Playing Dirty

Twenty Three

Oblivious to the bustle going on in the busy terminal, and the cold metal of the seat pressed against her back, Sam sat alone, lost in an internal battle.

Ryan had walked off towards the arrivals gate, tactfully leaving her alone to her thoughts and for that, she was grateful. His presence left her twisted up in a confusing web of desire, making it impossible to think logically.

And logic was desperately needed, because she needed to somehow convince her own self to be happy he'd promised to stop making moves on her. She finally got what she wanted since the night at the club; for Ryan to back off and leave her alone. So, why was this victory bittersweet?

It's what she wanted, ever since that disaster of their first time together when she realized the man she'd crushed and lusted after, bore far too many scars and issues to have any semblance of a healthy relationship.

A shrill sound broke into her thoughts. With a tired sigh, she pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen to see an unknown number.

"Hello?"

There was a rustling at the other end as though papers were being shuffled then a warm male voice spoke.

"Ah, hello." The voice held a hint of hesitation, as though it's owner was uncertain he had the right person on the other end. "Am I speaking with Sameera Bhaat?"

"Yes, this is she."

"Ms. Bhaat, my name is Vihaan Patel, and I'm calling on behalf of my grandmother, Milli Patel."

Eyebrows scrunched, Sam repeated the name in her mind, searching for a connection with someone she knew. It sounded familiar, but for the life of her, she couldn't recall knowing anyone with that name enough to be anticipating a call.

"Okay,” she said, wariness heavy in her tone.

“I have the names of your brother and yourself on the guest list, and would like to confirm your attendance next week so we can finalize accommodation arrangements?”

“I’m sorry, what guest list?” Bewildered by the strange conversation, she couldn’t help wondering if this was one of those scam calls and tried to trick one into giving out personal information.

She heard an impatient sigh on the other end. “The wedding, Ms. Bhaat.”

What on earth was he talking about? What wedding? Far as she knew, no one of her acquaintances had a wedding coming up, plus she had no idea who this man was for her to even think of attending his wedding.

A conversation with a certain someone floated to the forefront of her memory and she stilled, eyes widening in horror as realization dawned.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” she blurted out, drawing looks from passersby.

Too flustered to care about the attention, she concentrated on the ridiculousness of the situation. The email with the list of names came to mind and she cursed under her breath, remembering where she'd seen his name. He was potential marriage match numero uno!

The promising bachelor with the doting grandmother and the sister whose wedding her mother had tried to coerce her into attending in order to meet said promising bachelor. The same one she'd told her mother she'd call but had conveniently forgotten until now. Her mother had mentioned procuring an invitation, but since Sam had made it clear she had no intention of going, she’d wrongfully assumed the matter settled, but apparently, Parvati had neglected to inform her cohort in crime – most likely this Milli person – of her decision.