I wake up and run to the kitchen without wasting a second. Not for my usual reason-food- but to get a butterknife to scrape my mehendi off. I can't wait a second longer.

I look at it with awe after scraping the dry henna off. It was already dark orange. But I honestly couldn't wait till it got even darker. If it doesn't, I'm definitely questioning Saria's career choice.  I'd actually not do it... Just a joke! I know it will stain anyway. Mehendi done by Saria always stains. 

Apparently she was famous in the Mehendi art industry because of this reason. It was apparently a myth that if a bride gets her mehendi done by Saria then the bride and groom will be together forever. 

She didn't do Esha bhabi's mehendi though as there family also has a Mehendi Artist.

"Fariha! Jeye Saria ke tul. Tule tora dujon ready ho." (Wake Saria up and then both of you, get ready.) choto chachi ordered.

Sigh. I can't even admire my mehendi for more than two minutes in peace.

I go up to Saria's room to see it was as dark as an underground cave. It's how she always likes to keep it. Apparently it's 'cosy' as she likes it call it. 

I open the curtains and yank her pillow out. "Get up! We need to get ready! Up! Now!" I say while throwing the pillow on her face.

"Yeah yeah. I was up already. Didn't need to rip my pillow out. And close the curtains" she said while getting up.

"Areh you need to keep the curtains open sometimes too! Or else you'll have vitamin D deficiency because of staying in the dark all day!"

"I get enough vitamin D when I'm outside. Too many of my clients have an outdoor mehendi ceremony!"

"Hmm yeah yeah whatever, get ready and come to my room. Bye!" I leave the room and go to mine to wear the dress I bought for the wedding.

It was a whitish-yellow dress with pastel and golden patterns. It felt magical wearing this. I love traditional dresses.

She's in this faint purplish—lavender? Lilac? Mauve? (Listen, I'm not Google Color Picker, okay. Saria is the one with the art degree. It's purple-ish. Let's just leave it at that.) But whatever it was, it looked good. REALLY good.

"Hayee, koto shundor lagche toke! MaShaAllah!"(Oh wow. You look really pretty MaShaAllah.) she said while twirling me like I was a princess.

"Hmm tokeo!" (You too!) I say and spin her back.

-

The bride's side was standing in front of the entrance which meant we couldn't get in until we paid.

Why do I have more brothers? I want to be on the bride's side as well! And I can only be once!

After many negotiations, we paid approximately half of what we paid for the whole wedding. Just in the gate.

How do I know this? Dad had me do the cost calculations of the wedding as I had 'nothing better' to do. Like I wasn't the one organising the feast.

We entered the the venue and me and Saria ran off to a corner while the rest of the family took Rayan bhaia to the stage. 

Saria hated crowds. And being totally honest? Even I did. Atleast the wedding crowd. Who would want be be surrounded by 20 aunties at the same time asking either 'Why are you so skinny? Does your family not feed you?' or 'When are you getting married?'

 "Look who it is, your crush." Saria said while pointing to someone behind me. I look behind to see...

Ehsan Reza.

Okay okay okay,

When I was little, I called him handsome infront of everyone. But I didn't know his name! And I didn't know it was a big deal! He is not my crush!

Maybe I did I have a tiny crush on him (DID! Past tense!) but now he got uglier so no chance. Okay, both of them are kinda lies... he did get more handsome and I do still kinda like him, but still! He flirts with everyone he sees. And that's annoying.

"Hmm okay, I'll get going." she starts leaving when I pull her back. 

"What? Why? Where?"

"Areh, Ma is calling me for some reason." she showed me her phone to show that chachi texted her and then left.

I took a glass of soft drinks from the table and started drinking when the flirting jerk himself came beside me.

Thankfully, he did not talk to me and only took a glass for himself and then started drinking it. It had only been like 3? Maximum 4 seconds. And then he started talking.

"Knew that you had a crush on me. But didn't realise that you were actually obsessed. I mean, can't question it. You have great taste." he finally spoke.

"Huh? What? Are you crazy?" I ask him while still drinking my soda.

"You have my name in your Mehendi after all..." he trailed off.

I almost choked on my drink when I heard that. There is no way Saria would do that.

I check my hand to see where it was. I couldn't find it at first so I thought he was joking when I finally spotted it.

It was in tiny dots.

I will seriously kill Saria!

"What happened? Didn't think I'd notice?" he teased.

I didn't know what to say when thankfully, his brother Ehaan came and took him away. 

Saria came over to me with her eyes as wide as an ostrich. "Oi! That guy! That's him! The phone and bus guy!" she said pointing to Ehaan.

"Huh? Areh that's Ehaan. Remember? Ehaan Reza. Ehsan's cousin." I inform.

"Huh? He is the phone guy? God. How did I not recognise him?"

"How would I know? Now you listen. Why the hell did you write Ehsan's name on my Mehendi huh?" I ask while grabbing her throat lightly.

"Areh areh sorry. Boro chachi told me to do it." she said while putting her hands up like she was surrendering.

--

At night, when the ceremony was coming to an end, Ma took me with her to meet the Rezas again. 

Ehsan was also there. Though his brother was nowhere to be seen. They were discussing about their joint project when suddenly, the topic marriage- which for some reason is always the elder's favourite- came up.

"We are really looking forward to seeing if we can finally be together as one family." Asma aunty spoke up, so I started thinking they were planning Kabir bhaia's marriage with one of Ehsan's sisters.

"Yes, Ehsan and Fariha would be such a good duo!"I freeze at Ma's words.

"What?" I ask in surprise and look at Ehsan. He was equally shocked.

That crazy girl is here. And she is Saria freaking Syed. Rayan's cousin. The one who I was always annoyed with since the first time I met her.

How the hell did I not know it was her?

I need to avoid her. There is no way I'm having another conversation with her. Not right now. And hopefully, not ever. I needed to find my family as they all gathered in one corner for whatever discussion. Specifically my father. He needs me to get a file from the Syeds' house. But he didn't tell me which one.

I suddenly bumped into a girl and as she was falling back, I acted fast and caught her. When I finally see who it is, I wish I had let her fall instead. 

Saria Syed.

She glared when she saw it was me. As if I was the one who said 'not interested' to someone who wanted to give a phone back?

I let her go and she stands up immediately. "Th-thanks," she says.

"Did you bring your car here?" that was a straight-up random question.

"Why?" I ask without answering.

"I need to get home and come back here in 10 minutes. Oh wait, you need to come with me anyways, let's go." she said walking out in the opposite direction. What is she even saying? Even after knowing her for years I can never get used to her rocket booster speed talking.

"Why would I go?"

She sighed. 

"Okay miss 'Easily bored' I'm not here to entertain you. Answer me." I say while glaring.

"Bilal uncle told me to find you before going to my house. I needed to bring a document. And I didn't know which one so he told me to get you. Now fast! Before all the discussion ends."

"I don't even know which file it is!"

She facepalmed herself. "Did you not get any text?"

"No I didn't-" I was about to say when I check my phone to see my dad's text. "I did." 

"Lovely, now let's go."

I started my car and got in and she entered beside me. And that's how, this crazy girl was now in my passenger's seat.

Wish I could say 'The end' right now.

I started driving, when I couldn't help but notice that she only had Mehendi done on one side of her left hand. That too a simple design. The rest of the girls at the wedding had full-hand designs. Even the elders.

"Did you say 'not interested' to the mehendi artist too or what?" I ask while keeping my eyes on the road.

"Excuse me?" she said like I asked a rude question. My question was pretty valid in my opinion.

"Did the mehendi artist not like you or what?" I ask.

"Huh?" she stared at me with confusion.

"You have like two lines on your hand. Did the artist find you too irritating to finish your design?" 

"My behaviour is very good thank you. If you're still stuck on the 'not interested' phrase, I'm sorry. Too many annoying guys have approached me to get my number. So I thought you were one of them. You are annoying, but you didn't ask for my number so yeah. And I am the Mehendi artist." she said in her same rocket booster speed.

That did shut me up for two seconds but then,

"Then why didn't you do a full hand Mehendi? At least on your left hand?" I ask another valid question.

"It's honestly tiring after doing everyone's Mehendi. 10 hands is a lot. Normally I do even more. The bride's family had a mehendi artist too and they wanted theirs to be done personally, so I had less work. But I still just don't have the energy or want or patience as well to be honest. One hand takes me from 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much of the hand I do. So like, Sitting in one place and drawing for ages. Sometimes you can get exhausted from it even after loving it. I only did this because Fariha forced me to." 

By this time, I don't know how, I got pretty used to her rocket booster speed monologues.

-

We reached Adeel uncle's study room and Saria showed me the documents of the project. I took the one dad messaged me to take.

We both walked to the door and I tried to open it when I couldn't. 

"Oh god. I forgot. This door's been acting up." Saria said innocently.

"And you're realising that after all this? After we're locked in?" I ask annoyed.

"Sorry! It can be opened from the outside, let me call someone." she took her phone out and the looked at me with a guilt look.

Of course. She didn't even have to say it out loud for me to know.

"The battery died."

"Let me call Kabir." I take my phone out and see that it was turned off as well. Batteries always have to die at these moments!

"When are they coming back?" I ask her in a frustrated voice.

"Umm, after midnight I think?" she said in a questioning look.

The clock read 09:47.

Great. Now I'm stuck here. With her.

"How lovely," I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh shut up. My phone's dead because I was taking photos the whole day. Why would your phone die too?" she says as if it's a good enough excuse.

"Because I was replying to emails! And also, it's your house. It's you who should've remembered this!"

"Well, I didn't think the door would shut to be honest! We weren't even here for more than a minute!"

How am I going to tolarate her for 2 more freaking hours if I can't even stay calm for 2 minutes!

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Thank you for reading<3