Pina Coladas

"You Think He's Singing It?"

Darius and Sam, his bandmate, got up on stage, both in bow tie ensembles looking like a preppy Indian Simon and Garfunkel, only with more funk. The first song they played was a mash-up of two Abba songs that got Chayla fangirling immediately.

"Isn't he just the cutest, and wow, can he sing. I'm soo glad we made it" she said to Deena, who was now in a strapless white maxi dress that showed off her slender arms and long black hair. Devina remembered looking at her thinking, wow, she's too hot to be a mom of two.

"Not a bad place D, thanks for inviting us," he whispered in her ear, making the hair on her neck stand. She moved away, not wanting him to see the obvious attraction she felt. No one had ever called her 'D' before it took her by surprise, but the surprise was that she liked it when he said it.

"So what's the other thing you miss about Australia," she asked, remembering what he had said earlier.

"That, D, is a long story, one that I will tell you, but when it's quieter and more private," he replied coolly, but she could see a longing in his eyes as if for a moment his mind wasn't at the busy concert but with someone, far away.

"This next song goes out to all the people who like these Fru Fru drinks. Personally, I'd rather have an Old Monk and coke. Hit it, Sam." said Darius.

They began to sing her favourite song, Escape by Rupert Holmes and to her surprise Sooraj, who was behind her, started to sing along, word for word. She looked at him, startled that he knew the lyrics to the song that she had grown up listening to. The first few drops of rain fell upon them, like a blessing from above, as if the moment she had been waiting for had finally arrived. The weather that had held up until then slowly started to turn. Yet, that didn't stop the singing; surprisingly, it only egged Sooraj on further.

He grabbed Devina by the waist and started to dance, singing the lyrics in her ear as the light raindrops began to fall more heavily. She looked around, enjoying the feeling of dancing in the rain with a warm-hearted man. His olive green shirt darkened from the rain and his intoxicating cologne made her tummy tie in knots.

They looked into each other's eyes, and at that moment everything seemed to click. She remembered how his dark black hair began to get wetter as the rain started to pour down quicker. A few raindrops fell upon his face, and while they danced to the song, everything seemed to be playing in slow motion. It was the type of experience that she wanted to last an eternity.

They ran under the covered section of the bar, meeting up with the rest of the group. The band had stopped playing, but the singing hadn't. The vibe from the day had caught up with them, like a sense of euphoria that couldn't be stopped by a passing shower. Standing together, a slight shiver from the cool rain making them band together; Robert, Deena, Chayla, Darius, Sooraj and Devina lifted up their glasses and in their best singing voice started to sing the chorus: "Yes, I like Pina Coladas"

"And getting caught in the rain" sang a sleepy Aadi, eyes now completely shut.

"I'm not much into health food," she sang back in a whisper, slowly getting out of his bed. "I am into champagne," she rolled the blanket over his shoulders.

"You think he's singing it, wherever he is?" Aadi murmured.

"Yes little peep, I think he is," she said, a tear running down her cheek as she kissed him on the forehead.

"Good night, mama D."

Walking out of his space-themed bedroom, she closed the door behind her, holding back tears she didn't want him to see or hear. She walked down to the kitchen, aching for a cup of tea. The thoughts of how she met Sooraj were still fresh in her mind from the storytelling session. That song had been a marker for many moments of their relationship, which is why it was so special to her.

The first time Sooraj said he loved her, had been in the car while she was humming that song, driving to get groceries. She remembered looking at him and thinking what a strange time to say that to someone, although she felt it too. The song also played in the background when he told her about the one thing that he truly missed about Australia, the piece of the puzzle that had intrigued her from day one.

Her phone started to ring; she looked down to see it was Amanda calling.

"Hey Amanda, hi," she said, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"Hey, sorry I know it's late, but I found a flight that lands tomorrow night. I'll be there for Aadi -" she paused and took a deep breath.

"I don't know what to say," replied Devina.

"I can't imagine what you're going through, we all loved Sooraj, his loss is tough on all of us, especially you, the last thing you need is Aadi there."

"He's the only part of him I have left Amanda, please don't cut Aadi out of my life," said Devina.

"- look I know this isn't the right time, but you are always welcomed in Aadi's life. You've been so kind to him and are part of his life too. You and Sooraj have been nothing but the best co-parents. The three of us, we did a great job all these years, and there is no reason why that has to change. But right now, I think living in Australia full time is what's best for him," said Amanda.

A little piece of Devina's heart was starting to break. She thought back to the day Sooraj had told her about Aadi, the missing piece. It was raining, and their playlist of music was playing in the background. He told her about his 4-year-old son Aadi, who he had with his Australian partner, Amanda. She remembered how pained Sooraj's face had been; he expected Devina to break up with him, instead, she couldn't have loved him more.

It was shortly after his declaration that the two of them went to meet Aadi, for the holiday season. She remembered seeing the little brown-haired boy with highlights of blond that showed up in the sun, wondering if he would accept her. He was wary of her at first, but their relationship developed quickly, she thought it was because they both enjoyed playing with toy robots and watching kiddy sci-fi movies.

However, the real glue that bound them together was the time Sooraj would spend putting Aadi to sleep, telling him stories about Devina and his life back in India. These stories helped Aadi bond with Devina, slowly turning them into a family.

Even years later, the storytelling was a tradition Sooraj had continued, up until four days ago. The night before the accident, she overheard them both speaking about the day Sooraj and Devina met. He was telling Aadi about the pool and the concert in every last detail. The memory, now, feeling like a lifetime away, she held onto his last words.

"Let me teach you the words to D's favourite song, sing it to her whenever she's sad, I'm sure she'll love it," said Sooraj.