Bowled Over By The Broken

Chapter 18: Perception

"You never said anything the past three months, then what's this all of a sudden?"

"The other guys, I found them decent and friendly. But Hamad," Shamaaz shrugged, his statement hanging in the air.

"Wait a minute," Mariam said, trying to make sense of the nonsense Shamaaz was uttering. "I'm supposed to maintain a safe distance from guys while you are allowed to hug all those stupid girls who go gaga seeing you?"

Now it was his turn to get offended.

"That is not what I meant."

"Yeah? Because right now, what I see is that you getting away from rules you're trying to impose on me because you're 'a guy'."

"I really don't mind your other guy friends. All I said was Hamad is not the kind of guy you'd want to be close to, his intentions aren't good. I've never said anything about your friendship with other guys. Just like I have so many friends of the opposite sex, so do you. There's no harm in it. In fact, I didn't mind you getting your best friend Abhishek to the party last week. I can't believe you aren't seeing the point."

"Nope. You always start acting weird when I speak to my guy friends. You have a problem, so accept it."

"I do not," Shamaaz protested. "You're the one generalizing the whole thing. All I did was speak about Hamad."

Mariam rolled her eyes, and said, "Look, Shamaaz, if you're trying to make me like Anabya, then all the best but you aren't going to be successful."

"Hold on a sec. How in the world did the girl I don't even speak to anymore land in this conversation?"

"Ask yourself."

"You were the one who got her into this so I'd rather you explain."

"I'm starting to believe that you like her."

"How so?"

"When you saw her in campus yesterday, your gaze kept following her. And that girl didn't even know you were there."

Guilty as charged was what he was about to say.

"That's a lie. That girl is so weird and completely different, you'll be mad to think I like her."

"Exactly my point. You two are a complete mismatch, she does not fit in your life at all, then what's the point chasing her?"

"I'll be the last one to chase her, please," Shamaaz laughed at the idea. "You know I can get any girl I want, and I don't want her, that's the end of it."

Lie. He could get any girl he wanted but not Anabya.

Definitely not Anabya.

She was way out of his league.

If he ever proposed to her, he'd have the ring thrown at his face and a black eye, courtesy her brother.

Not like he would, but just saying.

"Are you shoving that in my face?" Mariam asked, annoyed.

"No. I'm just saying that despite any girl I can get, I choose to be with you," he replied cockily.

Give it up for Shamaazi. This guy puts the smoothness of butter to shame. And it works, the way Mariam's heart flutters and with the smile that graces her face, it definitely works.

And with his charm, with ease, the issue was resolved.

Had he known that it was this easy to get things his way with girls, he'd have probably dated a long long time ago.