She pressed her lips together in a small smile and finished her drink. “Thank you.” She placed her empty glass down. “Listen, I don’t have any other plans tonight. Want another round? My treat.” She let her eyes rest on him, hoping he’d agree. “I’ll even spring for food.”

“Well, if you’re treating, hell yeah.” He laughed and motioned for their waiter.

ANNIKA FINISHED PLEATING Naya’s sari and pulled the pleated section down over her cousin’s shoulder. “Stay still,” she commanded through a mouthful of safety pins. She sounded like her mother. When the hell had that happened?

“It doesn’t have to be perfect. We’re just trying it on.” Naya squirmed.

“Just stay still,” Annika demanded as she pinned and wrapped Naya in her wedding sari until Naya was perfection. The sari was the traditional white with a red border, with fine beading throughout. Naya would make a beautiful bride.

“I think you do just a nice, simple updo, the red and white flowers accenting it, and that’s good. What do you think?”

“I love it.” Naya was slightly giddy. “What about you guys?”

“I had your mom get us all the same sari in that blue you like so much, right?”

Naya nodded her approval. “Honestly, whatever makes my mom happy at this point.”

Annika grinned. A diva her cousin was not. Which boded well, since they had barely a few months to plan this thing.

“Lucky that Ravi was so persistent, eh?” Annika teased.

“Can’t fight true love.” Naya flushed.

“Too bad you didn’t believe that a few months ago. We would’ve had more time to plan this.” Annika studied her cousin.

“It’s part of the compromise with his parents. We go to the Peace Corps, but we get married first.” Naya shrugged. “Ravi and I had already wanted to be married, so pushing it up a few months seemed reasonable.”

“To everyone but those of us who are planning.”

“Stop complaining! You love this.”

“I was talking about your mom.”

“Yeah,” Naya conceded. “She’s going crazy.” She shrugged. “She’ll be fine.”

Annika fidgeted with Naya’s sari for another moment. “You should wear it like this, mermaid-style. It’s super flattering.”

“Whatever you say.” Naya caught her reflection in the mirror and made eye contact with Annika. “What about you?”

“What about me?” Annika asked, distracted, as she slowly started to remove the sari.

“Heard you went on a date with Sajan.” Naya raised her eyebrows.

Honestly, how did everyone know everyone else’s business? “It wasn’t a date.” Well, it hadn’t ended up as one. Even though Sajan had footed the bill no matter how hard she’d insisted on at least splitting it. She smiled. He’d make some woman happy one day. It just wasn’t going to be her.

“Well, what was it?”

“Friends. Having dinner. It happens.”

“Have you talked to Daniel?”