Chapter 31 #2
“When people cut you off?” Manisha got up—she’d had enough. “I can’t take it anymore. Rahim, this date is over!”
“Geez. Alright. Must be that time of the month.”
“No, it is not. I just believe a conversation should go two ways, and clearly, we’re not on the same page about that.”
He rolled his eyes, as though Manisha had some gall to want to speak. “Holy! Check you later then.”
As he stormed out of the café, Deena rushed up. “I heard all of it. Well, all of him for the last fifteen minutes. Sorry, Manisha.”
“What is going on?” Manisha said, not believing her terrible luck. “It’s one bad date after another.”
“Welcome to the world of dating.”
“I knew this wouldn’t be easy, but this difficult?” She looked and felt utterly defeated. “I thought it would be easier with an auntie.”
“It will be. We’re going through a bad batch.” Deena nudged her affectionately with the toe of her boot. “Let’s start fresh again tomorrow. Remember, you have to kiss—”
“A bunch of frogs. Yes, I know. Now you sound like my mother.” Manisha face-planted onto the table.
“Well, I’m just saying it will take more than a handful of dates…”
“I know, and I’m not giving up,” she reassured her, straightening in her seat. “Trial and error, right?”
“That’s my gal! I should get going. See you at Anjali’s wedding tomorrow?”
Manisha nodded, and they hugged goodbye.
When she was alone, Manisha quickly pulled out her phone, ready to write Sunil back.
Between dates, she had pretended to be captivated by the ongoing trivia game, but really, she was running through the various possible scenarios in her head for how to answer him: Tell Sunil she wasn’t comfortable meeting him in person.
Tell him she was moving back abroad. Tell him she didn’t feel the same way.
Tell him she found someone else and they had to end their correspondence because her partner was jealous.
Tell him…she hadn’t been entirely honest.
It was the only option that could, against all odds, lead to what she really wanted: to go on a date with Sunil. But even if he ended up hating her after the truth was revealed, at least she could go to bed at night knowing she had done her best to learn from her mistakes and right her wrongs.
She took a deep breath, knowing she had to come clean to Sunil.
She walked over to the counter where Rohit was cleaning up as the trivia night had come to an end, the last few customers gathering their jackets and bags to head out. Manisha hoped spending a bit of time with Rohit would give her a break from the duplicitous monster she was feeling like.
“Seems like the evening was a success,” she said to him. “You must be so tired.”
“You know what, I’m actually feeling pretty energized. I don’t really want to go home yet—being in the house without my dad is just too quiet these days. Want a glass of wine? I could really use one.”
“Sure, I’ll join you.”
Rohit poured two glasses of a bold Argentinian red.
“Ah, that’s a good Malbec,” she said, recognizing the label.
“You know your Argentinian wine, Manisha Patel?”
“I do. Funny enough, I love a good asado, too, but I’ve never been to Argentina to actually experience the food or wine from the source.”
“Well, I’ve been lucky enough to go, and that’s definitely something to add to your bucket list. I have a feeling you’d love it there,” he said.
“I’ll take that under serious advisement. So, what’s on yours?”
Rohit paused, thinking for a moment. “Travel-wise? Hmm…my mom—she always dreamed of visiting every temple in India before she passed, so I’d love to do that in her memory.”
Manisha reached across the counter and squeezed his hand, offering him a small smile. A wordless exchange of understanding and appreciation passed between them.
“I’d also love to explore the vineyards in Italy. But I’m waiting for a special lady to share that with, whenever she comes along,” Rohit added.
“Special lady?” Manisha said, surprised. “Feeling ready to date again?”
“You know what? Lately, I’ve been feeling like something’s shifted inside me. I’m more receptive to love than ever, and, well, I’ve just got a hunch about something brewing.”
“I’m happy to hear that. Umm, Rohit, I ran into Suzy today, and I owe you another apology. I thought you two were, um…well, I thought you were dating her.”
“You and everybody else. I see the looks and hear the whispers,” he added. “Sometimes, I wish I could just get out of this town.”
“You can,” she said. “Escape to Italy, travel the world. I mean, you can afford to.”
“But why should I run away from my home? My parents built this town, nurtured this community. I love it and want to keep my family’s legacy alive here. I should be able to do that, not be chased away by some BS gossip.”
“Cheers to that.” Manisha gazed at Rohit as he refilled her glass.
“Why did you propose to someone like Lucky?”
The question surprised Manisha as much as Rohit.
“Sorry,” she said, rattling her head. “The drinks are flowing, and…I shouldn’t have asked that.”
“No, don’t be. It’s a fair question. I don’t think anyone has asked me that before. Honestly, I didn’t. I mean, not officially. We were dating for a while, having conversations about the future, and before I knew it, wedding invitations were going out. I never proposed.”
Manisha gawked at him.
“I don’t know how things progressed to that point, but Lucky knew what she wanted and was going to make it happen no matter what.
I don’t remember much of that time, to be honest. My entire world was being turned upside down as my mom’s illness progressed.
I don’t even think I saw the actual invitation. ”
“I did. It was gaudy as hell, covered in real gold flecks.” She slapped a hand over her mouth belatedly.
He huffed a humorless laugh. “Sounds like Lucky.”
“So, she was sending out wedding invites, and then…”
Rohit nodded. “Then sleeping with my best friend and business partner.”
“I’m so sorry.” Manisha reached over again, placing her hand over Rohit’s.
He looked at her, and they held each other’s gaze.
“Were you engaged to that guy in London?” he asked.
“Thankfully not.”
His phone buzzed on the countertop then.
“Oh man, the Wi-Fi must be back up,” he said. “Do you mind if I look at my phone? I’m expecting an email.”
Before Manisha could say, “Go for it,” Rohit reached for his phone. She checked hers as well, but it was disappointingly blank.
“Everything okay?” Manisha asked as Rohit put his phone down, a frown marring his expression.
“Not really sure,” he said, seeming preoccupied.
She cleared her throat to get his attention. “Speaking of Lucky, I should tell you something, Rohit.”
“Okay…”
“Well, when I dropped off the applications for the permits at city hall, I ran into her.”
“I know,” he said.
“You know?” she said, surprised. “How?”
“She came by earlier today, and she apologized. It was the first time she even acknowledged the cheating. My ex?best friend came with her.”
Manisha tried to hide her shock. “How do you feel?”
“It wasn’t as tough as I thought,” he said. “I think I just became numb to the initial pain, and now I truly wish them both well.”
“I can’t believe she came here; they came here.”
“She said you really gave it to her and she needed to own up to what she did. I was shocked. But not as shocked as the day I found them in bed together.” He scrunched up his face.
“I can’t imagine what that felt like. It was gut-wrenching to find out my ex was sleeping with one of his law students…
but on some level, I also felt relieved.
” Manisha took a slow sip of her wine. The pain of that discovery had been sharp, undeniable, and yet, beneath the sting, a strange sense of clarity had started to take root.
“Me too! It was a painful way for it to end, but we just weren’t right for each other. The right person will fit into my life, not try to make me fit into theirs.”
She bobbed her head. It was as if Rohit had pulled the exact words from her mind, articulating everything she had been feeling but hadn’t quite been able to express.
“You know, for a while I was calm about it, but then I bumped into them when I’d had a few drinks and, well…”
“Funny, that happened to me, too. I saw them at a bar together, and it felt worse than catching them in bed together. Alcohol can do that to you, huh?”
Manisha eyed him with caution before giving in to her impulse with a sigh. “Can I show you something?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Manisha pulled up the video of her shouting at Oliver, turning her screen for him to see.
Surprisingly, Rohit didn’t appear as shocked as she had anticipated.
“So what?” he said. “He deserved it. He hurt you, and it was devastating. Of course you were going to react that way.”
“Really? You’re not bothered by my reaction?”
“Bothered by something I can relate to?” he questioned.
“Thanks for saying that. The video being out there has made me want to crawl into a hole and hide away in shame. What I said and how I acted…I’m not proud of that Manisha.”
Rohit put a hand on Manisha’s shoulder. “The only person that should feel any shame is Oliver.”
“And Lucky. And your former best friend.”
He smiled. “At this rate, with all these secrets we’ve shared, you may be in the running for my new BFF.”
She was touched by his sentiment. “Well, you’ll have to fight Deena for that title.”
He laughed. “Thanks for having my back with Lucky, Manisha—I needed more closure than I realized.”
“No need to thank me. Right place, right time.”
“How about the right place, right time—and right friend?”
Manisha smiled back at Rohit.
“Can I show you something else?” he said, gesturing to the back. “I’ve been working on it for a while…”
“Are we going down a dark, creepy hall again, possibly leading to our untimely demises?” she teased.
“Yep. You go first. Your dress can act as a beacon.”
“Oh, shut up.” Manisha hopped off her stool. She poked him to lead the way, then followed him through the kitchen and down the hall toward a doorway at the end.