Zoya stood in front of the mirror, fingers twitching at the hem of her kurti for the hundredth time. Her hair curled softly at the ends, eyes lined with just a little kajal, and a pink gloss she wasn’t used to wearing made her lips feel like they knew secrets.

“Stop biting them,” Aarfa yelled from the kitchen. “You’re gonna eat that lip gloss before he even sees it.”

Zoya groaned. “Why am I nervous?! He’s seen me in oil-stained hoodies!”

Aarfa peeked in. “Yes, but this is your first date, woman. This is sacred. This is romance. This is—”

“Okay okay STOP,” Zoya laughed. “Or I swear I’ll change into pajamas.”

The doorbell rang.

Zoya froze.

“Don’t faint,” Aarfa whispered with wide eyes as she slipped back into the kitchen.

Zoya opened the door slowly...

There he stood.

Akif.

In a simple black shirt, sleeves rolled, and a slight stubble that made him look older. His hair was styled differently today — swept back casually. He held a single white tulip in his hand.

Zoya blinked.

“You’re staring,” he said.

“You look... really—” she swallowed. “Good.”

His lips twitched. “So do you.”

She took the flower. “A tulip?”

“They mean calmness,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “I figured... you’re like that. Calming.”

She smiled so hard her cheeks hurt.

---

They took a cab to a quiet part of Mumbai, far from the usual buzz. He had picked a cozy rooftop café that overlooked the sea. Fairy lights twinkled above them, and the breeze smelled like rain.

“You planned all this?” she asked, surprised.

“I made a PowerPoint presentation,” he said dead serious.

She laughed so hard she snorted.

“I’m kidding,” he grinned. “But I did Google ‘romantic first date ideas that don’t make you look desperate.’”

She nearly fell off her chair. “You’re ridiculous.”

He leaned closer. “You like ridiculous.”

She blushed and looked away.

The dinner was light — pasta, iced tea, and endless conversations about everything and nothing. At one point, he told her about the first time he saw her cry in class and how helpless he felt.

“I wanted to hug you then,” he said softly. “But I didn’t know if I had the right.”

Zoya’s voice trembled. “You always had the right. You just didn’t know it.”

---

As they left the café, rain began to pour.

“Classic rom-com moment,” Zoya joked, raising her hands to the sky.

Akif groaned. “This shirt is expensive.”

“Oh relax, Akif Malik. Dance a little,” she teased, spinning in the rain like a child.

He shook his head, watching her, soaked, glowing, alive.

Then suddenly — he stepped forward, took her hand, and pulled her close.

“You’ll catch a cold,” he murmured.

“You’ll survive,” she whispered back.

There was a long pause.

Then he smiled, tucking a strand of wet hair behind her ear.

“I’m glad you ran away.”

She looked up at him. “Why?”

“Because the moment you walked into my life... it stopped feeling lonely.”

---

Back at her apartment, he walked her to the door.

Zoya stood on tiptoes, pressed a kiss to his cheek, and whispered, “Next time, I’m planning the date.”

Akif blushed so hard he turned away and bumpe

d into the wall.

She giggled. “Goodnight, loverboy.”

He walked away grinning like an idiot.

---

Okay i understand they are grinning like idiot because they got eachother but why I'm blushing like a idiot ghost!? 😭