Mehendi & Moonlight || Ana

Chapter 11:: The Chaos

"Right. Then comes the entry of the cake. I should've picked it up myself when Maa told me to. I was being lazy."

Her gaze fell in disappointment.

Hearing the notification ping on her phone, she dejectedly checked it. There came a text from Adisha.

Adisha: Where are you guys? Priti is tense.

Kabir looked at her tensed face and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Adisha texted. Priti is tense — means everyone else is as well." She sighed.
"Tell her we'll take only 20 minutes more."
"Fine." She muttered dejectedly, typing in a quick reply,

Nisha: 10 more minutes.

"That's a lie." He frowned as she shrugged, "If I say 20 minutes, Maa might pass out."
"Does ten minutes make such a difference?"
"Of course, it does."

Chuckling lightly, he asserted, "You're strange, did you know that?"
"Did you think only Bengali men have the right to say '5 more minutes' just to take 2 hours?" He looked at Nisha to see her obvious look and smiled lightly, "I don't do that."
"Sure, you don't."
"Unlike the majority of the Bengali population, I know punctuality."
"Okay, Mr. Expeditious." She wiggled her brows, earning an amused chuckle from him.

"Stop mocking me—"
"The cake's ready, ma'am." The receptionist interrupted his statement.
"Thank you." She was about to hold the box but he abruptly snatched it away before she could.

"Let me hold it for you." He smiled. 

Her lips parted to protest but his smile caused it to die soon. And before she could process the next, he was standing in front of her car with a confused smile, gesturing for her to rush there.

There was something about the moment.

Maybe it was his friendly gaze or how he patiently waited for her instead of getting inside the car. But it all made her smile.

A genuine, happy smile.

One she didn't expect he'd succeed in earning.

—20 minutes later—

"You took ten more minutes!" Adisha complained as Nisha shut her up with an arched brow. Kabir placed the cake in front of the bride and groom who were bombarding him with questions. 
"Oh no, Maa is coming." Nisha sighed.

Already, she had been glaring at Nisha since the start of the ceremony. She could take a guess why. 

She was spending quality time with Kabir, who was a guy. And it was noticeable to many people. Not to mention how they had a sizzling chemistry in the dance performance.

How could her desi mother let this atrocity go? 

"Nisha, Adisha, Adil!" Atif called as they all rushed to the stage quickly. They all sat around the bride and groom. Adil and Adisha applied some haldi to both of them and Adil, instead of feeding the sweet to Shams, ate it himself. 
"What a disrespectful kid!" Nisha's father spoke as they all laughed. 
"Everyone smile!" Ajay spoke as the cameraman got ready. Nisha took some haldi and smudged it on both of their faces earning loud laughter.

"Nisha!" Priti shouted but who listened? Shams was laughing, fed up with the torture. 
"Kire, Shams." Wahi who was standing behind them pushed him — who seemed to be done with the tortures done to him as the groom. Nisha looked at the cake and then at the camera, smiling widely.

Her smile was distracted by the figure standing behind the cameraman. 

He smiled at her, mouthing, 'Look at the camera, not me! I know I'm handsome but...' 
She frowned, huffing lightly.