Beautiful disaster (completed)

Chapter 31 - The Double Date

Kiara's pov

"This is a terrible idea," I muttered to myself, my voice barely audible over the marble walls of the lobby. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, feeling anxious as I waited for dev and Maya's mysterious date to arrive. It was a Saturday evening, and we were in the lobby of the movie multiplex, a bustling hub of activity with people rushing to catch their shows.

Maya had been raving about her new love interest for weeks, and when she finally agreed to introduce us, she decided to make it a double date. I couldn't exactly say no without raising suspicion, so here we were.

I couldn't bring myself to refuse her request, despite my reservations.

It had been 20 minutes since we arrived. and Dev had gone to get some drinks for us.

"Your boyfriend is really sweet!" Maya exclaimed, as she spotted Dev approaching with drinks.

Boyfriend? The word felt strange in my mind.

I felt a twinge of discomfort at her referring to him as my boyfriend. We had only very recently started dating after Dev confessed his feelings, and I still felt uncertain navigating this new dynamic between us

Dev wore a casual blue shirt and jeans that complimented his tall, lean frame. Dev handed Maya her drink before turning to me with a smile that reached his kind brown eyes.

The three of us stood there, an awkward quartet, as Maya's mysterious date was nowhere to be seen. Maya kept scanning the crowd, her eyes darting anxiously between the faces of the people passing by. "Where is he? He should have been here by now."

As the minutes ticked by, my heart began to race and my palms started to sweat. What if this whole evening turned into an awkward disaster? I shot a nervous glance at Dev, who gave me an encouraging smile.

Just then, a familiar figure strode into the lobby. My heart sank further.

"There he is!" Maya exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with delight. "Kabir! Over here!"

Of all people... why him? I should have known.

I'd hoped, foolishly, that Maya's date might be someone else. But here he was, tall and confident, his intense eyes scanning the lobby until they landed on me. A brief flicker of something unidentifiable flashed in his gaze.

"Hi, sorry I'm late," Kabir said, approaching us with a casual smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Traffic was a nightmare." His eyes briefly met mine before shifting to Maya. "You didn't tell me you were bringing friends along."

I knew Kabir wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of a double date, especially with his team members. Still, I sensed something else in his tone—a hint of annoyance, perhaps? I felt a twist of unease in my stomach as I wondered what the evening would bring.

"I did tell you, Kabir," Maya said, her voice low. "I wanted to introduce you all properly."

Linking her arm through Kabir's, Maya turned to us and asked, "Are you both surprised to see your team lead here?"

"I didn't expect Kabir as your date," Dev remarked, his brow furrowed in surprise.

I shot a glance at Dev, who looked equally surprised.

I had already confided in him about my past unrequited love, but he had no idea that the object of my affection was standing right in front of us.

"I didn't expect to see you two either," Kabir replied evenly. "I thought you were just friends." I sensed Dev's confusion at the subtle confrontation in Kabir's tone.