“Oh, Maya!” She barreled toward us and nearly knocked me over with the force of her hug. “I’m so thrilled! You have no idea. I was really worried you’d end up like your Meera Aunty, but my goodness, Sebastian Laurent. You were always so adorable together, even when you were fighting.” She pulled back, her eyes narrowing. “This is a real, exclusive relationship, right? Not one of those, what do you call it,situationshipsthat your generation is so fond of?”
Where the hell had she learned the term “situationship”?
“It’s real,” I assured her.
“And exclusive,” Sebastian added, a tiny note of possessiveness in his voice. Warmth licked at my insides.
My mother started crying again. She hadn’t been this happy since her rose garden beat her frenemy Aisha’s for first place at the International Gardening Show.
Her unabashed display broke the tension, and everyone came up to speak with us and offer their congratulations. Sebastian’s parents were way more chill about us dating, though his mother did threaten to excommunicate him if he hurt me in any way. He laughed and promised that would never happen.
My father was the only one who remained seated. “Excuse me.” His mustache bristled with irritation. “You’ve been dating sinceMarch? So you were sneaking around while Michel and I were fighting? How—”
“Shut up, Neal,” my mother snapped in Hindi. “You arenotgoing to ruin this moment for me. Now get over here and congratulate your daughter.”
He shut up and did as she asked.
I suspected he didn’t want my mother to ice him out again after the Laurent drama. Some battles were better left alone.
Once the excitement died down, I brought up the last issue on our agenda. “There’s one more thing,” I said. “I know you’re eager for me to get married, but Sebastian and I would like to go at our own pace. We’ve only been dating for a few months. We want to enjoy it without any, um, additional pressure.”
My mother was so over the moon about our news that she didn’t argue. “Of course. Take your time… as long as it’s nottoomuch time. I’m not getting any younger, you know.” A devious smile snuck across her face. “Oh, I can’twaitto tell my gardening club. Those snide remarks Aisha made about you being an old maid—as if her boring son-in-law is some big catch—she’s going to eat her words…”
“What are the odds she secretly starts planning our wedding tomorrow?” Sebastian asked after my mother dragged Yvonne back to their table, no doubt to start plotting revenge against Aisha.
“Tomorrow? This is my mother we’re talking about. I bet she starts tonight.”
He laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling as Priya wandered up to us. “I’m happy for you, but I’m also so annoyed with you right now,” she said. “I was hoping Mom would get so distracted planningyourwedding that she’d forget about mine. But no, you got her to hold off on your wedding prep.” She heaved a deep sigh.
“Sorry,” I said sympathetically. “If it makes you feel better, I’m sure she’ll be busy with the prep behind our backs.”
“Maybe,” Priya said morosely. My free-spirited sister was having issues with our mother’sextremelyhands-on approach to her wedding. “Ben and I should’ve eloped. I wanted to, but Mom… anyway, enough about that.” She perked up again. “I can’t believe you two are together! What a shocker. I mean, I hadno clue.”
“What can I say? We’re good at keeping secrets,” I deadpanned. Sebastian coughed out a laugh and quickly hid his grin with his fist.
Between her interrupting our first kiss and her being present for our lovers’ spat during Radhika’s wedding boat ride, Priya had received themostclues out of anyone in my family. But that was my sister for you—constantly lost in her own world.
I loved her anyway. Her obliviousness was part of her charm.
Neha approached us next.
Sebastian tensed—he hadn’t forgiven her for threatening me at the bowling alley—but I was curious about her reaction to our announcement.
“So.” Her gaze flicked between me and Sebastian. Her expression was unreadable. “I guess I have my answer.”
“No. I never answered because it was a false choice based on a flawed premise,” I said. “You were assuming I’d have to sacrifice everything for an uncertainty. It was an overly rigid way of viewing something that’s not so black and white.”
Are you willing to throw it all away for a relationship you’re not even sure will last?
I’d agonized over the answer for weeks, too afraid to commit to a side, but the launch crisis had imbued me with crystal-bright clarity.
When I thought about who I wanted to celebrate with, commiserate with, and spend my life with, there was only one answer.
It was Sebastian. It’dalwaysbeen Sebastian.
He was my emotional anchor, my one constant in the chaos. He made me stronger, and more importantly, he made mehappy.
I loved my family, but Neha’s question was a false choice because I wasn’t “throwing away” anything. My achievements would always be mine, and my family would always be my family, even if they were mad at me.
