Clubs always had filthy floors and odd smells. A mash of people’s preferred perfume. Armani, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Hugo Boss and Paco Rabanne. Anything expensive and obvious enough to flex on the fashionably dressed sexual object you’ve been eyeing ever since you first stepped in.
Posers.
Sam thought.
It was all for show.

He knew he was being hypocritical. He too was wearing an expensive perfume…the YSL was a gift from his older sister…an effort to make him a little more different from the rest of his brown, Hugo Boss wearing, fade having, Drake copying, peers. He’d also been wearing the same scent for a couple of years and he sorely needed a change. But despite his excuse, even he knew that it was all just the same.

His leather jacket, however, was something he had eyed and bought himself…granted it took him a while and ate a whole chunk out of his bank account, but even so he still didn’t regret it. The paisley shirt half-tucked into his black ripped jeans were a gift from his ex, because why not try and impress with something his bitch of an ex-girlfriend had bought him. I mean it was a good shirt…he wasn’t going to chuck it away, that’d just be stupid.

He couldn’t deny that he looked good. Hair was longer than usual but he maintained it well, slicking it back and applying just enough product to make sure it didn’t puff up or frizz like it normally would. The bags under his eyes were slightly overshadowed by the use of a face mask, as well the coffee scrub and moisturizer he vigorously rubbed into his face after he got out of the shower.
He did his push-ups in the morning and doubled down on a light workout to get a pump that afternoon. He had left three buttons undone on his shirt, just so everyone could tell he put the work in.
In reality, he wasn’t much different to the other guys there…but he didn’t wear the same clothes, nor did he shave his chest with his mum’s razor…he had outgrown both. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t a hypocrite for judging them…even he knew that.

Sam had had enough. His mood matched his overall demeanour. Exasperated.
It was 11:30.
He was tired and done.
A full week of work and no downtime should’ve meant that he spent the weekend doing what he wanted to… which was laying in bed and getting so fucking high that he could sleep till Sunday. It was what he needed, just as much as it was what he wanted…but not what he got.

He looked to his right and watched Rohan continue to grind on the same girl he bought a vodka raspberry for, not half an hour beforehand. For his standard’s…that was pretty slow, but Sam still thought it was impressive. The girl had a cute little belly piercing on her slim stomach. Her top was white and stopped right above it, and by the way she was dancing, she seemed super comfortable in the six-inch heels she was wearing.
She moved rhythmically while Rohan’s head had found a home on her shoulder.
Sam smirked as he turned away just as Rohan’s head started to shield the girls pretty, made-up face from view.
He didn’t wanna look back. Partly because he didn’t want to cringe…and partly because if that girl saw him looking at them, she’d be immediately turned off, and Sam would have to collect an earful all the way home for “cockblocking”.

He sipped the whiskey-coke in his hand, still trying to figure out where Aryan and Arjun were. Peeking around the corner, he saw the twin brothers chatting in and amongst a group of girls. All of which looked like teenyboppers at a BTS concert…but Sam couldn’t blame them for being excited.
Aryan was set to play juniors for a big cricket team as a promising bowler, while his brother was now finishing up his internship at one of the largest four companies in the state…and he had made an impact, which meant he pretty much had a job.

Girl’s loved success. And the Bakshi Brothers were on set to become very successful, and it was incredibly obvious.
Sam watched their mouths open and close as they directed their gaze at all of them, making sure none were left out.

How inclusive of them, Sam thought.

He couldn’t help but admire their charm and the effects of shoving self-confidence down your children’s throat from a young age, yielded.

Broad chested and fashionable, their parents didn’t waste any time in trying to make every other brown mum or dad feel shit about their own underachieving children.
It’s not like the boys liked it, but in the end, they weren’t complaining either.

Sam shook the image out of his mind and turned away from them. He looked around for Shalani, hoping she was with Kiara,  doing something way more interesting.

But it wasn’t long before he was disappointed. Kiara was now bending over the bar and cheekily grinning at the tall and tattooed bartender opposite her. And Shalani was already convincing another tattooed girl that her sexuality needed to be questioned.
As the bartender handed over three gin and tonic’s, Sam watched Shalani place a hand on the girl’s waist, winking at Kiara as she continued to flirt with the guy serving them… a clear prompt to try and grab some free shots to help seal the deal. Without thinking she turned back and flashed a smile before effortlessly squeezing her chest together, beckoning The bartender forward.

Sam looked away before catching Shalani whispering in the ear of her companion, and a subsequent laugh afterwards.
It had been years since Shalani had come out. Her parents weren’t that supportive but it didn’t seem to matter. With two older sisters and two younger brothers, any kind of disappointment was left on deaf ears. She stopped caring, and that was reflected by her choice of friends.

Because it wasn’t long before she’d had enough. She shed the white group that had welcomed her as their token brown doll and decided to stick to her childhood best friend instead. Something about faking became tiresome, and it was something she knew wouldn’t help anybody. Keeping up with a group that didn’t really understand her had become a burden and it caused a lot of expected loneliness.

Fortunately, this came at a time where Kiara was on the outs with her parents too.

She started off being a model brown daughter. Straight “A” student, no drugs or  alcohol and a pretty amazing career ahead of her as she finished off an already impressive degree at a top tier University.
It was obvious… Kiara was a perfect specimen. Till she got around boys. She was easily smitten and reckless…but how could she not be. Young, carefree and incredibly beautiful, it was her right to live life the way she wanted.
But things took a turn after one bad decision.

Having been caught making out with her then-boyfriend on a security camera near her garage late one night, she was forced to deal with the onslaught of an overprotective father and overbearing mother.
She wasn’t to be trusted anymore.
But Kiara had had enough…in a heated confrontation which consisted of screaming and shouting that would’ve easily been heard in the Motherland itself, Kiara had made her stance. And for a whole year, she was on the outs, barely speaking and barely batting an eye at her parents, as they passed each other in their once-perfect home.

But Shalani somehow saved the day.
A really good job at her firm convinced Kiara’s parents that she’d be safer and busier living with her, a responsible adult who was also happened to be a close family friend.
It took some time. And a fair amount of long-sleeved tops to make it very obvious that Shalani would be a good influence on Kiara.
And so they came to an agreement.
Daily checkups were a must, and Sunday lunches were non-negotiable…and eventually, it all worked out. They had their beautiful daughter back…and she got to live freely.

Sam was in shock when they let him know. To this day he still thought it was bizarre that at one time they were shouting and screaming at how disgusting her behaviour was…but at another time, allowed her to go off somewhat on her own.
To be fair, Shalani was a master convincer and had a way with words. Nevertheless, Sam was convinced it was a miracle.
And so, with a concerned look on their faces, Kiara’s parents waved goodbye to their daughter, as she left to do whatever and whomever she wanted.

For as smart as brown parents are made out to be…they sure are oblivious as hell.

Sam smiled as he remembered crashing at their place, not a month or so ago. He woke up hungover and watched both girls escort their “conquests” out the door. He listened to them detail their exploits at breakfast and watched them laugh hysterically at Sam who had blown it with a girl that night as well.

Sam exhaled, looked up and around at where all his friends were.
Once again he was left to his own devices. He tried being interested, but the sticky floor made him rethink going back and enjoying the music. He was thankful that he didn’t have to deal with the backlash afterwards of not finding anyone to make out with.
The guys would harp on him for a few minutes before trying to flex who got the hottest girl.
The girls would probably just annoy him for a cheeseburger afterwards and thank him for being the only sober one.

It wasn’t as if he had struck out…he was just done. He didn’t need to think with his dick anymore, because he was tired. There were better ways to spend his time…and he sorely wished he was doing it now.

He slowly leaned against the black wall behind him and took a sip of his drink. Maybe he could kill some time on his phone while they all moseyed away trying to get laid. He did have a couple of saved videos on his Instagram he didn’t get a chance to look at. There was also a couple of shirts he had saved away that he wanted to maybe treat himself with.

How sad was that…he thought. At a club, trying to have the time of his life, and he ends up online shopping.

A soft poke on his arm shook him out of his train of thought. He looked up and was surprised to see a girl he had never met before, smiling at him.

At first glance, she looked like everyone else.
But as he looked at her he realised she seemed a little more…nice. She had a slightly pronounced nose, and her eyes were a piercing light brown. A slim figure that complimented her height well, and he could tell she looked after herself because he could make out the lines of abs underneath her tight Black Boohoo mini dress.

He checked himself for knowing that…but Kiara had forced him to look at the very same when she considered buying it. He imagined it’d look good on her…but it looked even better on the girl in front of him.
She was clearly ethnic…but he couldn’t tell if she was Indian or not. She had all the features of being mixed race…but he had a feeling they shared a motherland, especially since her brown skin tone seemed to push it more in the Indian favour. Also, she approached him….white girls with an ethnic fetish and other brown girls that have seen him on Instagram before, were the only ones to do this.
She opened her mouth and gripped his arm as she leant in.

“You’re Sam, right?”

He was surprised by the odd positivity in her voice. He could smell the soft vapours of alcohol on her breath but she didn’t giggle or look at him like she was about to start the flirting game.
She was just…there… Upfront and for some reason radiated a kind of openness.

Sam decided to tease. It was rare for him to be approached by such a good looking girl, so he figured why give her a boring answer.

“Depends…who’s asking?” he retorted, smiling.

She smirked and let go of his arm.

“I’m asking,” she clapped back. “My names Arunima,”

Sam looked at her quizzically, he had heard the name before but couldn’t place where.
He opened up his mouth for a second as he tried to badger his brain to come up with where he had.

She giggled at him, probably because he looked stupid trying to figure her out.

“Don’t worry, we haven’t met before….but we kinda know each other…”

“Aw yeah?” he replied, still unsure. “And how’s that?”
His lips parted as gave her a cheeky smirk.

Sam had his suspicions. This chick probably was a friend of a friend of someone who knew something about a hook up he had.

Since being single, he’d been out and about trying to find some solace in other girls…but to no avail. He didn’t care, he knew he was better off by himself anyway…and it showed.
Nevertheless, He had been busy, taking as much advantage as he could with the free house he always had…but he hadn’t bothered to learn much about the girls he spent time with. How could he though…whenever they came over, they never really talked much.

Sam took a deep breath and lifted his drink to take a sip, ready for an earful from a girl he had never met before.

“Yeah, your ex, cheated on you, with my ex,”

Sam’s stomach sank. He could feel his jaw tighten. He clenched his fist and lowered the whiskey-Coke from his lips.
She could tell she took him by surprise…he could see the little satisfaction she had in her eyes as she continued to stare at him.

Sam looked away for a moment before bringing his eyes back to her face.
He could feel the tight ball of hot anger boiling in his chest.
He knew his ex had cheated on him. He found out and they broke up. He didn’t let her see any pain. She didn’t deserve the time or energy.
He just laughed and called her a selfish bitch before walking away from her easy front of crocodile tears and hollow apologies.
She was a waste of space and a waste of time. Two years, to be precise.

And so the story went, of how Sam Mathews, the quiet South Indian boy from a modest home and warm family, left his cheating ex-girlfriend in a train station parking lot, with a smile and a cold “go fuck yourself”.

Everyone assumed he was happy it was over…everyone assumed that it didn’t take long for him to get over it.

But no one knew that he went home that night, gunning it all the way back in his Subaru Liberty…how he screamed into his driveway, quickly slipped through the front door and up to his bedroom. How he locked his door and spent the next week dishevelled and broken. Not speaking or eating with his parents, didn’t say a word to his friends and refused to see anyone. No one knew he went 5 days without sleep…all they knew was the next time Sam was seen, it was in the city on a Friday night, with another girl wrapped around his face.

He copped judgement and a lot of shit-talking. But he paid it no attention. He knew that the guy she cheated on him with was a medical student from Newcastle. An attractive specimen to the world around him. He also knew that the guy also had a girlfriend. But that was it. Didn’t bother with his name or his face…he just got over it.
OR so he thought.

No one had spoken to his face about it, no one who he knew well anyway. And besides…it was 6 months ago. It was old news.
Which is why he wondered why the hell this chick was talking to him now.

“Damn, sorry about that…” he started.

She cut him off
“Don’t bother apologising,” she said, a smile still on her face. “You didn’t fuck my boyfriend,”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at her bluntness. Her voice wasn’t hollow or sad…it was firm and steady. She seemed ok. But she never broke eye contact with him. She just kept staring…

Sam felt uneasy.

“Look, I’m sorry anyway…but there’s really nothing much for me to say. If you want details you should ask her…”

She cut him off again.

“Oh I already spoke to her, she didn’t say much, just mentioned how you dumped her and how she was sorry she did what she did…” her voice for the first time wavered. She seemed to catch herself before continuing, taking a breath and starting up again.
“…about three months after you dumped her, she got with Akash and they’ve been together since”

Arunima capped it off with a slight smirk.
Sam guessed that Akash was the guy.

The ball of anger in his stomach sparked up to his throat. He hadn’t heard that she had moved on. Something made him hope that she was still in her room, too embarrassed by her stupidity. He had hoped she was still being rejected by anyone and everyone.
But at least he knew his name now, he thought sarcastically.

How easily this girl had skimmed over naming her ex.
It made Sam wonder…What type of girl just walks up to their ex-boyfriend’s, new girlfriend’s, ex-boyfriend.
It didn’t make sense…it was awkward as fuck.
But then again what type of person would that situation make. Something about the cold reality of imagining those two people together. Lips locked, naked as the day they were born, smothering eachother…. and then each going home to two different people. That image haunted Sam for weeks…

“Don’t worry, you can do better.”

Sam looked up, he realised that his face was tight and his eyes were glazing over. He blinked twice before looking back at her.
Her hand was now back on his arm. She was squeezing it as he slowly relaxed.

She was still smiling.

“Listen I’m done with this joint, I can’t stand watching my mates make out with  absurdly tall white boys with the same shirt and cheesy brown boys with the same haircut,” she paused before taking a sip of her drink. “…. grab a kebab with me?”

Sam didn’t know how to respond.
He was frozen stiff and watched her walk in front of him, finishing her own glass and starting for the exit door.
Odd, he thought, the way she knocked back whatever it was in that cup…it was like she wasn’t trying to get drunk. She didn’t wince at the burn he was sure it had. She just took it and continued on her way.

She glanced back at him and gave him a look of confusion.

“You coming?” she called.

“ah…its just my mates..” he started.

She shook her head and laughed, looking right back at the twins before stepping her way back to him

“I already asked your boys…that’s how I knew who you were,” she said, nodding back at the group surrounding Aryan and Arjun. “The one in the lilac top is my best friend…I think she’s smitten with your cricket player,”

Sam looked over and spotted a small girl with a glowing look on her face. She was watching everything Aryan was saying…

“Yeah… he has that effect,” Sam responded.

“So you gonna come or do I have to sit and eat by myself?”

Sam took one last look at the twins…then to the girls at the bar. They were still flirting away.
He turned over to Rohan who was now pinned up against the wall, buried deep inside the girls face.

Sam downed the rest of his whiskey-coke and followed Arunima out the exit.

He couldn’t complain…kebabs sounded good.