"Green one or white? Come on, Alina. It's not that hard."

Alina took a sip of her herbal smoothie and concentrated on the dresses flashing through the video call. Haleh controlled the urge to gag at the beverage but that's what friendship is about. You have to make peace with their choices no matter if that makes you want to gouge your eyes out.

"I still don't get it. What's the occasion, again?"

Behind Haleh, she could hear a loud groan. Amal pushed Haleh out of her view of Alina and raised her arm exasperatedly. "That's what I've been trying to tell you for the past half an hour. There's. No. Occasion."

It was not in Haleh's system to back down from a fight if it was being offered to her. She glared at Amal as she smoothed the fabric of the dresses indignantly. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

"Whatever it is, the green one, Haleh." Alina gave her verdict, much to Haleh's relief. She immediately got up with the said dress in her hand, to get the matching jewelry out of Rameen's collection. If looks could kill, Haleh would've dropped dead by then but she was hopping like an energizer bunny, rummaging through Rameen's drawer. Poor Reen could only attempt a feeble "Hey! Be gentle!" at her, but a determined Haleh was a force to be reckoned with.

"Reen doesn't look so good," Alina said with concern. Rameen raised her hand so she could see it through the screen. "Soldier down but not for long."

Haleh was back in the frame, having picked what she deemed suited the dress choice the most. "She's just taken her medicine. I know because I was the one who made sure she did. We can't afford to have her down and bedridden tonight."

"For the umpteenth time, what the hell is tonight that has you all worked up?" Alina was tired of the suspense. Well, she and Amal were in the same boat, both done with Haleh's enthusiasm for different reasons.

"Oh, that's a surprise." Haleh wriggled her eyebrows as she hummed under her breath the new Natasha Noorani song. Amal could only glare at her traitor best friend. Haleh halted mid-twirl and grinned at her and then, before they knew it, Amal had pounced on her. "Is killing your best friend and then staging it as an accident legal?" She asked Rameen and Alina as she chased Haleh around.

"Not really but make it interesting while you're at it," Rameen said which warranted a warning glare from Haleh. "Reen, you're one cough away from landing in the hospital. Be mindful of what you wish for others."

"All I wish for is some peace and my best friend. She would've never let me be subjected to this torture while I'm down with flu and fever."

"You're down with flu and fever while she's down and dirty with her husband. You unlucky child." Amal puckered at Rameen. Both she and Alina tried their best to not do it but in the end, they ended up bursting into laughter. Yeah, Sila and Aahil's shenanigans were an inside joke among them.

Rameen shook her head and turned to focus on Alina. "Raed's coming over for dinner tonight. Hence, the preparations."

Alina was instantly interested. "Is he Amal's—"

"Eye candy. Yes." Haleh completed it for her.

"He's not my eye candy and you're incorrigible, Haleh." Amal cried.

"Yeah, eye candy is too boyish and he's all man. Amal's Mr. Right, it is."

"That's not—"

"Okay, take a break you two," Alina interjected. "Is he really coming over?"

Amal placed her pillow in her lap as she nodded at the phone screen. "He is going back home next week. I wanted him to conduct at least one interview before that. Talking to Banu Auntie was on his list because of her family background. When I talked to her, she was mortified why I hadn't invited him to dinner yet."

Alina didn't have a hard time believing that. She'd met Dinbanu Wadia just a handful of times but all those encounters were wholesome. The lady might look like your strict primary teacher at first glance but she'd welcome you right into her space without anything asked.

"Whatever Amal says, tonight is a big deal and she needs to go all out." For emphasis, Haleh threw the green dress at Amal. She groaned but didn't say anything to Haleh. Not that it would make any difference.

"Can I also come?" Words tumbled out of Alina's mouth. The three of them eyed her with different ranges of their duh expressions.

"Of course, you can. Why'd you even ask?" Rameen sat up, rolling her hair into a messy bun.

"If anything, it's not us who'll stop you from coming anyway," Haleh muttered but it reached Alina loud and clear, as per the norm.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She inquired, but in her heart, she did have an idea what this was about.

"Oh, For God's sake!" Amal grimaced on the screen apologetically. "Ignore her, Alina. She's PMSing."

"I'm not." Haleh thwarted Amal's attempt to steer the conversation away from this topic. "And your boyfriend needs to find a hobby, a job, and a concept of sharing."

Rameen couldn't keep it in anymore. Laughter bubbled through her and soon Amal followed suit with a snort. Haleh remained staunch in her approach, eyeing Alina challengingly, urging her to go on and defend her man.

"He does have a job!"

Haleh dismissed her. "Couldn't even guess. He's always around you so who knows? Maybe he's lying to you."

This was so bizarre but seeing Amal and Rameen, nothing could be as entertaining as this conversation.

"He's not, for heaven's sake, and he does have a hobby, it's—"

"Let me guess? It's called Alina?"

Alina pursed her lips, not at all happy with Haleh's infuriating smirk. "What do you have against Osama?"

"Nothing. He's easy on the eyes. I've never seen someone rocking the nerd look like he does, and you both compliment each other so well."

"Then?"

"Can't you see, Alina? Baby Haleh feels left out. She was really looking forward to making you her second best friend but Osama whisked you away."

Rameen clarified, earning a scowl from Haleh.

"Who says that? I'd hate to insert myself in a relationship that isn't mine. Who even wants to be a third wheel? It's just that men totally hijack your friends the moment they get a chance." She grumbled.

"In that case, Aahil should be the first one on your shit list."

"Oh, don't you worry. He's crowning himself there. Sila's absence in this video call should be enough to tell you that. We didn't want to see what we shouldn't. Ew."

So, the beloved Dulha Bhai was also under fire. Alina got up from the couch. "Yeah, I'm coming over. Not because I have to prove something. I just want to meet Amal's Mr. Right."

"He's not—"

"Do it! I'm going to text Sila to get her ass here. Hell will not freeze over if she leaves her husband for a few hours. Let's do this." Haleh perked up, clapping her hands excitedly.

"And I'm going to make myself a cup of tea and replenish my energy with carrot cake. Gosh, I can't wait for us all to meet Amal's Mr. Right." Rameen also got to work.

"Once again, he's not my—"

"See you guys in a while," Alina said, before ending the call. Haleh was busy on her phone. She laughed reading the text. "Sila just replied to my SOS and asked if it's about Amal's Mr. Right. Are we this predictable?"

"I swear to God! He's not my Mr. Right!" Amal finally let out a screech but too bad no one was inside the room to hear her. They had better things to do, camping in here to welcome her Mr. Right and stuff.

𝄞

Resting his head against the couch, Osama leisurely ran his toe against the rug, as he took a sip of his poison of choice (Homemade grape soda. Aahil had gone overboard with both sugar and soda so it might as well be a poison). He didn't even bother to settle his skewed glasses as he peered at his two best friends. Aahil had his face covered with the cushion while Mahad was watching bottles tumbling downstairs on his phone with the same concentration as a board meeting.

"This is bullocks!" Osama finally grumbled, only it did nothing to bring the other two out of their stupor. "Do you hear me? Some god awful fuckery going on here."

"And here comes the tantrum. I was beginning to get worried." Mahad chuckled, putting his phone aside. His Cheshire cat grin added to Osama's misery. "I hate you."

"Love's Niagara isn't flowing around here as well, just so you know."

"Why are you even here?" Aahil muttered, still under his cushion.

"For moral support?" Mahad provided innocently, earning a snort from Aahil. "Says the most morally inept guy I know."

"Now, don't try to malign my good rep just because you're pissed your wife left you hanging there, literally and figuratively." He pointed at Aahil's awkward position on the smallest couch in the living room. He was in the middle of somewhere, neither up, nor down. Aahil slipped the cushion just enough so he could glare at Osama. "If you had to tell him, you might as well have taken him to your place. I could do without his insufferable ass with his pathetic grin on display. Bloody Pakistani Chucky."

"A ray of sunshine. No wonder Sila preferred some bestie time over you."

Aahil groaned. Mahad deserves a fitting retort but he realized he didn't want to get into a back-and-forth with him. He was disappointed all over again.

Silence fell in Aahil's living room only to be broken by Osama's loud rant.

"I told Shani and Neha that I couldn't work on the post-production well into the night. They were taken aback. I was too. But I had other plans. Turns out, my 'other plans' just ditched me to be with her girls and what's worse? I'm not allowed to even call her."

You're one breath away from bawling, man. Mahad wanted to point out but he was sitting closer to Osama which meant the threat to his safety was very much possible. So he kept that thought to himself.

"Now don't be that guy, Sam. We get it, you got Lina back after an eternity or more but this is the first time in her life that she has solid female friendships to turn to. Let her be. A man shouldn't get a woman's whole attention once she gets into a relationship with him." Aahil said sagely, with a wise mother's look on his face. Mahad wanted to laugh. Osama was unimpressed.

"When was the last time Sila visited Wadia House?"

That shut Aahil up for good. He looked away, chewing on his lip. Osama tipped the glass of grape soda in his direction. "Respectfully, practice what you preach, Wannabe counselor. And don't serve your guests this abomination the next time." Saying that, he casually downed the rest of the same abomination, emptying his glass.

Mahad didn't even try this time around. His laugh grated on both Aahil and Osama's nerves but they could do nothing about it.

"You know what? Instead of brooding here and hurling insults at each other, why don't you two do something about it?" He suggested, once his laugh had subsided.

"Which part of 'we're not even allowed to call them' you didn't get? And who even came up with this rule?" Osama looked between them, confused.

"Haleh. Who else?" Mahad said, as if it was the most obvious thing and Osama was acting like a fool on purpose.

"She really has it in for me, Hun? Never knew I'd get an active hater who literally looks like she has unicorns as her pals."

"She's vicious. And I think my days are also numbered because I'm on her hit list too." Aahil finally discarded his cushion.

"Sucks to be you two." Mahad drawled, totally overlooking the fact that a few days back, she wouldn't even grace him with half a smile even if her life depended on it.

"She just tolerates you!" Aahil didn't fail to remind him. But by nature, Mahad was an optimistic person so he just shrugged. "A win is a win."

"I can't spend my evening with you two." Osama gave his verdict, earning glares from both Aahil and Mahad.

"You're some twenty or so years late to come to this conclusion." Mahad was quick to remind him but Aahil was in deep thought.

"He's not wrong, though. We can't just sit here doing nothing. I mean no offense to you both but I'm the son-in-law, so, I still have a chance to go there and not be thrown out." He said matter of factly.

"This is going to prove Haleh's point, by the way. Better men will take a hint and stay in their lane." At that moment, Mahad could give any well-behaving kid a run for his money.

"Who said we're better men? Also, we go there in peace. Can't have one of my Saalis angry with me. We are a Rajshri family. Hum Saath Saath hain, innit?" Aahil was beyond discussing his solid plan anymore so Mahad had to oblige. He just knew that this wouldn't end well but oh, boy, free entertainment was always welcomed and with Aahil it was almost always guaranteed.

"Are you coming or not?" Osama yelled from the door. Mahad immediately picked up his wallet and phone. "Wouldn't miss you two making a fool out of yourselves for anything."

"Moral support, my ass," Aahil muttered but it did nothing to deter Mahad's high spirits.

𝄞

Mahad placed both his arms on the front seats and looked between his two friends impatiently.

"I thought you two had a plan. Didn't know it entailed stopping close to Wadia House and withering away in the car."

Osama shifted in his seat while Aahil glared outside the window. Mahad quirked an eyebrow. "Cold feet?"

That seemed to spur Aahil into action. "No way in hell!"

Saying that, he unlocked his phone and dialed Sila's number. Both Osama and Mahad looked at him expectantly. They hoped Sila wasn't sticking to the no-phone-call dictatorial order as staunchly as Alina.

But with each passing second, their hopes were dwindling a little. Five rings had already gone through. Aahil didn't accept his defeat, though.

"What is your problem?"

Finally, her irritated voice sounded from the other side. Aahil scowled at his dashboard. "You." Pat came the reply.

Sila sighed. "It's just a matter of a few hours, Aahil. I thought you could cooperate."

"Why should I? First, they steal my wife and then expect me to be understanding about it. And to add insult to the injury, I can't even call her."

"You make it sound like the utmost injustice."

"Because IT IS?" He was about to throw his hands. Sila didn't sound pleased by his outburst, they could fathom that from her voice coming through the phone even though it wasn't on speaker mode.

"Dramatic much?" She asked calmly but it was calm before you got the scolding of your life.

"A match made in heaven." Mahad sniggered but it reached Sila loud and clear.

"Oh, so you're having a party of your own?" She inquired, a bit suspicious.

"And what if I'm, that too outside Wadia House?" Aahil sneered but his face told he was praying she'd be affected.

In his dreams, it seemed. "God for you. We all should have a friend's meetup once in a while. Enjoy your guy time." Sila said in a casual tone. "Go back home before Haleh sees your car. Tell Mahad and Osama I said Hi. I need to go now. Haleh will be wondering where I went off to. We are halfway through the dinner preparations and Amal's Mr. Right will be here anytime now."

There was a loud cry in the background. "God! He's not my Mr. Right! Sila, not you too!

Sila giggled, focusing on Aahil once again. "Yeah. So I have lots of work to do. See you around, husband."

Aahil refused to go down without a fight. "If this is how it works, I won't come home tonight."

"Really?" Sila's tone was sharp. Both Osama and Mahad shifted away from Aahil. Just to let him know he was on his own.

"Positive." Aahil shrugged.

"Works well for me. I'll just crash here on my old bed."

"It won't keep you as warm as I do." His voice was laced with challenge.

"TMI!" Mahad and Osama shouted together. Aahil flipped them the bird. Here his whole night was in jeopardy and they had the gall to ask him to censor his words.

"I will deal with you once I'm done here. Be grateful I'm not next to you, Jahangir. Bye now."

She cut the call without hearing anything anymore from him. Aahil made a face as he turned to his friends.

"She's kind of the boss in the relationship." He stated as if he was telling them the sun rises in the east.

"No way! We were absolutely lost here. Thanks for enlightening us." Osama's snark was not new. He usually had the warmth of a cactus when things didn't go his way.

"I get it now. Your plan for Wadia House was to give us a live demonstration of your married life." Mahad commented as seriously as he could under such circumstances.

"Successful married life asterisk." Aahil corrected him with his whole chest. No one could say he had just been rebuked by his wife.

"Congratulations." Mahad and Osama echoed. They were in full mood to further their drag Aahil agenda but a car passing them by and then stopping a few paces ahead had their attention divided.

They saw a confused Danish get out of it with a box in his hand. He stood there, trying to make sense of what was happening there. Aahil, Mahad, and Osama shrugged and waved at him. Even under unfortunate circumstances, you have got to stick to your manners.

𝄞

Fifteen minutes later, Danish was perched in the backseat, looking at the three of them, taking his time to digest their plight. He finally sighed, clasping his hand behind his head as he leaned against the seat.

"If it's Haleh who's in the command, then nope. No one can let you in the house."

Mahad kept on gaping at him and then turned around to face Aahil and Osama. "He's useless."

"Hey!" Danish raised his hands indicating he came in peace. "You asked for my opinion. I gave it. You don't like it? Not my problem. If it's for any consolation, her dislike for me is probably more than her disdain for you three combined."

"Keep me out of this conversation. I'm just here for moral support." Mahad shrugged. Guess who was enjoying his exit from Haleh's shit list more than he should? A certain elated Lashari.

"What are you doing here, by the way?" Aahil asked Danish.

"Oh, I just came to deliver Reen's feel-good donuts. My brother has made these for her. She's dealing with a nasty bout of seasonal flu and cough."

Mahad eyed the box in Danish's hand, and so did Aahil and Osama. Danish grimaced but didn't do anything to get it out of their reach. The next thing he knew, Mahad had taken it from him, opened the lid, and picked up a nice-looking donut.

Osama and Aahil were not as shocked by his audacity but they still managed to give him a 'what the eff?' stare. He just shrugged as he took another bite of the donut.

"I've had a shitty day at work and now I'm stuck here with you two," He pointed at Aahil and Osama. "I need these feel-good donuts more than Reen."

Danish ran a hand through his hair. "You're unbelievable."

"Dude, look at the size of the box and the amount of the donuts inside. No way in hell Reen's going to finish all of this by herself. If anything, I'm just helping."

"You sure are." Danish glared at him but proceeded to extend the box to Osama and Aahil. He was not surprised to see that both of them didn't hesitate to take their share of the donuts.

"So, what's next?" Mahad asked once he was done with wolfing down the treat.

Aahil wiped his hands with a tissue. "Isn't it self-explanatory?"

The three of them nodded. Yeah, driving back home was the right move. They didn't expect Aahil to give up so soon but logic—

He got out of the car, putting an end to their begrudged relief.

"We are breaking in."

Mahad grinned. Osama covered his face with his palms. Danish just sighed.

Well, welp.

𝄞

The back alley of Wadia House was a stark contrast to the illuminated facade. They discreetly crept along the perimeter, stopping right outside of the raised steps leading to the back door, flanked by nothing but a dimly lit lamppost.

"Here's an advice. Do survey the estate of your future in-laws for situations like this. The knowledge comes in handy."

Aahil's expert opinion could've gone on for long, had Mahad not pushed him ahead to start with the actual process of breaking in.

Osama followed them with Danish but then stopped to scowl at him. "You know you can go ahead and ring the doorbell to the main door, right? You're not prohibited from entering."

Danish had wondered that as well. It wasn't like he'd linger. He was here just to check up on Rameen and hand her Dareer's feel-good donuts. But curiosity killed the cat. In his case, it brought him to the back door of Wadia House to see how the hell would Aahil get past and into the house.

"Now we just need something to open the door." Aahil looked around, in search of anything that could help with that endeavor.

"How about smashing a brick through it? Easy and subtle." The sarcasm dripping from Mahad's tone wasn't hidden from anyone. He stood with his arms on his sides.

"Who invited you? Just get lost."

"Petty much? It's at least a plan. Unlike whatever sorcery you're going to manifest out of the thin air."

"Pardon my inexperience. I haven't spent my life breaking into houses."

"You should've thought of that before."

"Next time, I'll keep your words in mind but you away from the plan."

"Will you two shut up?" Danish whispered and yelled. "I think someone's coming!"

Both of them stopped their bickering right away and sure enough, they could hear heavy footsteps but the sound was not coming from inside, instead it was growing louder from the point the alley rounded into the corner.

They dunked their heads, expecting Uncle Jeff to emerge out of the darkness. He must've heard the commotion and was here to see what the fuss was about. Was he privy to the verdict against Osama and Aahil? If not, he could actually help them but as far as Aahil knew, the man did as he was told by the girls, especially Haleh so the chances of him being their savior were not high.

Only the incoming was far from Uncle Jeff's stout form. As the man neared, the glow from the short lamppost fell on his face. He looked at the scene ahead of him with both alarm and confusion.

"Is everything okay here?"

His query seemed to bring them out of their momentary lapse. They stood straight as Raed covered the remaining distance to reach them.

"Yeah, all good." Aahil hurried to assure him, lest he'd assume them to be thieves. Trying to break into a house was already bad enough, getting branded as burglars would be the worst thing to happen. Damn it, if only Sila had cooperated!

"Sure about that? It's not the main entrance, is it?" Raed's voice was sharp. Aahil took in the new entry and realization hit him.

He was the guest. What a first impression. But not everything was lost. He hoped as he moved to do the damage control.

"Hey, it's not how it looks."

Raed wasn't convinced. "I have a hard time believing that."

"I know it doesn't look good—"

"Understatement of the century." Mahad coughed. Aahil sent his meanest scowl his way. Good going, Lashari. They were already suspicious and here he was, making their case more doubtful than anything.

Aahil tried to smile at Raed, only that it came out as more of a grimace. "Trust me, we're not strangers. It's just an unfortunate situation. Aahil Jahangir, by the way. Sila's husband. If Amal has told you about her friends, that is."

Yeah, he was not beneath using his wife's name to clear his own dubious character. Desperate situations. Desperate measures.

Raed's taut features softened considerably. "Oh, she has, only in passing but she did mention Sila. You two got married recently, right?"

"Yep." Aahil nodded, looking relieved. Things were not as grim as they were looking just a while back. "And you must be...Mr. Right?"

Raed narrowed his eyes genially. "It's Raed but no worries."

"Raed. Yeah. Nice to meet you, man."

They shook their hands and by then the silent audience had also come back to their senses. What followed was a brief introduction session.

"So, what's the situation here?" Raed asked, pointing toward the back door. Aahil made a face but didn't try to sugarcoat anything. "It's a long story but the crux is, Osama and I, well, we're not welcomed."

"Just these two." Mahad thought it imperative to add. "Danish and I, we are good."

Aahil didn't even grace this with his disapproval. What would that do?

"I think it's really rude of us to keep you standing here. You're the guest. Just round the corner and get inside. They are waiting for you."

Just as Aahil had said this to Raed, his phone rang. "My wife" flashing on the screen was not expected but it was always welcomed. He wasted no time in picking up the call.

"Sila—"

"Are you still lurking around?" She whispered-yelled.

"Yes, but there's a—"

"Gosh, you're one persistent asshole. Listen to me now. I've talked to Amal and Reen. We think you all can come. Not because I got affected by your threat. No way. It just doesn't sit well with me. Haleh is an evil bunny but she's not that bad."

"That's great but seriously you should listen—"

"So, I'm going to let you in through the back door. You know where that is right? Be quick!"

Saying that she hurriedly ended the call, before Aahil could tell her that her guest of the hour was with him. Well then. They were going to be ushered inside anytime now so that was a thing to worry about for a later time.

"She's going to open the door." He answered the question on his friends' faces. For emphasis, Aahil moved closer to the lamppost.

They waited, silently. If Raed was confused, he didn't let it show. That was some kind of welcome. Aahil chuckled.

Only Sila's 'quick' was not so quick. Aahil was getting antsy, and so was Mahad, who was by then standing next to him.

After what felt like an eternity, they heard slow footfalls coming their way. They stopped close to the door. Aahil and Mahad shared a confused look. What was the deal with Sila? Could he hurry the hell up?!

"Fuck it."

Mahad threw the caution into the bin and slowly rammed his knuckles at the door. It was a gentle knock, just to tell the other person that they were waiting. If Sila thought they hadn't reached there yet, well she had the confirmation now.

Only the door flew into their faces with a bang.

"CHOR! CHOR!"

Haleh's cries could summon the asleep in the other corner of the city out of their beds. Danish and Osama covered their ears. Raed took a step back. Sadly, Aahil and Mahad weren't that lucky.

"NOT ONE! BUT FIVE? YA ALLAH!" She shouted and jumped, looking frantically around to find a weapon. Aahil tried to hold her arm but she rammed her elbow into his stomach. He fell back, hitting the lamppost.

"UNCLE JEFF! AMAL! SILA! RAMEEN! BANU AUNTIE! IT'S A ROBBERY! OH GOD!"

"Don't forget Saleema Baji!" Aahil hissed through his pain but she was beyond listening and reasoning.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU ALL—"

But Mahad had had enough. He pulled her against him, covering her mouth with his palm. Her frantic eyes widened some more. He took a deep breath to calm his own heart rate. She had a loudspeaker fixed in her vocal cords. He was certain.

"There are no thieves! Just us!" He yelled helplessly. Haleh swiveled her head in all directions. She found Aahil sitting on the floor, rubbing his side, looking at her accusingly. Then there were stricken Osama and Danish, still not sure about what the hell had happened here. Lastly, she saw Raed eyeing the commotion with veiled amusement.

Her gaze finally landed back on Mahad. The stupefied expressions turned into one of utter fury.

She stomped on his foot. Hard.

He yelped and immediately left her. "What the hell! You just broke my toe!"

"I'll break more than just that! That's what you get for trying to play a prank on me."

Mahad didn't know whether to tend to his injury or try to come clean with her. He figured, through the haze of pain, that he was too enraged to do the latter.

"I have far better things to do than plan and play a prank on you."

Haleh pushed her hair out of her face. "As in? Accompanying your blacklisted friends for moral support?"

She pointed at Aahil and Osama for emphasis. In doing so, she found Danish lurking in the corner. Her eyes flashed once again. "There's a reason I always said you're a wrong number!"

Danish's only defense was the box of donuts in his hand. "Just came here to drop these for Reen. Got carried away along the way."

"How do you get carried away along the way?"

"I don't know. Ask this fella here." He pointed toward Raed. "He could've just been a nice guest but curiosity got the best of him."

Haleh opened her mouth to turn her onslaught toward Raed but then closed it. The movement was noticed by Mahad with nothing but mounting frustration. He was about to call her out on this behavior when they heard some more commotion.

Sila, Amal, Rameen, and Alina stopped close to the crime scene. Sila's eyes immediately zeroed in on her fallen husband. A horrified shriek left her mouth.

"What the hell happened!" She demanded as soon as she stopped next to Aahil, who wasted no time in wounding his free arm around her shoulder.

He tipped his head at Haleh. "She rammed her elbow in my stomach!"

"It was self-defense!" Haleh thundered.

"She broke my toe. It was attempted murder!" Mahad added to Sila's information. Her confused gaze kept on oscillating between Haleh and Mahad. Finally, she directed it at her husband and bent to see if Haleh had invoked as much harm as his expressions let on.

"She called me a wrong number. It was her internal dislike toward me." Danish considered it necessary to add. Haleh folded her arms on her front in a trademark petulant child posture.

"Danish! What are you doing here?" Rameen was by his side all confused but then her eyes fell on the box in his hand. "Did you really bring me Dareer's donuts?" She exclaimed excitedly. Danish's reply was a smile of his own.

This left Alina, who sought her man. He was already looking at her. Once their eyes met, Osama mouthed a wow looking her head to toe. Alina's response was a slight cough to mask her flushed laugh.

Sighing, Amal stopped next to Raed. She pointed around. Not angry. Not shocked. Just resigned. As if she'd made her peace with whatever this was. "Yeah. These are my friends. We all are a bit mad here."

His only reply was a laugh which made Amal smile as well. Well, not so bad a first impression, she hoped.

"What is happening here!"

There it was.

All of them straightened where they were as Mrs. Wadia approached them, followed by Saleema and Jeffrey.

Sila, Amal, Rameen, and Alina bit their lips, not knowing what to say.

Haleh? She had no such restrictions. "Nothing much, Banu Auntie. Just some thieves broke into our house."

Then, to amend her words, she shook her head at Raed. "Not you. You're too beautiful to be a thief."

That hit Mahad like a personal insult. "That's hypocritical of you, don't you think?"

Her smile was sweet like poison. "It's called pretty privilege. But don't worry. I don't expect you to know what it is."

Mahad's already sour mood worsened. Mrs. Wadia was not impressed with this exchange if her scowl was to go by.

"Let's go inside, Banu Auntie. We'll explain everything to you."

Sila took matters in her hand and everyone seemed to follow her lead. Soon, the back room got emptied, leaving just Haleh and Mahad standing there.

He took out his phone, and opened the GetACake App, adding their German Fudge and coffee cake to the cart. Haleh raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He asked, his face showing he hadn't yet gotten over his stubbed toe.

"Nothing. For someone who invited himself, you sure are mindful of guest etiquettes."

Mahad ignored her but she had no intention of doing that. Peeking at his phone screen, she checked his cart.

"Add their lotus cupcakes and Belgian mart brownie as well."

Mahad raised an eyebrow. "For someone who has just broken my toe, you sure are self-confident."

Haleh's scowl was back. She made a face at him. "Whatever. It doesn't hurt to keep your host's preference in mind."

Saying that, she made her exit. Mahad turned back to his phone but when he finalized his order, the cupcakes and brownies were also a part of it.

𝄞

Even after a bumpy and chaotic start, the dinner only went on smoothly after that. Everyone seemed to get along well, with good food and occasional laughs. Dinbanu had no problems with the addition to her guest lists, if anything, she looked happier at the prospect. Her conversation with Raed also played its part. Being from a reputed Zoroastrian family from the British times, one of those who had contributed to what this city is today, Dinbanu had lots to talk with Raed, answering his questions and reminiscing about her childhood in the Karachi of the 1960s and 70s. Not just Raed, all of them listened to her anecdotes with rapt attention. Aahil was particularly interested in Raed's project. When Sila mentioned that being one of Karachi's oldest conglomerates, Jahan was also on Raed's list to interview its owners, Aahil wasted no time in inviting him over so he could make Raed meet his father. Raed was grateful for the help. Hence, it was decided that during his next trip to Pakistan, he would call on the Jahangirs.

Not just Aahil, Osama, Danish, and Mahad's insight into their fields with the girls adding their bits made the conversation more interesting and flowing.

Needless to say, they all were having the time of their lives. Not once did anyone complain of anything. It was perfect.

The dinner was a jolly affair, with laughs and jokes abundant.

Saleema took in the general camaraderie as she ate her dinner sitting among them all.

"What are you thinking so deeply?" Jeffery asked her, realizing she hadn't said a word for a while.

She suppressed her laugh, putting a spoonful of the Biryani into her mouth.

"Nothing. I just think Banu Baji should replace the name plaque of Wadia House with the Wadia marriage bureau."

"Hein?"

Jeffery didn't get her but Saleema didn't mind it. He wasn't the only one on this table who couldn't understand or see what she did right now.

Potential. A lot of it. Some of it had already gotten a name. A bit of it was getting there while the rest had no idea of its existence.

But potential it was.

𝄞

Continued in the next part