“Come see your aunties.” Taara Auntie released her cheeks. “They need a distraction. Lakshmi and Bushra were fighting because Bushra refused to walk in threes when we got here and then laughed at Lakshmi when she said it meant heads were going to roll. Now they aren’t talking to each other . . .” She trailed off when Zara moved in the opposite direction.
“Don’t you want to see your aunties? They have some nice boys for you to meet.”
“Of course, Auntie-ji. But I promised to meet Parvati to check out the seating plan. I’ll stop by later.” She yanked a bundle of business cards from her purse. “These are for my new firm. Could you hand them out for me?”
“Of course, beta.” Taara Auntie studied the picture on the front. “I like it. I’m sure Lakshmi will have a prophecy about the tiger. She read my tea leaves and said someone was watching me. Can you imagine?”
After making her escape, Zara met Parvati at the entrance to the banquet hall. Her friend had changed into a vibrant emerald green lehenga choli, heavily embroidered with silver thread. Ornate silver earrings and a matching choker set off her thick dark hair.
With a sigh, Parvati pointed to the nearest seating chart. “We’re at one of the random singles tables.”
“A-list with the cool relatives and fun friends?” Zara asked. “Or B-list with the people Tarun and Maria don’t really like but had to invite? Not that it matters. I can work my matchmaking magic on anyone.”
“Seriously?” Parvati lifted a brow. “I see it as another boring night where we watch everyone at the couples tables having fun and feeling sorry for us because we’re stuck with the drunk cousins, divorced uncles, and horny college dudes trying to get lucky.”
“You need to be more optimistic.” Zara pulled a small makeup mirror from her bag and checked her lipstick. “I see it as an opportunity to match up a few lonely souls and bring a little joy into their hearts or some loving into their beds. I made six matches last wedding season. I want to beat my record.”
“You’re a rishta auntie in the making.” Parvati rolled her eyes in mock disgust. “Why don’t you join their pool?”
“I’m not ready for the big time.” Joining the rishta auntie competition would be admitting that she truly had no intention of ever getting married, and there was a small part of her that couldn’t take that final step.
“Kamal will be happy to hear that you’re still available. He’s at our table.”
Zara bit back a groan. Kamal had been crushing on her since sixth grade when she’d made the ill-fated decision to give him a valentine because she’d heard through the family grapevine that he was struggling to make friends. “You’d better sit between us. He drank one watered-down shot of gin at the sangeet and told me I could feel free to ‘take advantage of him.’ ” She punctuated the words with finger quotes. “Then he asked for ‘hugsies’ like his mom gives him at bedtime. I almost threw up all over his shoes. How unappealing is that? I can drink five shots of gin and still walk a straight line.”
“I thought you were going to say that the part about his mom was what curdled your stomach,” Parvati said.
“His mom is kinda hot, so I took that part as a compliment.”
Parvati tapped the bottom of the list. “There’s a last-minute addition to our table.”
“Who?” Curious, she squinted at the list, but Parvati quickly covered the handwritten name.
“The one and only—drumroll, please—Jay Dayaaaaaal!”
Zara stared at her friend aghast. “No.”
“Yes. I heard Stacy talking about it. Apparently, he usually sits with his mom, but she invited a plus-one at the last minute so he was banished to the singles table.”
Could this night get any worse?
Zara looked around for one of the tuxedo-clad waiters she’d seen carrying trays of champagne. Copious amounts of alcohol were going to be required to get through dinner. “This is going to mess up my plan to match up everyone at the table.” She heaved a sigh. “He’s too gorgeous. He’ll attract all the attention while he sits in smug silence thinking up ways not to have fun. The straight dudes are going to miss out.”
“Does this fatal attraction also extend to you or does Kamal stll have a chance?” Parvati grabbed two glasses of champagne from one of the passing waiters and they walked into the ballroom.
“Are you kidding me?” Zara’s face twisted in a scowl. “Kamal never stops talking. I can’t be with someone who talks as much as me. It’s stressful. Every time I open my mouth, I’m worried he’s going to interrupt me before I finish what I have to say. And when he is talking, I wonder when it will be my turn to talk. It’s different with quiet guys. I don’t have to worry. They’re good listeners because they only talk when they have something to say and not just for the sake of talking.”
Parvati spent a full ten seconds saying nothing while she adjusted her lehenga with her free hand, tightening the waist, smoothing the skirt, and fluffing the ruffle around the hem.
“What is it?” Zara narrowed her eyes. “What’s wrong? Your lehenga is perfect. You also know you look stunning. So all this adjusting means you’ve got something to say that you don’t think I want to hear.”
“Jay isn’t a big talker.” Parvati lifted a brow. “He’s also hot with a capital H-O-T . . .”
“Don’t be silly.” Zara sipped her champagne, letting the sweet, fizzy liquid linger on her tongue. “He’s the last man I would ever want to be with. We have absolutely nothing in common. In fact, he’s my complete opposite.” He also wasn’t interested in her, as evidenced by his abrupt dismissal at the sangeet the other night. She hadn’t appreciated his sharp tone when she was just trying to help, especially after the moment they’d shared when he’d held her in his arms. So strong and steady. Safe. For a blissful few moments she’d felt a sense of calm. She should have known it wouldn’t last.
Mehar Auntie announced the imminent arrival of the bride and groom and Zara and Parvati joined the crowd near the entrance to the lavishly decorated ballroom. Salena Auntie had gone over the top with the decor. Enormous displays of pink and orange flowers hung from the ceiling over red-and-purple-covered tables and elaborate floral centerpieces. Two pillars bearing replica statues of the Greek goddess Aphrodite flanked the head table, and fairy lights and lanterns twinkled in every corner.
Zara pulled out her phone and snapped a few photos for her wedding folder. Not that she planned to get married, but one day Parvati would meet her special someone and she wanted to be prepared to be the best bridesmaid ever.
Always the bridesmaid. Never the bride. For some reason the words didn’t sit as lightly on her heart as they usually did.