Every person she’d met since Kami had been a complete dud in one way or another. Two years, two whole years of not meeting anyone remotely right for her. It was a sign that she was destined to be unlucky in love her entire life.
She was wiping away the wetness on her face when she heard a voice ask, “Ani?”
A male voice.
She whipped around, away from her sad corner of concrete, and was met with the concerned princely eyes of Raffi Garabedian.
He was carrying a sleek leather briefcase in one hand and a wine carrier in the other, effortlessly commanding the space without even trying. He set both on the ground and approachedher. He, broad-shouldered with a natural elegance, looking like a fantasy nobleman come to life.
She, a weeping mess. She hiccupped once and then wondered if a person could die from sheer mortification.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he asked.
“Yes,” she wanted to say. “I’m so, so hurt.”
“I’m fine,” she said, using the heel of her hand to push away tears. The way he was looking at Ani…was he genuinely worried about her? She wished she could melt into the concrete wall, dissolve into nothing, and spare herself the weight of his concern.
Raffi laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, and something inside her pulsed with delight. “You’re clearly not fine. Can I help you somehow?”
Ani laughed helplessly, and Raffi removed his hand. Her traitorous mind thought,No. Put it back.
“Reverse time so I could somehow convince Kami to stay with me? Among taking back some other…mistakes?”
“I’ve been meaning to ask—” Raffi said, then cut himself off. He restarted. “I know you two dated, but it seems like things didn’t…end well?”
Ani leaned against the wall and huffed out a big breath.
“I thought she was the love of my life. We even planned our wedding—what kind of music we’d choose, where we’d want it held, big or small. But neither of us actually proposed. Then, she dumped me. Two years ago. I hadn’t seen her or talked to her since then, barring a string of embarrassing ‘please take me back’ texts I sent right after the breakup.”
Around them, the stark lines of the brutalist architectureloomed, the concrete walls and geometric shapes casting sharp shadows in the midday sun. Raffi seemed to be taking in her words. His eyes were engaged, and she could practically see his mind working. He wasn’t dismissing her or mocking her. It wasn’t a mistake telling him, that was a relief.
Ani continued, “And now I’m not only planning her actual wedding, but she invited me to watch her try on wedding dresses. I was just in there with her relatives, but I couldn’t take it anymore.”
Raffi visibly flinched.
“Don’t go back,” he said.
She laughed bitterly. “I can’t do that.”
“Sure you can.” Raffi shifted around. “God, it’s just like Kami to ask you to come to something like this. Kami’s charming as hell, don’t get me wrong, but she forgets that other people exist sometimes. That they have, you know, feelings. And that she might have to sacrifice her wants for someone else’s needs.”
He seemed to really know her, and his tone of voice made it sound personal, like they hadn’t had a casual relationship, as she’d originally believed. There was something deeper there, something raw.
“Oh?” was all Ani said.
Raffi stiffened, then he changed his expression into one of coolness and brushed off her question with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I just know how she is. Always has to be the center of attention, always has to get her way.”
Ani hadn’t met anyone who had said anything like this about Kami before, and it was…refreshing. She wanted to press further, but she could tell he wasn’t about to elaborate.His voice had tightened just enough to betray him—he was not open to sharing whatever it was.
People in suits and business casual wove through the open atrium, their footsteps echoing against the hard surfaces, their voices blending into a low, steady murmur.
After a beat, Raffi exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing as he flashed her a wry smile. “Which she did, once again. How many people can say they’ve got both of their exes planning their wedding?”
Ani laughed. “Kami really likes to keep ’em close.” And then Ani realized this was the first time she had made light of their situation with Kami.
Raffi smiled. “Or, more likely, she just doesn’t think about the fact that it’s weird.”
“It issoweird. I hope she’ll be the only ex whose wedding I have to ever plan.”
