Something in him rejoiced at the idea that she was concerned about him, but he shook his head. “I’m good.”
He thought for a moment about telling her thatshewas the reason he was having difficulty breathing, but decided against it. She had been clear that nothing could ever happen between the two of them again. And he couldn’t imagine how cheesy it would sound.Meghna, I don’t need to see a doctor. It’s you. You literally take my breath away. Ridiculous.
He snorted, and her eyes widened in concern.
“Sorry,” he said. “Travel makes me a little loopy.”
“And out of breath?”
“That too.” He spotted his bag and pulled it off the carousel in one move.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. Really. I’m fine. We can get going.”
She nodded, somewhat skeptically, but followed his lead as they got into a cab and headed to their hotel. They had a few hours to kill until tonight’s rehearsal dinner, but Karthik wasn’t sure if Meghna had planned anything or if she needed to be there early.
“You think we have time for any sightseeing before tonight?”
“Sightseeing?” Her brows jumped in surprise. “You want to go sightseeing?”
“Why not? I’ve never been here before. Have you?”
“Yeah. A few times. To visit Seth.”
Of course. “Well, if we have time, I’d like to look around. Do you have a lot to do before the rehearsal dinner?”
“Not really. I’ll need some time to get dressed, but that’s it. Where would you want to go?”
He shrugged. “Anywhere.” He didn’t care where they went. He was just hoping to spend some time with Meghna before she got swept up in the wedding festivities.
“What about the Parthenon?” Meghna asked. “It’s in the same park where the wedding’s taking place, and I think we could walk to it from the hotel. I’ve seen it from a distance, but I’ve never gone inside.”
“Sounds great.”
They arrived at the hotel and quickly checked in at the front desk.
“I booked two rooms this time,” Meghna told him as they waited for their room keys. “Didn’t want to repeat that mistake.”
Karthik smiled tightly, even though his stomach sank. She left it unsaid, but he knew she had booked two rooms to ensure that they wouldn’t repeat any other “mistakes,” either.
“And there’s no reason to share,” she continued. “Julie’s family is from here, so almost everyone’s staying at her parents’ place. And the rest are at a different hotel, so we won’t be running into anyone we know.”
“Great.” He should have been happy at the news. He’d always preferred having his own space. But he’d anticipated sharing a room this weekend. Just to keep up appearances. He swallowed down his disappointment and grabbed his key.
They put their bags away in their respective rooms, then met back in the lobby to walk the short distance to Centennial Park.
Karthik shivered, pulling his coat tighter around him. The leaves in bright reds and yellows made it still feel like fall, but the crisp air and chilly breeze hinted that winter was almost here. He stuck his hand in his pocket, running his fingers across the velvet of the small box he had put there.
He’d conducted thorough research on the ring, telling himself that he was only doing it for the sake of their deal. To convince everyone that they were really engaged.
But buying the ring had been an impulsive decision. He’d stopped by a jewelry store one day after work, and the moment he saw the ring in the tray, he knew. He hadn’t thought about their fake arrangement or whether it would help them pull it off. He’d only thought about Meghna. About whether she would like it. About how it would look on her hand.
“How’s the preparation for the interview going?” she asked, her voice cutting through his thoughts.
“Fine,” he said. “I’d collected most of the data points already, so it’s just a matter of organizing them and putting it all into a presentation format. I’ll have a few days to get it finalized when I get back.”
He removed his hand from his pocket and cleared his throat.
