Dilkash

(i) jashn-e-bahara

"Milke bhi hum milte nahi,"

Inayat's POV

We reached the restaurant and it was just the two of us, me and Jiju. I looked over to see Jiju talking to the manager while rubbing my right palm against my left elbow. I didn't really know how I was feeling about all this, you know?

Arrange marriage, probably to a heartless rich guy. I heard the door behind me open and I turned around to find my sister entering. With her was a guy in a formal pants, shirt and blazer. He presented himself really nicely. He was looking at his phone so I wasn't able to see his face. I turned back immediately but my sister noticed.

Great, he's a workaholic too.

She walked towards me and held my hand. Whispered something in my ears which I was barely able to hear as all my attention was drawn towards calming myself down as I was extremely nervous.

She took me to the guy who had put his phone in one of his pockets now, I think. She nudged me a little, kind of like asking me to look in his direction.

"I'll let you both introduce yourselves to each other." She smiled at both of us and left me alone with this guy. He looks like someone I know from somewhere but I can't put a name to it.

The guy smiled at me and then motioned his right hand towards a table. Both of us went there and sat down.

"So...," I said, tucking my hair beneath my ears. "How did Nisha Ji lure you into agreeing to this?" I gave an awkward smile. Why'd I call my sister Nishaji? Who even says that?

"I really didn't have any options," He let out a dry chuckle and then smiled. "What about you, how did the king himself make you say yes to this?"

"Well, I like to call it playing with my emotions." I smiled, again awkwardly. Obviously.

"Jokes apart, he's done a lot for me. Enough for me to agree to the only thing he's really ever asked of me." I smiled. I don't want anyone thinking Jiju emotionally blackmailed me into this even though he kind of did. He chuckled. Bruh?

"Oh, by the way, Nisha Ji did tell me that you lived in Mumbai till March of this year, so you're from there or here?" He asked, taking a sip of water. He has a stunning wristwatch.

"Uh, so actually I moved to Mumbai for my bachelor's degree, then I eventually did my masters there and found a really nice job there. But, before that I spent the first 17 years of my life here, in Udaipur. And I came back because I felt like I was drifting too far from my family." I smiled and started playing with my fingers and luckily my hands weren't on the table so he couldn't see my nervousness.

"Oh, that's really nice. I too did my schooling here and moved to Cambridge for my bachelor's and master's degrees. I came back to join the family business, obviously." He smiled back. Oh, my God. His smile's sweet.

My phone rang, I looked at the phone and then at him. He eyed the phone. That means he's okay with me picking it up. ...Right?

I turned my phone screen side up to see who was calling. The screen showed, 'Kabir 🧑‍⚖️'. Why's he calling me? That too right now? I picked it up nevertheless.

"Hi, Inayat. Sorry for calling this late. But I need your help. I'm proposing to her tonight and I need you to be there."

What the actual hell?

"I— what? I'll kill you if this is a prank, Kabir Sharma." I said as my hands covered my mouth.

"If this were a prank why would I be standing outside the restaurant you're at?" He sighed. This isn't real.