The Unexpected Match

Chapter 10

I gaze at the bracelet wrapped around my wrist. "Why did I even wear it?! Ugh! For this stupid bracelet, I had to face that embarrassment!"

The flop onto the bed, letting my frustration out by tossing and turning restlessly. I'm about to remove it when suddenly my hands halt as a thought rings into my mind. "But this bracelet has forever been in my hand. I don't want to remove it. Crap! What will I do!?"

The door opens and Sara barges in, roaming her eyes around. As her eyes drop on me, a wide smile captures her lips. "Aleena, my cousins, means my Khala's sons are here, let's go. I'll introduce you to them."

"Calm down, bestie. You look super excited," I say, chuckling. "After all, I'm gonna introduce my one and only best friend to them!"

"Okay, let's go."

We make our way down the stairs to the lawn. I notice two men around my age sitting nearby, along with Samir and Sahil bhaiya. Seeing Samir there, the memory of the morning flashes before my eyes, yet I somehow manage to stay calm. "Aleena, meet my cousins Yasir and Asif. And brothers, this is Aleena, my best friend," Sara introduces them.

"Aleena... Hmmm... Your name is as pretty as you," Yasir says, flashing a flirty smile, but surprisingly, it doesn't make me nervous or shy. I remain unfazed and brush it off with a laugh.

Soon I join the group and start chatting with them, intentionally ignoring Samir. Being the extrovert that I am, I fully immerse myself in the conversation with Sara's cousins, and honestly I feel so happy at this moment.

However, I notice Samir's eyes on me multiple times, and he seems somewhat upset.

What's wrong with him?

Just when I'm about to turn away from him, he speaks up, drawing everyone's attention. "Umm, Aleena, you left your ring in my room earlier," he hauls my ring out of his pocket.

I sit there frozen.

My eyes widen.

The whole atmosphere falls into a shocked silence as everyone's eyes are fixed on me and Samir. After all, the combination of me, him, my ring, and his room is truly unexpected for everyone.

I look down at my finger, only to realize that the ring isn't really there. An awkward chuckle escapes my lips. "Umm... Actually, I went to his room to drop off some shopping bags, and I accidentally left it there" I explain as my eyes travel to each of them. "But why in bhaiya's room?" Sara asks.

"Indeed, Aleena, tell them, why in my room?" Samir adds, a smile playing on his lips. All I can do is glare at him, but he seems to be having a good time.

"Actually, I accidentally went to his room thinking it was the guest room," I answer.

"So many accidents!" he says with a dramatic sigh.

He's totally doing it on purpose!

"Surprise!"

All of us fall silent and look back.

"Apu! When did you come?" Sara exclaims, running to a lady standing nearby. "Just now," she replies briefly with a smile. In her arms, she cradles a one-year-old baby, while a man stands next to her.

"Aleena, meet my cousin Mubashira Apu, her husband Eshan bhaiya, and their adorable baby Saad," Sara introduces them.

Mubashira smiles. "Hi, Aleena."

I return her smile, briefly glancing at her adorable son cradled in her arms before focusing back on her.
"I've heard so much about you from Sara" she adds.

"Okay, did she bring me up to every single person she knows?" I cast a dramatic glance at Sara, prompting chuckles from both Mubashira Apu and Sara. "Well, that could be possible," Sara replies, mirroring my theatrical tone.

We stand there exchanging a few more words until Mubashira Apu asks, "Guys, is Mom inside?"

"Yes, go ahead; Chachi is inside," Samir replies right away.
"Alright, I'll go and meet everyone. I'll be back to join you soon."

After Mubashira Apu and her family come back, we all settle in. "Finally, it's wedding season! I can't express how happy I am for you, Sahil," Mubashira Apu exclaims and Sahil bhaiya smiles in response.

Just as she begins to engage in conversation with everyone, her son suddenly starts crying in her arms. "Well, duty calls. You all carry on, I need to calm him down." With that, she walks back into the house.

"Aleena, let's go, I've something to show you" Sara says all of a sudden, grabbing my wrist.

As we walk inside the house, I feel something is missing in my hand and in the next moment I realize that I have left her phone outside. "Sara, I left my phone there, you go ahead, I'll be joining you"

"Okay. Come fast!"

I quickly go back, pick up my phone, and see four of the men still there.

As I'm about to head back, I suddenly hear Samir's voice. I turn around and see him striding towards me, until he stands right in front of me. "You forgot to take your ring," he says.

I catch a glimpse of the ring on his hand and swiftly retrieve it. "I gotta g-" before I can even finish my words, Yasir appears out of nowhere. "Hey, Aleena."

I glance at Samir and then back at Yasir. "Umm, hi."

"If you're cool with it, can I get your number? You know, it's a wedding house. Just in case you need any help, I'll be there in a flash if you give me a call." My eyes nearly widen at his words as I clearly perceive his motive behind asking for my number.

Yet again, I glance back at Samir and he looks seriously pissed off. At this point, I really want him to speak up because, obviously, I'm not going to share my number. Moreover, I can't come up with any solutions on how to tackle the situation.

Samir throws his arm around Yasir's neck, but his smile seems a bit forced. "Yasir, you haven't eaten properly since you came. Let's go and eat again."

"But wait-" Yasir tries to stay back, but Samir cuts him off. "You are not listening to your older brother? Remember I'm one and half years older than you. Now listen to your bhaiya! Let's go!"

Not giving Yasir a chance to say anything, Samir swiftly whisks him away. I stand there, laughing at the sight before me. But then he suddenly catches me staring, and I quickly avert my eyes, feeling super embarrassed.