A guy in a black Punjabi with red collar dashes towards us and I look up to see Zamar's beaming face grinning at me.

" Mahahaha! If it isn't my favorite girl."

Amna's mouth falls open in shock and she looks at Zamar and then towards me with a quizzical expression.

I'm no less shocked. I met the guy once and here he was behaving as if we were childhood buddies.

" Zamar, I didn't know you were gonna be here." I give him a tight lipped smile.

I was positively surprised to see him. He was a nice guy but his golden retriever nature usually meant he spoke without a filter and that can be quite risky when you're from a Desi family.

Thank God my parents and grandmother had already gone inside.

Just thinking about what would have happened if Zamar greeted me like this in front of them made me shudder with fear. My Nanu and ammu's supposed reactions flashed through my mind and I shook my head to clear the images.

" It seems like you're not happy to see me." Zamar pouts with mock sad eyes.

" No, that's not the case -" Before I can rebuke his assumptions the guy throws another bomb in my direction with his next sentence.

" It's okay, I know what will make you happy. Isahaq is right there!" Zamar says a bit too loudly and points in a direction towards our right.

I'm vaguely aware of Amna gasping again as she tilts her head to follow my gaze.

Sure enough I see none other than Isahaq sitting in a chair surrounded by a few other guys who seem to be immersed in a deep discussion.

He is laughing with them and as his eyes roam around the surroundings his pupil clashes with mine and the smile is wiped off his face.

I brace myself to greet him and just as I'm about to raise my hand in a wave Isahaq turns away and continues talking to those guys.

He ignores me as if I'm a stranger.

I try giving him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he didn't actually notice me standing here. But no matter what I tried to convince myself I was sure a flash of recognition swam through his eyes in the few seconds our eyes had met before he looked away.

My fingers ball into a fist and I try very hard to control my emotions. I can feel the tingling feeling of tears trying to break through.

Why was I so emotional over such a little thing ? Silly me.

But he could have at least smiled in greeting right?

Zamar hadn't noticed the exchange and was busy telling us about the snacks we definitely had to try.

" The chicken cutlets are a must! You're gonna miss out if you don't have it soon- anyway see you girls around yeah ? My friend is calling me." Zamar flashes me and Amna another bright smile before bouncing off towards the opposite direction.

" Who was that dude and what's up with him pointing out Isahaq to you?" Amna questions me eagerly but I just shake my head, hoping she'll leave the topic.

" Api! I'm curious."

" That was Zamar, Isahaq's cousin. We met when I went to their house."

Amna opens her mouth, ready to bombard me with more questions but I beat her to it, " Let's try those snacks yeah ? I haven't eaten anything since morning."

I make small talk with a few other people I know .

Amna has wandered off somewhere else being the social butterfly she is while I sit in the corner with a group of girls who are busy talking about one of their upcoming marriages.

Isahaq's sister is also among them. Yashra greets me enthusiastically and asks about my well being.

As I took a sip from the drink in my hand, I half listened to the discussion going on while looking around at the other people.

From the corner of my eyes I noticed Isahaq and Amna talking along with Zamar. They were all laughing about something. Ishaaq wore an exact same Punjabi like Zamar along with white trousers and his midnight black locks were tousled in waves, slightly hanging over his forehead.

Great, he's talking to literally everyone except me. Why did I even expect him to greet me, it was not as if we were close.

After a few minutes the guy in question walked towards our table and bent down to say something to his sister before turning to go back.

" There's an empty seat beside Maha, you can sit here." Yashra calls out to her brother who turns back.

Isahaq's eyes deliberately avoid looking in my direction and he pauses for a second before saying, " Ah that's okay, I'm actually looking for Zamar."

I was sitting at the same table but once again he blatantly ignored my existence and walked away.

A fiery feeling gripped my heart and once again I could feel my eyes getting watery. It didn't help that I was going through that time of the month.

" Excuse me," I forced a smile at the girls before walking away towards the house.

I maneuvered my body among the crowd of people smiling formally at familiar faces before arriving in a secluded corner which was a glass room overlooking the garden.

I sat by a sofa beside the floor to ceiling length glass window and made myself comfortable.

For situations like this or in case I felt bored, I always carried a story book with me. I also had pdfs downloaded on my phone but staring at the small letters on the screen usually gave me a headache.

I took out the small leatherbound book from my handbag and put one leg over the other as I escaped reality and dove into the world of possibilities.

I lost track of time as I turned one page to another, devouring the words with concentration and losing myself into the beautiful narrative.

The whole world was tuned out and it seemed I was accompanying the characters on their journey.

But my bubble of fantasy was burst open by the unwelcome sound of my phone ringing.

I picked up the call and my mother's worried voice boomed from the other end, " Where are you ? I've sent Amna to look for you. Everyone has already started eating lunch. Come to the garden this instant. You haven't eaten anything since morning."

" Okay ammu coming. You guys start eating. I'll join you soon."

I hung up the call and with a heavy sigh put the book inside my bag before making my way outside.

While going to the backyard, I pass Zamar who is walking with a plate of pulao and chicken roast balanced on his hand.

His mouth is full of food so he can't say anything but he still manages to shoot me a smile and points towards the table of food silently asking me if I have eaten.

I nod at him and start walking towards the table to get my lunch.

Balancing the glass plate and scooping up dishes from the various steel bowls proves to be a difficult task as I also have to manage my handbag which keeps slipping off my arms

With a frustrated sigh, I manage to scoop up a few pieces of Chicken Tikka and make my way towards the bowl of Naan roti.

The Naan rotis seem freshly made as steam dances over the huge plate. I try to pick up one of the rotis and immediately withdraw my hand as my fingers feel as if they've been burned. It's too hot!

As I'm looking around for some spoons, someone reaches for the platter from behind me and picks up two pieces of roti with a pair of tongs and drops them onto my plate.

I turn around to see Isahaq standing there, looking at me. A ghost of a smile flickers over his lips. It's so sudden I would have missed it if I hadn't been looking carefully.

" Thanks." I say quickly before walking away towards my family.

This guy seemed to be in a weird mood today. First he ignores me and then he helps me. Just decide on one thing dude.

I'm still slightly annoyed but eating the delicious food eventually eases my mood and I'm back to feeling normal.

After lunch the kids decide to have a dance off and they take the middle of the garden as their dance floor as catchy beats boom from a loudspeaker.

To my surprise, Zamar and Isahaq along with a few other guys join the teens and toddlers in the middle and start jumping up and down.

" Ahh that seems so fun, let's go Api!" Amna grabs my hand to drag me there but I push her back towards her seat.

" Don't you see the eagle eyed gossip aunties sitting around here ? They'll start talking nonsense."

" But see Zamar and Isahaq bhaiya are dancing too."

" They're boys. They'll never be scolded for anything." I say the bitter truth about Desi society.

" That's true." Amna sighs dejectedly and falls back on her seat.

Before going home, the youngsters gather in front of the house to take a group picture.

" Guys! Come on join us." Yashra beckons Amna and me to come forward.

I go to stand beside Yashra while Amna kneels on the ground in front of us with the other teens.

Zamar is towering somewhere behind me but I don't spot Isahaq anywhere.

Just as one of the uncles who's taking the picture shouts at us to give our best smile, I feel the warmth of another body grazing my previously empty left side.  Someone had come to stand beside me at the last second.

I don't turn around to see who it is because the picture might get ruined.

As soon as the shot is taken everyone disperses from their position and it's too late to figure out who it was.

✨

Sure enough when we come back home, ammu and Nanu are talking about how some aunties were gossiping about the girls who had indeed joined the dance in the garden.

" Shahnaz was saying how Mr.Rahman's daughter was dancing shamelessly with the boys at the dawat."

" I mean there's nothing wrong with dancing. She could have just maintained a distance and danced on the other side. I think they're angry about the fact that she was nearly brushing up against Nadia's son." ammu adds as she takes off her jewelry.

" Exactly! I think there's something going on between those two. They should just get them married." Nanu says in a scheming tone, already ready to call their parents.

" Don't you guys have anything better to talk about." I mutter in exasperation as I shake my head at their conversation and walk away to my room.

Desi gossip never gets old.

Author's Note

Before anyone says that Maha's reactions and thoughts were unnecessary and too much -
I'd like to say it's quite justified because she is a sensitive introvert. People who are too emotional and kind naturally overthink about every micro tiniest interaction whether it be with a stranger or especially their crush. That's why she was feeling this way lol. After all Isahaq did kinda ignore her- whether knowingly or unknowingly we will find out from the guy himself.

Next chapter will be Isahaq's pov 🙃

What was up with his behavior?

I'm eager to know your thoughts<3

Do remember to press the star on the bottom left corner !