Jiya's POV
"My brother's marriage is fixed."
One look at the notification and I almost fell out of my bed in excitement. I picked up the phone and instantly called him, only for the call to be answered on the very last ring. I neither minded nor let him speak first, "Many many congratulations to your brother!" I squealed.
"Thanks, I guess." His voice was bland and emotionless, it was hard to believe that he was the brother of the groom.
I asked, "Are you not at least a bit excited?"
"Why would I be? It's just a wedding."
My smile softened a little, but I could not help the excitement bubbling up, "Still. It's a wedding, Samar. You know how obsessed I am with those."
"I do." I could imagine the sulk on his face, "You must be the only person walking on this Earth who watches those Shaadi Mubarak ads for fun."
My grin widened, "They are elite. That background music hits harder than a truck."
"Of course it does." He sighed, "It's not just you, everyone back home is pretty excited as well. You Indians just need a reason to go gaga over celebrations."
"That we do." I said proudly before asking, "Is that a bad thing?"
He quickly explained, "It's not. It's just that I am really not into all this. The noise, the crowd, the relatives I don't even know existed asking me when I am getting married."
I chuckled, "Poor baby."
"It's okay. Let's just not talk about this anymore, okay?"
I traced the hem of my bedsheet and said in a low voice, "I am sorry. I know you hate weddings, and I am just… losing my mind over it like a crazy person. I have never been to one and…"
"Hold up." He interrupted me, "Seriously? You have never been to a wedding before?"
I shrugged, "Orphans don't usually make it to the guest list."
A beat of silence hung between us, he was just breathing into the call like he was suddenly paying more attention to me.
"Jiya…"
"Hey, I am okay." I cut in, "At least I don't have to deal with that one relative who would ask me why am I getting fat. I will take that as a win."
"Lucky you..." He chuckled with me, "So, we are meeting this Sunday, right?"
"Yeah! It's been a while, and I miss you a lot."
"Okay then, love. Now I gotta rush, I will see you this weekend."
Time moves more slowly when you are looking forward to something, three days felt like a drag before it was finally Sunday.
I waved at Samar, walking in through the cafe door. Man, what a charm he was. Wearing a red graphic tee and a pair of baggy jeans, his hair was medium length and roughly styled into spikes. He removed his coolers and waved back at me, revealing to me his charcoal eyes, which kept me hypnotized.
"Did you shave?" I grazed my hand on his rectangle jawline and stared at his thin lips. I strongly believe that not everyone can pull a clean shaved look and if they could, they are genuinely handsome. Like my Samar. I said, "You look really handsome."
"Thank you, babe. You look cute too." He said before turning to look at me, "How is my baby?"
I pouted, "I was exhausted because of the college and stuff but now that I am here with you, I feel better."
A slight smile grazed his perfect lips, "I have something that will lift your mood in no time."
"Huh? What is it?" I watched him reach out to his back with curiosity glazed all over my eyes. He pulled out what looked like an envelope and handed it to me, "Here, take a look."
"Someone is being mysterious." I tore the envelope open, and as soon as I saw what sat inside it, my face dropped with shock. I looked up at him, "Is it…"
"Yes. It is indeed an invitation to the wedding."
I froze for a moment, processing his words inside my head. He had to snap his fingers to bring me back to my senses, "Hey, what are you thinking about? Take a look at it."
My fingers trembled as I took out the invitation which was so fresh it would hardly budge. It was gold-foiled and expensive-looking looking with a faint scent of roses and sandalwood. My name wasn't written on it, obviously, but it did not matter.
"You are serious? Are you actually taking me?"
He scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Yes. I figured you would want to go. First wedding and all that."
I threw myself at him and wrapped my arms around his neck, almost knocking him off his seat, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You are the best."
"Jiya, what are you doing? There are people around us." He anxiously pointed out.
"Oops, I am sorry." I pulled myself away and hugged the invitation close to my chest, "I can't believe this is happening. I will go shopping for the clothes right now."
"No, no, no. Not so soon." He took the invitation from my hand and said, "If you want to come to the wedding with me, there are two conditions."
I raised an eyebrow, "Conditions? Like what?"
He held up a finger and said, "Number one, we are not telling anyone we are together. If anyone asks, you are my friend from college."
My head tilted doubtfully, "Why so?"
"Because they will turn it into gossip. You don't know Punjabi families, it will be a circus."
"Hmmm… Makes sense." I nodded, "What is the second one?"
"You have to tone it down a bit." He said blandly.
I half-chuckled, "Tone what down?"
"Yourself." He said awkwardly, "You are too Bollywood. I need you to lower it down a bit and try to blend in. We don't want you to grab unnecessary attention now, do we?"
I just stared at him for a bit, "Oh."
"I am not asking you to be someone else." He rushed to explain, "Just… you know, be less of the sparkles and glitters. It is a wedding with a lot of elite people, not some Bhojpuri item number."
"You are mean." I smacked his arm playfully and took the invitation from him.
"I am realistic." He corrected his hair, "It's just one week. You can fake subtle, right?"
"Anything as long as I get to spend time with you, babe." I smiled.