First Dance

Ruqsana would rather be elsewhere. Being the center of attention in a grand party was not her thing, which was a shame because all the glam and glitz were for her and, of course, her recently made fiancé.

On the surface, it all seemed perfect. A grand celebration of the union between the daughter of Saad Raees, Aslanistan’s richest man and the elder son of Suhail Qaiser, the current President of Aslanistan. It had only been an hour since her father and father-in-law-to-be had announced their engagement, but news channels were already calling it the wedding of the century. A little ambitious if you asked Ruqsana.

Sure, they probably looked great together. Ahmer Qaiser was tall, lean and fair with silver hair and silver eyes. His blue sherwani made him seem like a prince from the folk tales her grandmother used to recite at bedtime. She was quite confident in her looks as well, inheriting her mother’s blonde hair and green eyes that contrasted well with her bronze skin and her father’s height. The golden garara certainly helped. But the picture crumbled when you realized that this was the first time they met.

“So, you are in the final year of college,” Ruqsana made another attempt at getting to know her soon-to-be husband.

“Hn,” Ahmer grunted for the nth time. By now, she understood that Ahmer wanted to be here at most as much as she, but her mother had made her promise that she would try to get along with him at least until the gala was over.

Ruqsana was about to try again when Ahmer turned and started walking.

“Are you leaving?” She asked.

“I’m feeling tired,” He replied.

“It’s only until 5.”

“Sorry, I’m not feeling well,” He excused himself, leaving her to brood on how she would explain this to her parents.

“Looks like bhaijaan ran out of steam,” Ammar, Ahmer’s younger brother, chimed in. The boy looked like Ahmer if only slightly shorter with blue eyes, “He’s really not a people person, ironic when you consider our family history, isn’t it bhabhi? Do you mind if I call you bhabhi?”

“Call me whatever you are comfortable with,” Ruqsana replied.

“Then Ruqsana it is,” Ammar grinned, “I think I would like us to be friends. You’ll need some if you want someone to talk to because, as you found out, bhaijaan isn’t the talkative type.”

“Well, isn’t that nice of you,” Ruqsana forced herself to smile, “But I think your brother and I will do just fine.”

“If you say so, but no harm in making friends, is there?”

“Not in friends.” That took the young man aback.

“Ammar! Where did you put my phone?” A young woman with pink hair asked him, giving Ruqsana the chance to escape. She tried walking quickly to the exit, but someone got in her way.

“Where is your fiancé?” Sania Raees asked her daughter.

“He left early,” Ruqsana replied.

“Left? Why didn’t you stop him?” Sania chastised her.

“I tried, Mamma, he wasn’t feeling well.”

“Really?”

“What can I do if he doesn’t want to stay?”

“Your father just announced your engagement. Everyone is watching you two. We don’t want any strange rumors spreading.”

“Then I guess I'd better go somewhere with fewer eyeballs.”

“Where are you going?”

“To my room.” Ruqsana took her leave, walking into the hotel lobby, ignoring her mother. She covered her face with her purse to avoid the paparazzi out of habit and rushed to the lift. Finally alone, Ruqsana released a breath. The day hadn’t gone well but at least it was over. Sure, her mother would grill her again about today, with her father nodding along disapprovingly as if she had planned the entire thing, as if she was ever in control. And if today was anything to go by, her married life wasn’t looking any brighter.

‘At least I’m not engaged to the younger brother.’ She rushed to her room as soon as she reached her floor, and went straight to the washroom to remove her makeup. Once done, she checked her smartphone, ‘I have lots of time. Mamma and Papa won’t check on me until the party ends.’

She reached for her duffel bag, pulling out its contents and quickly changed into blue jeans and a green hoodie with a magical girl logo on it. She then put on a wig and contact lenses, turning into a brunette with brown eyes. She then put on fake glasses and a beanie to complete her transformation.

She checked herself in the mirror to make sure she was unrecognizable before packing a change of clothes and leaving her room. After all, her parents wouldn’t want anyone spotting Ruqsana Raees on her trip around Shah Sarai while she is supposed to be at her father’s hotel. She took the stairs to avoid running into anyone. The stairs led to the back gate of the hotel, giving her further cover from where the party was going on.

‘Where should I go today?’ Ruqsana asked herself. She had researched Aslanistan’s capital before arriving and had a few places in mind but hadn’t planned her itinerary yet, ‘Maybe some place closer? It’s a new city after all.’

Coincidentally, her hotel was close to Shahi Qila, a hilltop fort built 400 years ago. The spot seemed like it was within walking distance on Mapp but she decided to take a taxi to save time. It turned out to be a good decision when she realized how high up the fort really was. She may be okay with stairs but that climb was too much even for her. It was considerably colder too, making her glad she had worn extra layers. But the scenery of trees with reddish-orange leaves falling on the road was charming.

It didn’t take long to reach the fort. Made primarily of red sandstone and granite, the fort was massive with geometric patterns and Arabic text inscribed into them. Ruqsana took her time exploring the fortress, visiting its palaces, living quarters, exhibits and gardens, finally reaching the topmost point.

From here she could see the entire city of Shah Sarai, from the hills behind her to the sea coast on the horizon. She could also hear the various sounds of the city, from the horns of the cars to the azaan from various mosques.

‘Too bad it isn’t sunset yet, I really wanted to click a pic like Sparkly_Wanderer,’ Ruqsana took a few pictures of the cityscape. ‘I wonder if I can make echoes from here.’

“OMAE WA MOU SHINDEIRU!” Some brave soul cried out.

“OMAE WA MOU SHINDEIRU!” The hills called back.

Everyone turned to the source, a tall young man in an oversized red hoodie with long black spiky hair and thick spectacles. Hearing that dialogue kindled a childish part of Ruqsana.

“NANI?” She replied.

“NANI?” The hills repeated.

She regretted it a bit as everyone was now staring at her, including the boy who was gaping and walking towards her, ‘So much for not catching attention.’

“Hey! You got the reference,” the boy said.

“Yeah, I’m sure everyone got it,” she brushed him off.

“Maybe but you’re the only one that’s ever replied.”

“You do this every day?”

“More like every few weeks and I usually try different dialogues.”

“And they just let you?”

“It’s not illegal or anything, it’s actually a popular echo point.”

As if on cue, a couple screamed their love for each other, which the hills echoed.

“I see.”

“Is this your first time here?”

“Yeah, I came to the city for a family function. I thought, "Why not explore some places?”

“Sounds nice. So have you seen any other places yet?”

“No, it’s clo- the first spot. What about you- Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Umm… Call me Prince.”

“Really? Your parents named you Prince.”

“Well…” Prince smiled awkwardly.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that aloud.” Ruqsana covered her mouth.

“No worries.”

“You can call me-” She thought for a bit, “Roxy.”

“Roxy, so where do you come from?”

“I’m from Asadabad.”

“The one with Clock Towers or Four Towers?

“Four Towers, so New Asadabad. What about you? Where are you from?”

“Born and brought up here.”

“So you’re the prince of this fort?”

“Ha, no. I actually live near the City Center, right over there,” Prince pointed towards the towers located towards the middle of the city. The towers looked impressive even from afar. She immediately decided where her next excursion would be.

“Do you travel often?” Prince asked.

“Not really, but I like exploring wherever I go. I’ve literally been to all the lanes in Asadabad.”

“I know that feeling. I could practically go from anywhere to anywhere in Shah Sarai. Are you feeling hungry? There’s a cafe on the second floor.”

Ruqsana thought about it and decided it wouldn’t be worth breaking her 8-year streak of going undiscovered by her family when sneaking out. “Actually, it’s getting pretty late. I should head back.”

“Okay, you want a ride home? I brought my bike.”

“Oh no, it’s cool. I’ll just get a taxi.”

“Okay, it was nice meeting you.”

“Me too.” Ruqsana took her leave, getting a taxi from the taxi section. She didn’t look forward to the dressing-down awaiting her at the hotel, but going out had definitely been worth it.

Prince had a smile on his face as he rode back to his home, ‘That was interesting, I hope we meet again,’ but his smile started fading the closer he got to his home. On his way, he stopped by a public restroom to get changed. He first took off his wig, revealing his straight silver hair, ‘Alright Ahmer, time to face the music.’