Anagha Baheti

Ethan was right. The tropical sun did warm Sam up. He removed his sweater, folded it, and shoved it in the bag his other two sweaters had previously been shoved in. He collected his bags and joined Ethan and Cindy in waiting for the rest of their friends. By the time they reached the hotel, the sun hung just above the horizon.

Sam found his room and closed the door behind him. It was two hours until the rehearsal dinner. He had some time. He unpacked his bags, took a quick shower, and steamed his suit for the evening, all with forty-five minutes to spare.

Sam fell into his bed and slipped under the sheets. His eyelids felt heavy. They had flown halfway across the world. The jetlag was manifesting as a dull ache behind his right eyebrow. It was a bit hot, so he pulled a leg out of the sheets. Perfect. He barely had the energy to attend the dinner, and even less intent. He wasn’t looking forward to him and his three sweaters being the butt of all the jokes.

Suddenly, Sam sat up. He jumped out of the bed and paced around the room. For the whole month, shower had been a nightmare. The chill had taken everything away from him – football, video game nights, even his weekly hikes. Yet, here he was, walking around the room with just a shirt. Sure, it was a little colder than he would have liked, but nothing like the frigid cold he had gotten accustomed to.

His face lit up with a smile. His soulmate was close. Probably a guest, or maybe someone in the wedding party. The thought of finally meeting her sent a spark of warmth through him. With an urgency that hadn’t existed a minute ago, Sam got dressed and left the room.

The rehearsal dinner had been organised at the restaurant within the property. Sam walked parallel to the swimming pool and arrived at the restaurant. A doorman greeted him as he held the door open for Sam. When he took a step inside, a wave of heat washed over him. He flagged down a waiter and asked to be led to the table reserved for the party. The waiter obliged and led Sam to an empty table. Sam was among the first to arrive. Without people to be around, he would have no luck finding his soulmate.

Dejected, Sam chose to wait by the bar. He pulled up a stool and made himself comfortable as he ordered a beer. His eyes wandered around to the other people at the restaurant before settling on a beautiful woman at the other end of the bar. Sam sucked a breath and wiped the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief. Everything about this woman was gorgeous, from the brown wavy hair cascading down her shoulders, to the silky black dress that ended just below her knees, to the shimmery silver heels.

The mug of beer appeared before him as he removed his tuxedo, folded it, and placed it on his lap. He took three deep swigs before setting the mug down on the coaster and contemplating his next move. Sam stole another glance at the woman in black. She wasn’t warm or sweaty, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be his soulmate. Maybe it was her dress keeping her comfortable. Sam couldn’t know for sure until they kissed, but he had been waiting for this warmth for so long. Sam waited for ten minutes. When nobody approached her, he stood up, ran his fingers through his hair, grabbed his mug, and approached the woman.

She saw him out of a corner of her eye, and placed her drink down on the counter as she turned to him. One look into her honey-brown eyes and he was smitten.

“Do I know you?” Her smile was pleasant and warm. Sam’s eyes fell on the heart-shaped silver pendant almost touching the neckline, but he didn’t let his sight linger.

“Hello! My name is Sam. I saw you from across the bar and I couldn’t look away. So, I was wondering if you would let me buy you a drink.”

“Sure!”

“What’s your poison?” He asked, taking the seat next to her.

She smiled, and told him her drink, which he repeated to the bartender.

“So, Sam, what brings you here?”

“Uh… One of my best friends is getting married tomorrow. The rehearsal dinner begins in…” Sam checked his watch. “Shit! It already started. Hey, I need to attend this, but will I find you here afterwards?”

“If fate connects us, fate will lead you to me.” She winked at him.

Sam jumped to his feet and walked briskly to the table reserved for the rehearsal dinner. He plopped down into the empty chair between Ethan and Cindy, who both shifted towards him.

“Where were you? And where’s your tux?” Cindy asked.

“Forget that. Why aren’t you buried in five layers of cashmere? Does this mean…” Ethan gasped. “Did you find her yet?”

“I guess? I was talking to this gorgeous woman at the bar, and I started sweating.”

“Did you kiss her yet?”

“What? No. Don’t I need to take her out on a date first?”

“Yes, and it was nice of you to think that, Sam.” Cindy whispered. “Is she here on a vacation?”

“I didn’t ask.”

“Is she here with friends?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Is she single?”

“I don’t know.”

“What did you ask her? Did you get her number at least?”

He shook his head.

“Name?”

“No, but in my defence, I was running late. But we have plans to meet up after this.”

“Good luck.”

Cindy let out an exasperated sigh.