Not His Dream Girl

1 Dance, 2 Kisses, and a few Drinks

The next week zoomed by with work as Charlie now demanded the world from me because he hadn't seen me in a while, and my sister demanded I be available 24/7 as her personal assistant for this stupid party.

So Thursday, three days before the party, I was summoned to her house to make 100 goodie bags for guests, but luckily she was housing my favorite cousin Deepti. Deepti was almost ten years older than me, she wasn't married—oh the shame—and lived an awesome life in New York City as a pediatric surgeon.

"My mother came four days before me and has been touring Pasadena like she owns the place. Told me to leave her alone so I had to bother Lina and Jiju." She explained, as all three of us gathered at Lina's little round kitchen table, and shoved colorful chocolates into pinky and glittery mesh bags.

"We didn't mind, Rohit is so glad to have you," Lina beamed.

"Rohit, is that right?" I asked Lina's husband, who was sitting a few feet away from us, facing the living room TV.

"Yup," he said, though he wasn't paying any attention to any of us.

"There you have it, you didn't put Jiju out," I said.

"So what have you been up to?" Lina asked Deepti.

"Mainly work, then home, then friends in between all that," Deepti yawned, but I knew where Lina was going with this question.

"No boyfriend in between?" Both Deepti and I looked at each other. She knew I knew the pain.

"Nope, just a few flings here and there but nothing too serious," Deepti said, and I wondered if Lina was going to give Deepti the same spiel she always gave me about how I wasn't young anymore, but she couldn't. Deepti was a few years older than Lina, and it would have been a disrespectful act to give her that type of advice in our family.

"Oh well, that's okay. I am sure you are so busy that you barely have the time for anything serious!" She convincingly said.

"What?" I yelled so loud that Lina dropped a few of the chocolates she was holding onto the floor. "You told me not to have flings and to grow up and I wasn't a little kid anymore and blah blah blah."

"Well, you aren't!" Lina shrugged.

"I am younger than both of you old ladies," I stated and threw a piece of chocolate towards Lina, and Deepti. Lina proceeded to pick up the pieces off the floor, while Deepti caught it in her mouth.

"You have been in love longer than both of us though. That kinda of thing ages a person!" Deepti joked.

"Oh please, don't bring up Nick. She gets mad when you do." Lina moaned, still bent down on the floor.

"I only do it when you bring him up!" I threw another piece on the floor!

"Stop that!" She screamed, and I laughed.

"How is he doing?" Deepti genuinely asked.

"Good, he is home now," I kept it short and simple.

"Is he still with the girl with the fake lips?" Deepti asked.

"She doesn't have fake lips!" I defended Melissa.

"Are you serious? Melissa totally gets them done!" Lina chimed in.

"No, she doesn't. She would have told me something like that." I added.

"Whatever, are they still..." Deepti continued.

"Yup, still together." I solemnly said.

"Sorry," Deepti said.

"I am fine! I am happy my two friends are happy. Though Nick is being a bit of a dick right now. I am happy that he is on the road to recovery!" He matter-a-factly said.