Chapter 17
Manisha had just finished putting the groceries away when she noticed her wallet sitting innocently on the table. She groaned. Of course it was there.
Her phone buzzed, startling her. It was an email from Sunil.
It’s great to put a name to these emails. I can tell you have good energy, Isha. You’ve even managed to get me a little more excited about a future partner. Not to be a bummer, but not much has seemed worth getting excited about lately…
So, how do you plan on finding your “ride or die”?
—Sunil
Manisha smiled, her fingers dancing across the keyboard as she typed back:
Trust me, I get it, Sunil. It’s hard to move on, and I hear it’s rough out there.
But I’ll admit, your emails have been giving me hope that decent people do still exist after all.
I actually decided to get back into dating a few days ago.
I have an idea. How about we team up? You know, Team Sunil & Isha, cheering each other on in the wild world of dating?
Isha
She hit send. It was fun to talk to Sunil.
“Why are you standing there grinning like a checkers cat?” her mom called from the doorway, her tone half amused, half suspicious.
Manisha blinked, biting back a grin. “Cheshire cat, Mom! Anyway, I picked up the groceries from Uncle Parm’s store, but…I forgot my wallet because I took it out when you borrowed my purse yesterday. So, you owe Rohit money.”
“Rohit Khanna?” her mom asked, her brows shooting up above her glasses.
“Yep. There I was, scrambling for cash, and he just casually tossed Auntie money like it was no big deal. Total rich kid move.”
“So, he came to your rescue? Like your knight in shining armour?” her mom teased, obviously loving the drama.
“Not my knight—more like Suzy’s,” Manisha replied, diving into full gossip mode. “He was with his new girlfriend—the one he cheated on Lucky with.”
“Chup. You’re just adding masala to the story again,” her mom said, half rolling her eyes.
“I’ve seen them everywhere, walking around like a couple of lovebirds. In his café, on the streets, and now at Uncle Parm’s store. It’s like they’ve forgotten about subtlety.”
“Beta, it sounds like someone’s a little envious…”
“Envious of Rohit Khanna?” Manisha scoffed. “Ugh, no. Why would I be?” Well, maybe a little.
“Manisha, do I need to remind you that the Khannas are the reason we were able to afford this very house? Rohit’s mother was a dear, dear friend to me before…” Her mother’s words trailed off.
Manisha’s eyes widened in surprise. Rohit’s mom was a friend? A dear, dear friend? She hadn’t known that. How could she not have known that?
“The Khannas are well-respected members of our community, which means Rohit is respected, too,” her mother ended with a note of finality.
“Rohit’s many things, Mom. But respected is not exactly how I’d describe him,” she muttered.
“There are two—” her mom began.
“Sides to every story. I know, Mom. But come on! Can you imagine how hurt Lucky must be?” she pressed.
“Maybe Rohit is hurting, too?” her mom countered gently.
Manisha exhaled sharply. “He seems perfectly fine. He’s got Suzy, he’s got his café. He’s got his bursting-at-the-seams wallet. He’s more than fine from what I got from him the other night.”
“The other night?” her mom asked, her voice suddenly lighter, brows waggling.
“Mom, not like that!” Manisha’s face flushed. “I was just helping him with some legal stuff for the café. You know, the paperwork Dad made me look over for Uncle Jas. I was supposed to help again tonight, but instead, he’s making dinner for Suzy.”
Her mom raised an eyebrow. “So, what? He is busy. He is getting on with his life. You should get busy, too.”
Manisha bristled. “I’m busy! I’ve got plans. I’m a very occupied woman.”
“Manisha, you’re acting old-fashioned,” her mom said. “We live in a different world now. There is no rule that says you can’t bring girlfriends to Uncle Parm’s store. You must stop caring so much about what other people think.”
“Mom, I really don’t care—especially when it comes to Rohit Khanna and his girlfriends.”
Except maybe she did care, just a little. Seeing him so unbothered and smiling had left an annoying knot in her chest. Why did it bother her that he had seemed to move on so easily while she was still figuring it out?
“Oh, really? Well, you could’ve fooled me with all this Rohit-and-Suzy gup shup,” her mom said, her tone dry but amused.
Manisha rolled her eyes. “Mom, I’m just sharing my day, not gossiping.”
Manisha filled herself a glass of water and mulled over her mom’s words. Maybe she was making too big a deal out of this.
“Maybe you’re right,” Manisha admitted, more to herself than anyone. “I just…expected more discretion. What if Lucky’s parents see him with Suzy?”
“What he does is none of their business anymore.”
Again, Manisha turned her mom’s words over in her mind. They made sense. At some point, you had to stop worrying about your ex’s family, and clearly, that time had long passed.
“Chal, let’s forget it,” her mom said with a dismissive wave, clearly ready to move on. “Talking about this is making me hungry.”
Manisha smiled. “Finally, something we can agree on.”
Her mom handed her a jalebi from the box on the counter. Manisha took it, savouring the sweet crunch. She let herself relax and enjoy the treat, realizing that maybe she had been putting too much energy into things that didn’t really matter.
Drop the attitude. Arinder’s cutting departing words echoed in her thoughts.
Forget it. Just let it go, she told herself, taking another bite of the sugary treat, moving on to imagining the day she could share a jalebi with her own Prince Charming.