“Makes sense.”
Meghna searched his face and saw that the Karthik who had made her Bombay toast this morning was completely gone. In his place sat the man she had much more experience with: the cold, closed-off, shut-down Karthik.
She wished she could turn the clock back. If only she had known that her time withthatKarthik would be so fleeting.
“You’re right,” he told her. “We shouldn’t lose sight of our original plan. You still need a date for the wedding, and I still need your help. I don’t want to do anything that could disrupt our arrangement.”
“Okay,” she said cautiously. “So, we’re on the same page?”
He gave a brisk nod. “Absolutely.”
He stepped out of the car, and she was turning the engine on and preparing to pull out of her spot when she heard a knock on the passenger-side window. Karthik stood there, watching her. She rolled down the window so he could speak.
“Send me a picture from your fitting, okay? Of the tux?”
She found herself agreeing, even though she was incredibly confused. Why did he want it? But before she could ask the question, Karthik turned away and walked into the airport. Meghna sat there for a few seconds until the car behind her honked, shaking her out of her thoughts and forcing her on her way.
—
“Karthik is going to lose his mind when he sees you in this.”
Meghna snorted, turning a bit to the side to get a better view of her reflection in the mirror. “Yeah, right.”
“I’m serious,” Ankita insisted. “You’re an absolute bombshell. He’s not going to know what hit him.”
“As my best friend you’re required to say that.” Meghna lifted her arms, the movement constrained by the pins the seamstress had just placed, indicating where some last-minute alterations were needed.
Ankita shook her head. “Nope. Once you see these pictures, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. You look amazing.”
Meghna rolled her eyes, stepping behind the dressing room curtain to change. “Enough about me,” she called as she carefully removed the tux, making sure the pins stayed in place. “We need to talk about you.” She pulled on her jeans and threw her shirt over her head before coming back out. “Last time we talked, you had a pretty…different approach to how you wanted to handle things.”
Ankita flinched, and Meghna immediately felt guilty. “I didn’t mean that in a judgmental way. I promise. I just meant that, you know, you were pretty adamant about not telling Rishi before.”
Ankita rubbed her forehead, letting out a sigh. “Yeah. Well, before I thought it was only one kiss. A mistake made in the moment. Really, I think I was trying to convince myself that was all it was. But then Samir called me.” She paused. “He called a couple times.”
Meghna’s eyebrows rose. She hadn’t realized that her brother had been trying to get in touch with Ankita. Meghna hadn’t spoken to Samir since the engagement party. Since he’d gone back to India. He’d called and texted, saying he wanted to explain, but Meghna hadn’t been ready to hear his excuses.
“I didn’t pick up at first,” Ankita said. “I thought I could just avoid him. But Rishi started noticing that I’d jump when the phone rang. That I’d send calls straight to voicemail. And he was so sweet. He never asked questions about it. He never pushed to find out what wasgoing on. And that just made me feel even worse. Like I was some horrible person, keeping this big, dirty secret. It didn’t seem like one small kiss anymore. It felt like something more.
“So, I called Samir back, thinking I could get clarity. Closure. And move on. But talking to him made me realize that there’s still…something between us. I don’t know what it is exactly or whether there’s a future there, but I can’t be engaged to someone when I feel like this. It’s not right. Or fair to Rishi.” She met Meghna’s gaze, pain in her eyes. “I love Rishi. I love him. But I don’t think I’minlove with him. I don’t know if I ever was.”
Ankita’s face crumpled, and Meghna drew her close, pulling her into a hug. “It’s okay,” Meghna said. “It’ll be okay.” She held her best friend for a few moments until Ankita pulled back, wiping her tears away.
“Rishi’s such a good person,” she said. “He’s so kind. And when we met, I knew I didn’t feel the way I should, but I’d hoped those feelings could grow. And I just…I wanted not to be alone anymore. I’m so tired of being lonely.”
Meghna knew exactly how she felt. She’d been lonely for a long time too.
“I don’t know if things will work out with Samir. I don’t even know what he wants, or ifheeven knows what he wants. But I need to tell Rishi. About everything.”
“I’ll be there,” Meghna said. “Before. After. Whenever. Whatever you need.”
“Thank you,” Ankita said, her eyes shining. “And I’m so sorry. For keeping all of it from you. For not telling you the truth. I was confused. And hurt. And embarrassed. I didn’t know how to tell you back then. I didn’t know what to say. But I don’t want to make that mistake again. You deserved the truth. And so does Rishi.”
“I’m sorry too. For not being willing to hear you out. For not trying to see your side of things. I should have tried harder. I should have tried to be there for you.” Meghna hesitated. “And I haven’t exactlybeen honest about everything, either. I’ve been lying to everyone about Karthik. And I’ve been keeping things from you too.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Karthik and I…We kissed.”
“You what?” Ankita exclaimed.
“More than once,” Meghna admitted. “A couple times. But it’s over. Not that it ever really started. He doesn’t want anything real. Anything serious. And…I don’t want to get hurt again.”
