Mehendi & Moonlight || Ana

Chapter 7:: The Proximity

"Happy Birthday, Kabir." Nisha smiled, handing him the small bag. They all were outside, waiting for their cars when she mustered up the courage to approach him and wish him a birthday. 
"Nisha knows?" Atif asked as Shams replied, "I told her today. She's fast, though. Even got a gift." 

Kabir stared at the bag in his hands and smiled, "Thanks, Nisha." 
"It's his birthday? Happy Birthday, Kabir!" Adil hugged him as Kabir grinned, ruffling his hair, "Thanks, kiddo." 
"Why are we not celebrating it then?" Adisha frowned. Every head turned towards her as Nisha suggested, "Then... we could celebrate it now." 
Kabir's brows furrowed when Atif and Ajay rushed out, "Be right back then!" 

In an hour, they all were at a restaurant, cutting a cake while Kabir had a Barbie birthday hat on his head. 

Although that ridiculous deed was done by Ajay and Atif, Nisha might've encouraged the torture process of making Kabir wear it. 
He made her eat forcefully, after all. If this counted as revenge, she couldn't care less about how evil her deeds were. 

"Happy Birthday bozo!" Shams spoke, patting his back. Kabir smiled at him, his gaze shifting to Nisha who was busy talking to Adisha about something. 
"Nisha, you got us something too, right?" Ajay asked as she frowned, "Is it your birthday?" 
"What? You seriously bought something only for him?" Atif made a fake-pained expression, making her sigh.

"Knew it. Here's yours." She forwarded 4 small bags as the boys lunged at them. She pressed her lips, watching them unpack it and show off their matching bracelets.
"Did Kabir get the same?" 
"Of course not. It's his birthday so I got something different for him." She smiled. Ajay nodded, "Okay, makes sense."
"Wow..." Wahi turned to Kabir to see him smirking, "Why is he smirking-"
"Shut up, Wahi. We have to cut the cake first!" Kabir interrupted.

"You all, stand there! Let me click a picture." Adisha spoke as the others nodded. At first, the guys took a picture. Then with their cousins and the kids, they all clicked a few more shots. 
"Nisha! Come on!" Atif called as Nisha shook her head, "I'm fine here."
"Come here," Kabir said, his attention completely on her now.

He gestured for her to join as she awkwardly approached them. She stood beside Shams who frowned, "You're the shortest, stand in the middle!" 

With a threatening look, she said, "Being a South Asian girl with a height of 5'6 is not short." 
"Among us, it is."

She watched Kabir whisper something into Sham's ear as he gave him a strange look, shrugging it off, "Shut up." 

She wondered if whatever he whispered was about her.

"Atif is 5'5." Ajay whispered, earning a smack from his friend, "I'm 5'6.5." 
"As if that point five matters at all." Kabir sighed, stepping aside for Nisha to stand in the middle. She frowned, "I don't like this at all." 

She turned her head to see Kabir's tall frame beside her, smiling mischievously. 
"Seems like you didn't wear heels today." He whispered. She opened her mouth to say something but failed due to the continuous picture clicking. 
Amidst her smile, she whispered back, "The highest you are is 5'8."
"It's 5'11." 
"Lies. You don't look that tall." 

"I'll take it as a compliment." 
"That wasn't one!" She tried heart and soul not to make an ugly face for the sake of the photos but Kabir's silent laughing was irritating her. She sighed, trying to avoid the awareness of being close to him once again. 

Even though it wasn't a big deal, her brain had to alert her of almost everything revolving around him.

"With that hat, you don't get to say a thing to me." She commented, smirking slightly when she saw his colourless face. 
He let out a sigh, "I took it off, okay?" 
She huffed, walking away once the photos were done. She watched his throat work to say something but he failed, due to the crowd of people.