“Hey. Thanks for meeting me. It’s really good to see you.” Natasha feels her facial muscles twist into the most awkward smile. It’s the first time in too long she’s felt anything close to anticipation. She considers grabbing his face and kissing him, the way she first did in middle school when they snuck outside during a Diwali party.

“You, too.”

I’ve missed you so much, she thinks as she takes in all of him.

Karan doesn’t seem mad at her. In fact, the gleam in his eyes gives away that he’s missed her, too. She’s overcome with a mixture of excitement and relief.

“How’s it going?” Karan’s chair screeches against the floor when he shifts toward her for a hug. Natasha means to sink into his broad shoulders but at the last second bumps into his chest like a frat bro at a football game. So much for a graceful reunion. Nobody here would ever think that two months ago, Karan was bending down on one knee and asking Natasha to marry him.

“Oh, you know, just livin’ the dream.” Natasha motions to her green apron and name tag. Even though she had so much conviction when Mom questioned her about the Starbucks job, now she suddenly feels stupid.

Karan chuckles. “Yeah, look at you all dressed up for work. It suits you, actually.”

“Oh really? A green apron suits me? How kind of you!” Natasha smiles.

“I’m just saying, I’d like to get a coffee from you.” Karan gives her a knowing smile. Is he flirting with her?

Natasha moves the free chair at the table so that it’s directly across from him. “It’s so weird being here with you like this. But I’m glad we’re doing this.”

“I am, too. So, what’s going on? How’s your comedy?” Karan takes a sip of his drink. Natasha doesn’t even have to ask to know it’s a pumpkin spice latte. Karan always craved the seasonal drinks at Starbucks, even after they were deemed “basic.” Now that she thinks of it, he embraces a lot of things that are dismissed as being commonplace, like dinner at the Cheesecake Factory or a Taylor Swift concert or those giant fingers people wear at Braves games.

“Eh, it’s fine,” Natasha says. “A lot of ups and downs.”

It takes all her self-resolve to not tell him everything that just happened with Mom and Suhani. More than ever, she craves someone who understands her and her family in a way that can only come from history.

But then she remembers that she can’t tell him because he’s a part of the videos and not in the most flattering way. Damn it, why did she have to go and do this? Why couldn’t she have just kept her mouth shut, the way so many teachers over the years had advised her to?