The music started, and Meghna briefly closed her eyes. She’d been dreading this day for so long. But now, as she walked down the aisle with Julie’s maid of honor beside her, she didn’t feel jealous. Or sad. She was…thankful. Thankful that she’d learned the truth. That she wasn’t the one marrying him today. That she was finally able to let him go.
She was almost halfway to him, his blond hair shining, his too-white teeth stretched into a wide smile. She looked away, searching the crowd on either side of the aisle. She couldn’t see him, but Karthik was sitting out there. Somewhere. She reached the end of the aisle, and Seth’s smile fell slightly as she moved to stand beside him.
She ignored him, scanning the room again, trying to find Karthik. Yes, he owed her an apology. And she was still angry about the way he’d spoken to her last night. But at the moment she just wanted to see his face. She wanted to know that he was there. That at the end of this whole ordeal, he’d be waiting for her. And they’d talk through things and everything would go back to the way it had been.
She stopped, frozen at her last thought. Shewantedthings to go back to the way they had been. She wanted him to call her when he saw a new musical and she wanted to tease him when he got too serious. She wanted to wake up to Bombay toast in the kitchen and hear how things were going with his family. She wanted him at her friends’ parties and her middle school plays.
Really, she just wanted him.
The music changed, and everyone stood up, turning to face the entrance. To watch the bride appear. Meghna looked at the crowd again, but now Karthik was easy to spot. He was the only one halfturned, his body at an odd angle. The only one not looking for Julie. The only one looking right at Meghna.
Meghna’s heart pounded. She had been lying to herself. She didn’t just want things to go back to the way they had been. She wanted more. She wanted to kiss him whenever she wanted. She wanted to introduce him to others ashersand have it actually be true. She wanted…She wanted their relationship to be real.
Julie walked down the aisle, and the crowd pivoted, turning to follow her progress. And though Karthik moved in time with everyone else, his eyes never left Meghna’s.
His face was neutral, composed, and a bit tense. But his eyes were soft. Apologetic. Tender.
The ceremony started, and Meghna broke eye contact, looking at the couple in front of her. And though she pretended to watch it all happen, she barely heard a word of it.
Maybe Karthik never wanted to get married. Maybe any future between the two of them was impossible. But that look in his eyes had been real. He felt something for her. And she had feelings for him too.
She’d tried to prevent it from happening. She’d put up boundaries. Tried to keep him at a distance. Tried to remind herself that it was all fake. But the truth was, she’d been falling for him for a long time.
Her eyes welled with emotion, and she forced herself to blink the tears away.
She was tempted to look back at Karthik. She was tempted to tell him everything. She knew it was a bit of a gamble. She might have misread that look. She might have been the only one to develop feelings. But it felt like a risk worth taking if it meant there was even the tiniest chance that what she had with Karthik could be real.
The officiant’s voice, loud and booming, shook her from her thoughts. And Meghna forced herself to smile, still blinking away a few tears, as Seth and Julie kissed and were pronounced husband and wife.
—
For the second time in the last twenty-four hours, Karthik watched Meghna’s eyes fill with tears. The sight had been a punch to the gut last night, but it felt even worse now. Because these tears meant that he had been right.
Meghna was in love with Seth.
Karthik’s eyes had been trained on her from the very beginning of the ceremony. She’d met his gaze at first, then looked away, watching the happy couple. She’d had a faraway look on her face, as if she’d been thinking about something else, trying to distract herself from what was going on. And then at the end, she’d put on a smile. But he’d seen the truth. Her eyes had been glistening, and she’d blinked repeatedly, as if she was trying not to cry.
His stomach twisted.
The bride and groom walked back up the aisle, and the wedding procession, including Meghna, followed. Finally, it was over. He left with the other guests, moving with the general flow of the crowd from the outdoor ceremony space to the tent that had been set up for the reception. Drinks and little hors d’oeuvres passed by on small trays, and he blindly grabbed the first thing that came his way.
He found a corner and hovered there. For a moment, he thought about leaving. He wasn’t sure he could play the loving fiancé now. It felt too close to the truth. Too painful.
But he’d made a promise to her, and he would keep it. He took a sip of his drink. It was bubbly and crisp and light. It wasn’t at all what he wanted. It wasn’t at all how he felt.
He never should have allowed himself to think that Meghna might care for him. How could she? Especially after the way he’d hurt her last night. After he’d lost his temper. He couldn’t get the image of her face out of his mind. The way it had crumpled up. The way she had looked at him. As if she couldn’t believe he had hurt her that way.
He’d made a mistake. He’d imagined for a second that thingscould be different. Thathecould be different. But last night had proven that wasn’t the case. He’d lost control. He’d lashed out at her. He’d acted like an ass. He’d acted just like…just like his father.
Karthik set his glass down firmly. It wouldn’t have mattered if she was in love with Seth or not. Seth was just an easy target. A place Karthik could throw all the blame. The real issue was with himself.
He wasn’t good for her. And neither was Seth, but someday she’d meet the right person. Someone who could love her. Someone who could be the kind of partner she dreamed about. Who could give her the kind of marriage she wanted. Someone who wouldn’t hurt her the way he had. Karthik couldn’t hold her back from that. And that’s all a relationship with him would be doing.
He took one last sip and made up his mind. His promise to Meghna would be over once he got through tonight. And then he would let her go. For good.
“Hey!” Meghna called as she approached his little corner of the room. Her eyes were bright, and her smile stretched wide across her face. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought she was happy.
She put a hand on his arm. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I have something I need to tell you.”
