Page 85 of The Fake Dating War

We watch the photographer move Esha and Gurinder around. With the rays of sunlight breaking on their faces, they look incandescent. When the photographer directs them to laugh, they don’t fake it. Gurinder is goofy. All he has to do is make jokes with a silly expression, and my sister breaks down, her high-strung worries melting away.

I’m so happy for her. They work so well together, and soon they’re going to be incredible parents.

But seeing the two of them trembles some strict foundation inside me. For the last two years, I’ve built a fortress around myself, each stone laid with the same philosophy.Never fucking again.

So-called love was not for me, because it didn’tworkthe right way. Instead of lifting me up, my marriage had me acting like an idiot. I turned into a woman willing to give up everything—dignity included—to make it last another day.

Not that my efforts mattered in the end.

He left me, calling me the enabler I was.

But now I’m thinking foolish things again. Like maybe with the right person… it could be different.

“They seem happy,” says Coleman.

For a second, I think he sounds as wistful and torn as I feel, but I don’t have time to dig further because a ravaging crowd of lunatics surrounds us.

My cousin Frank throws an arm around Coleman’s shoulder. “No need to be shy,” he says, pushing a drink in his hand.

“You are family now,” claims his brother, Vikram.

“But how do we initiate you?” wonders Frank. “Back in uni when I wanted to join the fraternity, there was a paddle involved.”

“What’s this about spanking?” asks Manu, overhearing.

“I think Frank wants to spank Reema’s man,” says Vikram.

“AndIthink Reema should keep that honor for herself,” says Jyoti.

“Or,” says Pooja. “How about we don’t scare the newbie off?”

“But how else are we going to make sure he’s worthy of Reema’s time?”

Coleman suffers a bit of chest-poking from Frank, who says, “Do you know Reema used to climb every tree in all our backyards to prove she could reach the highest branch? And she loved water gun fights, filling hers with ice-cold water because it made the other kids more afraid of her.”

“Oh, and she ate her Halloween candies the slowest, but always got the most since she’d go around the same houses twice. Remember that?” says Vikram.

“I didn’t know all that,” says Coleman, ignoring the jabbing. “But I’m not surprised.” He looks at me. “She’s tenacious.”

“Oh, I have a brilliant initiation idea!” says Frank. “Let’s get in a circle and see who shotguns their beer the fastest!”

More than one of us groans. Frank has one very specific bar-trick. He can dump a whole beer down his gullet in less than six seconds. He always wins, no matter what, and yet, enough people still agree to play, shifting into battle formation. Cans are weighed in their hands. Some have already been opened and drunk from. Complicated math is attempted.

“Do we need men in our lives?” asks Manu, looking at her husband, who has jumped in to help.

“In many cases, no,” I answer, speaking for myself.

“Sex toys,” supplies Serena, as if they are the answer to everything.

“Yes, but my dildo lacks a certain spirit,” says Manu. “A certain je ne sais quoi.”

Her husband gargles beer as mouthwash, then spits it on the ground to clear his throat.

“Then again,” she deadpans. “I could manage.”

He goes and brings the cooler over to the group, handing out beers to anyone who needs one. And he takes empties over to the bin.

Beside me, Manu abruptly smiles. “And my love is back. I remember why I married that man. You should see the new patio set he surprised me with on my birthday. It’s great for hosting—which—actually—” She grabs my hand. “Do you think you’ll visit us soon? I would love to have you and Jake stay over.”

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