Maya stretched her arms wide and yawned."Wahh… today's going to be a good day," she said lazily. "So relaxing. Total morning vibes."
Tara walked in and immediately said, "Touchwood, Maya."
Maya scoffed. "I don't trust all that stuff."
After a while, someone knocked on the door.
Maya went to open it—and froze.
It was Zayn.
Her eyes widened in shock. She slowly turned and shot Tara a dead look.
Tara raised her hands innocently and shrugged." I told you," she said. "They work." Zayn stepped inside, his expression unreadable. He glanced at Maya and said coldly, "Remember—tomorrow is a big day for you."
He paused, then corrected himself quietly. "I mean… for us."
Maya frowned. Without saying a word, she turned away from him. She grabbed Tara's arm and pulled her toward the room.
Once inside, Maya closed the door and locked it. She took a deep breath, then looked at Tara seriously.
"Tara," she said, her voice low, "I have to tell you something. Something really important." Maya hesitated, then added, "This Zayn guy… he's too suspicious. Remember when you all went to bid them goodbye? He came back saying he forgot something." "Yeah," Tara replied casually, admiring her nails, completely carefree.
Maya continued, her voice dropping. "He literally told me, 'Uncle Sham is a good guy.'" She looked at Tara sharply. "Isn't that exactly what was written in the letter?"
Tara's eyes widened, and she finally met Maya's gaze. "Maya… this doesn't feel right. This isn't a coincidence."
"I know," Maya said, her voice barely steady. "And I don't know what to do."
Then someone knocked on the door of their room. They opened the door, slightly frightened.
Zayn stood there. "I'm going back to my city," he said calmly.
"And never coming back," Maya murmured under her breath.
"What?" Zayn asked.
"Nothing," Maya replied quickly.
Zayn glanced at them. "Well… take care of her, Tara. And make sure you take care of yourself too." He handed Maya a bag of fruits, gave one last look, and left.
Throughout the whole day, Maya was tense about tomorrow. She couldn't focus on her work, and even the simplest tasks felt impossible. Her mind kept racing with "what ifs," imagining everything that could go wrong. By night, she was exhausted, yet sleep felt impossible —her mind kept drifting back to the events of tomorrow.
And that's when Lav entered the room with pillows, blankets, and sheets wrapped in his arms.
Maya sighed. "Lav… not again, bro," she said, face-palming. "Go sleep in the other room. You don't have to sleep here—especially not on the floor."
Lav paused."…Bro?" he asked, lightly.
Maya nodded. "Yeah. I guess."
Lav gave a small nod, his expression dimming. "Okay," he said quietly.
"What's that expression?" Maya asked.
Without saying anything else, Lav bent down and began spreading the sheets on the floor.
"Lav?" Maya frowned. "What are you doing?"
He shook his head slightly, not looking at her. "Don't call me that," he said quietly, continuing to arrange the blankets as if nothing had happened.
Maya covered her mouth with her hands and let out a small giggle. "Lav, guess what," she said.
Lav didn't reply.
Maya peeked at him, then sighed. "Okay, no reply. Fine, sir." She folded her arms dramatically. "Wellll… I'll call you bro again if you don't leave this room right now," she added with a sarcastic smile.
Lav ignored her.
Maya started counting. "One… two… three… four…" She paused. "Five."
Then she raised her voice. "Bro. Bro. Brooo!"
Lav shut his eyes and covered his ears. "Shhh—okay, okay, fine! I'm leaving," he said, getting up.
Before walking out, he shot her an annoyed look, his lips pressed into a small pout. "I hate you."
"Thank youuu, sir— I mean, sorry, bro—" Maya started again.
"Oii, no," Lav cut her off. "I'm leaving. You're such a little devil."
Maya smiled, pleased with herself.
Lav turned around at the door. "And if someone comes in the middle of the night and takes you away, don't blame me," he said casually, about to leave.
"No—wait," Maya said. Worry flashed across her face before she could stop it.
Lav paused and looked back at her. "Oh? What's that on your face?" he asked lightly. "Are you scared?"
"Me? Huh? No way," Maya replied quickly. "Just—just sleep here. It's fine. Since you were practically begging, I'm pitying you."
"Okay, ma'am," Lav said, nodding obediently as he stepped back into the room.
Maya cleared her throat. " uhmm... The room you were actually supposed to sleep in has a lot of mosquitoes. So I'm letting you sleep here—not because I'm scared of anything, okay?"
Lav raised his hands in surrender. "Yeah, yeah, I know that. In fact, actually, I'm the scared one. That's why I came here—for company."
Maya crossed her arms and smirked proudly. "Yeah, you definitely chose the best company, I'm Very strong," she said, adjusting her blankets as she got ready to sleep.
Lav didn't reply. He just stood there for a moment, watching her quietly, a soft look in his eyes—one that showed just how much he adored her. Finally, he shook his head and set his blankets down on the floor. Maya got into bed, pulling her blanket up to her chin. After a while, both of them fell asleep —just the comfort of being near each other.
AND THE DAY HAD ARRIVED
Maya was tense, her mind racing as she remembered everything that had happened earlier. To calm herself, she pulled out the letter given to her by her secret admirer. Holding the paper close, she placed her hands on her chest and whispered, "I'm trusting you… you better keep your promise." Then, a sudden idea popped into her mind, making her eyes light up with a mix of excitement and nervousness.
Just then, Vedh knocked on the door. "Hey, good morning! Breakfast is ready, and everyone's waiting for you."
"Vedh, I have an idea," Maya said.
"What is it?" Vedh asked.
Maya glanced around, making sure no one else was nearby. "Okay, listen. I need your help—and promise me you won't tell anyone anything."
Vedh nodded. "Okay. But tell me, what are you going to do?"
Maya looked at him seriously. "Not you… we. We're going to do this together." You and I have to disguise ourselves and go to the place he told me to come—alone. We'll hide and watch what happens."
Vedh's eyes widened. "Noo, Maya! That's too risky! You can't just go anywhere. How are you even going to manage without telling your parents, Lav, and Tara?". "And I am not letting you go nowhere, so just be quiet and have your breakfast," Vedh said firmly, trying to calm her down.
They argued back and forth, voices rising and falling as each tried to make the other see their point. Vedh insisted it was too risky, while Maya kept countering with reason after reason.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Vedh let out a sigh. "Fine… okay. But we have to be careful," he muttered. Maya's face lit up, and she giggled like a child. "Thank you, Vedh! You're the best!"
Maya slipped into a burkha, completely covering herself from head to toe, leaving only her eyes visible. She adjusted it carefully, making sure nothing was out of place.
Vedh, on the other hand, had opted for a black hoodie and matching pants, covering himself as much as possible. He added a pair of sunglasses and a mask, and even pulled his cap low over his forehead, making him nearly unrecognizable.
Both of them took a deep breath, giving each other a quick once-over. Beneath the disguises, they shared a silent nod of approval, impressed with how careful and clever the other had been.
"Vedh… is that you?" Maya asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
Vedh adjusted his mask and shades, a small grin in his voice. "Even you couldn't spot me, huh? Not bad, huh?"
Maya smirked beneath her burkha. "Nope. I'd say that's an excellent disguise… for once, you surprised me."
Vedh chuckled. "Ha! You too. That disguise is seriously convincing.". Very impressive."
Maya laughed softly. "Well, someone's gotta keep up with you, right?"
Vedh shook his head, still grinning. "Yeah, yeah… we make a pretty good team, I guess."
"Okay," Maya said, tightening her grip on the letter. "Let's go."