Andre tutted again but loosened the pins.

“Here, missy, could you please put your phone away for a minute and turn this way?”

Kaavi gave him a tight smile—she really was attached to her phone—and did as she was told. Who was she messaging all the time? Was it Spencer? Or did she have a new best friend to whom she she gave a play-by-play? I mean, Beth and I were close, but I didn’t message her every moment of every day. I’d let her know I was here in Sri Lanka, of course, and I’d told her how weird it was being back. But I was never glued to my phone the way Kaavi was.

“Okay, now just give me a minute. I actually have some necklaces we just used for a shoot. They won’t be the million-rupee ones that your parents will get you, okay, so don’t judge. Just so you get the picture, you know.” Kaavi giggled, but Andre was probably right about the price.

Andre and his assistant left the room, and it was just the two of us again.

“What do you think?” she asked, finally meeting my eye in the large mirror in front of her.

I know she was the one with the tight jacket, but my breath caught in my throat. I wasn’t ready, even after so long, to see this version of Kaavi in real life. The version that didn’t need me anymore. The version that didn’t depend on me to take care of things and to make things right for her.

But I couldn’t focus on all that now. I needed to know why she asked me here.

“You look amazing.” I hoped a compliment would soften things.

But compliments mean nothing to someone who had thousands of likes and loves and followers on Instagram. She was used to being told she was amazing. It’s old news to her, no doubt.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you, you know.”

That was fair. I hadn’t RSVP’d. I had thought about it, but I couldn’t RSVP without replying to her email, and I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t even 100 percent sure I would come. That I would have the guts to go through with this.

“I know.” I rubbed my temples. I guess now was as good a time to ask her as any.

“Kaavi, why did you say your parents—”

But Andre fluttered back into the room then, and there was more oohing and gasping as they made Kaavi try on various accessories. Laura joined us at some point also, and gladly relieved me of any duty I had to interact with the designer and his team.

And after a whirlwind of pins and lace and draping and air-kisses, we were done. And not a moment too soon because it genuinely did feel like my head would burst.

“Goodbye, my darling. I’ll see you on the big day,” Andre said with a final smack on her cheek. I briefly wondered how he’d look if he tripped on his pretentious sarong and bashed his head on the corner of the table that held his sewing machine. The way his neck would probably bend at a strange angle. The way his eyes might roll back into his head.