“Yeah, he does have a weird sixth sense about things like this.”
“He really does,” Ankita said. “He’ll know.” She closed her eyes and lay flat on the floor.
Meghna cast a worried glance in her direction. “Maybe you should go to bed early. Do you want me to leave?”
“No, don’t be silly.” Ankita propped her head on a pillow and turned the volume up on the television. “It looks like Matthew B. is about to confess his love on night one. You won’t want to miss that. Besides”—she smiled slyly—“you might learn a thing or two about faking your feelings.”
Meghna laughed and let herself get swept up in the artificial drama on-screen. She’d deal with the real drama in her life tomorrow.
Meghna checked her reflection in the bathroom mirror, turning and straining her neck so she could see the back of her salwar kameez. Convinced that everything looked the way it should, she twirled back around, holding on to her sky-blue dupatta so it wouldn’t slip off her shoulder. She adjusted it one last time, then secured it with a safety pin. There. Now it wouldn’t budge even if she got a little wild on the dance floor tonight.
Her phone buzzed, and she swiped it open, surprised at the flurry of notifications on her screen.
Samir: Are you kidding me?
Samir: Mom said you’re engaged?
Samir: To who?
Samir: Call me.
Meghna rolled her eyes.
Meghna: This is what you get for choosing to live so far away!
Meghna: But relax. I’ll tell you all about it tonight. At Ankita’s party.
Samir: Fine.
Samir: But you should have told me.
Samir: What’s he like?
Samir: And what’s this Rishi guy like?
Meghna hesitated for a second, not sure how much she should tell him.
Meghna: They’re nice. But you can tell me what you think after you meet them.
Samir: I can’t believe you and Ankita are both engaged.
Samir: Mom’s going to be after me next…
Meghna snorted.
Meghna: No need to worry. I think Mom knows it would be hopeless.
Meghna: Who’d want to marry you??
Samir: Ouch!
Meghna: Kidding!
Well, she was mostly kidding. She and Samir had been incredibly close when they were little, but the distance over the last few years had made it harder for them to connect. Every time they reunited, Meghna had a harder time understanding him. Still, she was glad he was in town. Hopefully they’d be able to spend some quality time together during his visit. Maybe they could make an effort to repair everything between them.
Meghna: But really, Mom’s probably got a future bride picked out for you already.
Samir: Don’t even joke about that.
