**Winner 2024 Amby Awards**
Fiza has everything planned-medical school, a respectable future, and an engagement she never wanted. Determined to escape a loveless match, she creates a checklist to find the perfect husband her father will approve of.
...
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The classroom was just a dull roar of new-student chatter, another box to check on the long road to a degree I wasn't sure I even wanted. Then the door swung open, and a group of girls walked in, all noise and bright colors.
And there she was.
She threw her head back and laughed at something her friend said. My eyes were drawn to the perfect cupid's bow of her lips, then flicked up, curious. And as if she could feel the weight of my stare, she turned.
Her gaze met mine.
It was only for a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. My heart did this stupid, loud thud against my ribs that made my ears ring. It was like an invisible force pulled me to her. I forced myself to look away. I don't trust women. I don't trust that feeling.
She settled at the front bench, all business. She pulled out a large notebook and a pen, then slipped on a pair of large, cream-colored glasses.
I sat on the last bench but found my eyes dragged back to her. She was beautiful, but in a totally different way. Not the polished, high-maintenance beauty I was used to. This was... nerdy. Intelligent. She had this mass of thick, wavy hair tied back in a high ponytail that fell all the way to her waist. Loose strands framed her face, and behind those glasses, her eyes were huge and expressive.
The high ponytail exposed the line of her neck, and a completely unbidden thought shot into my head: wondering what she'd do if I kissed her right there, in that soft hollow. A stupid, involuntary smile touched my lips, and I shook my head, physically forcing the thought away. Get a grip, man.
Dr. Kulshastra droned on at the board, listing subjects. His PG, Dr. Vijaya, scribbled down a mile-long list of books we were supposed to read. My brain checked out. My focus landed on a fly that had settled on the shirt of the guy in front of me. I traced its lazy path, my knee bouncing under the desk.
Was this really it? Was I really going to spend the next five years in a classroom? Studying? Would I have time for basketball ? What the hell had I been thinking?
I was bored out of my skull. Anatomy. The words just blurred together on the whiteboard. My leg wouldn't stop bouncing under the desk. Next to me, Rohan was folding a piece of paper into a plane, a stupid grin on his face.
"Bet you can't hit the fan," one of the other guys whispered.
"Watch me," Rohan muttered, but his aim was crap. The flimsy plane veered wildly, dipping and diving before it smacked right into the ear of that girl sitting ramrod straight in the front row. The one with the massive notebook and the serious glasses.
The guys around me snickered, trying to stifle their laughter. I just watched her.
She flinched, her hand flying to her ear. She looked down, spotted the paper plane on the floor, and her whole posture went rigid. I could practically feel the anger radiating off her. Slowly, deliberately, she turned around to deliver what was clearly a pre-packaged death glare.
