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I laugh, and for once, the sound isn’t strangled, like it had to be pulled from the parts of my soul I was once convinced were dead. “It can be our first official date.”
“Showing up to a first date in a wedding dress?” He cocks a brow. “Reeks of desperation, don’t you think?”
“What can I say?” I loop my arm through his, resting my head on the spot below his shoulder. “I’ve decided to be someone who runs toward love instead of away from it.”
Our fingers interlock. “And who, pray tell, convinced you to be said person?” he wonders, his tone light.
I stare up at him, and when our eyes meet, a sense of calm settles in my belly. “Some guy I sat next to on a plane. He was oddly insightful.”
“You’ll have to tell me all about him,” Sarfaraz comments as we reach the exit.
“Don’t worry,” I assure him. The doors in front of us open. “We’ve got plenty of time.”
Epilogue
I burst through the door, my heels skidding against the hardwood floor. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” I apologize. I shrug out of my brown jacket, hang it on the coat rack, then head over to the orange loveseat and drop my purse in front of it. The soft purple hues of the evening sun stream in through the blinds.
Dr. Khan waves me off. “It’s no problem. I’m just glad that you showed up to an appointment.”
“I’m sorry,” I say again. “I had no idea that I was going to end up staying in Pakistan for the whole summer. My aunts and uncles kept convincing me and my mom to stay later, and then when I got back, I was so busy with the new school year and packing up my stuff from the apartment. And then when I managed to make an appointment, I had to cancel because Hibba Baji needed a last-minute babysitter.”
“Still,” Dr. Khan begins. “The end of June to late October is a long time to go without really talking to me. I know we had a couple of phone calls in between, but I want to know everything. Last time we talked, you were getting married. And now you’re not married.” She leans forward. “What happened?”
I smirk. “I did what you said. I did something for me.”
“And what exactly is that?”
“I realized I was getting married for the wrong reasons.” I stare at the tips of my black ankle boots. “I didn’t love Imtiaz. And while I was willing to see if I could fall in love with him, I realized that the both of us deserved better than taking a chance on something that big.”
“So, you’re still single, then?” Dr. Khan asks.
My smile grows bigger. “I wouldn’t exactly say that, either.”
“You’re still with Imtiaz, but you’re not married to him?”
“No,” I clarify. “We’re not together anymore. I have a lot of respect for him, but it wouldn’t have worked out.”
“Okay,” she drawls. “Then who are you in a relationship with?” she questions.
The words come out in a rush. “I’m kind of dating his secret older half brother, who was the guy who sat next to me on the plane ride there but who became...so much more than that.”
Dr. Khan blinks a few times. Her pen stills against the notebook in her lap. She clicks it so that the tip disappears, then sets both items to the side. “I’m sorry, you’re going to have to start from the beginning.”
I do. I start with the airport, then move on to Switzerland, and then Pakistan, and finally, the wedding. When I’m finished, Dr. Khan stares at me for a second. “You do not pay me enough to do this job.”
I can’t help the laugh that bursts from my chest. “Are you allowed to say that as my therapist?”
“Probably not,” she acknowledges with a chuckle. “I’m just having a hard time believing that the Maya Mirza I know would do something like that.”
“I know.” I suck in a breath. “What I did to Imtiaz wasn’t great, but—”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” she cuts in. “I meant that I’m surprised you took a stand for yourself like that.”
“Oh.” I grin. “Well, sometimes you meet people who make you brave.”
“I need to meet this guy who apparently did in one week what I was trying to do for three months,” she teases. She places her elbow on the armrest of her chair. “How are things going with your families? Tensions must be running high.”
“It’s not exactly...good,” I explain. “But it’s not terrible, either. My mother is very supportive, and she’s quick to shut down anyone who tries to bad-mouth me, though I’m sure people are still doing it. And Imtiaz, obviously, is cool with it. To be honest, he’s way happier to be focusing on his career. We talked the other day, and he told me he led his first solo surgery. I’m super proud of him.”
