Synthetic Love

Chapter 9

Tara's mouth falls open, "A date?"

Saanvi bites her lip and nods, "And it gets worse."

"How?"

Saanvi shows Tara the text message she'd received from Ravi that morning, with suggestions for dates for their wedding.

"Have you told Chris?"

"I'll call him after work."

"Are you still gonna marry this guy?"

"If he exposes me to the authorities, I could get deported."

"What if you guys get married and then get divorced? What will that do for your green card?"

"From what I've read, my initial green card will be valid for two years. Once I get the next one, that is the best time to get a divorce."

"So you're gonna go through this bullshit for a few more years before you can get out? Who's to say Ravi won't try to expose you after the divorce?"

"My hope is that once we're married, I have a green card, all the papers have been filed, and a couple years have gone by, any evidence he would have against me will be diminished."

"Or you can tell the authorities that he hits you."

"Another potentially good idea."

"What about Chris? Are you gonna keep this affair up after you get married?"

"Chris and I aren't even serious. Whatever this is between us has only been going on for a couple of months."

"Yes, but you guys aren't just fuck buddies anymore - and frankly I'm not sure if you ever were. He's sending you flowers at work, inviting you to shows, taking you on a date - are you telling me you don't have any feelings for him?"

Saanvi sighs, "Of course I do, but who's to say whether or not this will last years?"

"I know it's still early on, but you guys do need to figure that out. It's hard enough balancing a fiancé and a secret boyfriend, let alone a husband and a secret boyfriend."

"I know, and Chris knows too, we're just...enjoying what we have for right now."

Tara pinches the bridge of her nose, then huffs, "Where is he taking you on your date?"

"We're just getting dinner, and then...probably breakfast in the morning."

Tara can't help but laugh, "Sounds better than most dates I've gone on with men."

"Any secret girlfriends that I don't know about?"

"No. Any time I engage in non-monogamy, everyone is in on it."

Saanvi rolls her eyes, "Must be nice."

x

"So, how was work?" Chris asks Saanvi over Facetime that night.

"I was extremely busy today, but that did make the day go by faster. I blinked and then it was time for me to clock out."

Chris chuckles, "Sounds like you had a good day then. Anything interesting happen?"

Saanvi pauses, then sighs, "Well, um...I got a text from Ravi this morning with suggestions for wedding dates."

Chris blinks, "Oh," He states, "Did you guys set one?"

"March 30th; a couple weeks after he gets back."

Chris just nods..

"Look, I - "