‘Ananya,’ he began but I cut him off with a wave of my hand.

‘Are you embarrassed of me?’ I asked him. My cheeks felt hot even as I asked the words.

‘I’m not,’ he said, shaking his head vehemently. ‘I was just embarrassed at having a girlfriend because then I’d always be teased about it and I prefer to just do my thing and not get into all that.’ He looked earnest. Always so focused on his work, I thought, marvelling at how much he had changed since we were kids.

I decided to come right out and ask him what I wanted to know.

‘Why did you go back to Mumbai without telling me?’ I asked him.

He looked up and then he leaned forward. ‘I think we should get something so they don’t kick us out,’ he whispered.

Grimly, I nodded.

‘What do you want?’ he asked.

We were surrounded by desserts. Oh god. Sweets and desserts had been my undoing. I couldn’t go down that path again. But the five years that I’d avoided them had been so joyless. Did I have to live that way all my life and still look fat? I might as well give in a little and enjoy life, and then worry about burning off the calories.

‘Get that raspberry parfait with the white chocolate brownie,’ I told him, pointing to the dessert slideshow on the flat screen TV. As Raghu walked to the counter to place the order, I looked around and spotted myself in a mirror on the opposite wall.

I looked away quickly, but then, I forced myself to look back into the mirror. The voices didn’t begin their insidious whispering because Fat Ananya was still there, smiling shyly at me. She was part of me. She was me.

Around me, there was just the noise of the busy café, the music playing on the sound system, the laughter of a group of boys and girls—nothing to indicate that I’d just had an epiphany.

Raghu returned and sat down opposite me.

‘You didn’t answer my question,’ I said.

He looked down at the table. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was a big deal at that time,’ he said softly.

‘What? You went away without talking to me after that . . .’

‘Hospital moment,’ he added, his face a little pink.

‘How can you say that it wasn’t a big deal? And when you returned to Mumbai, you just ignored me. Didn’t send me a single message until I sent you that selfie with my friends,’ I said.

‘Ananya, I’m sorry. I was confused.’ He looked around and then reached out to take my hand.