The next morning, I had not anticipated my father's intention to take me to my cherished place of worship, the Ganesh Mandir.

This temple was conveniently situated near the train station, and as a result, it attracted a considerable crowd. The rice and Tigda (a temple offering) were renowned for their delicious taste. One of my father's brothers had made a substantial donation to the temple upon the birth of his son after many years of marriage.

Oh, did I mention that my father's family was quite extensive? Well, let me elaborate. My grandparents had nine sons, including my father, and two daughters. In this sprawling family, females were a rare commodity. Aside from my sister and me, there were only three other female cousins; the rest were all boys.

(Translator's Note: It sometimes felt like belonging to a biffamily, with an overwhelming majority of boys. In certain families, girls were cherished and treated as princesses.)

Regardless, I had no inclination to discuss them, as I was not their biggest fan.

After the temple visit, my father took me to my aunt's house, which was nearly an hour's drive away. Upon arrival, I was suddenly flooded with memories of a school crush who resided in the same building.

Alright, so I haven't shared this with you all, but it's no longer significant in my life. During my school days, I harbored feelings for a boy named Ritik. He not only attended the same school as me but was also a close friend of my aunt's family, residing in the very same building.

We still maintained contact, but my current relationship with him was complex. According to him, I held a special place in his heart. However, I couldn't entertain any romantic notions with him now, for in a matter of months, I would be leaving for Chicago, where my dreams awaited.

Lost in my thoughts, I failed to notice when the car came to a stop.

"Come on, Mahira, your aunt is eagerly anticipating your arrival," my father tried to lift my spirits with his words. The keyword here was "trying." I was far from excited; just being here with him was challenging enough, but now, meeting the rest of his family felt like pure torture.

I chose not to respond to him and merely got out of the car, slamming the door behind me. He needed to understand that I was being coerced into all of this.

What happened next was even worse. Before I could take a single step, I was greeted by a familiar face, someone who had occupied my thoughts just moments ago.

He was engrossed in a game of football with his friends. Why wasn't he at work?

"Oh, right! Silly me. It's Sunday," I muttered to myself.

"What?" a voice behind me inquired, causing me to turn around, startled.

I instantly recognized him.

Shlok Agarwal, Rishi Agarwal's younger brother.

"Hi," I greeted awkwardly. It had been quite some time, and I hadn't felt like I had a younger brother since we left our father.

"Hi, di. How have you been?" he asked, approaching me.

"I'm good."

"Let's go upstairs first; everyone is eagerly awaiting your arrival. We can catch up later," he suggested, guiding me into the apartment.

Before entering, I cast one last glance in the direction where HE had been playing, only to find those eyes fixed on me in surprise.

'I guess we meet again,' I thought to myself before following Shlok.

After an uncomfortable meeting with the family, we shared lunch. According to the plan, I informed my father that I would be departing to meet my friends and would head to his house directly afterward. His response, as expected, was negative.

"Who are these friends? You can meet them later; for now, enjoy your time here," he ordered, further aggravating my mood.

"You think I'm enjoying myself?" I retorted, rising from the sofa in the living room where we had all been seated, while the elders chatted amongst themselves. "I came here out of respect for others, but as for my plans, I explicitly told you not to interfere," I hissed, reserving the last word for a yell.

Their stunned expressions indicated that they hadn't expected such a reaction from me. But I couldn't care less.

"I'm leaving," I declared after a brief pause, storming out of the apartment with my phone and purse in hand.

Third-person POV:

The last thing he expected was to see her again after all these years. He had lost any opportunity with her after his past actions. Seeing those eyes that once captivated him made him realize that they were the same pair. They were the same two people who had shared an unspoken bond, two known strangers who had shared an unusual connection before she left the city.

Unable to continue playing football after discovering that SHE was here, he decided to return home and spend the day with his friends, hoping to distract himself from thoughts of HER.

But luck appeared to be against him today. As he descended to the garage, he caught sight of an irate Mahira stepping into a taxi.

'Where on earth is she going alone in such a mood?' he wondered and decided to follow her.

Mahira's POV:

Ruining my mood wouldn't change anything. Those people wouldn't care, but I had to maintain a facade to avoid potential issues in the future when I planned to depart for Chicago.

"Mahira, just relax now. You've returned after so long; don't you think you should savor these moments before heading to Chicago?" Rahul reasoned as he knelt on the grass near the bench where I was seated.

I had immediately come to meet Rahul in his colony garden after leaving that place. Rahul was privy to all my family troubles, and I could always trust him with my secrets. Both of us had faced our own tribulations. While I had grappled with family issues, Rahul had endured challenges in his romantic life. I had few friends, but he was surrounded by them. Nevertheless, one thing united us—our families were far from perfect.

"I'm trying, Rahul. But I can already predict how these upcoming months with him will pan out. I just want to leave this place for Chicago as soon as possible because of that family," I confided, suppressing the anger that welled up inside me due to my predicament.

"Come on now. I was eagerly awaiting the moment when you would return here, and we could spend time together. But you're dampening the mood," Rahul said dramatically, rising from his position.

His antics elicited a laugh from me. Silly, right? Yet, this was one of the special aspects of our relationship—our foolish jokes and playful behavior made us feel secure and content in each other's company.

I knew why he had abruptly changed the subject, but I was grateful that he had done so for my sake. He valued our friendship above all else.

Once, his girlfriend had tried to sow discord between us when I was not in town, and we could only communicate online. However, even during that time, we didn't let anyone come between us.

I still remember that night.

FLASHBACK...

I had been embroiled in a heated family argument and wanted to speak with Rahul to lift my spirits. So, I messaged him on Instagram. He didn't have his phone with him for some reason, but he responded to Instagram messages whenever possible.

Me: Hey, are you there?

Reply: I am Rahul's girlfriend. He doesn't use Instagram and doesn't have his phone.

Me: Yes, I know. I wanted to talk to him whenever possible.

Reply: Okay, I'll let him know.

Me: No need. I'll speak to him later. Thanks.

I was in a foul mood, and I didn't know his girlfriend well, so it was best if I handled the situation myself.

Reply: Alright, girl.

I set my phone aside and resumed what I had been doing before—sleeping.

After an indeterminate amount of time, I received a drunken call from him.

"Hey! What did you say to my girlfriend? She told me you were rude to her. How dare you?" Rahul yelled on the other end, taking me by surprise.

"What on earth! Are you drunk?"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER. You can't speak to her like that."

His behavior exasperated me, and my already sour mood intensified.

"GO TO HELL. Don't call me next time," I snapped and hung up.

Afterward, I cried myself to sleep and turned my phone offline.

The following day, he called and apologized for his conduct, and we made a pact to never let anyone or anything come between our friendship.

END OF FLASHBACK...

"Alright, girl, snap out of your daydreams now," Rahul remarked, prompting me to roll my eyes.

"Okay, okay."

"By the way, how did I look in your dream, and what were we up to?" he inquired, earning a playful punch from me.

"Shut it, Rahul," I retorted.