But of course she was. He had already known that. Had already admitted to himself that he was attracted to her. This wasn’t anything new. He could push this temporary, nonsensical feeling to the side. He was here for a purpose. And he wouldn’t get distracted. He took a deep breath.
“I’m ready,” he said.
“Great. Seth texted to let me know the guys are running late.” She rolled her eyes. “Typical. Do you want to wait for them?”
“We can. Really, whatever you want to do.”
She raised a shoulder. “We can wait, but I’m worried we’re going to miss our reservation.”
“Let’s go, then,” he said. His stomach chose that exact second to let out a growl.
She laughed. “And it seems like you’re pretty hungry.”
He would normally be embarrassed by something like that, but for some reason, he didn’t feel embarrassed at all. “I guess I am,” he said lightly.
The restaurant was only a short drive away, and they made it there well within their reservation window. When they sat down at their table, Meghna checked her phone and grimaced.
“They haven’t even left the hotel yet,” she said. “Should we just go ahead and order a couple things?”
“That’s fine.”
Their server stopped by a few moments later, and Meghna confidently ordered a slew of appetizers and drinks for the table. Karthik stared at her, slightly dumbfounded.
“How did you know what they’ll want?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I’ve known most of them forever.”
“Right,” he said. “I forgot you’ve known Seth since college.”
Her eyes darted to his. “How did you know that?”
“Your brother mentioned it.”
The corners of her mouth pulled tight. “My brother has a big mouth. But yes, I met Seth in college. And Eric and Mark. They were his roommates.”
“How did you guys become friends?”
She waved a hand dismissively. “It’s a boring story.”
“I’m sure it’s not,” he said politely, trying not to seem too curious. But he was. He still couldn’t figure out how the two could be friends. Why she’d bother putting up with someone like Seth.
“We met in a class,” Meghna said. “A writing class. And just kind of clicked.”
“Clicked?”
“Yeah.” She drummed her fingers on the table. “He was kind of the first person I ever shared my writing with. The first person who ever believed in it. He’s a writer too, so he just…got it.”
Karthik inwardly rolled his eyes, but maintained his usual neutral façade. “Right. He was telling me earlier all about the songs he’s written.”
Meghna’s eyes brightened. “He’s a really talented songwriter.”
“So it seems,” he said evenly.
“I’m sure you’ve heard something of his.”
“I don’t think so. I didn’t recognize any of the ones he mentioned.”
“Really? Not even ‘Into the Desert’? That one’s really famous. It’s on the radio all the time. He used to write these serious, moody ballads in college, but his first song that really sold was kind of this country-pop crossover, so that’s what he mostly puts out now.”
