Chapter 1: Colony Gossip and Kabir’s Plot

My fiancé’s complaints about me have a habit of travelling—straight from his lips to the colony balconies, where every aunty is just waiting to add her own masala to the story. In Delhi, news spreads faster than WhatsApp forwards. Before I could even process it, I’d become the neighbourhood’s “overly emotional” type. But when I heard Arjun say it himself, it burned in a way that no gossip ever could.

“She’s so obsessed with love, it’s annoying. If it weren’t for my mother’s sake, I’d have dumped her long ago.”

He said it like he was making some maha sacrifice for his maa, like the hero of a black-and-white classic, all self-pity and martyrdom. Sometimes I think he doesn’t realise I’m listening—or maybe he just doesn’t care, so used to his own privilege. The sting of his words stayed with me, sharper than a chappal slap.

Arjun’s best friend, after listening to endless rants over chai, decided to help him out.

In our desi circles, friends have this habit—playing matchmaker, or sometimes homewrecker, as if it’s their birthright. After too many chai sessions hearing Arjun crib, Kabir suddenly came up with a plan. Honestly, these boys have too much time and zero sense.

"Let me try seducing her for you. Once you have proof she’s cheating, you can break up with her properly, yaar."

Kabir thought he was some Bollywood villain, plotting behind my back. I could imagine him flexing his biceps in the mirror before hitting send on that message—thinking he was Delhi’s answer to Ranveer Singh.

Arjun sneered, “She’s so lovesick she’d die for me. How can she possibly cheat? If you don’t believe me, go ahead and try.”

Arjun’s pride is another level. He threw the challenge out like my loyalty was a trophy for his friends to admire. That smug look—if I hadn’t been his target, I might’ve laughed.

Kabir used a fake Insta account to DM me, complete with a gym selfie showing off his abs and a cringey "guess who" line.

The energy was unmistakable—Delhi boys and their obsession with gym selfies! That photo belonged on a fitness page, not in a DM to someone’s fiancée. These boys, seriously.

I replied instantly: "Bhaiya, I don’t know who you are, but you seem pretty far away. Uff, forget it, I can’t keep making up stories. Let me just ask you straight—are things big where you are?"

As I typed, I rolled my eyes. Might as well play along and see how far these jokers will go.