"Ryan, did you recognise who this is?" Khushi asked, pointing at Zada who was silent until now.

Ryan looked at the beautiful girl and his eyes lit up in a way it hadn't when he saw Khushi or Neha. Amar clearly noted it and his jaws clenched in anger.

"Ryan, do you remember me?" Zada asked with a soft smile. Amar scowled seeing Zada smiling at Ryan.

"Does anybody ever forget their first love?" Ryan asked and Zada didn't expect such a response from him.

"What the f*ck!" Amar slammed his palm on the table startling everyone.

The sound of Amar's palm slamming down on the table reverberated through the air, catching everyone off guard. Even Zada flinched slightly, her eyes widening in surprise as she glanced at Amar, who was now glaring daggers at Ryan.

"What the hell, man?!" Amar's voice was a mix of disbelief and anger, his nostrils flaring like an enraged bull. "First love? Like seriously!"

Ryan, completely unfazed by the sudden outburst, raised an eyebrow and grinned, clearly enjoying the reaction.

"What? I am just telling the truth. Zada and I go way back. Kindergarten crushes are serious business."

Amar's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Yeah, well, that was a long time ago, buddy. People grow up, move on, and, you know, get new crushes. Even love." He shot a meaningful glance at Zada, who was looking more embarrassed by the second.

"Sure, but some feelings stick with you, you know? Can't help it if she was my first." Ryan shrugged, still smirking.

"Well, I am her last, alright? So whatever crush you had back when you were wearing diapers is ancient history!" Amar clenched his fists, his voice rising another octave.

"Amar, please—stop." Zada's face flushed a deep red, and she covered her face with her hands.

But Amar was too far gone now. He turned his full attention to Ryan, leaning forward like he was about to challenge him to a duel or something.

"Just so we are clear, pal, Zada doesn't need to be reminded of her 'first love' by some guy who probably spent most of kindergarten eating glue."

"Actually, I was more of a crayon guy." Ryan chuckled.

"I swear to God, if you—" Amar's face went redder, if that were possible.

"Amar!" Zada finally cut in, her voice high-pitched with embarrassment. "Can you not have a jealousy meltdown in front of everyone?"

"He started it.." Amar said furiously.

"Well, Amar, if this is how a partner should react when someone from the past comes into the scene, imagine how many meltdowns I should have had by now? Hmm?" Zada said in a voice low enough just for Amar to hear. That shut him up for the moment.

"This is more entertaining than the fest going on here." Zahir, standing nearby, leaned over to Zian and whispered.

"Amar is about to pop a vein. Maybe we can just sit back and let him do all the work." Zian said.

"I am just making sure he understands where he stands." Amar's fists remained clenched, and he turned to Zada, speaking through gritted teeth.

Ryan raised his hands in mock surrender, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Whoa, easy there, big guy. Didn't realise I was walking into a gladiator arena. I am just saying Zada and I had history."

"Had history," Amar corrected, his voice sharp. "Past tense. She is not interested in whatever childish crush you had back when you thought girls had cooties."

"Please, someone make this stop." Zada's face was now buried in her hands, and she groaned.

Khushi, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes, bit her lip to stop herself from laughing, while Neha decided to chime in.

"You know, Freddy bro, you are really cute when you are jealous."

Amar shot her a look that said 'not now,' but it only made Neha giggle more.

"Guess I will always be your 'what if,' huh?" Ryan, clearly enjoying every second of Amar's meltdown, winked at Zada.

That did it.

Amar lurched forward like he was about to charge at Ryan, but Zada quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him back before he could make a scene.

"Okay, we are done here. No more talk about first loves or 'what ifs,'" she said, her voice firm. "Amar, stop being dramatic."

Amar huffed, crossing his arms and sulking like a child who had just had his favourite toy taken away.

"I am not being dramatic. I am just... protecting my territory."

"I am not a piece of land, Amar." Zada glared at him.

"But if you were," Zahir muttered under his breath, loud enough for Zian to hear, "Amar would probably build a giant fence around you with a big neon sign that says 'Keep Out.'"

"I heard that." Zian chuckled, and Amar shot them both a deadly glare.

As Amar continued to sulk, Zada still holding him back, Khushi stepped forward, hands on her hips.

"Alright, that's enough. Can we all stop acting like five-year-olds now? C'mon, guys."

Amar muttered something unintelligible under his breath, but Zada gave his arm a quick tug, making him quiet down.

Khushi sighed, turning to Ryan with a smile.

"Okay, let me introduce you to everyone, Ryan. Before this turns into an actual soap opera. This," she gestured toward the group, "is Zian and Zahir. Zada's brothers. You remember them from kindergarten, don't you? And this is Amar. Zada's boyfriend."

"Nice to meet you all, officially." Ryan chuckled, giving a friendly wave.

"Why are you even here? Don't you have better places to be than causing all this drama?" Amar asked, earning a playful glare from Khushi.

"Ryan's here for the football match," Khushi explained, ignoring Amar's comment. "And guess what? He is the football team captain."

"Zahir is our football team captain." Vansh pointed out with a smile.

Ryan's eyes lit up with genuine excitement as he looked at Zahir.

"No way! Captain to captain, huh?" He extended his hand towards Zahir, who shook it— albeit a bit more aggressively than necessary.

"See you on the ground, bro," Zahir said haughtily, his lips curling into a confident smirk. "Practise well! I love a tough competition before taking the cup."

"Oh, here we go. Overconfidence? Not exactly a charming trait, badboy." Khushi scoffed dramatically, rolling her eyes.

"I call it confidence, Khushi. And don't worry, I back it up with skill. You might want to bring tissues for your friend when we win." Zahir shot her a sidelong glance.

Khushi crossed her arms, stepping closer with a smirk of her own.

"Confidence is one thing, but that sounds more like a delusion to me. I'll make sure Ryan doesn't hold back."

"Maybe I'll take it easy on him. Don't want to break the poor guy's spirit too early." Zahir leaned forward, eyes flashing.

Ryan watched their banter with an amused grin, but before things could escalate further, he stepped in, throwing an arm around Khushi's shoulders and pulling her close.

"That's enough, Khush," he said cheekily. "I don't like competing through words. I prefer to do that on the ground."

Khushi huffed but didn't resist, though her smirk remained intact.

Zahir scowled, seeing Ryan's arms around Khushi.

A/N

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