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She thinks he's funny.
She likes men with a sense of humor.
My fists clench without me thinking and so I take in a deep breath and try to talk myself down a few notches.
She's doing this for Marina's sake, as I am. So, I turn to Cindy, or whoever she is, and try to make polite conversation.
"So, Cindy, tell me about you. What do you do for a living?"
I watch her as she talks about herself, trying to focus, but all the time, my mind is thinking of India and her date and whether she thinks he's a better match for her than I am.
I know Marina thinks so.
Cindy is in banking, working as a teller at a local branch in downtown SF. She took a securities course and would like to be an investment advisor at her bank eventually. She's well-spoken and attractive, and if I didn’t want India, I'd be happy to give Cindy a roll in the hay. I might even consider a second round, if she was particularly adventurous in the hay-rolling department.
But all I can think of is whether India likes her match.
They're laughing together at something he says. He seems like a real joker. He's leaning in closer to India, their eyes locked together, and I feel like I have to go over and interrupt, fill him in that India is not his.
Of course, I can’t do that because she's technically not mine either.
If she was, we wouldn't be at this party pretending to be interested in Marina's dates for us.
"What about you?" Cindy asks, and I have to pull myself back into the moment.
"I'm the CEO of a tech firm."
"I know that," she says. "Marina showed me your bio. Tell me more about you – personally. I already know the C.V."
I frown, and try to make conversation but I can't help but glance quickly at India and see that she's alone while Mr. Tall, Dark, and Loathsome goes to get her a drink at the bar, which is set up in the corner of the room.
"Can you excuse me for a moment?" I say to Cindy, who nods and says sure.
I make my way over to where India is standing and she frowns when she sees me coming.
"Hey," I say and lean in closer. I want to kiss her – kiss her in front of everyone and let them know she's mine – but of course, I don't.
I can't.
"Jon," she says, her voice miffed. "You should be with your date."
"I wanted to say hi. Can't a guy say hi to his business partner?"
Her brow is furrowed. "I know what you're doing. Go and play nice with your date."
I exhale heavily. "This is ridiculous, India. We should be together, not with other people. I don't like putting on a charade like this. You should just tell Marina her app needs to be fixed and get it over with."
"I can't and you know it. After tonight, we'll come clean, but tonight, just go along with it, okay?"
She gives me this pleading look that I can't resist and so I nod.
"Okay, but I expect fun and games when we get back to my place. Fun and games."
"You'll get them, now go," she says and pushes me lightly on the arm. I see that Mr. Loathsome is on his way back, carrying two drinks. He sees me and raises his eyebrows as if he doesn’t like the fact that his date is talking intimately with another man.
Tough luck, buddy. She's fucking well mine.
"Hello," Mr. Loathsome says, handing a drink to India. "You're the business partner, right? Jon Thorson?"
