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He carried on looking for nearby hotels with later-than-late availability. He looked up a few minutes later when doors swung open and nearly choked on his own tongue. She was dressed in an outfit the colour of the perfect spring sky, embroidered with delicate pink flowers that cascaded over it like cherry blossoms blowing in a breeze, glittering with golden embroidery. Golden bangles jingled softly up and down her arms, matched by heavy-looking earrings and pins that swept her hair back to where it could cascade in waves over her shoulders and down her back. More gold adorned her eyelids, and a small dot rested on her forehead.

Whatever the silky top was called, it fitted her perfectly, hugging her curves and ending just above her waist in a band of gold embroidery that matched the top of the skirt that swished as she moved towards him, tucking a long scarf back over her shoulder as she did.

She was flushed, her hair slightly messy, and looked absolutely radiant – brimming with joy.

‘Jamie, hi.’ She smiled, holding out both hands, covered in the beautiful patterns like when he’d first met her – mehndi, he reminded himself. ‘What’s going on?’

‘You look… incredible, Amrita. Just… wow. I, umm… wow.’

‘Thank you.’

‘I’ve pulled you away from something, haven’t I?’ He felt a flush of guilt.

‘Not really. The sangeet is winding down. I was thinking about going to bed soon anyway, but I wanted to make sure you got here safely first. And here you are.’ She smiled again. ‘So, what’s going on?’

‘I managed to book my room for next weekend instead of this one. And they’re fully booked. I’m really sorry about this.’

‘Don’t be,’ she reassured him quickly. ‘Mistakes happen. And I was with you when you booked it, so I must have missed it too. It’s probably as much my mistake as yours. We’ll get it sorted.’

‘I was just looking for other options nearby. I’ll find something and let you know when I get there. You should go back to your family and celebrate with them.’

‘Jamie, it’s so late that it’s early. I’ve already said my goodnights. And you’ve been travelling for hours. You must be tired.’

‘I don’t have much choice.’

‘Of course you do. I have a room here. Just stay with me.’

‘Are you sure? I mean, I really appreciate the offer, but I promised I’d take things slowly. Are we really there yet?’

‘Actually, you said at my pace. And I’m fine with it. It’s just sharing a room. I trust you, Jamie. At least stay here tonight. We can look for something tomorrow if you’re that worried about it.’

‘What about your family? I haven’t even met them yet.’

‘You will tomorrow. Jamie, thank you for being so respectful – I really do appreciate it – but I’m an adult. I’m allowed to make my own decisions, and right now I’m far more worried about you driving around tired, trying to find another hotel, than I am about anything anyone might say or do.’ She turned on her heel, beautiful blue skirts and scarf fluttering and swirling around her as she moved.

A few moments later she was back, handing him a room card while she tucked the other inside her top. He gulped.

‘What? This outfit doesn’t come with pockets, and a bag would have just got in the way when dancing!’ She grabbed his suit bag and held out her other hand for his. ‘Come on. Before everyone else starts coming out. Otherwise, we’ll be down here for ages while you get introduced to everyone.’

As much as every instinct he had still clamoured for every moment with her he could get, he wasn’t being fair. ‘You should go back to your party. I can find my way and get myself sorted.’

‘I don’t doubt you for a second.’ She pulled him gently towards the elevator. ‘But I told you, I’ve already said my goodnights. No one is expecting me back. Plus, I hadn’t planned on inviting you to my room tonight.’

‘Which is why I should find another hotel.’

‘I thought we’d covered that already?’ She gave him a strange look – part amused and part annoyed. ‘I told you it’s fine. But I wasn’t exactly tidy getting ready, and I need to sort things out quickly. So, unless you’re going to tell me that you can’t handle me being a bit messy…’

‘I’m sure you’re not that bad.’

‘Want to bet?’ She grinned, her eyes sparkling as she stepped into the elevator. ‘Come on. Tell me about your late, urgent contract. Is everything OK?’

‘Yeah, just about.’ He sighed and sagged against the wall slightly. ‘Local preservation society being a pain in the arse. Again. Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand the desire to protect our historic vistas, but we have to protect our planet too. And they had already agreed the designs in principle. And, visually, the windows wouldn’t have looked any different to the average person not inspecting them up close. And they would have given the building outstanding – technical term, by the way, not just me being arrogant – eco performance.’

‘Did you get it sorted?’

‘Yeah, just about. We had to redo and redraw about half of our specs, but I think it should be OK. Thank you for asking.’

‘You’re welcome.’ She leaned against his shoulder, and he kissed the top of her head – careful not to disturb any of the pretty decorations. ‘I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you for coming. Everyone is really looking forward to meeting you.’