Chapter 14 #2
Did he just say love? Manisha beamed at him.
“It’s just that no one takes the time to get to know people, so thanks for doing that,” Paul said sincerely, his gaze locked with hers. “And yes, to all those things! Could we do them together?”
Manisha could feel the already magnetic connection between them grow stronger.
“Yes!” Manisha exclaimed, her enthusiasm a cover-up for her nerves.
“So, you have brothers. Are they married?” Paul leaned forward slightly. “It can be tough when a sibling is married; all the pressure can suddenly shift to you. Do you feel that at all? The pressure to get married?”
“I’m feeling something, I guess you could say,” Manisha confessed, glancing down at her hands. “What about you? Being the only son and the oldest—I think your profile said you’re an uncle to three?”
“That’s right, and I adore those kids. I’ll be completely honest: I feel a little pressure, too, but it doesn’t bother me. When I find the right person, I’ll know. I’m sure it’ll all happen quickly, like within a few weeks,” Paul responded, a mixture of certainty and eagerness in his voice.
A few weeks? Did Paul also know about the Patel Blessing? Or maybe his family had their own luck?
Paul’s gaze fixed on her, causing her pulse to race. “I just have to say, you’re so beautiful, Manisha, and that dress…” He gestured to her outfit. “Sorry if that’s too forward,” he hurried to add.
Oh, please go on, she thought. She gave the tiniest shake of her head to reassure him.
“It’s gorgeous,” he continued. “It’s hitting you in all the right places.”
Yes, that’s why I wore it. “Thank you,” she said bashfully.
“So, will you move back to Baskin?”
“I think I’d move back here for my family and the right person,” replied Manisha.
Paul beamed, his smile radiating warmth. “Maybe start your own family?” he suggested. “Raising a family here would be great.”
Paul was perfect, and Manisha felt herself hanging on his every word.
“How’s your tea?” he asked, taking a sip of coffee before grimacing dramatically.
“Oh, shit,” he said, slamming the cup down, his expression shifting from pleasant to furious.
“What’s wrong? Is it too hot? Are you okay, Paul?” Manisha asked, suddenly anxious. She’d be furious if Rohit’s scorching coffee robbed her of a kiss later.
“No!” he fumed. “This coffee is literally disgusting! It’s just brown water!”
“Oh, maybe it was a bad pot,” she suggested, wondering why his reaction was so over-the-top.
“I hate it when people are stingy. Why open a business if you’re going to sell garbage?” Paul railed. “My sister and I pride ourselves on offering the best to our customers. Not this crap.”
“I doubt that’s the owner’s intention,” Manisha said quickly, desperate to calm his rising anger. “Let’s just ask for a fresh pot. Here, let me find him.” She stood up, trying to spot Rohit, who was perplexingly absent, followed by a glance for Deena, who was nowhere to be found.
“Forget it,” he snapped. “My tastebuds have been ruined. Disgusting.”
“I think you’re overreacting a bit, don’t you? Can’t we just move on?” she said, exasperated.
“Overreacting? Just move on?” His eyes flared with irritation. “Is that what you do when someone screws up as a lawyer? Just move on? Disgusting. I’m going online and leaving this guy a terrible review.”
“Okay, well, let’s not do that,” she insisted, trying to inject some logic into his tirade.
“Why not? People need to know to avoid this place! Give me a minute; this won’t take long,” he replied, pulling out his phone.
“Paul, that’s unnecessary,” Manisha said pleadingly.
“People like him ruin it for all of us hard-working brown folks. Just give me a sec—”
“You know what? We’re done!” she interrupted, standing up abruptly.
“What?” His shock was palpable.
Manisha sat back down, feeling the weight of the tension. “You’ve ruined this date by making a huge deal over a bad cup of coffee.” She overenunciated “cup of coffee” to drive the point home. “Which I’m sure was just because of a small misstep, and you won’t even give the guy a chance to fix it.”
“For all we know, he serves this filth on purpose,” Paul shot back defensively.
“I seriously doubt that. Why would anyone do that? And take a look around you,” she said, scanning the very busy shop. “Honestly, it would be best if you just left, Paul. Now.” Her voice was firm.
Paul stood, eyes blazing. “More than happy to, Manisha. I’ll leave you to your precious café.”
“This isn’t my precious café!” she snapped. “You…coffee jerk, you!”
As Paul stormed out, Manisha sat in stunned silence. Perfect Paul was a big fat no.
She looked around for Deena, muttering, “Where is she?” Grabbing her phone for a message, she noticed a new email from Sunil.
Hey there, Admin!
You’ve got my full attention. A woman who can chow down? Now, that is the kind of woman who can have my heart.
Lately, I’ve been dining solo pretty much every night, which isn’t nearly as fun as sharing a plate of aloo paratha with someone who appreciates a good spice combo.
I’ve got to say, I miss enjoying a quality meal with that special person.
But is it just me or is good company hard to come by these days?
I’ve had some serious bad luck recently.
Call me a fool but I even went ahead and bought a lemon tree.
Apparently, lucky lemons are supposed to lead to something sweet, like the woman of my dreams (or at least a dinner date, so I don’t have to eat alone). Who knew lemons could be so…romantic?”
—Sunil
A slow smile broke across Manisha’s face as she read Sunil’s message. It sounded as though Uncle Parm had conned yet another unsuspecting customer into taking a tree home. She was about to type out a reply when Deena blithely sauntered back.
“Where did Paul vanish to?” Deena asked, raising an eyebrow at Manisha, who quickly hid her phone.
Manisha, unfazed, replied with a sneer, “I asked Paul to skedaddle. Let’s just say he had a coffee meltdown.”
“Really?” Deena leaned in, curiosity piqued.
Manisha dramatically flicked open her Sephora compact, refreshing her lipstick. “That guy lost it over coffee! It was like watching a toddler throw a tantrum over a broken toy. I mean, who knew a bad brew could get him that riled up? I half expected him to start flinging sugar packets!”
Deena sniffed the cup Paul had left behind, making a face. “Smells fine to me! Disappointing, though—I was ready to book a banquet hall for your wedding!”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Manisha said. “I just can’t believe he was about to leave Rohit a bad review. The gall!”
Deena raised an eyebrow. “Wait, hold on! Did you defend Rohit? Is the sky falling?!”
“What? No…” Manisha said. “It was Chai Time I was defending.” Manisha crossed her arms and grinned.
Deena smirked, a playful glint in her eyes. “Be honest, Manisha. Don’t you think you could’ve coaxed him back? I thought you two were about to clear the table and break into song!”
Manisha rolled her eyes, recalling her dream from the other day. “Deena, he was so over-the-top dramatic. I mean, it started so well, but then he just snapped over free coffee!”
“Okay, well, upward and onward! You’ve got about forty minutes until date number two with Arinder.” Deena clapped her hands excitedly.
“That’s me.”
Both Manisha and Deena turned around, startled, to see a man with a playful grin and a vibrant green turban standing behind them. His eyes danced with humour, and he had an approachable vibe about him that instantly lightened the atmosphere.
“Oh, Arinder!” Manisha exclaimed, shooting him a smile. “I didn’t realize you had arrived!”
“Well, I actually got here before you. I was watching you from the back corner,” he said.
“Watching?” Deena and Manisha echoed in unison, raising their eyebrows.
“You know, just observing the scene,” he replied, his tone lighthearted.
“Right. Okay, then, I’ll leave you two to it!” Deena gave Manisha a look and strolled away.
Arinder settled into the chair across from Manisha, his posture casual yet confident.
“Look, I’m really sorry if you saw anything odd earlier,” Manisha began, her tone apologetic.
He waved a hand dismissively, still grinning. “No worries at all. I know how these things work. It’s all about maximizing your output, right?”
“What do you mean?” Manisha said slowly, amused by his upbeat attitude.
“I was also on a date. I think it went as well as yours.”
Manisha giggled nervously. “Always gotta have a backup.”
“Until you find the one,” Arinder replied, gazing deeply into Manisha’s eyes. The intensity made her squirm a bit.
“I’m really curious about you,” he said, pulling out a notepad from his jacket pocket. “Do you mind if I take notes?”
Manisha raised an eyebrow at the sight of the bright-green notebook that matched his turban impeccably. “Um, no, not at all,” she said, suppressing a laugh.
“Awesome! Tell me everything!” he prompted, pen at the ready.
“Well, I was born in Baskin; I’m a foodie, the only daughter, and the youngest,” Manisha prattled off.
Arinder scribbled frantically, jotting down her details like he was taking minutes for an important business meeting. “Only daughter—my mom’s going to love that!” He nodded emphatically, oblivious to her slight frown.
Manisha took advantage of Arinder’s focus on his notetaking to shift the conversation back to him, as per Manny’s advice.
“What about you? Since I’m date number two today, I’m guessing you must know what you want and don’t want?” Manisha asked.
“Oh, I know exactly what I want. What my family wants,” Arinder said nonchalantly. “The person I choose has to align with my family’s financial and aesthetic preferences. From what I’ve seen so far, you definitely check those boxes.”
“Are there more boxes to check?” Manisha said warily. This guy had a very archaic view of relationships!
“Well, of course, but those are the top two.” Arinder shrugged, grinning as if he’d just landed a great deal.
“Looks and money?”
“Well, I have everything else,” Arinder said confidently.
Manisha felt her patience waning, but Manny’s advice to give her date the time and space to be the best version of himself sprang to mind.
“Arinder, I’m sorry, but we have different relationship viewpoints. You really don’t think there’s more to relationships than looks and how much someone earns?” She was throwing him a lifeline.
“Our family is one of the wealthiest in Baskin. We can’t just let any woman into our dynasty. She’s got to undergo proper training to become a Singh and, of course, sign a pre-nup.” He flashed another smile.
His constant smiling was officially testing her last nerve.
“Proper training?” Manisha repeated, incredulity taking over her voice.
“Yes! She has to learn how to be a wife, run a household, and know what I like and what my family likes.” He said this like he was giving her a grand opportunity. “Is that clear?”
“Oh yes, perfectly clear, Arinder,” Manisha said icily. “I’m sorry, but I’m not your family’s pet. I won’t be molded into a Singh or become part of your dynasty.”
His smile was still plastered to his face, but it had morphed into a haughty smirk. Manisha’s hand itched to make it disappear.
“Honestly, I couldn’t care less about your wealth. We want different things. You’re looking for your next project, and I’m looking for a husband,” she stated matter-of-factly.
Suddenly, an elderly Indian woman appeared at their table, her nose wrinkled in disapproval.
“This one talks too much,” she declared to Arinder, her voice dripping with judgment. “Not suitable for us.”
Manisha’s jaw dropped. “Is this your mom?”
Unperturbed, Arinder puffed his chest a bit. “Yes, I brought my mom like you brought your friend.” He got up and stood beside her, exuding pride and boyish charm.
“My cousin Deena? That’s not the same thing!” Manisha retorted.
“And her voice is loud. No, no, no, beta. Not for us,” Arinder’s mom added, shaking her head so hard, Manisha feared for the woman’s updo.
“I’m sorry, Auntie, but with all due respect, you and your son are way out of line. It sounds like you’re looking to groom someone!” Manisha responded, crossing her arms.
“Let’s go, beta. This is wasting our time.”
As they turned to leave, Arinder paused for one last quip. “What a shame. Almost all the boxes were checked, too.”
“You and your boxes can leave now!” Manisha cried, pointing dramatically toward the door, her eyes ablaze.
He lifted his chin defiantly. “I know what I’m looking for, and I don’t pretend otherwise,” he said with a smug grin.
“Here’s some free advice for your next date: Drop the attitude.
If you’re genuinely seeking love or whatever, maybe take a long hard look in the mirror.
Because right now, we’re exactly the same, you and me, boxes and all.
” And with that, Arinder swaggered away with his mother.
Manisha flushed so hot with rage at his words, she was actually trembling. How dare he offer unsolicited dating advice! She knew she had her goals, but finding a genuine connection was all she truly wanted.
The only box that needed ticking in her book was love.