I look down at the small black box in my hands. I chew the inside of my cheek as I stare at it, feeling the velvet fabric in my hands.

Today is our one year anniversary and I’ve decided tonight is the night.

I lean back against my chair and look up when the lady hands me and my friends our bobas.

I grab my mango waterbased boba and poke it with my large orange straw.

Kian grabs his apple one, doing the same before he leans forward. "Are you sure your ready? It’s only been a year since you two made it official."

"Yeah but they have known each other since they were nine," Hassan replies before I can. "Besides, I bet their families are getting impatient." He glances at me then back at Kian. "That’s kind of the whole reason him and Noor did the whole fake-dating thing — so they get off of their backs."

Zihad pulls his lips away from his large green straw and snorts. "Who knew that it would turn real?"

"All of you," I glare at them. "You all had bloody bets placed on us."

"And I won, of course," Hassan smirks proudly. He kicks Kian underneath the table. "I’m still waiting on that £50."

Kian grumbles something under his breath and pulls a wad of cash out of his wallet and passes it to him."

The boys apparently had bets placed on us to see how long it would take for me and Noor to have our fake dating relationship turned real. Hassan betted three months and it took exactly that.

"Anyway, back to the proposal," Kian starts again. "Are you sure she’s ready herself? That girl’s basically a walking anxiety ball that stresses about her future all the time."

Hassan glances at me, "He’s not wrong, Ayan."

I hesitate. The box that I’ve been playing with pauses in my hand. "I don’t know. I hope she is," I look up at them. "If she isn’t then.." I trail off, shrugging.

"Just be there for her," Hassan places a hand on my shoulder. "Okay?"

I nod.

I look down at the box in my hand one more time before tucking it away in my backpack.

(Characters based off of my WIP)