Meesha was sitting in the living room, her phone in hand, waiting for Xanqer to arrive. She had spent the entire day baking, and she couldn't wait to see the look on Xanqer's face when he tasted her creations.

  As she scrolled through her phone, she heard the sound of a car pulling up outside. She quickly jumped off the couch and ran to the door, flinging it open to reveal Xanqer standing next to his car, talking to Davis.

  Meesha's face lit up, and she shouted Xanqer's name, waving enthusiastically. "Xanqer!"

  Xanqer heard her voice and looked in her direction. A hint of a smile appeared on his face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. He turned back to Davis and said something briefly, before Davis handed him his briefcase with a slight bow.

  Xanqer took the briefcase and walked towards Meesha, who ran to him, still smiling brightly. "I'll help you carry your briefcase," she said, taking the briefcase from him.

  Xanqer raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as Meesha ran inside the house. He followed her, loosening his tie as he walked.

  Meesha ran upstairs to Xanqer's room and dropped the briefcase inside before running back downstairs. She saw Xanqer heading towards the stairs, and called out to him. "Come down for dinner soon!"

  Xanqer raised his hand, signaling that he had heard. Meesha went into the kitchen to check on the lasagna she had baked for dinner. She opened the oven door and peeked inside, seeing that it still had 10 minutes left to bake.

  She sat down at the dining table, anticipation building up inside her. After a few minutes, Xanqer came into the living room, having changed into comfortable house clothes.

  As soon as he sat down at the dining table, Meesha told him excitedly. "Xanqer, guess what we're having for dinner?"

  Xanqer replied, his voice detached. "I don't know."

  Meesha replied, "I'm baking lasagna!"

  Xanqer raised an eyebrow.

  "Hey, I might not be good at cooking, but I'm very good at baking, trust me," Meesha assured him.

  Just then, the oven timer went off, signaling that the lasagna was done. Meesha got up from her chair and walked to the oven, excitedly. She opened the oven door and reached in to grab the baking tray, but in her haste, she forgot to use oven mitts.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  As soon as her hands touched the hot tray, she felt a searing pain. Her fingers and palms burned, and she dropped the tray, lasagna scattering all over the floor.

  Meesha's eyes watered from the pain, and she looked down at the mess on the floor, disappointment written all over her face.

  Immediately, Xanqer ran to her side, a bit of concern on his face. "Meesha, what were you thinking?" he scolded, holding her hands and examining the burns. "Why did you try to carry the tray with your bare hands?"

  Meesha pouted, her eyes welling up. "Stop yelling at me, my hands are stinging."

  Xanqer raised his brow skeptically before going to get the balm to treat Meesha's burns. As Xanqer gently applied the balm to Meesha's palms, she looked up at him. She felt a surge of love and affection for him, but she didn't know how to express it. Seeing the care and concern in his eyes brought a warmth to her heart, and for a moment, she felt like she was melting into a whole new world.

  But she quickly pushed the feeling aside, not wanting to misinterpret his kindness for something more. She didn't want to get her hopes up, only to be disappointed.

  As Xanqer finished applying the balm, he closed the container and looked down, his eyes landing on the lasagna scattered all over the floor. "I'm not hungry," he said, his voice firm. "You can order takeouts."

  With that, he turned and left the room, leaving Meesha feeling deflated and disappointed. She watched him go, a pout appearing on her face. She looked down at the lasagna on the floor, feeling a pang of sadness. She had made it specially for Xanqer, hoping to impress him with her baking skills. But now, all her efforts were ruined.

  Meesha kicked the tray away in annoyance, feeling a surge of frustration. Why did things always have to go wrong for her? She sighed and rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. Maybe she would just order takeouts, like Xanqer had suggested. But for now, she just stood there, feeling sorry for herself and wondering why she even bothered trying.

  *********

  [LATER THAT NIGHT]

  Meesha's phone buzzed with an incoming text message from the director. She read the message, her eyes widening slightly as she realized she had to go to the industry immediately. The designer wanted to make last-minute changes to the dress.

  Meesha quickly got dressed and headed downstairs. Xanqer was in the living room, looking up from his book as she walked by. "Where are you going?" he asked.

  Meesha replied, "I'm going to the industry. Something important came up."

  Xanqer raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. "At this time?" he asked.

  Meesha felt a warmth in her chest at his concern. "Awwwn, Xanqer, that's really touching. But don't worry, I'll be fine. Be back soon."

  Xanqer just looked at her and didn't say anything else, his gaze returning to his book.

  Meesha smiled and said, "Goodbye," before heading out the door. She drove herself to the runway, her mind focused on the task at hand.

  When she arrived, she met with the designer, who apologized profusely for making her come out so late. Meesha reassured him that it was no problem and allowed him to retake her measurements.

  As she was leaving, a young man approached her. He looked like a college student, with a eager expression on his face. "Wow, you're Meesha! I'm such a huge fan!" he exclaimed.

  Meesha smiled and thanked him, noticing his enthusiasm. "You must be a fan, right?" she asked, playing along.

  The young man nodded vigorously. "Yes, I'm a big fan. You're really beautiful."

  "Thank you," Meesha smiled politely, feeling a sense of gratitude.

  The young man continued, "My kid sister watches your shows every time. She would be really excited to meet you in person."

  Meesha's face lit up with a smile. "Oh, that's so sweet! I'd love to meet her."

  The young man looked around, his eyes scanning the area. "She said she wanted to go get ice cream, but she's not back yet." He faced Meesha again, his expression innocent. "She must be around that corner."

  Meesha nodded, smiling. "Let's go meet her then!" She followed the young man around the corner, expecting to see a little girl waiting for her.

  But as she turned the corner, she was shocked to see a group of college boys standing there, all of them staring at her with leering expressions.

  Meesha's eyes widened in shock, and she felt a surge of fear. She tried to step back, but the group of boys closed in around her, blocking her way.

  The young man who had brought her there smiled, his expression twisted and sinister. Meesha realized that she had been set up, and her heart racing with fear, she tried to think of a way to escape.