Page 71 of Everything She Wanted

I take a sip and it’s strong, but also silky, refreshing, and easy to down.

“Easy there. Eshaan will be pissed if I bring you home wasted,” she says as she scans the crowd and our waiter hands me another. He will be more than pissed if he finds out I’m in a place like this without him, but I don’t mention that.

“Any hot guys here? For me obvs. You’re off limits,” she says as she shifts her dress down on either side and then takes another sip of her drink.

“Wouldn’t know.”

“Such a good girlfriend.”

I look away and shift in my seat.

“Oh, there’s a fucking hot dude that keeps glancing over here,” she says into my ear. “How do I look?”

“You look amazing, but you already know that.”

“I do.” She gives me a sly wink. “Shit, he’s coming over here.”

I turn and my heart leaps in my chest. It’s Nick wearing a fitted black dress shirt that’s unbuttoned down to his chest with tight grey pants. A few ladies turn to look him up and down as he passes and I wonder what it’s like to have women constantly throwing themselves at you. Am I one of those girls? I push the thought away and turn to Anjali, trying to remain unaffected.

“Mind if I join you?”

“Of course.” Anjali tosses her hair back as he takes the seat in front of us.

Do I pretend not to know him? I try to look anywhere but at him.

“Just wanted to say hi, Nisha.” He draws out my name like he knows me intimately and Anjali immediately stiffens and turns to me.

“You two know each other?”

“No, I mean, yes.” I’m already floundering. “We work together.”

Nick smiles broadly as he takes a long sip of his drink.

“Yeah, we’re just colleagues,” he says in a way that suggests we aren’t.

I don’t know whether to feel elated or stressed. What if this gets back to Eshaan?

Anjali’s sultry demeanour returns as she brings a hand to her collarbone.

“So, you’re here alone?” She raises her eyebrows suggestively and takes a sip of her drink and this is my literal worst nightmare.

My mind starts spinning as I think about her and Nick together.

I pull my hair back and stare at my drink, wanting more of a buzz, but not feeling like drinking anything. My insides coil tighter.

“I’m waiting for someone,” Nick says. He glances over at me and gives me a smirk, sitting back and draping his arms over the chair. I’m just starting to realize he’s a little drunk. I’ve never seen him anything but cool and collected, even the night we first met. Fuck it. I down my drink and grab the bottle, pouring myself a straight shot.

“My friend over there, though, wanted to come say hi to you, but he’s a little shy.”

He gestures to a guy I don’t recognize. He has dark wavy hair that’s just above his chin and he’s wearing a navy blazer, white shirt, and khaki trousers. He looks like a European footballer.

“Shit. He’s hot. Ronaldo vibes,” Anjali says in my ear. Relief floods my system.

She gets up as he approaches our table and they immediately start chatting. Nick takes the empty seat next to me. I don’t know how she’s still single—she hits it off with guys so effortlessly.

They wander to the bar together, leaving Nick and me alone.

I down my vodka and it burns my throat. I quickly pour myself another. I look at him and he gives me his dazzling fucking smile.