too tired to talk right now, and he’d need to be awake and functional when they got to Nik’s aunt’s house, so he’d take the time to rest now.
The sound of the car door slamming startled him awake sometime later. He opened his eyes to meet Nik’s dark gaze over the back of the seat.
“Are you ready for this?”
“Of course,” Trent said automatically, but when he opened the car door and the hot, perfumed air hit him in the face like a brick wall, he stumbled a little.
“Easy.” Nik grabbed his elbow to steady him. “Let’s go inside where it’s cool. We can have a cup of tea and you can take a shower. Then we’ll eat and sleep and feel better in the morning.”
Trent hoped they’d be able to sleep together, but Abilash had mentioned rooms, not room, so he didn’t expect to get that lucky.
“Can I have the shower before the tea?” Trent asked. Even after the drive in the cool car, he was hot and sticky and not fit for human company.
“I’ll see if Susheela aunty has the water heater turned on,” Nik said. “If not, you might prefer to have your tea first while it heats up.”
Trent blinked, trying to process the words.
“It’s hot here, and electricity is expensive,” Nik reminded him. “A hot shower isn’t always pleasant, and even when it’s what people want, they prefer to heat the water at that moment and turn it off when they’re done so they don’t use electricity keeping the water hot.”
It made sense when Nik explained it, but it was one more incredibly foreign thing after too many hours without sleep or anything familiar. Trent could feel a meltdown brewing. “I’ll deal with a cold shower if the water isn’t hot. I just need to be
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