**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 grand lobby of the Leela Palace felt like a different world after the tension of that dinner.
"Now I understand why you never mentioned him," I remarked. He was a caricature of arrogance, so utterly unlike her.
"He is irrelevant," she stated, her eyes shining with a conviction that was both fierce and beautiful. "I'm never going to marry him. Vineet told me that Varsha had told you about it. So...,"
So she knew that I knew. She hadn't been keeping a secret from me; she just hadn't wanted to give that... douchebag... any space in our world.
My gaze wandered, taking in the opulence around us—the shimmering chandeliers, the elegant fountain, the sheer luxury of it all.
Distractedly, the thought just slipped out. "We should stay here sometime. I bet the rooms are amazing."
The instant the words left my mouth, I felt her breath catching in a soft, sharp inhale. Shit. That sounded all wrong. I scrambled to backtrack, my words tumbling over each other. "I mean you and I separately, with our... our partners."
I hadn't been with anyone since... well, since her. Even with Anna, I hadn't ventured past kissing. Not that I would otherwise have brought a one night stand to Leela Palace.
We settled onto my bike. "Hostel?" I asked, slipping back into our routine.
"I missed curfew," she confessed softly.
"Don't worry, you can stay at my place." I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to my mom.
Me: Fiza's staying the night.
We then rode through the dimly lit streets of Bangalore, the city lights streaking past us like fallen stars.
Back home, I turned the key and swung the door open, welcoming her in. My parents had thoughtfully left the lights on before heading to bed. The house was quiet, peaceful.
I wanted to be good. I wanted to respect her, to honor the boundaries of our friendship more than I wanted anything else.
"Do you want to use the guest room?"
Fiza turned towards me, her eyes meeting mine in the dim light. "Is it... Is it okay if I hung out with you for a bit first?"
My heart skipped a beat, then hammered against my ribs. Of course, Fiza! I wanted to shout. But inwardly, I was already questioning my own resolve. Her presence was an intoxicating allure I constantly had to fight. And today, in that dress, after seeing her stand up to Fahad, she seemed exceptionally attractive.
I led her into my room, and settled on the edge of my bed.
"Well, you know the way around," I said, forcing a playful smile onto my lips.
She moved hesitantly toward the bathroom where the shadows of that night lived —the steam on the mirrors, the bubbles in the tub, our desperate, hungry kisses. I shook my head, trying to clear the image.
