Accidentally Engaged(14)

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Reena believed strongly that everyone deserved a dive bar, and the Sparrow managed the unlikely balance between boneless comfort and indifferent hospitality that suited her perfectly. With walls covered in signs, stickers, graffiti, and knickknacks customers brought from their travels, the Sparrow made it easy for Reena to blend into the cluttered decor.

She sat alone at the bar, her forehead in one hand, her second gin gimlet in the other, and contemplated the cosmic purpose behind the cruel pranks the universe had been pulling on her since birth. Someone tapped her shoulder. She turned.

“Okay, so I guess you probably don’t hate me because you appear to be stalking me,” Nadim said.

Reena tilted her head in confusion. What the hell was he doing in her bar? She narrowed her eyes.

“If looks could kill,” he said, sitting heavily on the stool next to her. “You alone?” After she nodded, he put his elbows on the bar, making himself comfortable. He motioned to Steve, the longtime bartender, who immediately started pulling a draft beer, seeming to know what Nadim wanted. “Well, whether you hate me or not, I’m joining you. I need to keep a close eye to see if you’re glaring or scowling at me.”

She was doing neither, but she could bet her expression wasn’t all that welcoming. She was in no mood for forced niceties today.

His mood didn’t seem too hot, either. His suit was rumpled, and his tie was not just loosened but hanging off his neck undone. Doubtful his day had been as bad as hers, but Nadim looked and sounded as miserable as she felt.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I should ask you that. You following me? I told you I go to the pub after work.”

“But this is my bar.”

He glanced around at the busy decor. “There is a lot on the walls here, but I don’t see the words ‘this pub belongs to Reena Manji’ anywhere.” He turned back to her. “I’ve been coming here regularly for weeks and have never seen you here.”

“I know,” she agreed, dejected. “Amira left.”

“Who is Ami…never mind.” He took a long sip of his beer, almost emptying the glass before turning back to her. “Tough day at work?”

Reena bit her lip. She no longer had a work, but she couldn’t tell this man that. She didn’t trust him not to tell Dad. Especially since every third thing out of his mouth seemed to be does your father know?

Deflect and distract. “You look like you’ve had a rough day.”

“The utter worst.” He took another long sip of beer, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “But I can’t talk about it. Especially to you.”

Well. That would almost be offensive if she hadn’t just thought the same thing about him.

Reena drained her glass. How serendipitous. A drinking buddy who didn’t want to talk about what was bothering him. She didn’t care if he had a secret. She had enough secrets to fill all the beer kegs in the Sparrow.

She smiled. “Shall we drown our private sorrows together then?”

He nodded. “Steve?” Nadim called out. “Bring my neighbor here another…” He lifted her empty glass and sniffed it, then looked at her appreciatively. “Gin? Nice. Make that two. On my tab.”

“Tanqueray gimlet on the rocks,” she added, resting her head back down on the bar.

Once Steve placed the two goblets in front of them, Nadim grabbed her arm and pulled. “C’mon.”

She picked up her drink and let him drag her toward the back. When they reached a table, his eyes swept over her body.

“Interesting outfit. You’re all investment banker upstairs and yoga mom downstairs.” His gaze trailed lower as his eyebrow raised. “Are you mocking me?” he asked.

“What?”

“Why no socks? It’s September.”

“It’s warm. I hate socks.” She slid into the seat.

“You know, Sunshine, you just might be my soul mate.”

Reena squeezed her cold drink as a lump formed in her throat. “I’m not marrying you.”

“Yeah. So, you said.” He lifted his glass. “To finding this fine antidote to misery.” He hummed with appreciation after sipping the drink. “I always forget how much I love gin. I rarely drink it when out, but I always had a bottle of Beefeater in my flat in London.” He took another sip. “This tastes like another.”

The room had spun slightly after her first two drinks, and with a third already in hand, a fourth sounded ill-advised to Reena. But maybe this was all part of his plan. Maybe he hoped the gimlets would render her more pliable for…what, exactly? Reena hiccupped and waved a finger at him. “Don’t think you can pour drinks into me to make me more acquiescent. I’m still not going to marry you, no matter what my parents want.”

His eyes crinkled in mirth. “You can say acquiescent while drinking? You, my dear, are a woman of many talents. And anyway, after today, don’t be so sure what your parents want anymore.”

Could there be trouble in this business relationship between their respective families? She leaned a little closer to Nadim, ready to dig out the dirt.

But…wait. Ugh. She slumped in her seat. If she wasn’t willing to come clean about her job, she couldn’t expect him to tell his secrets.