Chapter 40
Manisha had picked up her favourite cheesecake from Henriette’s to share with Sunil. She hoped it would be a sweet gesture, a continuation of the tradition his parents had started all those years ago when he was a child.
Walking to the Emporium, she felt the warm breeze brush against her skin, fluttering the skirt of her light-pink Reformation summer dress, perfect for the mild fall night.
She’d kept her makeup simple yet effective: a burst of Fenty blush and matching red lipstick leant a boldness to her look.
As she walked, she summoned her inner Rihanna.
Some people might think she was overdressed for a first date, but this night meant so much to her, and she didn’t care.
She felt beautiful and confident, and that was all that mattered.
Manisha read Sunil’s email from earlier today one more time.
I can’t wait to meet you under the Baskin stars tonight.
“Over here,” Deena called out as Manisha entered the building’s foyer. Although Manisha couldn’t wait to meet Sunil, she was still grateful that her cousin had agreed to attend the event as well. Deena’s presence had a calming effect on her.
“You look hot!” Deena said.
“Not too much?” Manisha asked.
“Never too much. Are you ready?”
“I can’t wait.”
“And he knows how to find you?”
“Yup. I reserved the seats already. Seats 11 and 12, row J. He’s got all the info, too.”
They made their way into the theatre, which was a maze of people searching for their seats. Deena bid her good luck as she went to her seat in row S, and Manisha found hers below.
A few minutes later, a woman attempted to sit in the empty seat beside her in the crowded theatre. “Oh, I apologize, this seat is taken,” Manisha informed her.
As the seats filled up rapidly, Manisha’s anxiety grew.
She checked her phone, but there was no signal in the hall.
Glancing back at Deena, who offered a reassuring smile, Manisha couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.
The theatre director announced that the show would begin in just a few minutes and urged everyone to take their seats.
A child swiftly occupied the seat Manisha had saved for Sunil.
The show commenced, and as the room filled with stars and music, Manisha tried to drown her thoughts in the rhythm. But the one thing the music couldn’t drown out was her heart breaking—Sunil wasn’t coming.
Manisha felt crushed by overwhelming loneliness. Just days ago, she had envisioned sharing this moment with Sunil, and experiencing it alone now was more isolating than ever.
When the show finally ended, Manisha rushed out to catch up with Deena, who waited for her in the main lobby.
“I just can’t believe he didn’t show up. Do you think something happened to him?” Her voice filled with worry and confusion. She glanced at her phone, which struggled to hold a signal, her anxiety growing with each passing second.
“Did you take a good look around? He has to be here somewhere.”
“I don’t even know what he looks like!” Manisha snapped slightly. “We were supposed to meet at the reserved seats. This isn’t how it happens in the movies.”
“I’m sorry, Manisha. I understand you’re upset. But there must be a reasonable explanation for him not showing up,” Deena reassured her. “Maybe he got lost in the crowd. Or maybe he’s running late. Don’t panic just yet.”
“You’re right,” Manisha replied, trying to stay positive. “Maybe he is just running late. I hope that’s the case.”
Deena gently guided Manisha to a quieter spot, away from the chaos of the crowd. “Let’s wait here. He’ll have to pass by this way eventually. Look for someone who seems to be looking for someone.”
Manisha’s attention was torn between the passersby and her phone screen, hoping that a message to explain Sunil’s absence might come in.
Deena’s attention shifted to someone approaching them.
“Rohit?” Manisha exclaimed, surprised by her friend’s unexpected arrival.
Rohit’s expression was one of jovial suspicion as he walked toward them. “Are you ladies following me?”
Deena hesitated before responding, “Just thought we’d check out the show, the stars and all.”
Manisha sent her a look of thanks, glad her cousin hadn’t outed her for being stood up. “And you, Rohit?” Deena said. “What’s your excuse?”
Rohit’s gaze shifted uncomfortably. “I, uh…I think I got stood up. It’s just there was this unruly customer in the café, and I was late, so—”
Manisha, preoccupied with refreshing her inbox on her phone, took a moment to process his words.
“Wait, you got stood up, too?” Deena’s voice rose in surprise.
“What do you mean by ‘too’? Were you gals out for a double date or something?” Rohit asked.
Deena replied, “Not exactly. Manisha was meant to meet someone, but he didn’t show up.” Manisha’s cheeks heated in embarrassment, and Deena rushed to reassure her. “It’s quite common these days, getting ghosted.”
Rohit sighed. “Ah, I see. I guess that’s what happened to me, too. It’s just my luck, you know? The one time I decide to put myself out there again and open my heart, this is what I get…” His voice trailed off, disappointment evident in his tone.
“I think I’ll shoot him a message,” Manisha said. “I refuse to believe that he just wouldn’t show up.”
“The signal really isn’t great in here,” Deena said, checking her own phone. “Maybe we should go outside?”
“Good idea,” Rohit said. “I’ll come with. She might have also tried to contact me, or maybe I mixed something up.” His eyes filled with sadness.
Manisha typed as they walked through the entryway into the warm evening air. “Alright, I’ve sent it. Let’s see if it goes through.”
Rohit’s phone pinged. “Looks like I have a signal out here. I just got something.”
Deena’s face suddenly looked shocked. She glanced at Manisha, who returned her stare, realization dawning on her.
“That’s strange,” Rohit said. “She says she’s here, and is asking where I am.”
Manisha could barely breathe as she watched Rohit read the message on his phone—the message she just sent him.
“It can’t be…” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
“What?” he asked.
“Are you…Sunil?”
They stood staring at each other, and it was like the whole world around them went deadly still. Except for Deena, whose eyes jumped between the two of them like she was watching a tennis rally.
“What’s happening here?” Rohit asked, tone sharp. “What are you both up to?”
“Were you pretending to be Sunil?” Manisha asked, her stomach churning. “Deceiving me this whole time?”
“Hold on,” Rohit said, his brows drawing together. “You’re Isha? And you have the nerve to accuse me of pretending?”
“Well, your name isn’t Sunil,” Manisha pointed out.
“When Deena handed me the website flyer, I checked it out using my cousin’s name. I didn’t feel ready to get back out there yet and using my real name felt too…real.”
Manisha’s mouth hung open. “So, you pretended to be him?”
“Who hasn’t pretended before, am I right?” Deena added nervously. “Hey, I was pretending to be a fake auntie matchmaker! What’s the big deal?”
“Wait, what? So, this was all a joke to you,” Rohit said to them both. “You set up that site and pretended to be different people for what? For kicks?”
“No!” Manisha cried. “That’s not it at all.”
“Not for kicks, for dates—Manisha wanted to find her Prince Charming.” Deena was trying but it wasn’t helping.
Anguish flickered across Rohit’s face. “Prince Charming…right. So, were you playing a prank on me? Is that why you pretended to be Isha, the ‘admin’ of some fake matchmaking site?”
“Everyone calls me Isha,” she said weakly, knowing she didn’t have much of a leg to stand on. She had known this moment was going to come eventually—that she’d have to admit she wasn’t the admin to Sunil. She just never could have imagined Sunil was actually Rohit.
Deena put in, “Well, technically, not everyone. I don’t.”
Rohit’s eyes never left Manisha, though. “I thought I’d made a real connection with someone. Little did I know it was all fake, for her—for you. I suppose I should congratulate you on your acting skills.”
His words felt like a knife to her heart. “Acting? You think my feelings were an act?”
“That’s exactly what I think,” he said, his gaze hardening. “What else would you call it?” His voice…she had never heard that kind of edge to it. Not even during their parking lot spat. It sent a chill through her body.
“I thought we—Isha and I—had something real,” he went on.
But it was all fake, wasn’t it?” He shook his head in contempt.
“I confided in you about everything—how Lucky’s betrayal destroyed me.
Her lies. Her deception. They broke me. How could you—I can’t believe you would do this to me, Manisha.
Isha. Your emails were as fake as the website. As fake as you!”
Rohit turned and walked away, leaving Manisha in tears on the steps of the Emporium. Even Deena’s embrace offered little solace as Manisha, in a daze, threw the cheesecake box into the trash, her tears falling freely.