EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE

Jessie placed the final box down in the guest room in Ravi's condo. Her car was now empty, and the chaos of the day had left her covered in a sheen of sweat. After hours trying to manage the move from Texas to New Jersey, she looked around at her mess: the half-packed boxes of clothes, the IKEA table and dresser boxes she'd recently purchased, the random suitcases filled with books and whatever else she had to shove into every nook and cranny of space she had.

The sound of the door opening led her back to the hallway to see if Ravi had returned.

"Hey!" she said when she saw him stroll in with Deep and Sahdna.

"Jessie!" Deep said, arms wide. He stopped when she held up her hands.

"I am a sweaty mess, Deep. You do not want to hug me."

He closed the space between them, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her off her feet. "Yes, I do!" he said in a singsong voice. "It's good to see you after such a long summer."

She smiled. He'd grown on her now that she knew how to handle his energy. He was like a big teddy bear.

"I'll take a sweaty hug, too," Sahdna said from behind him. Jessie turned, and Sahdna squeezed her like they'd been apart for three years instead of three months. "It's good to see you."

"You, too," Jessie said. Feeling relieved to have Sahdna in her life. She was so honest all the time and had been one of the best confidantes as she and Ravi learned more about each other's worlds. "Are you going to come over for dinner as often as possible?"

Sahdna squeezed Jessie's hands. Her eyes sparkled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Jessie grinned. "I'll hold you to it."

Deep draped an arm over Sahdna's shoulder. "I can't believe that you and Ravi fell for first-year fresh meat."

Jessie looked up to see Ravi watching them, wearing a crooked smile. "I parked your car in the garage," he said.

"Thank you," she replied even as warmth pooled in her stomach at the sight of him.

Their relationship hadn't been easy. Between vacation breaks and a second semester where he had made a deal to intern part-time in the communications division of his father's company in exchange for access to the rest of his trust fund, they fought a lot. But they also took the time to talk it through. Most often, Ravi was the one writing her letters.

Jessie didn't know if she would ever get over being scared, but he was worth every moment of the fear. She was going to continue to brave an unknown future, because he was worth it. When Ravi had asked her to move in with him for his senior year and the subsequent two years of grad school he planned on completing at the university, she immediately said yes.

Then when school finished and he returned to working on his novel, they'd figure out what to do after that.

She saw the sparkle in his eye and knew he was about to kiss her. She braced herself when her phone rang.

Jessie patted her pockets, then held up a finger before she turned to jog back down the hallway to the guest bedroom where she was storing her things. She heard the ring again and saw the glittery case on top of an open box.

"Hello," she said breathlessly as she answered. The number was unknown, but given that it was the start of the semester, she was a little nervous about her scholarship aid. She picked up every call just in case it was the provost's office.

"Hello, is this Jessie Ahuja?" A kind voice, barely accented, spoke softly into the receiver.

"This is she," Jessie said. Her heart pounded, fear and hope twining in her heart.

"I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to call you," the woman replied. "My sister-in-law passed on your information and your paper from her class last year. I haven't responded because I was first concerned about my privacy, and then I was traveling with my grandchildren."

Jessie's breath caught.

After she handed in her paper, she'd asked Professor Barnard to please share her number with Divya Das if they were still in touch, because she'd love to return her and Christian's letters.

She looked up just as Ravi stepped into the room. His brow furrowed. Who is it? he mouthed.

Jessie swallowed, then spoke into the phone, hoping with all her heart. "D-Divya Das?"

Ravi's eyes went wide. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her flush against him so he could hear the conversation clearly.

The woman on the other end of the phone chuckled. "It's been Divya Hastings for some time now. I heard you have my letters. I'd love to see them again."