The corners of his mouth tilted up. “It’s not that.”
“Soap? Face wash? A razor?”
“Meghna,” he said chidingly.
“What?” she asked, a look of pure innocence on her face.
“Can I kiss you good morning?”
She sighed dramatically. “Well, if you insist.” Then she sat up on her knees, put a hand on his jaw, and pulled him down for a kiss.
—
The moment their mouths met, Meghna wondered why they hadn’t been doing this all morning. They’d wasted valuable minutes on food and talking when they should have just stayed in bed the whole time.
“We should have,” Karthik said, and Meghna realized she’d said that part out loud. She was about to reply when Karthik’s mouth came back to hers. She was rendered speechless, unable to do anything but match his movements with her own. Push when he pulled, retreat when he pressed, part her mouth when he parted his. She ran her hand up and down the scratchy stubble on his jaw, loving the feel of it against her palm. She used that hand to tilt his head at exactly the right angle, and he moaned in appreciation.
“You taste like maple syrup,” Karthik said. His tongue touched the corner of her mouth, picking up a leftover drop of it. He withdrew, then came back, planting a soft kiss on that same spot. “So sweet.” He leaned back, his face warm and tender. “I love your hair like this.”
Meghna let out a surprised laugh. “Like this?” She lifted a handful of the frizzy, messy curls.
“Yes. It makes me imagine messing it up even more.” Karthik’s eyes filled with heat, and Meghna’s stomach twisted in response. He ran his fingers lightly over a curl, twisting it around his finger, then letting it go.
They stayed like that for a minute, just watching each other, until Karthik left to go take his shower. The bathroom door shut behind him, and Meghna stared at it for a moment in confusion.
She’d loved waking up to see Karthik in her kitchen. Making her coffee. Cooking for her. Doing the dishes. He’d looked unbelievably hot while doing it. The way his forearms had flexed when he’d washed the plates? She had wanted to fan herself.
But she didn’t understand what any of this meant for their relationship. Their fake relationship, that was. Karthik had been very clear about two things: 1) that he never wanted to get married and 2) that he wasn’t interested in being her friend. But where did that leave them? She walked into her bedroom, changing out of her pajamas and into a pair of jeans and a white cotton top.
She sent a quick text to Ankita.I’m not going to make lunch today, but I’ll see you at the fitting.
Ankita replied quickly.
Ankita: Okay
Ankita: We’ll need to talk at the fitting then.
Ankita: I think I’m going to tell Rishi what happened.
Meghna’s eyebrows shot up. Since their first conversation about it, she and Ankita had avoided this topic. Ankita knew where Meghna stood, and Meghna hadn’t felt the need to bring it up again. At first, she hadn’t wanted to rock the boat. Hadn’t wanted to make things worse. But then…Meghna had started to realize that she wasn’tentirely in a position to judge. Not when she was keeping the truth about her own engagement a secret from her parents. And Samir. And Seth.
Ankita: But I’m really scared. I don’t know if I can do it.
Ankita: Will you have time to talk about it?
Compassion rose within her, knocking aside the pent-up bitterness that had been brewing toward her friend.
Meghna: I love you.
Meghna: I’ll always have time for you.
Meghna: We’ll talk about it as much as you want.
Meghna: See you soon. <3
Meghna slipped her phone into a bag and tied her hair into a ponytail. She and Ankita would sort all of this out later. Right now, she wanted to make sure she was ready by the time Karthik was done with his shower. They had a lot to talk about, but not a lot of time left. If she drove him to the airport, they’d have a chance to talk in the car, and she’d hopefully still make it back in time for her appointment.
She needed to know where this was going, or evenifit was going. She needed to know if last night had changed anything for him. The way he’d opened up and shared his fears. The way he’d laughed and teased her. The way he’d quite literally rolled with the punches. That was a man she could very easily fall in love with. But she wasn’t the same girl she’d been in college. She wouldn’t allow herself to develop feelings for Karthik if there wasn’t a possibility of those feelings being returned. If there wasn’t a possibility of arealrelationship between them.
