The Wrong Woman

41. Dhruv

We had it planned. Rani would speak to Sandra and I would speak to Anish. How things ended up like this...I was going to find out from the man himself. And with Frankie? I wanted to ask her why she would do that to her own best friend but whatever reasoning either of them had, I was never going to understand.

That was all on them.

I shrugged on a denim jacket and headed out to Haldi's Eatery which was only a few minutes from here by rickshaw. Anish was leaning against the stair railing near the landing above KFC.

"How long do you take to get dressed?" he joked.

"Longer than you, clearly." We gave each other a one-armed hug before entering the glass doors. The smell of deep-fried potatoes and spices filled my nose; it smelt like my childhood. Watching mom cook her amazing samosas and potato curries with bhatura...if this wasn't for an entirely different reason, I'd be enjoying my meal and pretending I was back home again.

"I can't remember the last time we came here," Anish commented.

"You mean the last time we went anywhere together."

"Just the two of us."

"Just the two of us," I agreed. "And the rare times we did, you always brought up Rani."

He put up his hands, letting a laugh slip through his mouth. "Hey, you can't blame me. You always looked so depressed. How was I supposed to know you'd actually fix things like you'd wanted."

The bustling from the tables around us made it hard to determine exactly what he said. I knew this conversation was going to be difficult but with the eyes of everyone around us, I didn't want to bring it up right then and there. It didn't seem right or fair to humiliate him like that without warning. Even if he was cheating, I wanted to give him a chance to explain without feeling or looking like an utter idiot.

"How come you wanted to hang out?" he asked me afterward, chewing on his huge bite of shawarma.

"Like you said, it's been a while since we hung out." I took a sip of my water. "How's work going at the restaurant?"

"Don't even get me started, man. The manager had to hire a bunch of other chefs and their hygiene is horrendous."

"The restaurant's now a two-star without me, huh?" I joked.

"You know it and you still won't help out your dear old friend. You're a dick."

"I try." It wasn't until we were getting ready to go to the bar that I said, "How's Sandra doing?"

He shrugged without hesitation. "Same as usual. Naggy but sweet."

"Really? She's never seemed naggy to me."

"Try living with her for a little while." He shrugged. "I guess that goes for all married men, eh? We get a little tired, moan and then do what they want in the end."

I laughed. "You aren't wrong."

There was a pause before he said, in a low voice, "You didn't invite me just to hang out, did you?" Well, crap. He chuckled almost bitterly at the look on my face and stopped right outside a local bar. "I've known you for years. Give it up."

"If I'd known you figured it out I wouldn't have dragged it out this long."

"A little bit of torture goes a long way my friend. Now spill."

I pinched my lips. "I think you may want to sit down."

"Why? That bad?"

"I'm saying this because I'm your friend, but don't play dumb with me, Anish. You know extremely well what I'm here for."

Anish kissed his teeth before jerking his head over to a nearby brick wall. He put his hands up top and pushed himself up. He gave me a hand and there we were, two adult men sitting on top of a brick wall like two college kids about to sneak into people's houses for fun.

"I always knew we'd get found out," he said after a while. "It was just a matter of time."

"So that time at the bar? You happened to call me at the right time to check up on me. You guys have been dating in secret since then?"

"Even before then. It was Frankie that texted me that night. That was the bar we always went to and she was half-worried I'd be there with Sandra. She knew you were friends with the both of us."

After a long pause, I said, "Why'd you do it? And with Frankie? Her best friend? Anish—"

"You don't think I know it was stupid?" The words were spat out, lips bared back into a snarl. That was when I noticed the dark bags under his eyes and the stretched skin. He looked like utter crap, and I never noticed.

"You love her," I stated, scanning his face. He ducked his head and clasped his hands in between his legs.

"It just happened."

"Mind telling me how it happened?"

His tongue peeked out to lick his dry, peeling lips. "Frankie and I had only ever been acquaintances for a long time. We barely even spoke. It wasn't until...at the bar, do you remember? The night Rani broke some guys nose. Sandra had gone out with Frankie for some after-party. The day after that when Sandra was at work, Frankie'd come over to bring some of her stuff. I invited her inside for some tea and we got to talking and found out we had things in common, you know. I found her spunky and naive all at the same time. I don't know. Her habit of visiting kept up and then one of these days..." He stopped rambling to let out a rough sigh that rumbled deep in his chest. The strain was evident in the way he ran his hand down his reddened face. "One thing led to another. It started from there."

I let this information sink in. It was...Christ, it was heavy. All I could manage was, "You need to tell Sandra—"

"Frankie's a good woman. She never meant for this to happen and neither did I. We weren't trying to hurt Sandra. We...we...it just happened."

"Hey," I said, a little louder to get his attention. His gaze was becoming frenzied and his chin was shaking. "Neither of us hate you or Frankie. These things happen. You still need to tell Sandra the truth. Let her make a decision. It's only fair."

Anish shut his eyes. I wished as his mate I could do something. But this was something that was beyond my control.

I could only be there for the both of them when they decided what to do. Whatever it was, it had changed things. Our friendship would never be the same. Despite that, I was going to do whatever I could to make sure it was.