𝜗𝜚-ARHAZ'S POV

The night air of Hyderabad was engulfed with the scent of sweetness and happiness.

But inside this great mansion that belonged to India's top businessman-Mr. Ilyaaz, it felt completely different.

The atmosphere here was enriched with fake luxury, politeness, and most of all-envy.

People danced, laughed, ate, and talked just to show off their so-called black wealth.

They were here just to prove that this is the place where they belong.

No one seemed to be present out of pure joy.

It was a hall filled with masked faces, people who saw parties as an opportunity to change their lives.

They saw it as a night to strike a deal.
And, others were present just to impress Alizeh Shah-the girl wrapped in gold.

Mr. Ilyaaz Shah's daughter.

The heir to the Worlt Empire.

Most of the struggling businessmen died to become a part of her world to achieve success without breaking a sweat.

The whole room felt

Absurd.

Illogical.

And most of all,

Obscured.

And I was standing here in the middle of the crowd to protect the name of B&V Architects.

B&V Architects wasn't just a company I was entitled to be the CEO of.

It wasn't just our company.

Our business.

It was a legacy of our family.

Carried through generations.

B&V Architects has been the most renowned and leading firm in its sector.

Established in the 1860s by my ancestors.

We carry architecture in our blood.

In our minds.

And in our souls.

I turned my head around to check when I felt a faint tap on my shoulder.

It was Alizeh.

"Did the sun rise from the east today? Since Mr. Arhaz decided to show up at a party." Her words were laced with the elegant and lipstick-coated sarcasm she carried with her in compliment.

"A very hello to you too, Alizeh." I replied, matching her humor.

"How have things been?" she asked.

"Nothing very good. Nothing very bad either. What about you?"

"Nothing specific too. The same old boring life going on and on without a hint of drama," she replied, rolling her eyes to add more style to her words.

"You don't need drama, Alizeh. You create it." I pointed out.

"Seems like you remember too much about me, Arhaz Shaikh." She whispered in my ear, taking a step closer to me.

"You are too much of a masterpiece to be forgotten so easily, Alizeh." I hushed in her ear, which was covered with her hair.

"The beautiful kind of masterpiece." She replied as her fingers deliberately brushed over my knuckles.

But I didn't give her enough time to continue with her flirty acts.

"Tsk. The crazy kind." I uttered as I made a considerable amount of distance between us.

I don't like people crossing their limits.

"The one who'll drive you crazy," she injected.

Instead of giving her a befitting reply, I just shrugged my shoulders and walked away from her-to the mocktail counter.

"One blue, please," I asked the server standing to take orders.

"Blue mint or blue lagoon?" he asked.

"Lagoon," I replied, stating my preference.

And at this moment, I knew it was going to be another long and boring night.

𝜗𝜚-LYSA'S POV

Just as I completed applying my lip gloss, I heard my phone ringing on the bed.

The screen glowed, and the caller name was familiar.

A name that my heart knows.

I knew it meant he was already here. So, picking up my purse, I cascaded down the stairs.

Nervousness and excitement built inside me. It wasn't our first date-I had even lost count of the dates we'd been on.

But it was the first time I was surprising him by wearing the one color he had mentioned ever.

He did not know I was showing up in black tonight.

Lysa's Outift

And the idea made me giggle like a three-year-old kid eating her favorite candy.

I reached the front court, and before the security could open the door for the car to come in, I ruffled my dress with my fingers just once.

I wanted to look enchanting.

As the door opened, the car came in-the big flashlights directly at me.

I squinted my eyes because of the brightness, and then it dimmed down.

He switched them off.

Humaid came out of the car, wearing a white shirt and tailored trousers that hugged his frame in all the right ways.

His hair fell over his forehead just like all those times when he doesn't try to impress.

And, I don't know how I always end up being impressed by his hair falling over his forehead in that messiest and cutest way.

"Eid Mubarak, Lysa." His words broke the chain of my thoughts, and I had to take two seconds to come back to reality.

"Hi," I mumbled back, half out of embarrassment and half out of how awkward I was feeling.

The anticipation of him noticing the dress kept building more ferociously with each passing moment.

"Let's go to a nearby restaurant." Announcing that, he made his way back to the wheels.

I followed too.

Settling in the passenger seat, I nodded at him, who was busy checking his phone.

Humaid restarted the car, and with a faint groan, the engine came back to life as it made its way to the restaurant of his choice.

The car ride was filled with thick silence. It felt almost awkward. He didn't say anything ever since he came, nor did he look at me properly.

"How was your Eid morning?" I asked, trying to break the ice between us.

"Just usual. What did you do?"

"Nothing much either."

And with that, the silence returned.

None of us said anything, and soon after fighting through the traffic, we reached the location.

The restaurant was another fine piece of Hyderabad.

The lights were dim, with circular tables tucked in little corners that had big glass windows. The overall atmosphere was peaceful, only occasionally interrupted by the murmurs of the people eating and the clinking of spoons-it was mostly serene.

As we settled into one of our corners, Humaid placed the order-our regular.
"I guess I haven't told you this yet," I said, remembering something important.

"What?"

"There's a new USA-based project coming up in our firm," I explained to him.

"Yeah, so?"

"So, they also need financial management. I'm thinking of applying for it. It would be an internal project jump and a promotion too."

"Hmm, you can try, but what's the need? You already earn enough," he replied.

I couldn't help as a scoff escaped the corner of my lips.

I placed my hands on the table and rested my chin on them. "What's the point of need even here?" I questioned.

But before he could give a reply to my question, our orders arrived.

We ate silently while I chewed on my thoughts. When will he compliment me?

My brows furrowed as I realized how he hadn't even glanced at me properly.

My heart sank at the thought, but I just shrugged it off my shoulders.

Maybe he was caught up with something.

"How was today?" I asked, trying to strike a conversation.

"Well, normal. Cousins were out there, so nothing much," he replied without even looking up at me.

My hands reached for his as I held his fingers, gently stroking them with mine.
He looked up, passing me that cute smile he always flashes at me. I smiled back, looking at him. We just kept looking at each other as he took a firm hold of my hand and gently embraced it.

It finally felt like it. Maybe now he'll say something.

"Today was a good day-I got to see you," I said, my eyes sparkling with adoration.

"Yeah, it was indeed. Our fourth Eid together," he replied.

"Next year we will build momentum-five years together." I sighed in disbelief.

"How fast time goes, right?"

"Yeah."

The dinner soon ended, and we decided to take a stroll on the beachside.

It has always been our place since.

The air at the beachside felt dangerously calming-it carried the essence of the sand, the water, and the night sky, which felt like poetry itself.

The beach was mostly uncrowded, with just two or three people having their time.

I stood near the shore, the sand sinking beneath my soles while the wind played with my open hair.

The cool breeze felt like it was taking all the tension away from every ebb.

And with my best person standing beside me, who felt too near yet too far away.

He was busy engrossed in kicking sandstones into the water.

The night passed by us like the wind-it came and flew.

And he didn't even glance at what was special about me.

I gulped internally, trying to swallow away these haunting thoughts too.

"Humaid," I called out softly.

"Yes?" he replied, finally turning to look at me.

I walked closer to him.

Threading my fingers through his, I asked, "Is everything alright?"

A low chuckle vibrated from his chest as he replied, "Yeah, it is."

I instinctively leaned closer to him, letting myself believe his words for once more.

"I'm planning something," I said.

"Come to my house next weekend," I added.

"Okay, and? What's the big deal about this? I do come every now and then."

"With your parents this time," I declared.

The instant I let that out of my mouth, I felt a wave of shock rush through him for a split second.

"What?" he asked again, maybe just to make sure.

"You know, I'm 26 now, and you're well-settled in your business. I want us to settle down now. It's time," I explained.

"Yeah, yeah, but how? Like, so suddenly, Lysa? It doesn't make sense to me," he said, dismissing my idea.

I couldn't, even if I wanted to, ignore the shock, disbelief, and something strange behind his tone.

"Why are you getting so worked up, Humaid? It's just a casual meeting between our parents. We both know they won't reject it, neither yours nor mine," I added, deliberately weaving through to catch what was running through his mind.

He let out a small sigh and closed his eyes before replying, "I understand. Give me some time to think."

I agreed without any problem.

"It's okay. Just call me whenever you clear your thoughts."

-•🤍•-

The ride back home was smooth. We barely conversed except for a few jokes he passed from time to time, probably because he wanted to lighten the situation.

But honestly, my mind couldn't get over his expressions and reactions.

I desperately wanted to know whatever he was hiding.

Because I knew, no matter how much I tried to unsee it, it was true.

There's definitely something fishy.

I need to get a grasp on it before my mind blasts out.

Did he mess up in his business again?

It had happened a few times, so maybe he was just trying to keep it down now and felt embarrassed to share it with me.

I stared at the sky above as the swing rocked gently.

I still had my dress on and my makeup.

What was he so lost in that he didn't even notice my get-up?

My fingers mindlessly played with the hem of my sleeves.

I want to know it all.

I want to fix it if anything's wrong.

I just want to come out of the dark I was being kept in.

My chain of thoughts broke when my phone chimed in my purse.

Taking it out, I noticed the notification of a text in the friend chat.
The Gang

Muneera: anybody free? And up for ice cream? 🍨🍦

Quadzi: who can ever say no to ice cream? Share the location.

Me: I'm coming too. See y'all there in a minute.

Jamal: Yoo! Let's bring it on...

🌷°

Shutting my phone down, I got up from my place, a faint smile still lingering on my lips.

I tied my hair up in a ponytail and wore my sneakers without caring about my dress.

I was still wearing the same thing.

But I had no energy left to go and check, so I just wiped off my lipstick with my handkerchief and, with my hair up and sneakers on, I made my way to my car.

Who even cared how they looked while being with their friends?

Shaking my head once to collect all my thoughts and shut them in a box, I sat in the driver's seat of my car and, turning on the ignition, the car started, and I drove off-away from the chaos and the storm.

𝜗𝜚-ARHAZ'S POV

The car halted with a screech in front of the ice cream parlor.

A line of similar cars was parked in front.

They were already here, and now I'm standing here too, ready to face off the monkeys.

I didn't plan this, but I couldn't skip it either.

I was about to fall onto my bed after freshening up when they decided to have a meet-up and some ice cream.

As I entered through the huge glass door, I found my group all collectively standing in a small circle and engrossed in talking to each other.

"Hello, everyone," I said as I reached them.

"The Hulk is here," Muneera announced to the whole group.

"Oh, c'mon, that name is quite old now." I dismissed it, waving my hands.

"Where's Reyansh, by the way?" I asked, scanning the room because I couldn't find him.

"Oh, I just called him, and he said he's stuck in some business errands, so he won't be joining," Lysa informed us all at once.

"Which flavors are you guys getting? I'm going for mint chocolate," Alia asked as she scanned the menu card in her hands.

All of us took our turns saying the flavor we wanted and then threw the responsibility of placing the order onto her.

We all sat at the round table tucked into the little corner.

"What are you even wearing, Lysa?" Muneera's voice rang out questioningly.

And that's when I looked at her properly.

She was wearing a long black kaftan dress that fit in all the right places, her hair was tied in a simple ponytail, and there were sneakers on her feet.

But there was something else too-she was quiet.

Well, she has never been the loud one in our group, but today something felt unusual.

Ever since I came here, she had been smiling, but it wasn't reaching her eyes quietly.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when she replied, "What? It's a dress!"

"I know, baby, but the way you're wearing it is making the designer in me cry aloud."

"C'mon, it's normal!"

Maybe I was just overthinking.

Anyways, if something awful had happened, she wouldn't have shown up here.

"So, man, no quite good events to attend?" I asked Jamal, who was busy savoring his ice cream.

"No, man! Not everyone has a tight schedule like you."

"Wish we could exchange then," I said, laughing slightly between my words.

Suddenly, Lysa got up from her seat and walked towards the other corner.

"What happened to her?" I heard Jamal asking Muneera while directing his eyes towards Lysa's figure.

"Her Humaid called, so she went," Muneera replied between eating.

After some time, Lysa came back.

However, she didn't sit.

I saw her picking up her handbag and keys. "Where are you going?" I asked, curiosity lacing my tone because by now I'm sure something is up.

She's been acting super fishy.

"I'm calling it a day now. See y'all later," she replied, waving at everyone at the table and flying kisses to the girls.

She went away while I clocked it in my mind to find out whatever was actually happening and why.

I didn't need to know, but I wanted to-as a friend.

· · ─ · 𝜗𝜚 · ─ · ·

Chapter Aesthetics

──﹕ 𝜗𝜚 ﹕──

So, how did you feel reading the chapter?

What do you think will happen in the next chapter?

Also, a few things I want to clear—

• Alia and Quadzi are the same person, so don't get confused.

• There's an error in Arhaz's POV banner, I saw it on the very last minute and didn't want to delay the chapter anymore cause of that so kindly ignore it.

Love y'all sunbeams✨🫶🏻

Votie and commentie for the next part.

Until next time,
Yours Kitty🐾.