"Momo, where are we going right now?"
"You'll find out later," Mahira replied softly.
"We're buying new clothes too, right?" he asked with quiet excitement.
"Whatever you like, we'll buy everything," Mahira assured him.
Mahira wished to fulfill Ayaan's every desire. Though he was her younger brother, she loved him less like a sibling and more like a son. In her eyes, he was the very definition of innocence. Yet the truth of his personality was more complex. He was not a bad person—never that—but life had slowly taken away a part of his childish naivety.
She took him to the shopping mall, where Ayaan selected only a few clothes and a pair of shoes. When Mahira asked if he wanted anything more, he refused gently. He believed in buying only what was necessary.
After a while, he said, "Momo… I'm hungry."
"Wait a little," she replied. "We're going to enjoy our meal with someone else."
Ayaan raised an eyebrow. "A new friend?"
Mahira looked surprised. "How did you know?"
"It's obvious," he answered calmly. "You would never involve me with your old friends. They only say silly things to me."
Mahira's friends often teased him playfully, jokingly asking if he would become their boyfriend—simply because who wouldn't flirt with such a handsome boy, even if he was younger?
Mahira laughed. "You know me that well?"
They shared a warm smile.
After shopping, they were exhausted. Mahira called Jihan and asked him to meet her.
"I'm with my sister," he replied.
"I'm with my brother too. They can become friends," Mahira suggested.
"Good idea," Jihan agreed.
They met at a restaurant. Ayaan never particularly liked Mahira's friends, but he still greeted Jihan with a reluctant "Hi." Jihan, wearing a mask, returned the greeting.
From behind Jihan, a young girl peeked shyly, as though she were afraid of everyone around her. Both Mahira and Ayaan found themselves staring at her.
"Why are you hiding?" Jihan asked, turning back.
The girl was wearing a mask and glasses. When Mahira leaned slightly toward her, she shrank back even further. It was obvious she was extremely shy.
Irritated, Jihan said sharply, "Aarshi, what are you doing?"
Aarshi looked up at him timidly. "Bhai… are we having lunch here?"
"Yes," Mahira answered warmly. "And this treat is from me."
The little girl held the corner of her brother's T-shirt and walked behind him like a shadow. Jihan seemed increasingly bothered by her behavior. Soon, they all sat at the same table.
Mahira and Jihan began talking among themselves, but Ayaan and Aarshi felt uncomfortable. Both were ambiverts. They did not enjoy making new friends and preferred keeping their circles small.
Aarshi slowly lifted her eyes and noticed Ayaan sitting across from her, busy on his phone. After a few moments, she whispered to her brother, "I need to wash my hands."
"Okay. The washroom should be that way," he said, not wanting to leave the table because he was absorbed in conversation with Mahira.
"I'll go with her," Mahira offered.
"I'll go," Ayaan interrupted quickly. Mahira knew he was simply making an excuse to step away.
Ayaan followed Aarshi quietly. She had no idea he was behind her. When she came out of the washroom, she had removed her mask and was walking absentmindedly. Suddenly, she tripped over the edge of the tiled floor outside and was about to fall—
Ayaan caught her hand.
For a moment, everything felt awkward and unexpected. Neither of them had anticipated that touch.
"Wait," Ayaan said quickly. "I need to wash my hands too."
He stepped inside and returned a moment later. Aarshi looked at him and whispered, "Thank you." Her voice was so soft that he had to lean down to hear her.
"Say it again," he teased gently.
"Thank you… for saving me," she repeated.
"Oh, you're welcome," he replied proudly.
"Are you uncomfortable?" he asked suddenly.
"No."
"Then why do you always behave like that?" he questioned.
"I wore the wrong prescription glasses today," she admitted quietly. "I can't see clearly."
"That's not a valid excuse," he said playfully.
She removed her glasses. Ayaan looked at her face properly for the first time—and in that moment, she seemed the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Without her glasses, she looked entirely different, almost like someone new.
He examined the glasses. "There's no power in these."
"That's the problem," she replied.
"How much power do your actual glasses have?"
"So much that even from here, the wash basin looks blurry."
"That is a real problem," he admitted.
Then, unexpectedly, Aarshi said, "I think we should become friends."
Ayaan froze in shock.
"Our brother and sister will stay busy in their meeting and bore us," she continued. "It's better if we become each other's companions."
He found her idea surprisingly perfect.
They returned to the table. This time, Aarshi was holding the edge of Ayaan's T-shirt—and he did not mind at all.
"Momo, you sit beside Jihan," Ayaan said casually. "We'll sit together."
"Why are you saying that?" Mahira asked.
In perfect unison, Ayaan and Aarshi said, "We know you two are dating."
Mahira and Jihan were stunned into silence.
"Who told you that?" Mahira demanded.
"We're just friends," Jihan insisted, trying to clarify.
But Ayaan and Aarshi seemed unconvinced.
"We're hungry," Aarshi declared simply.
Soon the food arrived, and everyone began eating. Mahira and Jihan were too tense to even speak properly, worried that their siblings had misunderstood their friendship. That afternoon, the entire menu was chosen by Ayaan and Aarshi, as the older two were far too distracted to decide anything.
After lunch, Jihan finally said, "You both are misunderstanding our relationship. There's nothing like that." He and Mahira explained patiently for a long time.
Then Ayaan and Aarshi replied in their own unique style, "We never asked for an explanation. You already told us before, so we believed you."
Their synchronized response impressed Mahira deeply. In her heart, she couldn't help but think that if these two ever became partners in life, the outcome would be extraordinary.
The tension melted away, and soon all four of them were laughing and talking endlessly. They went shopping together afterward, turning the day into something unexpectedly memorable.
Finally, as evening approached, they said their goodbyes and returned home—unaware that something subtle yet meaningful had quietly begun between two unlikely companions.