Mehendi & Moonlight || Ana

Chapter 5:: The Torture Game

"Okay, thank you for choosing this project." Nisha politely spoke over the phone, eyeing her siblings who were playing board games on her bed. 
She mouthed to them, 'Shut up!' 
'No!' Adisha mouthed back as Adil showed her his tongue. She'd see them later. 

She hung up and said, "You both—want me to become jobless?" 
"Yes." Adil's response made her scoff, "Shut up, you little-" 
"Stop bickering, kids." Priti entered her room, making the three turn towards her. 
"Why are you always thinking about work?" 
"Money, sweetie. Money." Nisha replied to her elder sister who sat on the edge of the bed, staring at Adisha and Adil.

"You cheated!" Adisha spoke, making Adil frown, "You can't play! Is that my fault?"
"Yes!" 
"What the—" 
"Adil!" Priti scolded as he thinned his lips, "I wasn't going to curse, anyway." 
"Oh, my god." Nisha sighed, sitting on her working chair. 

"Sham's parents invited our family to theirs tomorrow." 
"So early?" Nisha asked making Priti nod. 

She traced the seams of the bedsheet with her fingertips, proceeding to tuck in her dark locks behind her ears. 
Nisha watched her elder sister attentively, "What do you worry about so much?" 
"Nothing... I feel strange. Maa and Baba don't seem to be the happiest." 
"Of course. They wanted some engineer or doctor whatever. But it's fine, they've accepted it. After a year of convincing, if they've decided to let you marry him, they'll be happy soon enough. It's all about the baby steps." She assured her sister. 
"Nisha-pi's right. I saw Maa and Baba staring at pictures of Shams on Facebook and smiling together, investigating his account." 

"What?!" Priti shrieked at Adil's sudden statement. Nisha raised a brow, "What does that mean?" 
"I don't know... they somehow got it."
"Must've been Kona Aunty."
"I think it's Jafrin Aunty." 
"Shams should lock his profile, oh god." Priti ran a hand through her face while Nisha thinned her lips, sighing. 

She didn't know how to react to certain situations. She was used to existing in them only.

—Next day—

Nisha stared at herself in the mirror, a soft smile adorning her lips. 

Her pink outfit complimented her sweet golden skin tone — the warm pink lipstick she wore fit the occasion so well, she could cry. 
"I look so good." She sprayed her favourite perfume on her wrists and swiped it on the sides of her neck. 
"You look so good, Nisha," Priti spoke, entering her room. She smiled at her sister who fixed her hair for her, pulling one out of nowhere, making her wince.

"Priti!" She called as the elder one laughed, "Address me with respect, woman." 
"Hah." Nisha scoffed, fixing her hair. 

"Let's go, we'll be late!" Adisha entered the room hastily —  her salwar kameez hugging her frame gorgeously.
"You look awesome, Adi." Nisha complimented.
"Salwar kameez? Can I just wear a T-shirt and jeans?" An irritated groan escaped the youngest one's lips. 

"That's seriously not what you wear to a function," Priti spoke.
She rolled her eyes, "Whatever, ugly and uncomfortable Bengali things."
"Typical teenager behaviour," Nisha whispered to herself, fixing her jhumka once. 
Exiting the room, she noticed Adil wearing a panjabi matching with their father. 

"Maa, your teal saree is glowing!" With a high-pitched compliment, she approached her busy parents. 

A few of their relatives also joined among whom Kona Aunty and Jafrin Aunty were the most prominent. The nosiest ones in the household.