"What's wrong with you now?" Nisha asked, checking out the dresses. She had been confused for the past 20 minutes seeing her distressed sister. 
"Adil, Adisha! Stop running around!" They heard their mother's call from far away and sighed.

Coming to a mall with these people was probably the worst decision. A hundred percent humiliation.

"Ei Bubu! Look at this!" Nisha heard her aunt call her mother. There was quite chaos in the mall when they came to shop for Priti's upcoming wedding. 

It had been 2 weeks and Sham's parents had visited. Everything was fixed and they wanted to begin the preparations leisurely.

"I'm scared. I never thought we'd be marrying." Priti spoke in a low voice, careful so others didn't hear her. Nisha gave her a small smile, picked a red kameez and held it before her sister. 
"Shundor." She spoke. Beautiful, indeed.

"Buy this one." She turned around and started checking out a few more, continuing, "Priti-pi. Everything will be fine, trust me. This all will pass smoothly, you will have a happy married life, I'll get a promotion at the job and whatnot?" 
"Hope so." She heard her sister whisper tentatively. 

"Oh my god! Nisha, come see!" Priti suddenly squealed, confusing Nisha. She followed her sister who showed her a beautiful panjabi.
"This would fit Shams so well!" She said and Nisha chuckled, "I thought you found lost money or something." Priti gave her a side-eye, "You thought. Anyway, how's this Sherwani?"
"Good, I guess," Nisha spoke, eyeing the golden fancy kurta. 

Priti quickly rushed to the other store as Nisha sighed. 
"Imagine this wasn't a building mall and we were on the streets, she'd die first." She whispered, walking towards the store her sister entered when she accidentally bumped into someone. A shoulder. 
"Oh, I'm sorry!" She moved away, flustered. 
She was about to look up but the man was quick enough to turn away, starting on his tracks. 
"Yeah, it's fine!! Sorry!" He hurriedly walked away, almost running as Nisha stared at his back. That was quite a good-looking back, she'd say. 

Her eyes fell on the floor and a frown appeared on her face. It was a silver chain. She picked it up, rushing towards the direction the man faded into. 
"Excuse me?" She called amidst the crowd, but finding no one around, she let out a disappointed sigh. 
"I'll just hand it over to the lost & found." She grimaced, hearing her sister calling her. 
"What's that in your hand?" Priti asked as Nisha approached her. She shrugged, "Someone dropped this as we bumped into each other. Don't know what to do with this." 

"Give it to me, I'll hand it to the lost & found of the mall's office." 
"Huh?" Nisha asked as Priti took it from her, handing her a bunch of dresses instead and walking away, "See you then!" 
"What the..." She sighed. 

Hearing the background music of the mall, she let out a laugh.

Out of all the songs, they had to play Sheila Ki Jawani. Her Bengali aunts accompanying them would be so sceptical about this. 

—At home—

"Look at all these dresses, aren't these beautiful?" Nisha asked, showing it to her aunts and mother who sat on the bed. They all approved but one of them spoke up, "Red doesn't suit Priti." 
"Kona aunty, it always suited Priti-pi. What do you mean?" She frowned. 
The elder woman thinned her lips, "Anyway. Whatever I say isn't your headache, who ever listened to me? I was only helping." 
"No need to sulk. What colour suits a bride better than red?" Another aunt spoke. 

Nisha's mother got up and asserted, "We invited Sham's family to our house 2 days later, they'll come and get introduced to our family members. I have a lot of preparations, let me go!"
"I'll join you." Kona Aunty and the others got up, joining her. They all left the room one by one and Nisha sat down, staring at the dresses. 

She started folding them when Adisha came into the room, "Nisha-pi!" 
"Yes?" She asked, her eyes fixated on the dresses. 
"Is Shams coming?" The younger one asked, sitting across her on the bed.
"Nah, he's not. The groom or bride don't join to these invitations." 
"Ah... we thought we could prank him!" Adisha sulked, making Nisha laugh.

"We will, Adi. Don't worry. We have thousands of chances to do so." 
Adisha watched her elder sister fold the clothes as Nisha's eyes diverted from the clothes to her sister. A soft furrow appeared between her brows seeing a familiar silver chain on her neck.
"Who gave that to you?" She asked. 
"Oh, this?" Adisha pointed at the chain and smiled, "Priti-pi."
"When?"
"Like a while ago, in the mall."

"What the hell?" Nisha got up, staring at the locket Adisha held tenaciously. 
"Did she give this to you?" 
"She asked me to put it in the lost and found box of the office but when I went there, I found it closed so... I kept it." Adisha tentatively spoke. 

Nisha sighed, forwarding her hand, "This is a lost object someone dropped. Why would you bring this home?!" 
"The office was closed! I thought I could drop it on the floor but then people would step on it so I kept it. If the owner calls, I can return it."
"Are we a public lost and found household that the owner will call on our number that they lost a chain?" Nisha let out a frustrated noise, sitting on the bed.
"Hand it to me now. I'll keep it back." 

"But-"
"No buts." Nisha sternly warned as Adisha sighed, taking off the chain. 
She was hesitant but handed it to her eventually. Nisha grasped the chain, got up and locked it in her drawer. 
"You all are so frustrating sometimes. Imagine technically stealing a chain." She rolled her eyes. Adisha gasped loudly, "Hey! When did I steal?!" 

"Okay, you didn't. But this is stealing by omission." 
"That's Priti-pi's fault." 
"Can't change your thoughts but never take the thing you find like that. What if that person files a case on that chain and you get jailed?" Nisha's assumption made the younger one scrunch up her face. 
"That's lame, Nisha-pi. Plus, I wouldn't go to real jail, I'm still a 14-year-old juvenile." 
Nisha shrugged, putting the dresses in a bag and spoke, "Anyway, now go get going. I have to work."
"Why are you such a workaholic?" 

"I'm not. It's just that I have a lot of responsibilities." Nisha defended. Adisha scrutinized the bedsheet of Nisha's bed and continued, "You are... look, even your bed's dirty. I bet you spent the entire night working on your laptop." 
"Shut up. Success comes with a price." Nisha said. Adisha chuckled, "Yeah, and when it becomes expected, praise is a luxury." 

Nisha thinned her lips, knowing well what Adisha meant.

Despite Nisha's extreme success in both academic and cultural aspects, she never got her deserved praise. Because that was how things were in here, and probably everywhere. 

The more you achieved, the more it was expected. And appreciation was just a mirage for the achievers in a desert.

—A few days later—

"Hey, do this decoration properly!" Nisha commanded the guy who was slacking off. They were decorating the house with flowers for upcoming invitations. But most were idling around and Nisha was furious. 

She looked at the orange juice in her hand and scoffed, throwing it out of the window and keeping the glass on the table.
"Too much sugar, disgusting." She twisted her face. 

"Are they here?" 
"They are!" 

She heard her aunts speak from the next room and sighed.
"Quick, quick! Please fix these flowers well." She walked towards the kitchen to check the cooking progress. 
The scent of freshly cooked polao, roast, beef curry, egg korma and whatnot? 

The food was beaming at Nisha. 

"Mm, this smells so good Maa!" She squealed and her mother chuckled.
"You can have it once the guests do. They're here, right? I'll quickly serve these. Call your Jafrin aunty." 
"Alright." Nisha rushed outside, calling Jafrin aunty who ran into the kitchen.

"Uncle, Aunty!" She called, seeing Sham's parents. She greeted them while they were chatting with the elders. Priti was shyly standing nearby.
Sham's uncles and aunts, parents and sister came. His sister went to Priti's room where all the cousins resided. 

"I'll join in a while, let me check the workers!" Nisha said to Priti who was constantly calling her. 
"Nisha! Listen! I have something important to say!" She spoke worriedly. 
Nisha showed Priti her palm and assured her she'd be back quickly. She went to the decorators to see an unfamiliar figure standing there. He was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt and white pants, going through the flowers on the floor. 

That couldn't be a guest.

Every guest wore traditional desi outfits. 

Nisha approached him, asking, "Excuse me?!" 
The figure whose back was facing her turned around with a frown. The moment those dark brown eyes met hers, she backed away slightly. 

Those confident eyes didn't seem like someone who was caught ruining her flowers.

Sanguine. 

He looked too eloquent. Yet, his attire was uncanny. It was obvious he wasn't a guest, and the last option was: He was working with the decorators. 

If he was a worker, standing and idling around, ruining the flowers, she'd eat his head.

"Who are you?" He asked, eyeing her from head to toe. For a moment, she felt as if he knew her but that frown didn't support Nisha's assumption. 
She raised a brow, "Whoever I am, why on earth are you ruining the flowers?! I worked so hard for this? Oh my god! Are you for real?" 
"What-" The man was speaking but Nisha cut him off, "Don't what me! You're clearly ruining the flowers." She pointed at a nearby worker and asked, "Where's the guy I asked to fix the flowers?"
"Maybe somewhere else. Please ask that guy to do it." The man spoke, walking away while working.

Nisha sighed, "Please leave those flowers before I twist you completely!" The man left the flower string on his hand. 
"I don't even- Look, I'm a guest! I'm the groom's-" He stopped, looking at his outfit and then at her to find a scary expression. 
"Yes, yes, what are you?" She asked when a few male figures entered the area. 
"Nisha? Kab-" Atif stopped, seeing the man in front of Nisha and eyed him strangely. 
"What's wrong with him?" Ajay whispered as Atif shrugged. 

"This man is ruining the flowers. Look! There are a few torn ones. There's a reason I arranged fake flowers, how will these low-quality shits last for a month? This is so bothersome. That man clearly told you to finish the work and you're... not only idling but ruining these flowers. Ruining money." 

Nisha's confused state should've been eased by the familiar men in the room. But they gave one another an obvious look and continued, "Oh man! Why would you do that?!"
"She's paying you! Work decently! It's a wedding season!" Wahi inserted, gasping dramatically. Atif, who was beside him nodded, "Really, man. Go work!"
"For real." Ajay scrunched up his face as Nisha stared at the man with a blank look.

"I didn't tear these!" The man protested but no one listened.

He had a discontented look on his face as he eyed the males.

The other males in the room pinched each other, holding in their laughter. 
The man blinked at Nisha, "Don't listen to them. I'm the groom's best friend. I can explain why my outfit-"
"Shut up man! Stop lying!" Ajay cut him off, loudly, gaining an indignant look from him. 

 She let out a strangled noise at his sudden statement and glanced at the other 3 males who had huge frowns on their faces and kept shaking their heads. 
"We're the only 3 guests here. The other one didn't even come." Wahi spoke, shrugging.

Groom's best friend?

Okay. 

Now she was starting to rethink.

Her head wasn't in the right place. Yet, she had a feeling that the guy she was shouting at wasn't actually a worker. The smug faces of the three idiots beside her didn't support their words. There was a huge chance they were lying, and if they did, she was doomed.

She stared at the 3 males and then the one in front of her, whispering, "Trust you on what, exactly?" 

The man looked so offended as he stared at her.

"Here, Kabir-" Adil stopped right in front of his sister and the 4 males who were all staring at him. He frowned, "What's wrong?" 
"What did you just call him?" Nisha scowled, eyeing her younger brother.
"Kabir," Adil answered, handing him something that looked like a fancy cloth. He took it and said, "You could've assigned me a better spot, friend." 
"Well, Nisha-pi's room is the only empty one but you can't go there. She'd eat my head if you did." Adil said, glancing at the woman beside him.

"He's... not a worker. But... K-Kabir? As in, Sham's best friend?" Nisha's face turned completely red as Adil nodded casually. She guessed it and she was right. Yet again, she had officially fucked up.

She looked at the 3 males who gulped, looking like they were regretting life decisions. She took a deep breath and stared at the floor, not daring to look up.

"You asked what to trust me on, right? It was... this." The man clarified, glaring at the three males who slowly backed away, avoiding Nisha's dead stare that shifted from the males to Kabir repeatedly. 

What the heck just happened?