Chapter 14
Karthik had never been to Nashville before. He knew people often referred to it as “Music City,” but he hadn’t expected to hear live country crooning just minutes after he landed. On his way to the baggage claim, a man in one of the restaurants had sung into a microphone in a distinctive southern twang. There hadn’t been a lot of people in the post-lunch, late-afternoon crowd, but the singer hadn’t seemed to mind. He’d given it his all, singing with depth and emotion and intensity. Not holding anything back.
Karthik had watched him for a while, then made his way to the baggage carousel, where he now stood, waiting for his luggage.
“Hey!” a familiar voice called. Meghna walked in his direction, pulling a suitcase behind her. She greeted him with a wide smile, and it took the air right out of him. Though they had talked quite a bit over the last few weeks, he hadn’t realized how much he had missed seeing her face.
The realization caught him off guard, and he struggled for a moment to breathe normally. He hadn’t felt this winded since that night she’d accidentally socked him in the stomach. The thought made him want to laugh, but because he was already out of air, he was only able to wheeze.
“I’m glad we timed our flights this way,” Meghna said. “Once you get your stuff, we can …” She stared at him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he said with some difficulty. “I’m fine. Just a little out of breath. Give me a second.”
Her beautiful lips twisted into a frown. “Didn’t you have a problem breathing in Miami too? Do you have an inhaler? Do you need one? Maybe we should see a doctor.”
Something in him rejoiced at the idea that she was concerned about him, but he shook his head. “I’m good.”
He thought for a moment about telling her that she was the reason he was having difficulty breathing, but decided against it. She had been clear that nothing could ever happen between the two of them again. And he couldn’t imagine how cheesy it would sound. Meghna, I don’t need to see a doctor. It’s you. You literally take my breath away. Ridiculous.
He snorted, and her eyes widened in concern.
“Sorry,” he said. “Travel makes me a little loopy.”
“And out of breath?”
“That too.” He spotted his bag and pulled it off the carousel in one move.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. Really. I’m fine. We can get going.”
She nodded, somewhat skeptically, but followed his lead as they got into a cab and headed to their hotel. They had a few hours to kill until tonight’s rehearsal dinner, but Karthik wasn’t sure if Meghna had planned anything or if she needed to be there early.
“You think we have time for any sightseeing before tonight?”
“Sightseeing?” Her brows jumped in surprise. “You want to go sightseeing?”
“Why not? I’ve never been here before. Have you?”
“Yeah. A few times. To visit Seth.”
Of course. “Well, if we have time, I’d like to look around. Do you have a lot to do before the rehearsal dinner?”
“Not really. I’ll need some time to get dressed, but that’s it. Where would you want to go?”
He shrugged. “Anywhere.” He didn’t care where they went. He was just hoping to spend some time with Meghna before she got swept up in the wedding festivities.
“What about the Parthenon?” Meghna asked. “It’s in the same park where the wedding’s taking place, and I think we could walk to it from the hotel. I’ve seen it from a distance, but I’ve never gone inside.”
“Sounds great.”
They arrived at the hotel and quickly checked in at the front desk.
“I booked two rooms this time,” Meghna told him as they waited for their room keys. “Didn’t want to repeat that mistake.”
Karthik smiled tightly, even though his stomach sank. She left it unsaid, but he knew she had booked two rooms to ensure that they wouldn’t repeat any other “mistakes,” either.
“And there’s no reason to share,” she continued. “Julie’s family is from here, so almost everyone’s staying at her parents’ place. And the rest are at a different hotel, so we won’t be running into anyone we know.”
“Great.” He should have been happy at the news. He’d always preferred having his own space. But he’d anticipated sharing a room this weekend. Just to keep up appearances. He swallowed down his disappointment and grabbed his key.
They put their bags away in their respective rooms, then met back in the lobby to walk the short distance to Centennial Park.
Karthik shivered, pulling his coat tighter around him. The leaves in bright reds and yellows made it still feel like fall, but the crisp air and chilly breeze hinted that winter was almost here. He stuck his hand in his pocket, running his fingers across the velvet of the small box he had put there.
He’d conducted thorough research on the ring, telling himself that he was only doing it for the sake of their deal. To convince everyone that they were really engaged.
But buying the ring had been an impulsive decision. He’d stopped by a jewelry store one day after work, and the moment he saw the ring in the tray, he knew. He hadn’t thought about their fake arrangement or whether it would help them pull it off. He’d only thought about Meghna. About whether she would like it. About how it would look on her hand.
“How’s the preparation for the interview going?” she asked, her voice cutting through his thoughts.
“Fine,” he said. “I’d collected most of the data points already, so it’s just a matter of organizing them and putting it all into a presentation format. I’ll have a few days to get it finalized when I get back.”
He removed his hand from his pocket and cleared his throat.
“And your job?” he asked. “Have you picked out what you’re going to do for the spring play?”
“I have.” She walked quietly beside him for a few seconds. “But I think it’s going to be my last one.”
“Really?” He looked over at her in surprise.
“Yeah. I think I’m … Well, it was your idea, actually.”
“What do you mean?”
“I took your advice and tried writing a few songs, and … it works, I think.”
“What works?” he asked, still not understanding.
“The play I’m writing. It’s working a lot better as a musical.” She let out a small laugh. “I honestly haven’t written like this in so long. It just feels … fun. And I think I want to focus on that for a while.”
“You sure you won’t miss rehearsing with the kids?”
“Not one bit.” She laughed again. “I love them, but I never wanted to teach theater. I’m excited to see what we can put together next semester, though.”
“Me too,” he said.
She shot him a sideways glance.
“I mean—” He stopped. He almost took it back or tried to explain it away, but it was true. He wanted to be there in the spring. He wanted to watch them perform. From that same spot backstage. Or from the audience. Really, he just wanted to sit wherever Meghna was. Wherever she happened to be.
He took a deep breath and put his hand back in his pocket, wrapping his fingers firmly around the ring box. It suddenly seemed simple. He wanted to be wherever Meghna was. He didn’t know much more than that, but he needed to tell her the truth: that somehow, without him even realizing it, this arrangement had morphed into something more. Something real. He didn’t know what it would mean for their fake engagement. Or how it would work with him in New York and her in Dallas. Or if he’d be able to give her everything she wanted. But he had to tell her. And find out if she possibly felt the same way.
“We should probably talk about this,” Meghna said.
Karthik’s breath caught. Had she somehow read his mind?
“About what?”
“About our end date.”
He halted mid-step. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you just made it sound like you’d be in Dallas in the spring.” She paused beside him, glancing up quizzically. “And I don’t know. I mean, this was supposed to be our end date. The wedding. Are you … Are you saying you want to keep this going?”
His blood raced. Was she open to that? Continuing their engagement? He swallowed. “Would you want that?” he asked.
“I …” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
A sharp pain went through Karthik’s chest.
“I mean, I can’t keep lying to my parents about this. I’ve only felt okay because I knew it would be over soon.” She frowned. “Has something changed? With your mom? Because if you need more time, we can talk about it, but—”
“No,” he said, cutting her off. “I misspoke earlier. About Dallas. Wasn’t thinking.” He gave her a strained smile. “Ending it after the wedding is fine.”
They continued their walk, moving closer and closer to the Parthenon, but Karthik hardly noticed. He was hot. And sweaty. And his stomach … He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the twisting in his gut.
He hadn’t been thinking straight. He couldn’t tell Meghna how he felt. Not now. Not when he’d been thinking about how to confess his feelings and she’d been wanting to know when they could call the whole thing off.
Not that he could blame her. She was being reasonable. More than reasonable. She was sticking to their plan. Their rational agreement. He was the one who couldn’t get a handle on himself.
The ring burned hot and heavy in his coat pocket. He was tempted to get rid of it, to chuck it as far as he could throw, but he curbed the childish impulse. He needed the ring. He needed to fulfill his obligations. He’d promised Meghna that he’d be her “fiancé” for this wedding, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
“I got something for you,” he said, as casually as he could manage. “Just for the wedding. I’ll return it after.”
“Yeah?”
He pulled the small box out of his pocket, opened it quickly, and held it out in front of his body.
The blood rushed from Meghna’s head.
He bought a ring?And not just any ring. A dream ring. Thin gold band. Sparkling oval diamond. She swallowed. A huge diamond.
“Is this real?” she asked, her eyes glued to the ring.
“No. Of course not.”
She breathed a sigh of relief.
“Why would you ask that?” His tone was sharp. Hard.
She snapped her head up.
A strange expression crossed his face. His brows furrowed, and he almost looked … guilty. Like a kid who’d been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
“I think it’s a normal question,” she said.
“Well, I’d never propose to you,” he said forcefully.
What?She bristled. Karthik hadn’t been like this around her in a really long time. He’d been almost … sweet. But now, it was like the past few months hadn’t even happened. He was back to being brusque and unfeeling and … What was he even talking about?
“I mean, I’d never propose to anyone,” he continued. “You know that.”
Her confusion faded. He’d misunderstood her question. “The ring, Karthik. I was asking about the ring.”
“Oh, that.” His face cleared. “Yes, that’s real.”
“What?” she exclaimed. “Why wouldn’t you just buy something fake?”
Karthik shrugged. “I didn’t think about that.”
She shook her head. “I guess it doesn’t matter anyway. Since you’re returning it.”
“I guess so.”
She looked back at the ring. Honestly, it was perfect. Exactly what she’d pick out for herself. If this was real.
“Did you say yes?” someone yelled. Meghna looked up. A small number of people were watching them from a distance. A man pushing a stroller. College students sitting on a blanket. A runner who’d stopped to stretch.
They didn’t need to perform for these strangers, but what else could she do? Shout back that none of this was real? Meghna pasted on a big smile and thrust her left hand toward Karthik.
“I did!” she said loudly.
Karthik stared at her hand like he’d never seen it before. Like he didn’t know what she wanted him to do with it.
“Put the ring on my finger,” she said through her teeth.
He did, his hand shaking a bit as he took the ring out of the box and slid it into place.
It fit perfectly.
Some of the college students let out a whoop, and the runner came by and offered to take their picture.
They didn’t really need a picture, and honestly Meghna didn’t really want a picture of this moment, but it felt too awkward to refuse. She handed her phone over, posed with Karthik, and took it back without even checking to see how the picture had turned out.
They continued to their destination and paid to get inside the building, but once there, she didn’t enjoy any of it. She kept getting distracted by the new weight on her hand. By the way it caught the light and cast sparkles on the floor. After a few minutes, they went back to the hotel to get ready for the rehearsal dinner.
Once dressed, she pulled up the wedding website to check the address for tonight, freezing when pictures of Seth and Julie filled her screen. She dropped onto the edge of the bed. She’d remembered that Seth had proposed to Julie in that park, but now that she’d been there herself, she recognized the background of these pictures.
Seth had proposed on the steps of the Parthenon. Very close to the spot where Karthik had given her the ring.
She zoomed in. Seth knelt in front of Julie, a large grin on his face. Julie’s hands were plastered against her cheeks in surprise. The light hit both of them just right, illuminating their skin, setting them aglow.
Meghna continued scrolling. Seth must have hidden some photographer right before he popped the question because all of these pictures looked professional. Like something out of a magazine. Glossy and bright and perfect.
Nothing like the sad, quick, phone-camera-quality picture she and Karthik had just taken. She left the website, pulling the picture up for the first time. The day had been cloudy, so the image had turned out a little grainy. Shadows played across their bodies. Still, it hadn’t come out that badly. Karthik’s arm was loose around her shoulders, and she leaned into him, looking directly at the camera with a decent smile.
But the expression on Karthik’s face took her by surprise. His lips curved up, the gesture small but genuine. As if he was actually happy in that moment. As if he was content. But he wasn’t facing the camera. His head was tilted down and to the side. He was looking at her.
She stared at the picture for several more moments. She knew it was fake. That he was just pretending. But for a second, she wished that it could all actually be real.
She imagined that moment as a real proposal. He would be awkward. With shaky hands and uncertainty. And she’d laugh, soaking up every moment. She’d probably stop him mid-speech, making him smile in relief. He’d slide the ring onto her finger and kiss her. A back-bending, passionate, straight-out-of-a-movie kiss. And that same stranger would come up and take this grainy, imperfect picture. Karthik would smile down at her, just like he had then, but this smile would be real.
Meghna’s phone chimed, disrupting her daydream. Karthik was downstairs waiting for her. She got off the bed, took a final look in the mirror, then went down to meet him.
Karthik pulled at his cuffs, and Meghna drank in one of her favorite sights: Karthik in a suit. He always looked impeccable. Put together in a way she never managed to be. But tonight, she felt an … awareness that she never had before.
His gaze tracked over her body, pausing where the ring sat on her finger.
“It looks good on you,” he said.
She flushed, glancing down at the ring, then back at him. “Thanks.”
They continued to the rehearsal dinner. Meghna had taken only a few steps inside when someone swept her into a hug.
“Hey, girl,” the man said warmly, squeezing her tighter.
Meghna pulled herself out of the heavy arms around her and turned to see who it was. “Eric?”
“Who else?”
She laughed. “Hi. You’re here early.”
He checked his phone and frowned. “I’m right on time.”
“Exactly. That’s early for you,” she teased.
He snorted, then reached a hand toward her, clearly intending to ruffle her hair in retaliation. She took a large step backward, her back bumping against Karthik’s chest.
“Don’t touch the curls,” she said. “Seriously. You know how easily they frizz.”
Karthik’s arms came around her waist, pulling her firmly against him.
“I like when they frizz,” Karthik said into her ear, loud enough to be overheard, making it clear he was only saying it for Eric’s benefit.
Still, Meghna’s face warmed as she remembered what Karthik had said back in Dallas. How he’d liked the way her hair had looked first thing in the morning. How her frizzy curls had made him imagine messing her hair up even more.
She absently touched a piece of hair, tucking it behind her ear.
“Holy hell,” Eric said.
Meghna’s hand froze mid-movement. “What?”
“That’s some rock. You didn’t have that in Miami.” He moved closer, taking hold of her hand and examining the ring. “I would have remembered something like that. God, Meghna, it’s huge.”
“Oh, it’s just …”
“I should have gotten something sooner,” Karthik said. “But I couldn’t decide for the longest time. I must have looked at over a hundred different rings before I landed on this one.”
He brushed her cheek with a kiss. Her skin tingled. He turned her slightly in his arms so she could meet his eyes.
“Sorry it took so long.”
“It’s fine,” she said softly, more confused than ever. Was anything he’d just said true? Or was it just a story for Eric?
Eric watched both of them, a large grin on his face. “So, when’s the big day?”
“Oh … I don’t … We haven’t …” Meghna stammered.
“Next year,” Karthik cut in smoothly. He ran one of his hands up and down Meghna’s arm. “We’re enjoying this phase and don’t want to rush anything, right, Meghna?”
“Right. That’s right.”
“Well, I’m excited for it,” Eric said. “I haven’t been to an Indian wedding before, but I imagine the food’s a lot better than what we get at these ones.”
Meghna shook her head. “Of course the food’s the first thing you think about.”
“Obviously. What else is there? If I have to sit through another dry chicken or underdressed salad at one of these things …” He shuddered dramatically.
Meghna and Karthik both laughed, following him farther into the restaurant. Seth had said they were doing a small, informal rehearsal dinner with just the wedding party and family, and Meghna was happy to see that they’d stuck to that plan. The room was barely half-full, with only a few tables set for dinner.
“Welcome, everyone,” a woman with a clipboard and a Britney Spears headset said. “If you’re in the wedding party, please join me at the front of the room. If you’re not, please find your name card and take a seat. Dinner will be served in just a moment.” Meghna headed to the front, greeting Mark and the remaining groomsmen she had met at the bachelor party.
“Meghna!” a voice called out. “I’m so happy to finally meet you in person. I mean, I know we met on the phone, but it’s not the same.” Meghna turned around, immediately recognizing Julie from the pictures. Before she could say anything, Julie enveloped her in a warm hug. “Seth talks about you all the time. I feel like I know you already.”
The sentiment was sweet, but Meghna’s mouth tasted sour. Julie didn’t know her. Not even a little bit. “It’s nice to meet you too,” Meghna responded. “And congratulations.”
Julie smiled, her eyes bright and shining. “Thanks! I can’t wait for tomorrow. Seth told me the two of you cooked up something special for the reception and I’ve been poking around for hints, but he hasn’t shared a peep. He usually shares all of his work with me and I get to read through everything, but not this one! Also, I hope you don’t mind, but I thought it would be fun for you to get ready with me and the rest of the girls tomorrow. You don’t have to, of course, but we’ll have someone there to do hair and makeup and there’ll be a mimosa bar. It’ll probably be a lot more fun than whatever the guys have planned, so please join us. I mean, only if you want.”
“Of course,” Meghna said. In the face of Julie’s warm enthusiasm, she wasn’t sure how else she could respond. At that moment, the wedding planner interrupted, separating them and maneuvering the group into pairs.
Meghna was paired to walk down the aisle with Julie’s maid of honor, which was quite a relief. She’d been a little concerned about the unconventional arrangement, worried that it meant she’d have to walk alone. The idea of walking by herself down the aisle toward Seth had made her sick a month ago. She hadn’t been sure if she’d even be able to do it. But for some reason, the idea didn’t make her that nervous anymore.
The wedding planner instructed them about timing and made them walk through the process of going up and down the aisle. After practicing it a few times, and only messing up once due to Eric’s constant jokes, the wedding planner let them go, announcing that dinner would start soon.
Before heading back to the table, Meghna approached Seth, hoping to check in and clear the air. Since receiving his last rewritten version of the song, she and Seth had only spoken a few times. She’d told him how much she liked the new song, and he’d apologized for hanging up on her. Meghna had tried not to apologize in return, but ended up doing it anyway. After that, he’d taken her notes with good grace, making several adjustments to the new song. Things seemed to be back to normal between the two of them, though Meghna wasn’t sure.
“Hey, everything looks great,” she said.
Seth laughed. “Thank our wedding planner. I had nothing to do with it. And nothing to do with the planning.” He scanned the room, and Meghna followed his eyes, looking at the neutral-themed space, the tables covered in beige and taupe, with just a hint of dusty rose.
“Well, it turned out well,” she said. “It almost looks like something out of a bridal magazine. Casual, but elegant. Rustic, but refined.”
He grinned. “I’ll tell Julie you said so.”
“So … How are you feeling about tomorrow?”
“Good. Excited, I think.” He lifted a shoulder. “Maybe a bit nervous?”
“I think that’s normal.”
“Guess you’ll find out for yourself soon,” he said with a laugh. “I saw Karthik made it, but I haven’t gone over and said hi yet. Things all good with you two?”
“Yep. Couldn’t be better,” she said, lying through her teeth.
“Good, that’s good.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m really happy you’re here, Meg. You’ve always been someone I can lean on. And I appreciate it. Even if you sometimes are a little too harsh with me.” He let out a chuckle, and Meghna frowned.
“Harsh?”
He dropped his hand and shrugged. “You know. You don’t really hold back. You can be a little … mean at times. But don’t worry. I know it comes from a good place.”
Was he kidding right now? “I don’t think I’ve been mean, Seth.”
“Don’t worry about it, Meg,” he said with an easy smile. “I forgive you.”
She didn’t need his forgiveness. She hadn’t done anything she needed to be forgiven for.
“If this is about the feedback I gave before, about the song …”
He laughed, the sound coarse and brittle. “We don’t need to rehash all that. It’s in the past now. You just went a little too far and …”
But she hadn’t. She’d just been honest with him. Had given him the feedback she thought he needed. It might have been the most drastic suggestion she’d ever given him, but her advice to start from scratch had obviously worked. The song was much better than it had been before.
She was tempted to get into it, tempted to push back, to find out what he was really upset about. Seth had always been brutally honest and up-front with her, but now it was like there was a hidden meaning to his words. An extra layer she couldn’t understand. She wanted to get to the bottom of it, to find out what had gone so wrong between them and see if she could fix it, but this wasn’t the time or place to have that discussion. She pushed down her irritation and wrapped up their conversation, telling him she was excited to hear the song tomorrow. Then she left and joined Karthik at their table.
The groomsmen were seated near him, and Karthik laughed at something Eric had just shared with the group. She sat in the empty chair beside him, and Karthik greeted her with a rare open and relaxed face.
“There you are.” He swung an arm over the back of her chair, and the casual gesture made something in her stomach flutter.
“You had a good talk with Seth?” he asked quietly.
“I did.”
“He ever say sorry for hanging up on you?”
She nodded.
“Good.” His hand hovered dangerously close to her bare shoulder. A ghost of a touch. His thumb barely sliding over her skin. “You ever tell him to stop calling you Meg?”
“No.”
He opened his mouth and was clearly about to say something more when Mark interrupted.
“You call her Meg too?” he asked Karthik.
Karthik shook his head. “I don’t.”
“Oh. Sorry, I thought that’s what you said.”
“No, I … Meghna prefers to go by her whole name,” Karthik said.
“Yeah, I knew that,” Eric chimed in from across the table.
“You did?” Meghna asked, slightly surprised.
“That was, like, one of the first things you told me,” Eric said. “Seth always called you ‘Meg,’ but when I met you and tried calling you that, you shut it down. I always figured it was only okay for Seth.”
Mark nodded. “Me too. Thought it was some special couple thing just for the two of you.”
The arm around the back of her chair went stiff.
“Special couple thing?” Karthik asked.
Oh God.Meghna wracked her brain for a way to change the subject. She wasn’t interested in reliving her brief experience dating Seth back in college. Not when she was sitting here at his rehearsal dinner, just trying to get through his wedding weekend. And she especially didn’t want to discuss it when she was seated next to her fake fiancé. Who didn’t even know she had dated Seth at all.
But before Meghna could interrupt and change the topic, Eric answered Karthik’s question.
“You know, back in college. When they dated. I mean, it wasn’t that long, but they acted like a couple even before that.”
Meghna smiled weakly, and Eric went off on a tangent, leading to a funny story about their college days that thankfully had very little to do with either her or Seth. She sipped her wine and hoped Karthik would be distracted by the story. But when she discreetly looked at him out of the corner of her eye, she almost choked.
His expression was neutral. Composed, in his usual manner. But his eyes were dark and intense. Laser-focused on her. They made an unspoken promise that even though they wouldn’t discuss any of it now, he would definitely be bringing it up later.
Meghna swallowed nervously as all her hopes of avoiding this particular conversation vanished like smoke.