“What are you doing here?” Natasha turns to her family and best friends, who all look just as surprised to see him. They walk over to the other side of the bar after giving Karan a quick hi.

“I’m actually here with some work friends.” Karan motions to a table full of guys sharing a pitcher of beer and a platter of fries.

“Nice.” Natasha tries not to stare at him or think about how surreal this moment is. If things had gone according to plan, she and this guy standing in front of her would be planning their wedding. An entire life flashes in front of her. They would have had an epic big, fat Indian wedding, the kind uncles and aunties would rave about for months. Mom and Anita Auntie would have made sure of that. Natasha pictures herself with Karan at Bhojanic trying paneer for a food tasting or going for a premarital couples massage or looking up resorts on a white, grand beach for their honeymoon. A twinge of sadness passes through her chest. It would have been a decent life, an easy one. Maybe even a good one. But it wouldn’t have been honest or fair to either of them.

“So, you were good up there,” Karan says. “Funny.”

“Thanks . . .” It takes everything out of her to not hug him. As much as he’s her ex-boyfriend-almost-ex-fiancé, he’s also the person she’s known since they were in preschool. He was her favorite Mario Kart rival, the first person she drove when she got her license.

“I always knew how funny you were,” Karan says.

“Did your mom always know, too?” Damn it, why did she have to bring up Anita Auntie? Her mouth always moves quicker than her brain.

She quickly adds, “Sorry, was that too soon?”

Karan snickers. “I think it’ll always be too soon.”

“I really am so sorry for everything,” Natasha says. “I can see now how difficult it must have been to be with me, through all my shit. You deserved better than all that. Than me.”

Karan shakes his head. “I assumed a lot. I thought I was doing you—us—a favor by proposing, but instead, I was focused on what I thought I needed to do.”

Natasha’s not sure how to respond. There’s so much she can say. That they both got too caught up in what they thought they were supposed to do instead of what was really right for them. That she’s not sure if their parents’ friendship will ever heal because of how long she let things between her and Karan drag out. That she hopes he’s happy.

But none of it seems right.

Karan flashes her an awkward smile, the same one he had after their first kiss.

“I guess I should get back to my table,” he says.

“Of course.” Natasha nods. “It was good to see you. Really.”