Hot London Nights by Clare Lydon

Author:Clare Lydon [Lydon, Clare]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781912019489
Publisher: Custard Books

Gina lasted another hour before she messaged India to come and get her. Dad had tried to gloss over the altercation they’d had, while Mum had stayed silent. Gina thought her mum would get up and start cooking, like she always did. Instead, Mum got up, turned off the hob, then came and sat back down.

Gina didn’t know what to make of it. But they’d sat, eaten samosas and cake, drunk chai, and made small talk. Her uncle on her dad’s side in India had cancer. Her cousin in Yorkshire was pregnant (of course she was). Her granny had won a sewing competition. Kishan’s son was learning to swim. Nothing about Gina’s life, which was off limits as usual.

Then India knocked on the door.

Gina almost fell off her chair in her bid to get there first. When she opened it, she wanted to push India away, slot her into the car and drive off like none of the previous hour had ever happened. But she couldn’t do that. She knew it to be doubly true when she caught India staring over her shoulder. Gina turned to find her mum, dad and uncle all standing behind her, waiting to be introduced. So now, even if she wanted to smuggle India out of Birmingham, all routes were blocked.

Especially when she heard a whistle down the street. Gina peered around India to see Kishan heading towards the house, with all of his kids in tow, the youngest, Kiyan, in his arms.

India turned to look, too, then was almost bowled over by Gina’s oldest nephew, Aiden, pushing her aside and launching himself onto Deepak. Good to see her uncle hadn’t lost his touch.

“Hey, buddy!” Deepak juggled the wriggling seven-year-old in his arms. Seconds later, Aiden slapped his head, then broke free to hug his grandma. Deepak paid no attention. Instead, his eyes, like those of everyone else, were on India. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your… guest?”

If Gina’s anxiety levels hadn’t been bursting out of her body, she might have laughed at Deepak’s struggle to pin a label on India. But now wasn’t the time for laughter. Not when she stood in her parents’ home, with her potential new girlfriend on their doorstep, and almost her entire immediate family focused on them both. If Gina had ever had a nightmare about her two worlds colliding, she wasn’t sure it could ever have matched up to this level of intensity.

“Everyone, this is India.” Gina gave India a look, but she wasn’t sure what she was trying to convey. It probably just came off as sheer terror. But India appeared to give her one back saying she understood. At least, that’s what Gina hoped it said.

“India, this is my family.” Gina waved a hand around the hallway. She knew it was sweeping, and not really to the point. But the thought of introducing India one by one and having her shake hands was a little too much.

“Dadi, have you got biscuits?” said her middle nephew, Devin, walking in the door.

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