Sora was summoned from her busy day to her sister's home shortly thereafter.

She shouldn't have gone.

But since when does she listen to her instincts where Hana is concerned?

She stepped inside the house to find her sister on a Skype call with their father from the Philippines.

Hana was standing beside the laptop, expression unbearably smug when she realized Sora had arrived.

But you didn't want to hurt anybody, right? More fool me for believing a word you said.

"You called Tata? Are we twelve?"

...

...

An hour later, Sora stormed out of Hana's house angrier and more confused than she'd entered. She wasn't sure why she bothered talking to Hana when the two of them lived on different planets when it came to decency. Sora had dabbled in her sister's world and never forgiven herself for how she'd hurt Baani, their niece when Sora fell for the man she was seeing. Hana, though, Hana had taken her own betrayals and perfected her technique. It's like I don't know her, only I do. She's always been this way. Sora knew she had only herself to blame for not foreseeing that Hana would lay waste to Sora's family. Why wouldn't she? Blood never meant anything to Hana before now. What was supposed to make me the exception?

Sora was so wrapped up in her hurt, she wasn't watching where she was going. She knew this path from Hana's door backwards and forwards, only she forgot to account for unexpected pedestrians. She collided face first with another person on the walk to the driveway and it was only their quick reflexes that saved her from crumpling to the ground.

"Oh, boy."

"You can say that again."

Sora recognized that voice and felt twice as foolish. She looked up. "Ravi. Uh, hi?"

His mouth twitched in greeting. "Hey. Where're you off to in such a hurry?"

Sora cleared her throat and stepped back to wipe her face. "Just to my car. I have a meeting, and then I need to make dinner for Tommy."

"You look...you don't look good. You shouldn't be driving in that condition."

"I'm okay. Just something Hana said."

"It's always something." She felt his hand come to rest on her back. "Come on, let me take you somewhere."

Sora was just drained enough not to argue with him. She was as far from fine as she'd been in months. She couldn't bear for anybody else to see her like this.

Ravi ferried her to their destination the long way. They followed the winding roads complete with a scenic view of the ocean. They rode with the windows down and breathed the ocean-city air. Seaweed and sand, I can smell it from here. Sora propped her head against the headrest and tried to be okay.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere I like to go to think. It's got a view of the water and city. You don't mind, do you?"

"No. I'd love to see it." Ravi was mysterious in so many ways that Sora couldn't resist the chance to understand the man he'd become a little better.

They drove past Manendra's place and past Sora's own till they found where the asphalt met the soil on a rocky mountain road. They turned off onto a dead end dirt road that opened into everything. Sora saw birds traveling in flapping V's across the multi-colored sky, some diving into the cobalt surf in search of meal. She saw surfers and beachgoers and could hear children laughing from where they sat. Shining buildings rose behind the beach, roads hugging the coast whilst vehicles sped past. It was everything and from here, it felt like that everything was all theirs.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

"Beautiful is the perfect word for it."

"Come on, it's better from outside." Ravi got out of the car and came around to open the door for her. Sora wasn't dressed for this, but she let him lead and hopped onto the hood of the car when he agreed to help her up.

They sat quietly together to watch Los Angeles heave and swim.

"This must be a great place to think."

"Yeah. Sometimes when I can't get my head on straight and I need a hit of inspiration, I come here. I look at these people and the water. Something usually jumps out at me. I thought it might do you some good."

"It's helping."

Ravi brushed his shoulder against hers. "Not that the company's anything to sneeze at."

"Not too shabby."

They leaned together and enjoyed the sun.

Sora would have enjoyed it for longer, if only she could stop thinking of what Hana had said.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"You needed someplace to cool down. This seemed as good a place as anywhere."

She pulled at her collar, her neck hot.

"But why you? Why not Manendra or Sam or, god, anyone?"

"Because I was there? I don't know, Sora. Because I care about you and how you're feeling. I want to look out for you. Some of this is my fault; it's the least I can do."

Sora sighed. "That's what I was afraid of. It's guilt, Ravi. Guilt! It will fade. You don't have to keep seeing me or looking after me to assuage your conscience." She took a shaky breath. "Don't use me to punish Hana. It's not noble just because you're on my side. It's still a lie."

Ravi draped his arms over his knees, bewildered. "Why would I—no, let me try again. I do feel guilty about how Hana has treated you. I do feel guilty about everything Hana has done since I left her on our honeymoon. That is true. I want to make it up to you, to my father, to everyone hurt by her actions, but that's not my job and I know that. It took me a few weeks to wrap my head around this fact, but I've known it for a while. This isn't guilt, Sora. This is me, being with you because being anywhere else doesn't make sense."

"I don't believe you."

"And I don't expect you to. That's why I didn't say anything. I lost my 'destiny' and gained a friend. What business do I have asking for more than that when I caused all this?"

"Hana caused all this. Anthony caused it. They made this mess together. It's time you and I stopped blaming ourselves for it."

"That's the first time you've claimed it. That's your affirmation. Let it set you free."

Sora rolled her eyes. This is Ravi Misra? "You sound like a self-help book."

"Spend as much time soul searching as I have and you'll be able to spout off the latest in quasi-philosophical, new age, existential garbage as well as I can."

"What changed you? You still haven't said."

Ravi faltered on answering, tipped his head in a nonverbal pass.

"I don't remember you being this secretive before."

"Not unless I had a secret. Guess I've got another one."

Sora snuggled into her blazer, catching a sudden chill off the water. "That's not very reassuring. I've seen what secrets can do. Dangerous stuff."

"You're right. I guess I ought to confess."

"Nobody here but us outcasts." She raised a shoulder in welcoming. "Tell it."

"That easy?"

"As easy as walking away from the love of your life."

"So, not easy?"

"Not easy."

He turned over her hand to trace her life line. Sora ignored the resulting shivers up and down her spine and called it an effect of the ocean breeze.

"Because I could not stop for Death,

He kindly stopped for me;

The carriage held but just ourselves

And Immortality."

"Emily Dickinson. I didn't peg you as a fan."

"Some days more than others. All kinds of poetry, really. Cummings, Marvell, Shakespeare, Dickinson and Donne. Shelley when I wonder at the wonder of love, and the vastness of it."

Sora leaned closer. "I love Shelley. What's your favorite of his?"

"You're not kidding?"

"No! Why would I?"

"It never occurred to me you might be into this sort of thing."

"When I was in high school, I wiled away all of my free time reading poetry. Love poems and epic romances. I could have recited any sonnet you could name by Shakespeare when I was fifteen. I would have died if anybody'd recited one to me. Guess it's a good thing I never had to worry about that with Hana and Aiko around."

"A lot of boys don't know how they missed out."

Sora didn't like to talk about that lonely girl. She wasn't real anymore.

"You didn't answer my question. What's your favorite Shelley?"

"The best of them." Ravi scratched at his stubbled jaw. "Let's see if I can remember it." He began and Sora's breath caught:

"The fountains mingle with the river

And the rivers with the Ocean..."

She picked up where he paused:

"The winds of Heaven mix for ever

With a sweet emotion..."

He looked at her quizzically. "You like that one?"

"It's my favorite one of Shelley's poems. I've got an entire book of his work, but that one...I could quote it in my sleep."

He turned to her and carried on where she'd stopped.

"Nothing in the world is single;

All things by a law divine..."

She continued:

"In one spirit meet and mingle.

Why not I with thine?"

Why was she smiling at him? She couldn't have named a single reason why, and yet there were multitudes poised on the tip of her tongue. These words were on his:

"See the mountains kiss high Heaven

And the waves clasp one another..."

But Ravi was smiling back at her and that had to mean something.

"No sister-flower would be forgiven

If it disdained its brother..."

She twisted her wrist to clasp his hand. He returned the embrace.

"And the sunlight clasps the earth

And the moonbeams kiss the sea:"

She plumbed the depths of her adolescence just to recall:

"What is all this sweet work worth

If thou kiss not me?"

They sat for a moment in quiet appreciation of Shelley's verse. I thought I'd only love that way once. I may never again, but it's something to know it exists.

Sora exhaled and made to let go of Ravi's hand. Ravi didn't seem to realize he'd been holding on.

"Ravi Misra, when did you become a poet?"

He folded his hands together between his knees, shoulders rising in wry shrug.

"When I earned the sorrow."

"It's just, you never struck me as..." Sora stopped, unsure where she'd been going with that statement and sure she shouldn't finish it either way.

"I've never been much of a deep thinker, but I had the time, more than enough of it, and the inclination. I bought some books, walked some beaches. I went in search of peace in other people's words. I thought they must have it all figured out if I could just find the right verse."

"Did it work?"

"Seeking yourself in other people doesn't usually work. There's solidarity in common...I don't know the word for it. Pain, I suppose. Disillusionment. Exhaustion, maybe. That works for some people; not for me."

"And yet you've been here all this time, empathizing with me."

"When I'm with you, it's not my pain I'm thinking about. I can't put a patch on whatever's ailing me. But if I can be some kind of salve on your wounds, I figure maybe it'll help. Does it help?"

"Having your friendship and your company has been an immense help. I didn't realize how lonely I was until I wasn't anymore and I have you to thank for that."

"You welcomed me home. You're the first person that's felt right since I got here. That's big."

"It feels big." Suddenly sure of herself, Sora slid across the hood until she was close enough to rest her head on his shoulder. "Welcome home, Ravi."

Ravi squeezed her knee and wrapped his arm around her waist as he did every day.

"Thanks for having me back."

He kissed her hair and told the truth:

"I'm with you because I want to be. That's it. There's destiny and then there's what you choose. I choose this."

She knew this, whatever this was, couldn't be that simple. Hana won't let it be that simple. Nevertheless, whatever it was, Sora was choosing it, too.

Just like that.