A slap landed on his cheekbone, "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH AISHA."
I kicked him in the shin, sending him sprawling to the ground. "MY AISHA."
He whimpered, struggling to rise. I delivered a harsh kick to his back, eliciting a chorus of grunts.
"YOU THINK...
The warm sun shone upon the river meandering by the garden, the water was awfully noisy as it slowly crashed against the shore. The morning breeze played not only with the trees but also with Aisha's hair that had escaped the updo and now acted as curtains to her almond eyes.
Blinking, she ran her hand through her locks and tucked them behind her ears. Her gaze shifted from the moist grass beneath her feet to the figure standing by the carved pillars.
The interrupting man stood casually, his right foot crossed behind the other, with a black blazer dangling from his arm. His white shirt was rolled up, revealing the popping veins on his forearm. His chiseled jawline with a subtle beard caught her attention next as she proceeded to observe this stranger. Aisha couldn't tell if it was a smile or a smirk lingering on his lips as he stared in her direction, it was almost as if he was shooting lasers at her. Perplexed, she glanced away as he approached the other three.
"Zeeshan!" Kabir exclaimed, his hands opening wide to hug the man before him. With some chuckles and grins he patted his back and soon pulled away to converse.
'Is this a cliche Bollywood movie of two brothers reuniting?' Aisha thought to herself, holding back a chuckle at the random bro-romance.
"How have you been?" Kabir asked. "It's been so long since we met."
"I have been fine, just a tad bit occupied...how are you? how is work?"
With a genuine smile, Kabir's eyes traveled to the timid woman who stood behind him in a pink kurta.
"Thanks to my Lady Luck, everything is going great. Zeeshan, this is my fiancé, Mahi Mehra." He began with the introduction. "And Mahi, this is Zeeshan Oberoi, a very dear friend and owner of this hotel."
Aisha felt a mixture of anger and anxiety build inside her at the new piece of information. For ages, she had despised the owner of the hotel even though she had never met him, but now he stood before her as Kabir's friend. This interaction forced her to wonder how much of their conversation had he heard.
Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she watched him shake hands with Mahi and welcome her to the hotel. Not long after, he side-hugged Kiara and began chit-chatting with her. He questioned the girl about her ongoing law school and wished her well.
Despite some communicational gaps due to the geographical distance, the trio maintains a strong bond. Zeeshan used to often visit the Malik residence until he completed his studies and relocated from Jaipur to Udaipur, where his family resides.
With a crooked smile now replacing his genuine one, his gaze turned to the brunette who stood there with an unpleasant expression plastered on her face.
"Zeeshan, this is Aisha. Mahi's sister." Kabir introduced the two on their behalf. A pause took place, making it uncomfortably deafening.
As the two shared some glances, Zeeshan put his hand forward, which Aisha shook after staring at it for a second.
"It's nice to meet you." He said, his grip firm.
"Likewise."
AISHA'S POV
A middle-aged couple stood by the ledge, admiring the beautiful city. Giggling, a group of teenagers ran to the corner and clicked pictures of everything in sight. Another couple, slightly young, sat on the floor, their backs leaning against the wall as they stared into nothing in particular.
Apart from a handful of guests, the gigantic rooftop was mostly deserted. The partial silence offered the solace I needed. While family members had gathered to chat in Mahi's room, I made my way to the rooftop since I was low on energy to discuss the upcoming events.
"Okay sir, I will email Miss. Khanna." I said, pacing back and forth. With plenty of free time on my hands, I opted to call my boss to check on the projects. "Bye sir, I hope to see you here for the wedding."
Squinting my eyes at the rays, I hung up and opened my inbox to revise the pending emails.
"Miss Mehra, isn't it weird?" A voice called out, prompting me to look over my shoulders.
Zeeshan Oberoi, the stranger from this morning stood behind me. With a slight smile grazing his lips and hands casually tucked in his pockets, he ambled toward me.
I wondered, why he was here, initiating a conversation.
"I am sorry?" I asked, not comprehending his statement.
His lips twitched upwards, evidently in sarcasm as he shook his head before locking eyes with me. "I find it weird that you are inviting people to this hotel for the wedding, considering the fact you don't actually like the place."
With a blink, I tilted my head. The sudden confrontation was something I hadn't expected. I was affirmative he had heard some parts of the conversation that took place earlier today, but I wasn't aware he would talk to me about it.
I thought it would be too awkward for him to confront a stranger, but here he was, taunting me.
"You said my hotel is tacky, and what else..." He paused, thinking. "Yes!" He exclaimed. "You said that a six-year-old could design this place better...you have a lot to say about design and everything, don't you?"
"Certainly, I am an interior designer myself," I responded, my confidence intact.
"Well, that's amusing..." He muttered under his breath, chuckling. "You shouldn't be talking about tastes and designs"–He paused, and flickered his gaze to my kurta.– "When it looks like the sun vomited all over you. I didn't realize blinding people was the latest fashion trend."
I glanced down at my attire and couldn't help but scoff at his remark. The yellow kurta I was adorned in, was everything but how he described it. While yellow isn't my favorite, I wore it to please my mother, who disapproved of my mostly black wardrobe. But, he had no right to pass judgment on me.
"Wow, looks like my honest opinion hurt your ego. I am an interior designer, a wonderful one in fact. I know my taste, and your hotel is too overwhelming to look at." I said, composing myself, I didn't want to yell at him even with the anger slowly rising in me.
His irritation was palpable as he clicked his tongue in annoyance. Despite the smile plastered on his lips, it was clear to me that it lacked sincerity.
"If you were as wonderful as you claim to be, I would have hired you to design my hotel."
This guy is testing my patience. Maintaining my composure is a challenge. Despite having been hired by him in the past, he seems oblivious, given that we never once met during the duration I worked here.
If I had, I might have killed him long ago for being a jerk and irritating me to the core.
As my phone chimed with notifications, I realized I have many important things to attend to other than his bullshit.
Before I headed off the rooftop, I forced a smile and said. "I need to go but thanks for the enlightening review on my dressing sense, I will cherish it alongside your other irrelevant opinions."
Mic drop.
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Introducing our male lead Zeeshan Oberoi. I hope you love him as much as we do!!! Chapters out every Tuesday and Wednesday.🥳☺️
