Page 42 of The Art of Taking Second Chances

“Go be with your girlfriend, Sameer. Go back to your perfect life.”

I walked out to find Mihir in the kitchen, opening another bottle of beer. He stopped midway through twisting the top when he saw me. “Do you want to leave?”

“No.” I sighed. “But for the record, this hasn’t been your most brilliant idea.”

“Well, I’m not ready to call it yet,” he said just as Aarti shuffled past us. “I think she’s jealous of all the attention you’re getting today,” he whispered.

I drove my fingers through my hair. “What am I doing wrong, Mihir? Why won’t the pain go away?”

He chugged from his bottle. “You won’t let it.”

Turning my face to him, I said, “Listen, I’m sorry I misled you. I’m not here because I want him back. He left me humiliated yet again, and I came here to have a little fun at his expense, but now I feel horrid about that too.”

“Alright.”

“Alright? What does alright mean?”

“It means I get it.” He smiled as he broke open an expensive scotch someone had brought as a gift and poured a splash in a glass.

“Here, drink this and relax. Don’t be too hard on yourself.” His warm words and intent eyes reminded me of Dada. “The pain won’t go away because you gave him a second chance, but you never gave yourself one.”

“How’s that?”

“Let yourself feel vulnerable again. Whoever you want to be with, Sameer or your boyfriend in New York, let it flow. Don’t restrict it, don’t put conditions on it.”

I gulped down the contents of my glass. “So, who exactly are you, Mihir, a reincarnated wise sage who enjoys a stiff drink?”

He smiled and gently bumped my shoulder.

Past midnight, as we thanked the hosts for a fun party, Mihir slipped an arm around my waist with the polished brazenness of 007. I wish I had seen the look on Sameer’s face, but not watching him was half the fun.

Chapter 13

Sameer

Sometime past one that night, we closed the doors behind the last guests. Aarti squeezed me into a tight hug and planted a kiss on my cheek.

“What’s that for?” I asked.

“I’m so relieved,” she said, gripping me in another hug.

“About what?”

“When I saw Tara here tonight, I thought there was definitely something between the two of you. I mean, why else would she show up uninvited?”

“What?” I feigned a frown.

“Don’t worry,” she cooed. “You’re in the clear because she’s obviously sleeping with Mihir.”

“You really think so?” I frowned again, involuntarily this time.

She scoffed. “Didn’t you see them? They were together all evening, all smiles and whispers. I’m sorry I doubted you,” she said, and began gathering bottles scattered around the living room. “Looks like Abby’s out, Tara’s in.”

“You don’t have to clean up. I’ve called the cleaning service for tomorrow.”

She shrugged. “That’s alright, I’ll just put the bottles away. It’s not a big deal.”

“Here, give me those.” I took the bottles from her and deposited them in the recycling tray. “It was a great party. Thank you for making it perfect, as always.” I pulled her into my arms and gave her a quick kiss of appreciation.

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