Dania spent the rest of the night pondering over Sarfaraz's offer. The deal was enticing, but should she take it? It was better than begging in front of her stepdad. Her ego can't let her be weakened. She paced in her living room, continuing to over-think. In the evening, she decided to talk to Kriti; with whom she had gotten closer. It was a shocker what her friend revealed. At first, she scolded her then relaxed and thought with a cool mind.

Kriti encouraged her to meet Sarfaraz and even shared his number with her.

"Won't you be jealous?"

Kriti laughed, - "Why? He has been around so many gorgeous women, but he doesn't give ghass to anyone. Why you and me?"

Dania giggled, - "Woh bhi hai."

Dania chose an all-black attire- a velvet top tugged neatly into a high waist pleated long skirt and belted. She wore formal closed flat shoes and let her hair open.

Accessorized her look with a gold round dialed watch and carried a black tote bag. Finally dabbed an expensive perfume, she had kept for special occasions. The brown shade of lipstick matched her skin tone.

In the café, she waited in their usual spot. Tapping her feet, she kept checking her watch and then glancing at the entrance. Some time passed, and she drank her second cup of coffee. Just as she placed the round white cup down, there was a tinkle of the small bell. Dania looked up and saw Sarfaraz walk in.

Dania sucked in her breath as she glanced at him. The turtle neck navy blue sweater made his fair skin tone radiate more, and the olive pants complimented him well. He fixed his hair, looking around. Dania checked her face in a compact mirror and quickly snapped the mirror shut. Then, she straightened and raised her hand. Sarfaraz noticed her and smiled, walking towards her.

"Hi!" He pulled the chair and sat down.

Dania cleared her throat, - "Hi."

"Two?" He gestured at the cups with his eyes. She smiled nervously, clasping her fingers together.

"I am sorry, let me order for you." She shifted and was about to raise her hand to call the waiter.

"Let it be." Sarfaraz placed his hand over hers. Dania paused. Perfectly still with a straight face, she looked at him. He smiled, blinking softly at her. His soft eyes captivated her. He retracted his hands, on purpose grazing his fingers over her skin. Dania pulled her hand, feeling a jolt of electricity through his soft touch. Sarfaraz folded his arms, placing them on the table. Dania gulped softly.

"So, quick? What have you decided?"

Dania ignored the tingling sensation on her skin and readied to answer. Sarfaraz watched her, whilst shaking his left leg under the table. He attempted to keep his feelings for her buried, so it doesn't come in between his plans. But Fareeha's words kept coming as a warning to him.

"These shitty plans always backfires." 

"Sarfaraz, I have decided to work for you."

"Hmm." He moved back, against the chair. His eyes drew down to the half-drunk coffee mug, then darted his gaze to her face once again.

"Interesting." He leaned further, placing one hand into his olive pants, and with the other hand picked the cup. Dania gawked at him, as he drank from her cup. Sarfaraz observed her.

"Ah, sweet." He mused, perceiving her reaction, then straightened, - "Oh, sorry." He placed the cup.

Dania blinked a couple of times, then licked her lips, - "It is okay, I will order another."

"No, no, no, Dania. I will order one for you." He placed his hand on his chest, - "Please." He charmed her with his smile.

Dania nodded slowly.

"Any—"

"Dania!" A collective girls' voice startled them. Dania looked over Sarfaraz's shoulder. He turned half his body to look at them. They stared, starry-eyed and in disbelief. Dania slapped her forehead.

Sarfaraz smiled, waving his hand a little, - "Hi, girls."

They swooned and hurried to them.

"What are you doing with her?" Poonam, demurred, passing a nasty look at her. Dania's coffee-brown eyes shone with anger. Sarfaraz's presence and the fact that he had come for her boosted her ego.

"Poonam, we are discussing work." She replied haughtily.

"Work?" Poonam's thin eyebrows narrowed.

Dania glanced at Sarfaraz, - "Shall we leave from here."

Poonam rolled her eyes.

Sarfaraz moved back, nodding, - "Let's go."

Dania smirked, - "My place."

He nodded again. The other girls groaned.

"Relax girls, someday we will meet again." Sarfaraz winked at them as he rose from his seat.

Dania got up too, flipped her hair arrogantly, and walked past Poonam. The other friends were impressed by her, and this gave her immense pride.

Dania fumbled a little with the keys, then pushed the door open and walked in first. Sarfaraz kept his hands in his pockets and silently followed her inside.

Nervously, she scanned her place and mentally thanked that the living room was tip-top. She placed her hand on her chest, letting out a deep breath.

"Please, sit, I will make you my specialty." Dania pointed at the turquoise double couch. Sarfaraz nodded and sat down. She placed her bag on the coffee table, removed her watch, and hurried into the kitchen. There she wore an apron and got to work. 

Sarfaraz leaned on the sofa, looking around the small room. He frowned noticing a photograph of Dania with a dorky man. He observed the guy and felt envious, eyeing his arms and holding her. How was this man different from the lanky fair boy; Hadi? Why did she reject him and accept this guy? But this also amused him, what a degrade from macho Alpha boyfriend Shahzain to him.

Sarfaraz smirked. 

Dania walked in carrying a tray of her special mocha hazelnut coffee. He straightened, placing the photo frame back, next to the lampshade on the small wooden table.

"Here, I hope you like it." She turned the handle of the oversized clear coffee mug towards him.

"Thanks." Sarfaraz noted the "Coffee Coffee Coffee" written in three different stylish fonts on the cup. 

Dania sat next to him, a little awkwardly. 

"Relax, it is your home." He grinned at her. 

She smiled nervously once again, then raised her leg placing it on the couch, and turned her body to face him.

Sarfaraz took a sip and complimented her. Dania accepted his praises with a humble head nod.

"He is –um, your brother?"

"What?" Dania looked up from her mug and giggled, - "No. My boyfriend, Tabish Sheikh Alam."

"Oh!" Sarfaraz nodded slowly, then took a sip.

"We are an odd couple?"

He passed her a surprised look. Dania observed his facial expressions, but she couldn't decipher them. He was indeed a good actor. But can someone keep the façade every time?

"My friends say so. But I and Tabish gel very easily. Kriti says I am a dominating personality, and Tabish is submissive. So, I kind of dominate him."

Sarfaraz smirked, - "That's all good, Dania, but why are you telling me your bedroom secrets."

Dania gaped at him for a second. He winked at her. Slowly, she smiled and blushed hard.

"Nothing like that." She flipped her hair back, then sipped some coffee, and leaned towards him, - "I have no bedroom secrets." She grinned, still having crimson red cheeks.

Sarfaraz smiled, then looked away. Dania's gaze lingered on him for a while before she stared at her coffee mug.

In the next five minutes, Sarfaraz explained about the work he desired from her.

"You can work on Desi designs?"

Dania nodded, - "But I haven't tried desi wear."

"Hmm." He looked ahead.

"Will that be a problem?"

"Not much. The groom side wants to try the Desi culture." Sarfaraz thought for a moment, then added, - "Have you tried wearing ethnic wear?"

Dania shook her head.

He let out a breath, then thinking for a moment he added, - "I will talk to my manager, Fareeha. She is into desi clothes. And looks amazing in it, she knows how to carry it." Sarfaraz placed an arm on the couch, his body posture relaxing.

Dania smiled, - "She has come a long way."

Sarfaraz sipped his coffee and then added with a curious note, - "Interesting. You know her?"

She nodded, - "Yeah, she was in my school. Wonderful girl, intelligent and talented."

Sarfaraz smiled, making a mental note to tease Fareeha.

Dania leaned against the couch, placing her knuckles on the side of her head, - "I don't understand, how such an intelligent girl landed up with a chomu boyfriend."

Sarfaraz choked on his coffee. Dania panicked as he coughed. Hurriedly, she plucked some tissues and handed it to him.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" She stood by him, patting his back.

"Yeah—yeah!" He gasped, then placed the mug on the table beside him. He winced as some of the hot beverage fell on his hand, and pants. Sarfaraz winced. But seeing Dania being a fanatic, he asked her to relax.

"Chill. I am fine. It happens." He smiled at her, holding her hand. Dania stilled. His touch comforted her. Sarfaraz kept smiling and maintained the eye contact. Dania raised her face as he stood up. Carefully, he placed his other hand over their joined hands and his charismatic smile widened.

"Thank you for giving your time. Hope this works and we get to work together."

Dania nodded in a daze.

He held her hands firmly, - "I don't know why, I feel its destiny. That we met."

"So, you accept you were in the alley that night?"

Sarfaraz nodded, tilting his head to his right. His eyes admired her. Dania blushed, lowering her eyes. The next minute, she fixed her expression and pulled her hand from his grip.

"Cool," She took a step back, darting her eyes around the room, then her gaze landed on him. To his brown eyes.

"Good you accepted, now I can get some peace."

"Cool!" Sarfaraz breathed, smiling at her. Dania wondered if his jaw didn't hurt with constant smiling. Nevertheless, she smiled back.

Sarfaraz is planning to take "revenge" on Dania for the wrong reason, don't you think, guys? Dania rejected him, that was her choice, but she shouldn't have insulted him and his mother. Sarfaraz is behaving like the jilted lover, frustrated about being rejected. Fareeha was right-

"Are you for real?" Fareeha crossed her arms, - "Did she make you fall in love with her? She didn't even know you were stalking her and fantasizing about her. You know, she was spoilt and Shahzain's girlfriend. She reacted to your proposal, you deserved that. What Shahzain did was wrong. And, we learned a lesson, now move on."

Dania was right about her- Fareeha is an intelligent woman.

What are your thoughts on this, my lovelies? Will Sarfaraz be successful?

𝒫𝓇𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓅

"Hadiya, our school days are over. And, we are not kids anymore. Your son is now a superstar in India and globally. He is just doing time-pass with actresses and models. For how long will I keep my daughter waiting? After all, her age is passing and she won't be young anymore. Who will marry her?"

Hadiya bit her lip, she adjusted in her seat, - "Almas, dear, please. Hadi will settle with Fareeha."

"Currently, he is with Leila."

"Arey, you know na, these Bollywood relationships. Just time pass."

Almas's cheeks flushed in anger, - "In his time passed, he is passing my daughter's time as well. Fareeha is pagal, that she is wasting her time behind him. Already, her father isn't in favor of marrying her in your controversial family." She shot up from her seat.

..................

Dania turned her left hand and showed the back of her wrist to him. Sarfaraz frowned, reading the quote of the tattoo;

Love to Live in capital font

Live to love in brush calligraphy below the first quote. He focused on the faded scars the black ink writing  hid.

Dania licked her lips, flexing her fingers, - "My first attempt two months after my mother married her lover." Her voice cracked.

Sarfaraz's head shot up to look at her, but she caressed her scar. Tears gleaming in her eyes.

"Only three months passed after my dad left us,"- Once again she licked her quivering lips, "And, when I saw her living her best life with someone else, I thought it was best to unalive myself like my dad." Finally, she glanced at him; tears blazing in her eyes.

"I have thought it through. I will interact with her, slowly, make her fall in love with me. And, once she is in my palm, baam, I will break her heart."

What are your thoughts, my lovelies? Please drop your speculations and review in the comment. It will allow me to write faster updates *Love you all*