**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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In the hostel, Shahana and Priya listened in awe as I recounted the details of the trip. I told them about the competitions, the beach, being asked to sort weed, the hostel bugs and the general behavior of the students there.
"You're so lucky," Shahana sighed. "I've been stuck here enduring endless lectures. It's been pure torture."
I paused before mentioning the encounter with Abhishek on the dance floor, and how Alan had stepped in.
"Wait," Priya interrupted, her eyes narrowing. "So, you and Alan are 'friends' now?" She made air quotes around the word, her tone dripping with skepticism.
A hot blush immediately flooded my cheeks. The memory of his arms around me, the solid feel of his body on mine, his lips on my forehead, flashed through my mind with startling clarity.
"I know people like Alan, Fiza," Shahana said, her voice softening with concern while Priya typed on her phone. "They can be manipulative. They use you, and once they're done, they move on without a second thought."
I shook my head."I know Alan," I insisted, but my voice sounded smaller than I intended.
Just then, a knock interrupted us. Varsha slipped into the room, her gaze sweeping over our late-night huddle. "Did you send an SOS?" she asked Priya.
"Educate her about Alan," Priya replied.
Varsha let out a long sigh and sank onto Shahana's bed. She gave me a long, appraising look. "Can we really trust her?" she asked Priya skeptically. "I've seen Fiza spending time with that jerk."
"I know, but she needs to hear it from someone who's been there," Priya said, nudging me playfully though her eyes were serious.
Varsha turned to me and there was something sad in her eyes though her jaw was set. "Girl, let me tell you about Alan," she began, tucking her feet underneath her. "He was in my tuition class. And let me tell you, he was the hottest guy there. Smart, too. I'd seen him at interschool competitions, and damn, he had everyone crushing on him."
I pulled my blanket tighter around my shoulders.
Shahana leaned in, her eyes wide with anticipation. "So what happened?"
Varsha sighed dramatically. "Well, I decided to shoot my shot and ask him out. And you won't believe it, he said yes almost immediately! I was on cloud nine, thinking I had bagged the hottest guy around."
I listened, my fingers unconsciously twisting the edge of my blanket into a tight knot. My heart was already starting to beat a little faster, a sense of dread building in my stomach.
"And then?" I asked in a whisper.
Varsha paused for effect, drawing out the moment. "We started hanging out after tuition classes, and let me tell you, things got steamy real fast. Like, he went to second base the very first time we made out! Caught me off guard, I tell you. We were in this thing for about a month, and foolish me, I even told him that I loved him."
