Chapter 4
Karthik buried his head in his hands. That had been a train wreck. His carefully prepared script had gone out the window the moment the call began. He’d tried to recover, but his brain had switched into auto-pilot once he’d noticed she was calling from bed. In her pajamas. He couldn’t even remember half of what he’d said. Though he did remember lying to her. Well, half lying.
The reason he needed to be engaged was because of his family. Maybe it wasn’t due to tradition like he’d said, but he’d already told his dad he was getting engaged to Meghna and he couldn’t take it back now. Not without seeing some smug, superior look on his father’s face.
At least it had all worked out in the end. He just hoped she wouldn’t change her mind.
“You all right, man?”
Karthik lifted his head as Paul, one of this semester’s college interns, entered his office and placed Karthik’s usual coffee order on his desk. Paul had started at the engineering firm just a few weeks ago, but after his fourth day on the job, he’d dropped his major. Apparently, that was all the time he needed to be sure that he never wanted to be an engineer. But since it had been too late for him to find another internship, he’d asked to stick around. He’d been relegated to lunch orders and coffee runs but didn’t seem to mind. As long as his paycheck cleared every week, he was fine doing whatever they asked of him.
Karthik picked up the steaming-hot lavender latte in front of him and took a sip. He closed his eyes briefly, the tense muscles in his shoulders relaxing as the lavender scent calmed his earlier anxiety. He wouldn’t have ever thought to try this flavor on his own, but Paul had mixed up the drink orders last week, and instead of his normal black coffee, he’d gotten this instead. Now Karthik looked forward to the subtle, floral flavor every morning.
He took another sip, then answered Paul’s question.
“I just got engaged,” he said.
“That’s awesome,” Paul said, balancing a drink carrier with the remaining orders in one hand and raising his other for a high five. He quickly withdrew it. “It is awesome, right? You don’t look like you think it’s awesome.”
Great. If the office intern could already see through his fake engagement, he didn’t have any hope of convincing his mother.
“No, it’s really wonderful,” Karthik said. “I’m very happy.”
“Uh-huh,” Paul responded, clearly unconvinced. He set the drink carrier on the floor and plopped into one of the chairs in front of Karthik’s desk.
“May I?” he asked.
Karthik nodded, a bit bemused.
“This happened to a buddy of mine,” Paul said. “He was obsessed with this girl in our Advanced Calculus class. He asked her for help with homework, made up excuses to study with her, went to office hours just because she did. Finally, on the last day of class, he just went for it and asked her out. She immediately said yes, and a few days later, he realized he wasn’t even that into her. Said it felt like buying the latest DLC and realizing it didn’t live up to the hype.”
“DLC?”
“You know, downloadable content.”
Karthik frowned.
“Like in Call of Duty,” Paul explained. “You know how you can download extension packs that get you extra items or characters …”
Paul continued, going into details that Karthik could barely follow, but from what he understood, he didn’t care for the comparison. “She’s my fiancée,” he said, cutting Paul off. “Not a … a … video game.”
Paul lifted his hands in surrender. “Hey, man, I agree with you. That’s just the way he put it.”
“Well, I don’t feel that way. I’m glad she said yes. Actually, I needed her to say yes.”
Paul cocked his head to the side. “That’s pretty romantic, actually.”
Karthik resisted the urge to roll his eyes. His “proposal” had been far from romantic. But it wasn’t supposed to be. This was a logical, mutually beneficial agreement between two adults. Nothing more.
“I mean, I’d want to feel that way if I was asking someone to marry me,” Paul continued. “I definitely don’t feel like that now. If my girlfriend said she wanted to get married, I don’t know how I’d respond.” He swallowed, unease settling across his features. “I’d probably throw up.”
“You’re young,” Karthik said. “It’ll feel different when you’re older.” Unless Paul was anything like him, in which case the idea of marriage would always result in nausea.
“Maybe,” Paul said, picking the tray of coffee back up. “Anyway, good for you, dude. Glad it was good news. I thought someone had died or something.” He left to drop off the rest of the coffees, and Karthik slouched down in his chair.
He’d always had a reliable poker face, but it seemed like selling “happy” and “in love” required a different skill set. Luckily, his morning provided multiple opportunities to practice the role of enthused fiancé, as co-workers stopped in to congratulate him, having heard the news from their talkative intern.
The word must have spread all the way to his boss because Marianne showed up at his office that afternoon.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” Marianne said, regarding him warmly. She shook Karthik’s hand firmly and took a seat. “Actually, I had been planning to stop by anyway. I was hoping to congratulate you on something else, but it looks like there are a few more hurdles before that one’s final.”
“Oh?” he asked, doing his best to sound casual.
“I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that I’ve been thinking about retirement. And I’ve been considering who might replace me.”
He sat up straighter.
“I don’t have final say on decisions like that,” she said. “But I can make a recommendation. The C-suite folks seem determined to bring in an outside candidate, but I want to recommend you.”
“Me?” Not much surprised him, but he was stunned. Yes, he’d considered applying for the position, but he’d always thought it would be a long shot. He’d been moving up the ranks slowly, steadily, but he didn’t have the decades of experience a job like this would require. He couldn’t believe that she was actually considering him.
“I think you can do the job, Karthik. I’ve seen how much you’ve grown, how much you’ve matured in this role.”
Pride swelled in his chest. Marianne had really taken a chance on him when he’d first started here straight out of college, and her mentorship over the years had meant the world to him.
“My only concern for the longest time was your lack of commitment,” she said.
His heart sank.
“You seemed to flit from project to project, trying different things on for size and then dropping them.”
He held back a wince. Everything she’d said was true. In school he’d chosen mechanical engineering because it meant he could design … anything. But when he’d joined the company, he’d found himself overwhelmed by the options. He’d rotated through most of the groups and experimented with everything, working on turbines, HVAC systems, and pieces and parts for factories. But he’d always stayed far, far away from one team: biomedical.
At first, he’d been enamored of the field. Had been tempted by the idea of creating artificial limbs, pacemakers, even robotic medical assistants. But he hadn’t been able to stop imagining what his father would say. How he might react to Karthik choosing something so close to his own career. How he might take pride in it. Approve of it. Think that Karthik wanted to follow in his footsteps.
So, Karthik had ended up selecting at random, ultimately joining the HVAC design team. Sure, some people considered the work bland, but Karthik didn’t mind. At least his father couldn’t gloat about his decision.
“But in the last few years,” Marianne continued, “you’ve really shown great dedication and follow-through. With impressive results. And what greater sign of commitment is there than marriage?”
Karthik’s palms started to sweat.
“I was already going to recommend you for the position,” she said. “But when I heard the news this morning, it just confirmed for me that you are the right person for the job. To see you commit to something like this … It’s what I’ve been wanting to see from you for so long.”
She got up and wrapped her gray shawl around her shoulders. “We’ll see what the people upstairs think, and you’ll probably have to interview alongside a number of candidates, but I think you have a great shot at this.”
He swallowed. “Thank you, Marianne,” he said. “I appreciate your faith in me. And your recommendation.”
“You deserve it,” she said. “Just don’t let me down.” She wagged her finger at him playfully.
He gave a nervous laugh. “Of course not. I won’t.”
She headed to leave, then turned around. “By the way, Jim’s going to throw a retirement party for me. A small thing, just a couple folks from the office, some friends and family. But you should definitely come. I know a bunch of the executives are going and it’d be a good time for you to mingle with them.”
“I’ll be there,” he said immediately. He was willing to do anything possible to get an edge over the competition. Unlike him, the other candidates would probably be well qualified for the position. He needed all the help he could get.
“Great. Invitations should be going out soon. I look forward to seeing you there,” she said over her shoulder as she left his office.
Karthik turned back to his computer, his brain already buzzing with ideas and plans and projects he could pitch. This promotion could change the entire trajectory of his career. But even more important, Marianne had taken a chance on him. Had shown her faith in him by putting his name up for the job. He’d need to bring his A game. He couldn’t afford to make any missteps. He couldn’t let her down.
He opened a blank document and was brainstorming, typing every idea that came to mind, when a sharp knock disrupted his focus.
“Hey,” Marianne said, her head peeking around his office door. “I forgot to mention this earlier, but please be sure to bring your bride-to-be to the party. We all really want to meet her.” She punctuated the words with a smile and a quick wave goodbye.
Karthik stared after her, frozen in place. She wanted him to bring his bride-to-be to her retirement party? His fake bride-to-be? He dropped his head into his hands and groaned.
“You’re engaged?” Ankita asked, her slice of pizza suspended in the air, frozen halfway on the journey to her mouth. “How did that happen? I thought you hated him.”
“I never hated him. I just thought he was … kind of rude.”
“And now?”
“I still think he’s kind of rude.”
Ankita stared at her in confusion, but Meghna just reached for the remote, avoiding her gaze. She turned on the television, the light casting Ankita’s apartment in a soft glow. On the screen, a beautiful woman in a sparkly dress greeted the twenty-three men she would be dating that season. On the living room floor, a box of pizza and an open bottle of Malbec lay between them.
“I don’t understand,” Ankita said. “Do you like Karthik at all?”
“I like how he looks,” Meghna joked. “He’s tall. And he’s got a really sharp jaw. And this kind of stern, serious look in his eyes. Really, he’s a dead ringer for Fawad Khan in Khoobsurat.”
Ankita’s eyebrows rose. “Damn.”
“I know!”
“That still doesn’t explain why you’re engaged.”
“Doesn’t it?” Meghna teased with an exaggerated wink.
Ankita made a sound of exasperation.
Meghna grinned. She’d never had any intention of keeping the truth from her best friend, but she hadn’t been able to resist giving her a hard time. “Look, I’ll explain. But you can’t tell anyone. Not your parents, not Rishi, not …”
“Fine! Just tell me.”
“We’re not really engaged. We’re just sort of engaged. Fake-engaged.”
“Fake-engaged,” Ankita repeated dully. “And that means …”
“That we’re not going to actually get married. We’re just pretending.”
“Riiiiight. Sure. Of course. Makes perfect sense. A totally normal thing to do. No need to explain any further.”
“Glad you get it.”
“Meghna!” Ankita grappled for the remote and muted the show, frustration clear on her face. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Meghna sighed and tossed her pizza slice back into the box. She wouldn’t be able to finish it while they were discussing this.
“So, remember how Seth asked me to be his best man?”
“Yes, but … Oh,” Ankita said, realization dawning on her face. “Oh no. No, no, no. Seth never should have asked that of you, and you never should have agreed to it, but this is not the answer. I mean, does he know?”
“Seth? No, I haven’t told him that I’m engaged yet.”
“No. Karthik. Does Karthik know you’re using him?”
“I’m not using him!” Meghna said indignantly. “And if I am, he’s using me too. It’s mutual. We’re using each other. And this was all his idea.”
“Of course. That makes it all just fine then. I’m sure you won’t have any issues keeping the truth from Seth. Or from Karthik’s parents. Or from yours.”
Meghna swallowed, pushing down a twinge of discomfort. She’d tried not to think about this part too hard. Sure, she and her parents didn’t see eye to eye on everything, but she loved them. And she didn’t want to lie to them. But pretending to be engaged for a little while would make her life so much easier. And if everything worked the way it was supposed to, her parents would be none the wiser. They wouldn’t discover that any of it was a lie. They wouldn’t have a reason to be disappointed in her. Again.
Meghna shrugged, trying to adopt a nonchalant air. “I told my parents last night. They’re happy for me.”
Ankita frowned. “You don’t think they’ll be hurt when they find out?”
“They’re not going to find out. At least not from me.”
“And not from me, either. But how far are y’all going to take this? Won’t they get suspicious when you keep putting off the wedding?”
“We’re not going to let it get that far. We’ll tell them that we’re doing a long engagement. That we’re still getting to know each other. And after Seth’s wedding we’re going to break it off.” Meghna lifted a shoulder. “They’ll feel bad for me, but they’ll be fine.”
Ankita slowly shook her head. “I don’t think you’ve fully thought this through. And I can’t keep secrets from my fiancé. I have to at least tell Rishi.”
Meghna groaned. “I really wish you wouldn’t. I don’t want him to act all weird around Karthik at your party.”
“He’s coming to our engagement party?”
“I haven’t asked him yet, but I think he has to come. Our families will think it’s weird if I show up without my fiancé.”
Ankita picked up her wineglass and took a long sip. She was quiet for a while, but Meghna knew she wasn’t done just yet.
“This is a lot to digest,” Ankita finally said, an amused glint in her eye. “We can probably stop watching The Bachelorette now since your life has more than enough drama to entertain us.”
“Ha. Very funny.”
“I’m serious.”
“Well, I’m sorry. Not all of us can have lives as drama-free as yours.”
Ankita laughed. “You make me sound so boring, but it’s kind of true. Since Rishi and I met, the only drama has been whether we want peonies or garden roses at the wedding. And honestly, they look the same to me. It’s just fun to have something to argue about. We agree on everything else. A house near our parents, three children, a dog, et cetera, et cetera. He makes life so easy.”
“I’m happy for you,” Meghna said. And she meant it. Ankita had been wanting a partner for so long, and Meghna was so glad she had found one in Rishi. She felt only the smallest amount of envy. “So, I take it all the planning for your engagement party has been drama-free as well?”
Ankita grimaced. “I wouldn’t exactly say that. Mom wants to do a big song-and-dance number, and we’re trying to convince her to save it for the sangeet. Hopefully we’ll come up with some kind of plan to prevent it by then.”
Meghna sat up straight, suddenly remembering she had more news to share. “I know my parents already RSVP’d for him, but I don’t know if you saw it.”
“Saw what?”
“That Samir’s coming to your party!”
Ankita blinked. “Samir? Your brother?”
“Yeah, my brother. I mean, it’s not like we know another Samir.”
“Right, of course. I … I just thought he was still in India.”
“He is, but he’s been thinking about moving back for a long time. He hasn’t decided, but he’s going to be in town for a few job interviews. Just to see what’s out there. My parents are over the moon.”
Ankita looked a bit queasy.
“Are you okay?” Meghna asked.
“Yeah,” Ankita said, putting a hand on her stomach. “I think I ate too fast.”
“Oh. I think I have Tums in my purse. Give me a second.”
“No, no. Don’t worry about it. I’m fine.”
Meghna paused. “It’s okay if Samir comes to the party, right?”
“Yeah, of course,” Ankita said, waving her hand in the air. “He’s practically family.”
“I know. I swear he thinks of you like a second sister. You should have heard him when Mom and Dad brought up your engagement party. He immediately said he wanted to be there for you.”
Ankita smiled weakly. “That’s great.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? I can run out and get you something.”
“Nope. I’m fine. So, how’s this arrangement with Karthik supposed to work out?”
Meghna stretched her legs out in front of her. “Well, he’s working on a list of terms, but I have no idea what they’ll be.”
“Are you going to date other people?” Ankita asked.
Meghna was about to say no, but realized she didn’t know the answer. “We haven’t really talked about it.”
“And I’m guessing you’re not going to tell Seth the truth.”
“No. That would kind of defeat the whole point of everything.”
“What about Samir? Are you going to tell him?”
Meghna brushed a crumb off her jeans. “I don’t know. Probably. But I don’t want him to leak it to Mom and Dad.”
“You might as well tell him. He’s going to figure it out anyway. He always knows the truth.”
“Yeah, he does have a weird sixth sense about things like this.”
“He really does,” Ankita said. “He’ll know.” She closed her eyes and lay flat on the floor.
Meghna cast a worried glance in her direction. “Maybe you should go to bed early. Do you want me to leave?”
“No, don’t be silly.” Ankita propped her head on a pillow and turned the volume up on the television. “It looks like Matthew B. is about to confess his love on night one. You won’t want to miss that. Besides”—she smiled slyly—“you might learn a thing or two about faking your feelings.”
Meghna laughed and let herself get swept up in the artificial drama on-screen. She’d deal with the real drama in her life tomorrow.