I pull out my phone and find the picture Marcy had taken just a few hours ago. I take in the image and get chills again; it’s unsettling to see myself as a bride. The gown that Sophie chose for me didn’t look like anything special when I had seen it in the binder, but in person, it suddenly felt just right. It has long lace sleeves, a delicate V-neck, and a modest slit up one leg that gives the sweeping skirt some movement. No tacky glitter or revealing cutouts in sight. I felt like myself in the dress—not like I was wearing a costume designed to appeal to my Instagram followers.

I spin around the phone to show Raj. He raises a brow.

“Whew. Lucky dude.”

“Ha! We’ll see if he shows up to meet me at the end of the aisle.”

He shakes his head. “You’re nuts. I love it.”

“Are you seeing anyone?” I ask.

“Nah,” he says. “I didn’t have time at my last job. I mean, my parents are begging for me to settle down, but I haven’t found the right person yet. So, in the meantime . . .” He mimes thumbing through a dating app.

“I feel you.”

He drums his fingers rapidly across the wooden bar. “I, uh, was in a relationship a few years ago. I really thought we were happy together—and then she ended it.” He stops drumming and gives the bar a final smack.

I cringe. I get it. I’ve been there.

“Give me your phone,” I insist. “I’m going to find you someone. My friend Carmen works at Tinder and has given me all the inside tricks.”

He laughs. “Sure, do your best. Barely employed brown guy who’s five-foot-nine on a good day?”

“Okay, so we’ve had very different dating experiences. But let me try,” I plead.

He slides his phone across the bar and goes to attend to a group of customers. Once he’s gone, I toggle to view his profile. His bio reads, “Tech nerd, former startup guy, figuring out what’s next. Funnier in person,” and his photos are mostly group shots with his similarly hoodie-clad friends. In the last image, he’s leaning against a pillar in a sharp suit; it’s clearly a professional shot and looks like it was probably taken by a photographer at a friend’s wedding. I’m not going to lie, even with his sheepish smile, he looks good.