"I never believed when they said you can get lost in someone's eyes but then I saw yours and wandered...."
There has been a skip in Aria's steps and a little excitement in her voice since she and Rizz decided to get married.
Though she knew it was like a compromise, more like a deal but she couldn't help but giggle like a small girl whenever mentioned about Rizz.
She submitted the forms at the reception of her Institute for the transfer and the shift of the clerk's attention from Aria's forms to something, rather someone behind her told her Rizz was here.
It was now kind of a routine now.
Girls usually gawking at him whenever he visited the campus.
"Hey!", she heard a soft yet deep voice and she smiled as she turned to look at the source of it.
There he was, in a white casual shirt and blue jeans, handsome as always.
"Assalamualaikum.", she greeted instead and Rizz shook his head as he replied with the greeting back.
They collected the documents and Rizz helped Aria in organizing them because lets be honest here, she was the unorganized one between them.
"You should avoid coming to my campus, y'know. Some girls here can't help but go all gaga over you.", Aria blurted out and Rizz was so surprised he stopped in his tracks for a second but quickly got over it.
"Someone is getting jealous and wants to keep me only for themselves, ha?", he gave a smug smile as Aria rolled her eyes.
"Oh please. I don't even know what they see in you... And just so you know, I've seen better.", she winked with sass thinking she won and maybe she did but the teasing and constant pestering that came from Rizz all the way from her uni to the restaurant they went to for their lunch and wedding planning made her believe otherwise.
Rizz took up this challenge when he had an argument with Aria that he had known Mumbai better than Aria in this few weeks than she had known in her entire life and they both decided to take each other to different places they both haven't visited or feel is worth a visit. So far Rizz took her to three places which Aria had previously visited. This was the fourth one.
"So.... why this place?", she questioned as they entered into a restaurant that had a vintage kind of vibe. The moment they entered the restaurant Aria felt she was in 80s or 90s. It felt like a bliss.
"It takes me back to all the bollywood movies I watched as a kid.", Rizz smiled and Aria narrowed her eyes.
"Kindly enlighten me Sir... what movies have you watched?"
"Shawshank Redemption, Inception, The Dark Knight, Av-", Rizz was interrupted clicking of Aria's tongue.
"Bollywood, Rizz. Bollywood!"
"Oh.... you could've been more specific-", he paused when Aria gave him a glare and then answered the question she asked.
"Uhm... some Shahrukh Khan movie where he left his family for this actress and the girl was super loud...", he thought for a moment until Aria interrupted again.
"What was the name of the movie?", she questioned, challenging him.
Rizz pondered for few seconds and sighed in defeat.
"I don't remember okay. But like... do you wanna eat some good food or no?", he dismissed the topic as he ruffled his hair making Aria laugh.
"I won. But don't worry, I will make you watch all them Bollywood movies.", she tapped his shoulder in a comforting way as she settled down into one booth.
"Have you been to this place though?", Rizz questioned and when Aria shook her head no absentmindedly as she scanned the place and the menu card, Rizz wanted to scream in happiness to finally have won his first round of their stupid challenge.
But at that very moment, he saw Aria's eyes lit up in excitement and her lips adorning a full smile as showed him some dish she found on the menu card and at that moment he knew he had already lost his heart to her and he could let her win everything... every single time.
..................................
The room was filled with jewellery, dresses and makeup as the girls huddled to neatly place them for the function that was supposed to happen in the evening.
Well not everyone was concerned about the jewellery matching the outfit.
Aria.
"Girls! Can we please like sweet strawberry sugar bun cake, do this in the evening? My eyes need some resting!", she whined.
So it was Ruhaan's cousins wedding. The nikah was followed by a reception in the evening and since this all was planned in a resort on the outskirts of the city, the group had to leave early to reach in the afternoon.
The ride was pretty awkward for Aria though because her almost fiance and her friend who had a huge crush on her were going to be in the same party.
Yes, Rizz was invited too but not by Ruhaan. Aria was only informed last night that the groom was Rizz's good friend as they had done schooling together back in Canada.
Small world, isn't it?
Rizz decided to come directly in the evening with Yahya as he had some prior engagements to look after but our dear Aria had to share a ride with Ziyadh who didn't even glance at her for which Aria didn't know she was glad or disappointed that he was making all this more tough.
Sighing, she pushed herself inside the duvet and let her eyes rest to prepare herself for an ecstatic evening.
............................................
The bitter taste of the drink caused a tingling sensation inside his mouth but he knew that was the only thing that was keeping him sane right now.
He had been driving for a good two hours now and his eyes that went without sleep for almost fifty hours were still being loyal to him while his head started to spin thus labelling itself as the traitor.
He stopped at a nearby coffee place and got himself a cup of black coffee.
"This is your fourth cup of the day, Kabeer.", he heard a female voice and immediately recognized it even in the hazy state of his mind.
"Why are you here, Zainab?", he questioned, not looking towards her. He should've wondered how she found him but right now it all seemed too unimportant to him.
"Just to make sure you won't do something that will hurt Rizz.", she gave a direct answer, no twisting of words, no puzzles.
Kabeer finally turned to look at her as he leaned on his car door.
"You still care about him? Even after he didn't consider your feelings?"
At this, Zainab chuckled a humorless laugh as she slowly nodded.
"He never promised me anything. Forget promising, he never even accepted me as something more than his cousin y'know. In fact I ruined the friendship too that we shared once as kids. It did hurt, in the start. But...", she paused as she hesitantly looked at Kabeer as if contemplating her next words.
Kabeer arched his right brow, gesturing her to continue.
"I see the way he looks at her. Its something I used to wish for him and I. I made so many efforts for it but when he looks at her, its like... all natural. Feels like he was made to look her that way, the way as if she is the most calming and the serene thing Rizz has seen."
"And what about Aria? Does she look at him the same way?"
At this question, Zainab took a step back in reflex because she wasn't really sure how Kabeer will react to it considering history.
"She looks at him like he is her favourite book and she just wants to drown in him but in secret."
....................................................
YOU ARE READING
Tangled Up
Romance"I was holding onto him thinking the pain was worth it, my hands and heart ached trying to keep something which killed me not so softly. But as I started to let go of him, my soul felt lighter. And my heart? It'll take it's own time.", she gave a so...
