She stepped away, and he dropped his arms.
“That’s what you’d call this?Being my date?”
He moved toward her. “No. Of course not.”
“Then what was it?”
He couldn’t tell her the truth. He couldn’t tell her that he loved her. Not when there was nothing he could promise her. Nothing he could give her. Not when it meant that he’d end up hurting her again.
“We’re attracted to each other. We’ve known that,” he said instead.
“Yes, but I thought maybe…” She stopped, her chest rising and falling. “Karthik, I—”
“Have you decided how you’re going to tell your parents?” he asked quickly.
She blinked. “Tell them what?”
He stuck his hands in his pockets. “You know, that the engagement is over?”
She stared at him, disbelief and confusion on her face. “You still want to…I thought…”
A lump rose in his throat.
Then she shook her head and looked away. “I’m sorry. I was just confused. When we talked earlier, I thought you said something about extending the engagement. But I remember now. You said we didn’t need to do that.” She glanced back at him. “Right?”
He was tempted. So tempted. But extending the end date would only put off the inevitable.
“Right,” he said.
She nodded. “Then no, I haven’t decided how to tell my parents. I guess I’ll tell them in person. When I get home.”
“I’ll do the same.”
“Great,” she said in a voice he had never heard from her. Flat and even and gray.
He swallowed. “Actually, could we wait until Wednesday? So I can do it after my interview?”
She frowned.
“I just thought we should coordinate,” he continued. “You know, tell our parents at the same time? That way they don’t call each other and find out before one of us has the chance to speak with them. And I’d like to wait until the interview is over, so—”
“Fine,” she said. “We’ll tell them Wednesday night.”
He nodded nonchalantly. As if none of this bothered him. As if his heart wasn’t cracking in his chest.
“How do you think your mom will take it?” she asked.
He sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, she’s going through a lot right now. But I think it’ll be fine.”
“You don’t think she’s going to make you start going to arranged meetings again?”
“No.”
Meghna arched an eyebrow. “Why?”
He answered truthfully. “Because I’ll be heartbroken.”
She scoffed, and the sound pierced through him. “You think she’ll buy it?”
