Naina (Al-Ameen Family #4)

High Alert

Couple more chapters left and then we're done... :')

Armaan convinced me to come with him two weekends later when the team was off for a few days for Holi. I was staying at a nearby hotel and he at his house. He wasn't super happy about it, but even he knew we couldn't just walk into his family's home and announce our love.

Armaan said we'd meet with some of his cousins for dinner tomorrow and ask them to speak to the parents about us and him leaving cricket.

I was feeling anxious the entire trip. I hadn't heard from Hasan or anyone else in the last two weeks, but I still remembered his text.

"Do not go anywhere near the UK."

Just because he followed up with a text not to worry didn't mean I wouldn't worry.

I was on high alert from the second the plane's wheels hit the ground. Every person, every sound around us had me analyzing.

Armaan dropped me to the hotel first and then took the Uber to his house. I had asked him to wear the jacket with the tracking chip I put in months ago, saying something about how he looked amazing in it.

Once I got to the hotel, I turned on my second phone which had the tracking app. Once I saw that he had arrived safely home, I was able to relax and take a shower.

The next evening, Armaan picked me up from the hotel and we met some of his cousins at a restaurant in the city. I had put on my best sundar susheel (good girl) outfit and my favourite jhumkas that made me feel like a million bucks. I was in a magenta anarkali that was covered in a big rose pattern, a vision of a perfect potential daughter-in-law. 

"Naina, I missed you," Armaan cooed jokingly, hugging me so tightly he picked me up off the ground.

"I missed you too," I said, walking over to the bed to put my flats on.

He followed, taking my chin in his hand and lifting my face towards his. I put a hand over his mouth, stopping him before he started something.

"Nope, hands off me sir. You need to be on your best behaviour and my makeup took too long to ruin," I warned.

He glared, taking a step back. "Fine," a smile crept over his face. "I'm sleeping here tonight."

"No, Armaan-" he pulled me up, and flipped me so my back was to him. He pushed my hair to one side, pressing a kiss in a spot he had come to know made me weak in the knees.

"Don't argue with me now. Whenever you wear these sexy dresses, I can't help it."

"I'm literally covered head to toe," I shove him away, laughing. "Let's go before your family thinks I'm just as unpunctual as you."

Since I knew the cousins that were coming to dinner, I was feeling less nervous than I thought I would be. But it was his brother and sister-in-law that were new to me and were the ones I needed to impress.

I was on my best behaviour, my charm on full gear. I saw Armaan sending impressed looks my way every time I spoke business or tech with his brothers. Part of my training as an agent was being able to hold a conversation with anyone and everyone. My daily practice of skimming news headlines always came in handy.

His older brother Aamir and oldest cousin Mizan would speak to their elders about everything tomorrow and let us know what they said. We had to lie and say I was in London for work so they didn't know Armaan and I were travelling to India together, and I told them I would returning to India in a week.

Armaan and I left the restaurant feeling elated. Once everyone was in their cars and on their way, I turned to Armaan and almost jumped in joy.

"That couldn't have gone better," I grinned ear to ear, wrapping my arms around me as the night breeze picked up.