Matchmaker: BOOK I [Y/N X KAI]

✨ Chapter 21 ✨

I know I should lay low to save my job but it's getting on my nerves so I had to come off the hard way, "No, I mean to say it wasn’t my fucking fault! They were baiting me!" I growl back at him.

"Seriously Niki? You just shouted at a public place, grabbed a man by collar and created a whole scene, and they were baiting you?" he raises his voice even higher.

"You’ve no idea what happened before you walked in, okay? They knew exactly what they were doing!" I catch up on his tempo.

He crosses his arms and sighs, "You know what? I'm having a hard time believing that you were in any way justified for that little display."

"And you know what? I happen to have a perfectly good reason," I cross my arms with the same expression as him.

Honestly, seeing Atif and Sara together still stings to the core, even after all this time. I guess there are some hurts that don’t ever really go away.

"Oh? Then enlighten me with your perfectly good reason," Nini shrugs, it was clear he's so done with my shit.

"Atif's my ex..and he really screwed up my life," I feel my voice shake as I say those words.

Nini's shoulder drops, in an expression of surprise and..disbelief?

"How?" he asks.

I'm suddenly sucked back to that day and remember how my dream wedding turned into the worst day of my life. Yes, it was the worst day of life and I'm not forgetting last Monday.

There's so much I wish I'd said and done..

"He..did something really awful, and it still hurts," I say, holding back a tear forming in my eyes.

Am I crazy, or Nini actually look genuinely concerned all of a sudden? No no, I must be hallucinating.

He takes a step closer to me and whispers, "Niki, if you need someone to talk about it.."

Nope, not hallucinating. It's really happening.

"You're seriously offering to let me vent? You don’t even like me!" I say.

"We've had our...disagreements. But that doesn’t prevent me from being concerned about your well-being. I don’t want you to be sad. I care about you, Niki.." he whispers softly.

I get goosebumps all over me. Did he just say he cares about me?

"Well, I guess what I'm trying to say is..I'm here if you need someone to listen, that's all I meant to tell you," he says, getting in a straight posture.

"Fine. But make sure to buckle up..it's a wild ride," I tell him.

★ Flashback ★

I was marrying the love of my life. Our friends and family were all gathered up. And up until we seal our vows, everything seemed to go way too perfectly and smoothly..like a dream come true.

The officiant turned to me with a smile "And do you, Nikita Khan, take Atif Aslam to be your lawfully wedded husband, to be together for the rest of your life until the death when you part?"

"I.."

Everyone gazes at me curiously and enthusiastically.

"I.."

I was about to say that 'I do' when all of a sudden the door, BANGS!

"STOP! STOP THE WEDDING!" A woman with super high heels rushed through the aisle yelling and making loud clack of her heels.

"Atif! You can't marry her!" she yelled, making the crowd gasp in shock.

I know I should've taken an action immediately and stopped her from crashing into our wedding, but the whole thing was so sudden and confusing that the only word I managed to come up with was "Uhh?"

I stared at her as she crashed in, in a confusion of if this is some planned joke from my friends and Atif to prank me or if this woman's totally crazy who rushed inside the wedding randomly and Atif probably doesn’t even recognize her.

Of course, I couldn't come up with any conclusion. But when my brain started functioning, I realized that the first thing I need to do right now is to stop her. I was about to tell the guards to sieze her or at least silence her but to my total surprise and horror, Atif seemed to recognize her.

"Sara? What are you doing here?" he gasped.

"Sara? Who's she, Atif?" I ask. This is the most confused I've ever been in my whole life.

Sara marched right up to us and grabbed Atif by his shoulders.

"Sara is his girlfriend, who refuses to let you marry her. Atif, you love me and I love you. What we have is real! And now, we've no reason to be separated!" saying so, she drew hun for a long, deep and passionate kiss, and then whirled around, pushing herself between me and Atif.

"Wait, stop this. I atleast deserve one explanation of what the fuck is going on!" I growled.

"What's happening is I came to take back what's mine. Get away from him! You're so cold and terrible! You're such a bitch!" she snapped at me.

"What the hell? Atif, what is this? How long has this been going on?" I asked him, totally dumbfounded.

Sara huffed and grabbed his hand.

"Long enough to have Atif to tell me how horrible you are! You make him miserable and the only reason you're sticking to him is because you want his money!" she snapped at me. A bolt of thunder passes through me, did he really say those things about me?

The officiant was trying hard to settle everything and everyone down, but the damage was already done..and Atif was being..well, he was being incredibly unhelpful.

"Atif, please tell me this is all a mistake?" I asked, trying to hold back the lump that was forming in my throat.

"Look me in the eye and tell me that everything she's saying are lies! Tell me Atif!" I yelled at him. But he didn't say anything.

✨To Be Continued✨