Jay was the last to arrive. Zara hadn’t seen him since the night of the party. He wore a black suit, cut perfectly to fit his magnificent body, his strong jaw was shaved, his hair neatly combed. Why did he have to look so devastatingly gorgeous? It was only a wedding. Why couldn’t he have come in jeans?
His gaze flicked from Vivek on her left to Clive on her right. His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, but he took his seat beside Binita without saying a word.
Silence descended on the table.
“I guess we’re not the in-crowd.” Zara forced a smile when the table nearest them erupted into laughter. “They’re probably all watching us, expecting us to pair off by the end of the evening as if we came here desperate for a hookup.” She wasn’t feeling her usual cheerful matchmaking self with Jay glaring at her from across the table. What was that all about? He was the one who hadn’t returned her messages.
“Maybe tonight is your lucky night.” Clive waggled a bushy brow. One did the work of two because they were joined in the middle. “The man of your dreams might be right in front of you.”
“Wedding hookups are fun, but they never lead to long-term love.” She looked around the table, deliberately avoiding Jay’s gaze. “How many of us have woken up in a strange bed the night after a wedding and gotten the hell out of there as fast as possible?” She raised her hand, her smile fading when no one followed suit. “Okay. Just me.”
Stop. Please. Just. Stop.
But she couldn’t stop. It was too awkward. No one was talking, and Binita was besotted with Jay, and the woman in white was all over Vivek, and Kamal was doing magic tricks, and Clive’s eyebrow wouldn’t stop wiggling, and there was only one man at the table worth the morning walk of shame and he’d had dinner with Indra.
“How about a drinking game?” Zara suggested. “That might loosen things up. I went to a destination winter wedding in Colorado a few years ago. I think we polished off six bottles of red wine. Or was it white? After a couple of rounds of wine pong, they all taste the same. Chitchat became flirting became crazy dancing and then we all wound up naked in the lake. As you do.” She looked around expectantly, hoping that others might share their own stories about skinny-dipping in a freezing lake while drunk, but everyone just stared. “That night didn’t go so well,” she continued. “I hooked up with one of the groomsmen but he couldn’t warm up, if you know what I mean.”
The college dude choked on his beer. Clive licked his lips—at least that’s what she thought he was doing under all that hair. Binita stared at her with wide-open eyes. But Zara was on a roll and couldn’t stop.
“Anyway, as it turned out, it wasn’t a performance issue. He had hypothermia and they had to take him away in an ambulance.”
Still nothing. Tough crowd.
“Would anyone like some wine?” As if someone had finally taken pity on her, the server appeared at the table.
“Me.” Zara held up her glass. “Fill it right up. Can you leave a bottle or twelve?”
After the glasses were filled, she decided to focus on Vivek. Parvati had already sent her four texts asking about her progress, and the woman in white had finally left him alone to powder her nose with a friend.
“We’re so delighted you could be here,” Zara said. “I’ve seen all your Bollywood films. What’s your next project?”
“I just got a role in a new zombie film.” He puffed out his chest. “It’s called Night of the Living Hell Reincarnated Mutant Corpse Son of the Father of the Grandfather Evil Terror Grain-Fed Free-Range Bone-Sucking Undead Part 4: In IMAX 3-D.”
“Zombies?” Her eyes widened and she squeezed his arm. “I love zombies. I was just at a wrap party for Day of the Night of the Evening of the Revenge of the Bride of the Son of the Terror of the Return of the Attack of the Alien, Mutant, Evil, Hellbound, Flesh-Eating, Rotting Corpse Living Dead Part 6: In Shocking 4-D last week. I met Bob Smith.” She looked over at Jay to share in her excitement only to find him scowling at her. What the hell was going on? He was all soft smiles and gentle whispers when he talked to the simpering Binita.
“Bob was supposed to play the commander,” Vivek said. “But he’s been caught up in some kind of scandal and I heard they’re considering replacing him. I hope not because it would be an honor to work with such an artistic genius. He’s a method actor. Did you know he lives as a zombie for three full months before filming, to get into the role?”