Recap:  Is this the end of my potential love story?

"Aisha. Can I talk to you for a second?" Dina called out, a wide smile plastered on her face. I knew better. I gulped and nodded, not resisting as she dragged me to a quiet corner.

"What's he doing here?" She started her interrogation, glancing over at Naveen, who stood awkwardly in the distance.

"I didn't want him to, but he wouldn't take no for an answer."

Naveen pleaded to come along when he found out about the match-fixing meeting, claiming he'd handle any creep that showed up. Oddly, he was concerned not just for my safety but for Dina's too, even though we weren't close.

"Bringing your crush to meet the guy your parents picked? That's brave, even for you," Dina teased, with a cocky smile.

I rolled my eyes at her dying sense of humor. "Leave it, I want to ask you something more important."

"What?" Dina raised an eyebrow, all ears.

"Do you remember how I got home the other night?"

"You probably got a cab. I mean... I think so." Dina looked puzzled.

I shook my head. "Yes, but you know we always take pictures of our cabs and send them to each other for safety. It's like our rule."

Dina's expression shifted from confusion to concern. "Shit! You're right." She slapped her forehead, finally grasping the situation.

"And I don't remember getting into a cab at all. One moment I was there, and the next... I woke up in my bed."

Dina bit her lip, her eyes narrowing in thought. "That's strange... Maybe someone helped you get home?"

"Maybe... but who?" I muttered, lost in thought.

"Okay, first of all, we'll deal with this situation. And we'll change your lock immediately," she said, nodding in Naveen's direction.

"I'm so sorry for making all this about me. I know you're stressed too-"

"Forget about it." She cut me off abruptly. I scowled at her nonchalant behavior.

"But-"

"I don't want that silly purse. I realized that I left my IDs at home. So it doesn't really matter."

I nodded at her. As long as she's happy; that's all that matters.

As Dina and I walked back to Naveen, I couldn't shake off my gut feeling that warned me about the upcoming storm.

Naveen spotted us approaching, his eyes sharpening as he read the tension on our faces.

"Everything okay?" he asked, in a low voice, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

"Yeah, just... girl talk," I said, waving it off as if it were nothing, but the way his eyes narrowed told me he wasn't buying it.

I forced a smile, though I knew it probably looked as uneasy as I felt.

This was supposed to be a simple meeting, but now it felt like a minefield.

Dina, ever the good friend, jumped in to change the subject.
"Naveen, I appreciate your concern and heroism. Thanks."

Naveen's gaze flicked to me, and for a moment, I thought I saw something-worry, maybe even protectiveness-but it was gone before I could be sure.

"It's not a big deal. I had a day off anyway." Naveen gave a curt nod, scratching the back of his neck. "I'll keep an eye out. You both just... do what you need to do."

Dina nodded with a small smile. The three of us sat at a round table and ordered ourselves some coffee.

Dina cleared her throat, "So, Dhruv, what do you do for work?"

"It was good," Naveen replied, his eyes briefly meeting mine. "Aisha did great work today."

I offered him a small smile in return, but before I could say anything, the door to the café swung open, and a tall figure walked in, catching my attention immediately.

My jaw dropped, literally. He was, without a doubt, handsome-tall, wearing casual trousers paired with a simple white shirt that somehow looked effortlessly stylish.

He's... ridiculously good-looking.

Dina elbowed me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "That's Dhruv."

That's him? The guy my parents picked for me!? Well, this was swinging totally opposite to my assumptions.

Dhruv approached our table, flashing a warm smile that could light up the room. Suddenly, I felt acutely aware of my situation—specifically, my fashion sense. I was wearing yesterday's wrinkled white shirt, paired with decent formal pants. I could practically guarantee that my under-eye bags, dark circles, and bare face were enough to scare him off.

"Aisha?" He pointed to me immediately. Of course, my mom must've sent my pictures. Pictures that I'm not proud of. "I'm Dhruv. It's nice to finally meet you."

I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too, Dhruv."

Naveen cleared his throat, drawing Dhruv's attention.

"I'm Naveen," he stood up to offer his hand as well. His tone was friendly, but something about his posture seemed just a bit more formal than usual.

Dhruv shook Naveen's hand and gave a slight nod to Dina. "And you must be Dina?"

"That's me," Dina said with a grin, making room for Dhruv to sit down. "I hope it wasn't a trouble."

"No. It was actually a good drive," Dhruv said as he settled into his seat. He glanced around the café. "This place has a nice vibe."

"It's great," Naveen added quickly. I glanced at Naveen, who was staring intently at Dhruv, who seemed unaware.

Dina shot me a quick look, her brow furrowed as she studied my face, as if trying to read my mind. But... I was clueless... about this particular situation.

"Anyway," Dhruv continued, looking directly at me, "I know it's a little awkward. So why don't we start with hobbies? Aisha, what's your hobby?"

"Uh... I like knitting and things like that," I stammered.

My cheeks flared up all of a sudden. Dammit! Knitting? Why didn't I say maybe dancing... singing... anything.

I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. My heart raced, and I had to remind myself to breathe slowly. My hands trembled slightly as I reached for the coffee cup.

Why am I so nervous?

I played with the tissue paper, tearing it into small pieces.

Gosh! It's awkward as hell.

Why did Naveen have to come? And why is Dhruv so annoyingly handsome?

I can barely think straight.

Dhruv smiled at me, seemingly impressed. "That's really cool."

"Thanks," I said, tilting my head sideways.

"So, Dhruv, what do you do?" Dina cleared her throat before asking him.

Dhruv leaned back, exuding confidence. "I run a startup focused on sustainable fashion. It's challenging, but I love it."

Naveen shifted in his seat, passing a nervous smile when I glanced his way.

"Wow, that really does sound interesting!" I said, genuinely impressed. Dhruv smiled, his eyes sparkling.

"Thanks! Maybe I can show you some of our designs sometime?"

I felt a flutter in my stomach, but before I could respond, Naveen interjected abruptly.
"Aisha's got a lot on her plate with work, so I'm not sure she'll have time for that."

"Is that so? How do you know?" Dhruv asked directly to Naveen, his eyes boring holes into Naveen's forehead.

"Colleagues," Naveen said crisply, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace.

Dhruv raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Really? Which company?"

I took a deep breath, ready to intervene in their some sort of quiz show when I noticed Naveen's amused expression. This was turning into the most awkward gathering I could ever imagine, and I wished I could disappear into the floor, feeling the growing tension between them intensify.

Is it just me, or was Naveen being extra defensive?

"Let's just say it's a colourful place," Naveen said nonchalantly.
God! What's up with him!

"It's NMH. Nexus Media House," I chipped in, fidgeting with my fingers.

"Wow! Really? That sounds fascinating," Dhruv said, his eyes brightening all of a sudden.

"So you guys work together. That's good. He must be in your team?" Dhruv asked, staring at me. I gulped, my neck trickling with sweat beads.

"She's on my team," Naveen said, stressing "she" just a little too much for my comfort.

I can't keep up with this.
They're literally giving each other the cold shoulder.

"We just pulled an all-nighter for a huge project," I quietly said, glancing at Naveen, who was silent.

"That's awesome! What kind of project?" Dhruv asked, turning to me with an earnest expression.

I opened my mouth, ready to explain, but before I could say a word, Naveen interjected flatly.
"It was just a presentation. Not a big deal."
He crossed his arms, without a blink of an eye.

My heart dropped all of a sudden at Naveen's remark.
It was... a big deal for me.

"Oh, I see." Dhruv's eyes shifted between us, a slight crease forming on his forehead.

"So, Aisha, do you enjoy working with Naveen?" Dhruv asked, his keen focus shifting to me.

"Well, it's... interesting," I replied cautiously.

Naveen's expression darkened. "Interesting? That's one word for it," he muttered through clenched jaws, tapping his fingers against the table.

Today was the first and probably the last time I got to work with Naveen. How was I supposed to answer that?

Dhruv smiled brightly, leaning back, relaxed as if he won a huge battle. "Interesting, huh?"

"Yeah, teamwork is, um, crucial," I added quickly, hoping to steer the conversation back to neutral ground. But then backed away now focusing on taking a sip of my sweet coffee.

This is definitely not how I pictured this going!

"Of course it is. I'd die to work with Aisha." Dhruv said with a playful grin.

I choked out loud, coughing vigorously. The coffee spilled out of my mouth, splattering everywhere—across the table, onto my shirt, but most of all hitting right on Naveen's face.

Shit...

His eyes widened in surprise, and so did mine. The café went silent for a brief moment, all eyes darting our way, and I could practically hear the collective gasp from a nearby table.

I just embarrassed myself in front of everyone. Great. Just great!

I sank lower in my seat trying to morph in it.

"Alright, let's just wrap this up and head out," Naveen groaned while wiping his face with a napkin.

"Yeah, you should definitely go," Dhruv said casually, sipping his coffee, completely unfazed by Naveen's icy glare.

This was not just awkward; this was a powder keg ready to explode.

And, well... explode it did.

******

**Mission Love Status:**

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