Chapter 21
On Friday, Jia picked the olives from her salad and set them aside on her plate, her focus on the door. Next to her, Charu’s spaghetti aglio e olio sat untouched, and her eyes were solely on the center of the pub, where Manoj had just finished his comedy and music set.
“Do you think they’ll show up?” Jia whispered.
“Who?” Charu asked. She finally tore her eyes away from Manoj and turned to Jia.
“Everyone,” she replied, frowning. “I thought they’d get bored next door and drop by here instead, like they’re supposed to.”
When everyone at Mimosa started packing up their stuff after a long, long week, Jia had—like every Friday—expected her co-workers to go to J’s Pub. But this time, nobody had cared.
“Vodka Vada has a Friday night buy one, get one offer on beer and chicken gassi,” Atul told her as he slung his laptop bag over his shoulder. “Does anyone want to join me?”
Half the office had murmured yes, so now Jia and Charu remained the only people from Mimosa at the pub. Damini had invited herself eagerly, but after Jia reminded her she was underage, she gave up and took the train home.
Eshaan and Monica were still being touchy-feely at work. Jia didn’t get it. Monica was so wrong for him. They were both extroverted, outgoing, and direct; there was no yin and yang in their relationship to balance each other out. Jia popped a cube of feta cheese into her mouth, shaking her head. #Eshonica wouldn’t last longer than a month, tops. She knew it.
Meanwhile, Jia had to focus her attention on finding a better man for Charu, whose eyes were trained on Manoj and the pretty girl from his Instagram who was helping him pack up his stuff. Jia thought back to what TheReMix suggested in their email and decided now was a good time to broach the subject with Charu.
“So,” she started, taking a sip of her Whipped Rose, “about the matchmaking. Do you still want my help?”
Charu shrugged, her gaze on her pasta. “I know you’re doing it for the sake of the ‘Mimosa Match!’ column—”
Jia put a hand over Charu’s. “It’s not just that. I genuinely want to help you find the right partner. You’re my friend.”
She smiled for the first time that evening. “That’s so sweet of you, Jia. I’m grateful that you want to help. I just…” When Jia raised an eyebrow, she went on, “I can’t stop thinking about what Eshaan said that night—that I dress like an auntie from the eighties. Is that why I’m still single?”
Jia’s mouth fell open. “Charu, you’re beautiful. And you have lovely taste in fashion. Everything you wear suits you perfectly.”
Charu’s lip wobbled. “Maybe I’m too traditional for Mumbai. But I was too liberal for Ratnagiri. And the only man I’ve ever loved didn’t want to marry me. Maybe true love is just for romance novels.”
“Hey.” Jia swallowed the pebble lodged in her throat and nudged Charu’s chin toward her. “The right guy is going to love you and want to marry you just as you are. And we’ll find him,” Jia said determinedly. “Do you want to join me at a speed dating mixer this Sunday?”
“Okay,” Charu said finally, squeezing Jia’s shoulder. “Let’s do it.”
The door opened, a gust of humidity and salty air blowing in. Was it the Mimosa crowd? Jia turned her head so fast her neck cricked. Rubbing the back of her neck, she smiled weakly at Jaiman and Flora. “Hey, guys.”
“Hey,” Jaiman said cautiously. His eyes narrowed as he took in the mostly empty pub. Apart from two or three groups of regulars, nobody else occupied the booths. Jia and Charu were the only ones at the bar. “Where’s, uh, where’s everybody?”
Jia straightened a crease on her plaid skirt. “They went next door.”
“Oh,” Jaiman said, then let out a forced laugh. “That’s cool. Hope they have fun.”
“Jaiman—” Jia started, getting up from the stool, but he shook his head and waved her off. He whispered something to Flora and headed inside his office.
Jia didn’t turn to greet Flora until Jaiman’s door closed firmly, and as soon as she did, she changed her mind. “I’m going to check on him.”
She passed by Manoj, who gave her a shaky smile that she returned politely. Jia knocked on the office door, but when there was no reply, she tried the doorknob. It opened with a creak.
“Jaiman?” she said.
“Yeah?” He was sitting at his desk, avoiding her gaze, his eyes trained on his laptop. “Just have to pay some bills. What’s up?” There was a tick in his jaw, and that told Jia everything he wasn’t saying to her.
“I tried bringing them here,” Jia explained, wringing her hands together. “But this guy from editorial begged everyone to join him at VV.” She let out a choked laugh, but Jaiman didn’t crack a smile.
“Cool,” he answered, returning to the laptop.
“So…do you have any other cocktail recipes for me to try?”
Jaiman looked up at her finally, and there was a tiredness in his eyes that jarred her. It was the kind of exhaustion that was more “fuck it, I give up” than “fuck it, it’s been a long day,” and she’d never seen his eyes get that way before. “Jia,” he said firmly, “I really have some work to finish. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She bit her lip, wondering what he needed right now. Space? Someone to talk to? A nice cold beer?
Space, she decided finally. She started to close the door when she got an idea to cheer him up.
“Hey,” she asked, “do you want to go to a speed dating event with Charu and me? Sunday?”
“Speed dating?” His mouth thinned into a line. “And you’re going too?”
She nodded.
“Sure,” he said finally, his jaw hardening. “Why the hell not?”
“Great, see you.” She closed the door and walked back to Charu and Flora.
But they weren’t the only ones at the bar—Harish had joined them. He wore a well-cut blazer, baby blue this time, with chinos and a white shirt, his hair slicked back, loafers on his feet, and a wide grin on his face.
“What are you doing here?” Jia asked, grinding her teeth. Jaiman didn’t need anything else to be upset about tonight.
“Needed a change of pace.” Harish stretched his arms. “It’s getting so crowded at Vodka Vada. One can hardly breathe.”
“I’m not surprised,” Jia said as sweetly as she could muster. “You are rather suffocating to be around.”
Charu’s eyes widened as she sipped her virgin pi?a colada in silence, while Flora let out a strangled laugh. Harish’s gaze immediately went to her, his cheeks pink, and then it returned to Jia, a smile tugging on his lips. “You don’t mince your words.”
Jia shrugged. “I think we can all do with some honesty, don’t you agree?”
“Maybe you should get going, Harish,” Flora said as her mouth twitched. She folded her arms and stared him down. “I’ll tell Jaiman you stopped by.”
Harish smiled at her; did nothing ruffle this man? “Don’t bother. Bye, Jia.”
Jia scoffed as his footsteps receded. She didn’t need any other cocky men hitting on her, especially ones that Jaiman hated. Eshaan had been enough. She ordered another Whipped Rose and returned to her salad. “Why is he so annoying?” she said.
“He’s just got too much personality,” Flora said in a low voice, her eyes on the door to the pub.
Jia rolled her eyes. “He needs to leave Jaiman alone. Anyway, Charu, how about some fries?”
“Sure,” she said. Flora stood by them awkwardly for a few minutes, then switched to texting on her phone, smiling.
Maybe she was texting someone she was interested in. Once again, Jia felt a pang in her heart. Was she the only one who didn’t have somebody to be excited about, unless you counted TheReMix? She knew they were single, but she didn’t know anything beyond that, especially not about the person they’d once had feelings for. Was it possible to develop a crush on someone anonymous? It wasn’t, right? Sternberg’s theory of love said you needed some level of physical attraction—even if it wasn’t sexual in nature. Jia had no idea how TheReMix looked. Hell, she didn’t even know their gender.
And then there was Jaiman, and all the moments they’d had. Twenty-six years of unresolved sexual tension, heated debates about her matchmaking, and that one perfect kiss. It had amounted to nothing; maybe it never would.
At least I have the speed dating mixer to be hopeful about,Jia decided.