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I grit my teeth. Why did I think asking him along would be a good idea, again? “Let me guess,” I start. “Are you going there for a ‘discover yourself’ retreat? Taking photos for a magazine? Looking for tranquility?”
“Even if that were the case,” he says, looking over to me, “I got stuck sitting next to you, so clearly I haven’t found my tranquility yet.”
The barb stings way more than it should. “I didn’t have to ask you along, you know.”
“You practically harassed me to come.”
“And now I’m regretting it,” I grumble under my breath.
Thankfully, my phone ringing interrupts us. I pick it up when I recognize Ammi’s name. “Assalaam-o-alaikum,” I greet.
“Walaykum salam,” she says back. “How are you doing? Have you found a place to stay?”
“Yes,” I confirm. “And I’m doing okay. I had food poisoning yesterday, though. The only real meal I ate was an oyster pasta, so I think that’s what caused it.”
“Oh, no,” Ammi moans. “Are you feeling better now?”
“Much,” I reply. “I think it had to flush out of my system, but I feel fine now.”
“That’s good to hear. We wouldn’t want the bride sick at her own wedding events.” Something muffles the sound on her end of the conversation, then her voice is much clearer as she says, “Oh, here’s Imtiaz.”
I don’t have the chance to say anything before I hear the cheery voice of my fiancé. “Assalaam-o-alaikum, Maya.”
Sarfaraz stiffens next to me and briefly glances at me from the corner of his eye, but I ignore it. “Walaykum salam,” I reply, scootching closer to the window and switching my phone to my left ear.
Imtiaz clears his throat. “How has your travel been?”
“Well, I’d rather be on a plane right now, but I’m doing okay.”
“I hate the thought of you being alone,” he says. “I know how much you don’t like being by yourself.”
A breath gets caught in my throat. “Yeah,” I squeak. “But I’m not alone. I’m traveling with somebody.”
Sarfaraz turns his head to me when I mention him, just as Imtiaz asks, “Oh? Who?”
“A guy I sat next to on the plane,” I respond. I can’t exactly say, Yeah, the guy I sat next to on the plane, who was rude to me on the flight, and then saved me when I threw up in public, and then loaned me his shirt as we shared a hotel room, and who’s sitting next to me now because I pitied him staying in said hotel room alone. My face drops. “Don’t tell my mom, though. I didn’t tell her because I don’t want her to freak out, you know? It’s not that big a deal. It’s mostly for safety.”
“Yeah, yeah, of course,” he assures me. “I wouldn’t want you to be alone, either, and if you can trust this guy, then that’s good enough for me. It’s only until you get on the plane, right?”
“Right. Then we’ll be going our separate ways.”
“Cool. So, what are you and Seat Stranger up to?” he asks, and not in a suspicious way, thankfully.
“We’ve decided to make the most of our time in Switzerland. You know that Korean show I love? We’re going to the places they filmed here.”
There’s a pause on the other end of the phone. “Ahh, yeah, yeah, that show,” he falters, his tone uncertain.
My smile freezes. “You don’t know which show I’m talking about, do you?”
“No, I do!” Imtiaz says, a slight panic to his voice. When I’m silent, he adds, “Yeah, fine, I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s exciting, though!”
“It is.” I glimpse the other patrons on the train, and a few of them are giving me dirty looks. “Listen, I should go—people are starting to get annoyed. But don’t worry, I’m going to get to our wedding if it kills me.”
“I believe you.” He chuckles. “Hey. I love you.”
My chest squeezes. “Back at you,” I mumble before I quickly hang up. I rub my sweaty palms on my pants.
“Oomph,” Sarfaraz teases. “Trouble in paradise?”
