"May I ask why you all invaded my bedroom?" Nisha sighed at the bunch of people. Atif, Ajay and Wahi sat on the floor while the kids were on the bed with Priti. Kabir sat on her working chair, circling on it and smiling at her while Shams was checking the curtains. 

"What a mess..." She sighed, sitting on her table, glancing at Kabir in front of her. 
He turned towards her, "You sat on the table?" 
"Is there any other place for me to sit?" 
"You can sit here." He pointed at his lap as her eyes widened.
"The heck?! What do you mean—"
"I'll get up and join them then you can sit." He spoke as her face straightened.

Oh.

What was she thinking?

"Um, no need to." She spoke, looking away and gulped. Her palms were tingling due to the weight of her own words sinking into her chest. 
"Why do you look so uncomfortable though?" He asked, eyeing her from head to toe. She shook her head.

His lips parted to say something but he didn't, looking away instead.

She'd be hella embarrassed if he cracked her thoughts. 

"This is cute." He pointed towards her mini drawer as she smiled, "Oh? This is my favourite part of my working desk." 
"You can see it if you want." She said as he smiled, "Are you sure about that?" 
"Your look makes me wanna take back my words." 

He shook his head adorably and smiled, tracing the tiny drawer. 
"Can I open it?" 
"Sure, not like it has gold." She rolled her eyes, pretending to be unbothered and glanced at him smiling at the little accessories inside.
"Is this really your work table?" He asked. 

"So what if there's a little jewellery on it?" 
"That's uncanny. You seem too serious about work to have a tiny jewellery box beside your working desk, must like jewellery a lot." He whispered to himself as she watched him stare at a pair of earrings. He kept it inside and opened another drawer.

He took out the silver chain, checking it properly before looking at her.

She inspected the chain and realized it was from the mall.

Shit, she forgot to return it due to all the incoming mess.

"Where did you get this?" He asked, a deep furrow forming between his brows.
"Oh my! I forgot about this. When we went to shop for Priti's wedding, someone bumped into me and dropped this. I gave it to Priti to send it to the lost and found of the mall but it was closed so they brought it home. I thought of returning it but completely forgot! Thanks for reminding me." She tried to take it away from him but he held it firmly, making her frown.

"What? Don't tell me you want this now." 

"This is mine." He spoke, looking at her blankly.
"Huh?" Her eyes widened as he continued, "Was it a day before the invitation to your house?" 

She nodded as he let out a soft breath, "Look. There's a 'K' carved in it." 
"But... why is your locket—"
"After returning, I rushed to the mall and bumped into someone but I was in a hurry so I didn't notice that my locket fell. When I realized and went to search, it wasn't there. I contacted the lost and found several days afterwards but found no updates. I thought I lost it for real... can't believe it was so close." He smiled a little, disbelief evident in his eyes.

She stared at the locket, "That's... crazy." 

The memory of the man's back flashed in her mind. 

"This is..."
"Fate." He relaxed on her chair, smiling widely at her. 
"You're not distressed?" 
"I lost hope of it before. But I feel rather glad knowing it's been with you all along." 

There was something about his smile that radiated sincerity. 

She was glad he found his lost thing back. And she was pleased to think that she was the one who found what he'd lost. 

He handed her the locket, "You found it for me. Help me wear it." 
"You're going to wear it now?" 
"Yeah. This locket goes well with this black kurta." 

"How many black kurtas do you even own..." 
"I look good in black, come on." He shrugged as she gestured for him to come closer. He suppressed a smile as she was about to help him wear the locket but halted.

"What are they doing?" Atif asked Ajay who shrugged, "I don't care, honestly. I'm hungry. What did you buy for the feast, Shams?" 
Priti stared at her sister and Kabir, a soft smile playing on her lips as Adisha nudged her arms. 
Nisha glanced at them, frowning a little to see such reactions but pretended not to notice them.
"You can just wear the locket on your own. It doesn't have hooks, either." 

Kabir looked at her with a sigh, "Can you elaborate on your reasons for hating me so much?" 
"What?" She frowned, eyeing him strangely. 
"Put it on for me if you don't hate me." He smiled as she kept the locket on the table, getting down as he heard her mutter,

"I'd rather hate you than put it on for you." 

He let out a huff, glancing at Adil who shook his head, giving him a disapproving look.

Life sucked.

———

"Of course." Nisha's father said, laughing along to Shams's father's jokes. The elders were talking as the youngers sat around, listening to them. 
Nisha smiled a little, noticing how adorable her sister and Shams looked while they whispered things between themselves. 
"Only a few get such love..." She whispered. 

She got up and walked towards the aunties chatting about random things. 
"Oh my! Yes! Kobita's daughter ran away with Shamsuddin's son!" One shrieked loudly as she sighed, shaking her head. There went their usual topics.
"Oh, bhabi! I attended Munni's wedding! Her husband is so ugly... she could've done so much better." 

Nisha sat near them, wondering when their irrelevant chats would come to an end.

"Ah, Nisha!" Jafrin Aunty spoke with a smile to which she reciprocated. She sighed, glancing at her mother.
"Why does she sit with these snitching aunties if she doesn't like them?" She whispered to herself, shaking her head when her paternal aunt spoke, "Nisha. You're next! Are you ready for marriage?" 

She pressed her lips, "Uh, well... I think it depends on whenever I'm fated to marry." 
"She's still building her career." Her mother inserted, earning a few sighs from the aunties.
"This is the age to get married. She's already twenty-five. Who'll marry her if she becomes older?" 
"Given this generation, you don't have to worry much about it aunt! Age isn't a big factor these days." She smiled kindly, mentally cursing the shit out of these women for bringing up these topics. 
They had a talent for making anyone in a radius of a hundred meters near them offended and uncomfortable. 

"Still... it's for your good. You can't find a very good and wealthy guy when you age too much." One of them spoke as she smiled, nodding. 
"If I don't find any suitable guy, I'll just stick to my career. There's no rule that women must get married." She politely spoke, fisting her hands as the aunts started gossiping amidst themselves. Nisha glanced at her mother's uncomfortable expression as she lightly shook her head at her daughter. 

She sighed, looking down. 
"What type of guy are you searching for Nisha? Should we help?" Kona Aunty asked as Nisha shrugged, unbothered. 
"A good guy who'll know how to treat my daughter well." 
"No wealthy or good background?" 
"That's a given." 

She cringed at their mentality, "Who said only money makes a good man? Strange people." 
"Priti got married into a family... with no doctors or engineers. I'm sure Nisha won't disappoint you." 

There went another arrow straight into her brain.

Nisha stared at the aunties, wondering why they were pushing this matter so much. There was a boundary that they always crossed.

"There's no need for you all to worry so much about my marriage. I mean, it's fine if my marriage is delayed. Who said I need a man to live well? I can manage well on my own considering I earn enough as well. You can worry about your daughter first, I feel too flattered if you all worry about me so much." She spoke, noticing how their expressions changed. A few of them started giving her looks as the others kept quiet. 
"She's so considerate. You got a compatible daughter." One said to her mother in a mocking tone who awkwardly smiled.

"Ah, you guys carry on. I'll check on the guests." Nisha walked out of the room with a sigh but gasped when she felt a warm, delicate pressure on her shoulder. 
She turned around to find Kabir standing there, leaning against the wall.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in a low voice, cautious about the people inside. He smiled a little, mouthing, "You won." 
Her frown dissipated, turning into a soft smile as she noticed how proud he looked.

That encouraged her.

"Did you listen?" She whisper-asked, earning a subtle nod from him. 
"I was going to call you but the heated conversation inside prevented me from doing so. I didn't expect you to be such a badass... you killed them with kindness." He shrugged, walking closer to her as she looked down, "Well, a sharp tongue with sweet gestures is highly necessary, as I said." 

"Why did you want to call me though?" 
His smile turned into a thoughtful look as he continued, "We'll leave now. So they asked me to call you to say goodbye." 
"Ah... I forgot." She looked at the time. It was nearly evening. 

"I'll call Maa—"
"Stop." He held her arms, causing her to turn back in surprise. He pulled her closer, peeking inside slightly and looked at her with a smile. 
"What?" 
"Are you coming to Shams and Priti's honeymoon?" 

"Oh... you mean... the familymoon where the entire family from both sides is going?" 
"Yeah, the one they're calling honeymoon but is a family trip instead." He held back a chuckle as she grinned, nodding, "Of course... I objected but they'll drag me anyway." 

"I'm going too." He said. 
She raised her brows in amusement, "That's great. We'll see each other then." 
He nodded, "Are you excited?" 
"I wasn't but... I guess I can consider changing my mind now." 

He looked at her, amused. 

She gave him a small smile before looking away shyly, flustered by her own choice of words. 
He noticed a loose hair strand from her braids and slowly tucked it in, glancing at her stiffened face. 

Backing away, he licked his lips, "Then, see you, Nisha. Take care." 
"I'll call Maa." She spoke, rushing into the room as he smiled, "Ah... I feel so... strange."

He held his heart, smiling a little at the feeling and walked back to the rest.

—A week later—

"What? Why did they cancel all projects?" Nisha asked, staring at her clueless colleagues. 
"I was told to finish these in time. That makes no sense." She let out a frustrated noise and walked towards the office room but before she could enter, Nur approached her, "Nisha!" 

"Ah, Nur?" She looked at him as he continued, "Boss is out of the city. He'll return a few days later."
"Huh?!" She gasped.

"I won't be here for a few days. I'm using up my vacation days." She spoke, looking around distressed.
"He left a few hours ago. You just returned so I forgot to tell you beforehand. You could talk to him after you return from your family trip." Nur suggested, looking around. 
"I'm sorry, I would've helped if I could."
"It's fine, Nur. Don't worry." Nisha sighed, checking the boss's office one last time before returning to her seat.

"This makes zero sense. I finished the project... just for them to hand it out to someone else? I'm not letting this go." She muttered under her breath angrily when her phone pinged with a notification. She frowned, checking it.

kabir_95: What are you doing, Nisha? 

nisha00: mentally cursing my ugly-ass bitch boss.

kabir_95: Woah woah! Chill, woman. What happened? 

nisha00: I was handed a project of designing an office for a client. I did it and today when I went to submit it, they said it was given to another newcomer. It makes zero sense, right? 

kabir_95: So they shifted your project to someone else without informing?

nisha00: 😐😐

kabir_95: That's salty, man. Did you talk it out with them? 

nisha00: mf went on a trip just now. ugh. 

kabir_95: What are you going to do now? 

nisha00: Carry on with my work until he returns. I don't think I'll be facing him before returning from Cox's Bazar. 

kabir_95: You should finish your work and take a break for today. That's some seriously fucked up shit he did.

nisha00: Yeah, I guess😕

kabir_95: Will you go home after work? 

nisha00: I don't know, why? 

kabir_95: Do you want to... join me to try out a new restaurant nearby? It's near your office too. 

nisha00: When?

kabir_95: Anytime you want. I'm free today.

nisha00: Are you free every day?🤨

kabir_95: I worked like a dead ass this week. Today's a holiday for me since no meetings or plans. I'll start working on my project and advertisement's final touches after I return from Cox's Bazar. 

nisha00: Oh. No wonder you were inactive this week.

kabir_95: You noticed, then.😙

nisha00: Whatever. Let's go to the new restaurant then.

kabir_95: I'll pick you up then. When do you get off work?

nisha00: Five pm. 

kabir_95: Okayy👍

nisha00: Talk to you later then. Take care, bye💛

kabir_95: You too, bye💌