After days of back and forth, mother agreed to let me take this girl out to coffee. I have never spoken to this person, I was told exchanging phone numbers was out of this question.

All I knew is that she is studying to be a doctor. I agree to these Rishta dates to keep mother off my back for the next month or so.

I get to the coffee shop and I am greeted by her brother! I figured he is probably here to drop her off; I was wrong. He asks if I wanted something and we start walking towards a table where his sister is waiting for us.

Good looking girl, no smiles, nervous af.

We all shuffle into our seats, I introduce myself. The girl says nothing, the brother introduces them both and then says, ‘Please get to know each other’.  I’m thinking, who says that and hoping this is the part where he leaves, he doesn’t.

The three of us sit there for the next hour.

I make small talk, asking her what she does for work and school; she gives me the generic medical student answers, residency and whatever else goes with it. There were no questions from her, just me blabbering away. At one point in my attempt to break the awkward silence I pointed out the news playing on the coffee shop TV, they were showing Elon Musk talking about his mars mission. She didn’t have much of a response, but the brother did. He was very much a geek for Space X just as I am. So for the next 30 minutes him and I talked about all things Elon, Tesla, and the possibility of a mars mission.

Proper bromance moment. 

At the end of it all I thanked them for coffee and began walking home. A minute later I get a text from mum asking how it went. I replied, ‘I like her brother’.

Stay tuned for The Halal Haram Ratio Chap 2. Out tomorrow! Submit your stories at info@propergaanda.com