‘When I came to Bangalore, I was looking forward to catching up with you, even though you’d given me the cold shoulder all these years. But then . . . you were still mad at me and then, after we talked and got Esha out of the way, I started to feel something for you, every time I saw you.’

I leaned forward, my hand suddenly feeling warm in his.

‘I couldn’t believe the thoughts I was having, how I kept thinking of you all the time, how I wanted to spend more and more time with you. And on the day of the party, you looked so different and that’s when I realized that I had a crush on you,’ he said.

My mouth dropped open and my ears turned hot. He looked sheepish as he turned my hand over in his. ‘And I ran away back to Mumbai to figure out everything. And anyway, my dad had been after me to take those exams.’

‘That’s not really an excuse for ignoring me,’ I murmured.

He nodded. ‘I know. I was a coward. I hated being back in Mumbai and then you sent me that selfie and I wanted to come back to Bangalore right away. And then, once we were back to texting, it just felt right. Our communication seemed so fluid, so easy. And when I came to your house last night from the airport, seeing you in person just brought everything back in a rush. All my feelings. Everything.’

I looked away, trying to compose myself. Raghu was still talking.

‘I’m so glad you gave it back to that dickhead Aamir. What an ass,’ he said, shaking his head.

‘He was rude, but he spoke the truth. I’m fat. Less than I used to be but I am still overweight. I don’t know if it will ever go away. I’m just going to have to live with it,’ I said with finality.

The server brought our dessert to the table.

Raghu pulled his chair towards my side of the table and sat down beside me.

‘I don’t care about that as long as you’re okay,’ he said.

Smiling, I put my head on his shoulder.

‘This is going to melt if we don’t eat it soon,’ Raghu said after some time.

I straightened up, feeling self-conscious suddenly, and picked up a spoon. As I pushed my spoon into the dessert, I sensed Raghu coming nearer, and I felt heat bloom over my skin because of his proximity.

I caught a group of girls looking at us. One or two of them giggled and raised their eyebrows appreciatively in Raghu’s direction. They were probably wondering what a hottie like him was doing with me.

Too bad I wasn’t up to explaining anything to anyone!