Always Her

I

♪♫ Ik kudi jida naam mohabbat

Gum hai, gum hai, gum hai

Oo... surat oss di pariyaan wargi

Seerat di o... mariyam lagdi

Hasdi hai taan phool jhad'de ne

Turdi hai taan gazal hai lagdi... ♪♫

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"Guess what?" her best friend—Ahana's excited voice came as she let herself into Inaya's office for lunch.

"What?" she shut the laptop and walked toward the couch placed in her cabin as Ahana put out their lunch and set the plates for them.

Ahana gave her a deadpan look. "Guess!"

"We got the ZM Fashion House deal?"

"Yes!"

"Wait, so Ahaya is going international?"

Ahaya was a fashion brand that Ahana and Inaya established when they were 20 and going through college together. Their brand has grown in every sense over the years and they couldn't be happier. They had always dreamt of owning something of their own and now they are co-CEOs of Ahaya.

"Yes! But the CEO wants to come down here for another meeting, so we could understand their working process and vice-versa."

ZM Fashion House has been their target for a few months now, but they were not able to schedule a meeting at that time. The meeting finally got scheduled for today, but because Inaya already had another meeting scheduled, she had to go there.

"Is there anything you think I should know?" she was curious about the meeting.

"Yes! There CEO!" Ahana replied almost immediately.

"What about him?"

"He's so good-looking and well-mannered."

"Ana! Work ethic!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"There is no harm in appreciating beauty sometimes, sugar. And let me tell you, he would make a nice life partner."

"Remind me, since when did you get interested in finding a life partner and getting married?" she frowned at Ahana's weird behavior.

"I didn't. I was considering him for you, silly. You would make a nice couple." Ahana proudly stated with a grin.

"Oh god! Don't tell me dad put you up for this." She took her head in her hands.

"Okay, I won't." Ahana chuckled at her misery.

◅▫▻

Inaya was trying to choose a movie while Ahana was preparing popcorn and other snacks for their movie night.

Inaya lived with her best friends—Ahana and Noor—until last month when Noor got married to her college sweetheart, Aarav. Now it's again just Ahana and her.

She met Noor and Ahana in 8th and 11th grade respectively. After school, both Inaya and Ahana got into the same course at one of the most prestigious colleges in Mumbai while Noor went to Delhi for further studies. Around the same time, Inaya's parents moved to Delhi with her brother, and from then, she and Ahana were living together.

They changed the apartment after they were freshly out of college and around the time Noor started living with them as the previous apartment was a little too small for their convenience.

Ahana came with a tray full of snacks and drinks for the movie and they settled on Harry Potter.

"Listen!" she started while Ahana turned to her, the pack of chips in her hands. "Dad called me this evening."

"Everything good?"

"Yes, everything is alright. He asked me to come to Delhi the next weekend."

"Why so suddenly?" she could say that Ahana was curious.

"His best friend is coming for dinner with his family. So Dad wants me to join the dinner. And he said something about meeting them after a long time as they shifted to the US around 20-something years ago. But they are moving back to India, I think. "

"Hmm... Mr. Mallik—the CEO of ZM Fashion House is coming next Friday for the meeting. So, would it be possible for you to attend the meeting in the morning alongside me and then fly to Delhi in the evening?"

"Yes, sounds good to me. But..." she trailed off with a mischievous look on her face.

Ahana rolled her eyes. "Yes yes, I'll help you choose the dress for the dinner."

"Pinky promise?" she lifted her pinky finger toward Ahana.

Ahana looked at her finger with distaste then at her face. "What are we, 5?"

"Oh come on, you know you want to do it."

"No, I don't."

She still encouraged her, prompting Ahana with her eyes.

"Agggh, fine." Ahana finally complied and joined Inaya's pinky finger with her own and mumbled, "I hate you."

"Oh please, you love me." She giggled as Ahana again rolled her eyes and shook her head at her with a small smile.