Ravi broke his gaze from the blazing sun to look at her.

"So...Holi is upon us and they're having a Festival of Colors celebration on the beach. Any interest in coming with me?"

Sora stretched her legs, grimacing against the pinch of pins and needles in her calves. Her circulation hadn't been great in years. "I haven't been to a Holi celebration since...God, I can't remember how long it's been."

"Then, clear your schedule on the 13th. Dress to dance—and wear something you don't mind getting doused in. Those colors aren't coming out for anything."

"Will this be something the kids can join us in?"

"Always, S. Dhiren won't talk about anything else. He's had his clothes picked out since last year. I'm not sure they still fit, but it's something to be proud of. I can barely get that kid to do his homework before the morning it's due."

...

...

March 13th dawned bright blue and stunning beautiful in Los Angeles. Holi on the Beach was well attended, a sea of celebratnts dressed all in white, every one of them almost glowing under the beating sun. Sora had left stewardship of HMG under her step-son's careful stewardship for the afternoon and retreated to her private office to change into a long peasant skirt and sleeveless top. Tommy was also in white.

The beach was packed and the music was loud. The sun was hot and so was the sand. Sora carried Tommy on her hip. He already had smears of purple on his forehead, he clapped off beat. Ravi met them on the pier carrying Dhiren on his shoulders.

"Dad, it's Aunt Sora." The boy waved them older, almost upsetting his towering father's balance in the process. Sora was still laughing by the time she'd navigated the crowd to reach them.

"This is amazing."

"Isn't it?" His eyes were glittering. "I'm glad you came."

"I'm glad you invted me. Thanks."

"Anything for you, S."

Dhiren began to squirm. "Dad, I wanna get down."

"All right, all right, wait a minute before you kick me in the face." He knelt so that the big kid could scramble off his shoulders.

"Where's he headed in a hurry?"

Ravi squinted. "Ah, hell."

Sora touched his arm. "What's up?" She was too short to see easily over the heads of the other attendees.

"We're about to have a family reunion."

Sora didn't have to look, then. The Misras were about to descend on the shoreline, entourage in tow. Won't this be fun, she asked herself, slightly hysterical. She couldn't have one day without conflict, could she?

Not a chance.

Sniping and passive aggression ensued that didn't entirely go above the heads of all the children present. Dhiren had grabbed Tommy at the first opportunity and taken him to get juice when he got fussy. Sora wished she could have gone as well. Smiling in the face of people who had stood idly by while she suffered was the last thing she wanted to do. She wanted to be with Ravi, learn with Ravi, and laugh with him. That was all she ever wanted to do anymore.

Ravi broke the heady silence. "We'll, I gotta show Sora around. I'll see you later. S." He offered her his hand and she took it, heedless of Hana glaring and her nostrils flaring like a furious dragon. In fairytales the dragons were slain. Sora wanted the fairytale.

Giggle, she and Ravi fled down the beach, disappearing ito the white-clad celebrants, getting smeared in a myriad of colors along the way. Ravi grabbed a handful of green pigment and smeared it on her neck. She shrieked. She hadn't expected it somehow. She grabbed a handful of orange and rubbed it across his cheek.

"I look like a Dorito," he groused.

She gazed upon him thoughtfully. "Yeah, but when don't you?"

"Oh, those are fighting words, Gallegos."

"I'm not scared of you." She had never been less afraid.

Ravi grinned broadly and a ripple of something significant struck Sora in the pit of her stomach. Heat and want and laughter. She staggered backward. He grabbed several handfuls of color and smeared them together.

"What are you going to do with that?"

He stalked toward her, growling. "Make a masterpiece."

She took off down the coastline, shrieking, kicking up sand as she dodged his broad hands and hoarse laughter. Her heart thundered. She felt like a masterpiece already, all his.

...

...

The day carried on. There was food to be head, mantras to chant, so many hugs and so much love. Sora couldn't remember a time where she'd felt so happy, so at peace. Hana intermittent—yet somehow constant presence—couldn't deprive her of her peace of mind.

There was a Bhakti Fusion Dance scheduled Sora was getting up her nerve to try—she had some rhythm, honestly, but not that much—when Ravi appeared bearing lassi and a frown. He'd been smiling all day and his habitual scowl suddenly no longer suited his rugged, handsome face.

"What's the matter?" Sora asked.

"I like dancing and I don't have anybody to dance with."

The Misra scion could be seen everywhere along the beach, doing yoga, spreading love, spreading envy, and dancing. Of course Hana would be among them. Where there was a millionaire, there was his next, or last, wife. Not fair, I know. And yet here she was as living proof.

"Hana wants to dance with you." Hana had been tailing Ravi and Sora along with him all afternoon. She hadn't exactly made herself inconspicuous. But then why should she?

Ravi didn't spare Hana a look. "I don't want to dance with her."

"So you're asking me? That's borrowing trouble."

"I'm a risk taker."

"I'm not a great dancer, Ravi."

"I tangoed in a Rome and Paris and Argentina when I could make the trip."

"I tangoed in college. It was a club. I only went to a few meetings. I was too shy to ask anybody to dance."

"Don't be shy with me. I'll do the asking." He led her to the staging area. "All right, we have some time, do you remember the basic steps?"

"Kind of?"

He walked her through what he knew and helped her when the dancer led the tutorial. She was right, she wasn't great, but she had so much fun trying that it was still worthwhile. Hana was nearby with someone else and naturally she was amazing at it. She had all the rhythm and coordination Sora lacked.

"Wow, I must look a fool compared to her."

"No one's comparing you but her. Be brave."

"People are watching."

"I'm not dancing with them. Look at me. Forget them."

He eyed the sway of her hips as she sauntered around him, anchored by his fingers.

"Don't look at my feet. Don't look at yours. Look me in the eye."

"Those aren't my eyes, Ravi."

"They're just as beautiful."

"The lady killer is back."

"He never left."

"I feel like I'm wearing the wrong shoes and I'm not even wearing shoes.

"No such thing. Dance how you feel, whatever that looks like to you." He lifted her eyes from where she was stumbling on the ground. "Forget about your feet. I'll take care of you."

She took a deep breath, vowing now to think too hard about what he'd said. Okay."

"Let me lead."

"I can't do that, I'm too bossy."

"I don't mind bossy." They did their own thing to the bhangra beat, getting lost in the song sung in Hindi. Sora felt a bit less self-conscious when everyone else had joined in. Nobody was a perfect dancer. This wasn't a choreographed Bollywood number. Everyone was having fun. Sora was having fun with Ravi. "Don't look now, but our mutual antagonist has appeared." He couldn't mean Sora; she was already here.

"Anthony!" She almost wrenched her spine craning her neck to see her ex-husband.

Ravi shushed her. "Easy, tiger. I don't think he knows we know he's here yet."

Sora felt the spectacular heat of her ex-husband's eyes burning into her back. "Oh, I don't know about that." Anthony pivoted on his manicured feet and made a beeline for Sora's last known position. Sora swallowed against the taste of bile in her mouth. "Looks like you made Tony jealous."

"You're welcome."

"I wasn't trying to upset my ex-husband. You needed cheering up. That was all I wanted to do." 'Liar, liar,' her conscience said. Yes, all right, a lie.

"I'm not disagreeing with you."

"Why does it feel like you're calling me a liar? That look on your face...don't forget how long I've known you."

His full lips pulled in an inviting smirk. Damn, he was good-looking up close. "I don't forget those things. But, last I recalled, jealousy games aren't your speed."

"I'm not playing jealousy games. I was dancing with my brother-in-law. That's all I want to do today."

Ravi stilled momentarily and dipped his head in a courtly bow that should have been corny but only made her heart flutter. "Your wish is my command."