London, January 2018
Pari travelled back on the last day of the year. The Biman Bangladesh flight was empty, in spite of tickets being cheaper. She met Roger on the flight. Roger was going to spend two weeks in London, in which time he was scheduled to meet wholesalers across Europe. By the time the flight landed at Heathrow, they exchanged numbers and fixed a lunch date.
They met for lunch the next day, and celebrated New Year and a new friendship. This was followed by dinner; seeing her off at her flat, Roger had kissed her fully on the lips. Pari, though she wanted to, did not ask him up. Somehow it felt wrong. It felt like cheating. She couldn't sleep for a long time and when she finally drifted off, it was with a sense of unease.
