"You're going to be my present and my future. You're going to hold all my babies because I'm going to be the lucky man to marry you. You're going to love me again, Maryam Khan. Slowly and then all together. And I will watch you as you do."
Imran and...
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"Imran?" I hear Talha's muffled voice call my name.
"Oye," Arbaaz gives my shoulder a rough shake. I heard them, but I didn't want to tear my gaze away from her to see their ujard faces. Who would want to, when Maryam Khan is sitting right across from your table with her group of friends, smiling at you, not them? I simply loved that red sweater she had on, completed her pink cheeks so well, I could kiss them.
We had yet to say hi, which I was not planning to do in front of the boys and she, her girlfriends. So, we wordlessly resolved to sneak glances at each other. But, me being me, could not muster the courage to look away.
"Rani?" Talha tries once again.
"Isko kiya ho--" Arbaaz paused with a frown, following the direction of my gaze. "Ohhh!" He practically screams, breaking my chain of thoughts.
"What?"
"Maryam baithi hui hai saamne wo bhi apne doston ke saath. Kaisa nazar kahi aur pardti."
(When Maryam is sitting right in front with her friends, why would you want to look at something else?)
"Aye! Teko bola main, Maryam is off limits. Choti ki dost hai, apne liyea bhi behen hai. Samajh baat ko." Talha scolds.
"She might be off limits for you guys. Not for me." My brows knit together when I see a smug smile creeping up Arbaaz's face.
"Kyu?" I question.
"Ye dekh," Fishing out his phone from the pocket, he clicks it open. Tapping something on the screen, Arbaaz flips the device around for us to see. "Your bhabi has accepted my Instagram request."
"Humari bhabhi?" Talha cocks.
"Request meri accept karke meri ich bhabhi banti phir? Kaise baatan karre, yaaro?"
I felt my hand clutch the phone I held in a death grip. From my periphery, I noticed the group of girls standing to their feet and beginning to walk away. Maryam was the last to gather her things and before joining them, she paused to look at me. Her face flushed red.
It felt as if she was waiting for me to do something. Like, say hi, or whatever. But I was too busy trying to wrap my head around Arbaaz's confession. Upon noticing me staring, he quickly turns in his seat. "Oh, hi!" He gets up and makes his way to where she is standing.
"Hi," She replied with confidence, glancing at me briefly before turning her attention back to Arbaaz.
I somehow manage to tune out their conversation, feeling my blood boil with every passing second Arbaaz spent with her. The vanilla ice cream melted into a white pool at the table and I couldn't care less. I catch her smiling at something Arbaaz told her.
