"Alright, let's get this show on the road," I declared to Arjun and Samira, who looked like they were on the brink of passing out from exhaustion. But no rest for the weary, right?

  "First things first, we need a guest list," I announced, directing my gaze from Arjun to Samira.

  "What?" Samira gasped, caught off guard by the sudden task.

  "Any idea how many people we can expect?" Arjun inquired, his tone laced with exhaustion.

  "No idea," Samira replied calmly, sending a shockwave through the room.

  "Well, that's news to me," I remarked, genuinely surprised.

  "Guessing around 160 people from my side, max, unless my school friends decide to crash the party. Most of my family's out of India, so no long-lost relatives to worry about," she clarified.

  "Sounds good to me," I said, jotting down the details in my trusty notepad.

  "And what about us?" I turned to Arjun.

  "I thought you were in charge of that?" he countered.

  "Fine, then. I'll just kick out anyone who claims to be friends with you," I retorted, marching over to the desk.

  "YOU CANT DO THAT!" Arjun exclaimed.

  "If you really don't want me to, then email me the list before 11 tonight," I shot back, focusing on my laptop.

  Suddenly, Samira's phone lit up with a message. "Free money *dollar sign," it read. SUSPICIOUS.

  "Hello, hitting the jackpot?" Samira chuckled into the phone before her expression shifted to one of shock. "WHAT? YOU'RE COMING RUDRA? I thought you were stuck in Australia for a while," she exclaimed, the conversation causing Arjun and me to exchange puzzled glances.

  "Alright, bring me chocolates. Love you, bye," she concluded before letting out a frustrated

  "APESHIT"

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "Arjun, Rudra's coming," Samira said with a sense of dread.

  "Yeah, heard it already," Arjun chuckled. "What's the big deal?"

  "Well, I think he might have a problem with you," Samira admitted, her tone tinged with sadness.

  "Rudra? With me? Why?" Arjun's tone shifted to concern.

  "I don't know, he's always been a bit too intense about dating. I told him it was arranged, but if he shows up, he'll know," Samira explained, clearly upset.

  "I think I should go," I interjected, attempting to escape the impending drama.

  "Vedhika?" Samira called out, stopping me in my tracks. "Listen, I need your help."

  "Can you help me clean up your brother's beard?" Samira's request caught Arjun off guard.

  "Wait, what?" he asked, perplexed.

  "Well, Rudra's really particularand my only brother to impress. I can't let him see you like this; you look like a bush," Samira explained, her tone lightening.

  "Were you upset about that?" Arjun inquired, genuinely surprised.

  "Totally," Samira admitted.

  "Never," Arjun responded firmly.

  "Alright," Samira conceded, the whole exchange making me burst into laughter.

  "Vedhika, sweetheart, I need to get my man looking perfect tonight so he looks his best tomorrow. Will you pick Rudra up from the airport at 5 early morning tomorrow?" Samira requested.

  "Oh, sure. I'm free regardless," I agreed with a smile.

  Rudra Khurrana: a decent-looking guy, resembling Samira with a completely new set of eyes and sharp facial features, sporting a clean beard unlike Arjun's unkempt look. His social media presence was sparse, with only two posts and a private account. All i got was some from Samira's account from Diwali and New Year's and few she had shown me to identify.

  Tomorrow was absolutely about to be Apeshit, with me feeling like the real ape in the equation.