Arjun shot her a smile. “Ready to start?”
Madhuri nodded, picking up her sparkly pink pen. She wrote The Kismat Experiment across the top of the page with a clean flourish. When directly translated from Hindi, kismat meant destiny, the very force Madhuri set out to fight. Beneath the title, she wrote a clarifying note.
Disclaimer: This is not a fake relationship. This is a scientific investigation with all control variables held steady in order to create a data set that will aid Madhuri Iyer and Arjun Mehta in their future dating endeavors.
Madhuri knew a STEM lab like the back of her hand, considering she wanted to be a scientist conducting immunology research at Stanford University in the future. Her passion was the sole reason she had the necessary knowledge to create such an experiment.
She turned the paper to Arjun. “What do you want to add?”
His eyes widened as he read over what she had written. “You’re taking this really seriously.”
“Considering you outright asked my parents for their blessing after the game, I’d say that you’re more into this than me,” she retorted. “Speaking of, why are you so into this?”
Madhuri needed to make sure that Arjun wouldn’t screw with her control variables. She didn’t know what she’d do if she’d misunderstood their friendship and he’d developed some sort of feelings for her.
She shook her head. That was impossible.
“Why are you?” he asked.
“I need to prove my reading wrong.” Madhuri shrugged. That wasn’t her only motive, but she couldn’t tell him more without revealing her own insecurities. Their relationship was much more than an act of defiance against her prophecy. It was a pawn in Madhuri’s battle against her Indian culture, as well as the family curse that came with it. Every tradition strangled the breath from her lips, much like the jewelry she wore on her neck for a dance recital. “Your turn.”
Arjun chewed on the back of her sparkly pen, deep in thought. She didn’t have the heart to stop him. “I don’t really have a reason other than the fact that you’re desperate for my help and I wouldn’t be a good friend if I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.”
A shiver ran through her toes, and she curled them on instinct, wishing she’d worn sneakers instead of her open-toed, heeled sandals. “Fair enough.” She pulled out a new pen, bright purple this time. “Are you going to write anything down?”
He clicked the pen open with his teeth. “Well, I actually have a question.”
“Shoot.”
“If this is a real relationship, albeit with very weird motives behind it, does that mean we have to do more than go on dates together? Do you expect me to pay for your dinner? Bring you gifts?” He swallowed, averting his eyes to the chewed-up pen in his hand. “Should I kiss you?”
Madhuri raised a brow. She hadn’t thought about that. She leaned over the table, and a whisk of cologne danced through her nostrils. For a scent mixed with a tinge of sweat, it was really nice. “Depends. How do you feel about kissing? Is it something you want to save until you’re ready?”
“I’ve already had my first kiss and that was with you, back in sixth grade.” Arjun paused. “I don’t think it would be a big deal if the second and third were with you, too.”
Madhuri couldn’t forget that moment even if she tried.
The autumn breeze was fresh, sending golden leaves soaring through the air like free birds. A lone pumpkin sat on their front lawn, a mediocre grin carved into the skin by her and her father the night before. Cobwebs were stuck to every corner of the rooftop, fuzzy spiders bouncing from the center in pursuit of their next victim. Her father was so proud of her for helping with the decorations despite her fear of everything Halloween. He even convinced her mother that she was old enough to stay home alone for the first time while they were at work.
Madhuri pulled on the front door handle over and over again, hoping it would magically open on its own. The final tug was too forceful for her petite frame, and she stumbled backward, falling onto their patio with a groan. The thought of her silver house key, lying forgotten on the kitchen counter, sent irritated tears to her eyes. Her parents would never trust her to be independent after this.
Twelve-year-old Arjun, who had walked her home from the bus stop, noticed her distress the way he always did. When it came to her, he was always so observant. He sat down beside her and bumped her shoulder with his, flashing her a timid smile like he was afraid she’d explode at him otherwise. And once she’d relaxed into his arms, he kissed her on the forehead.
Looking back on that memory at the age of seventeen meant finding the humor in its innocence. Even the youngest of children knew that a typical first kiss was a gesture saved for the lips and the lips only, but Madhuri disagreed. Somehow, Arjun’s kiss felt just as real and meaningful.
Madhuri’s eyes moved to her fingers subconsciously resting atop Arjun’s hand. Her heart leaped and she withdrew from him as if she were burnt. Madhuri, get your shit together. She picked up the first pen she found, the disgusting pink one that Arjun’s teeth had destroyed in seconds, and decisively scribbled down the rule.
To ensure optimal trial accuracy, kissing is allowed. Other control variables include splitting dinner checks, posting photos on social media with Madhuri’s explicit consent, and buying gifts only when necessary (birthdays, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day).
She dropped the pen back down, rubbing her hand against her jeans to get Arjun’s saliva off. “Anything else you want to add?”
He scratched his chin, thinking to himself. “At the moment, no.”
Madhuri nodded and wrote another line down with a purple pen this time.
The Kismat Experiment aims to prove Madhuri’s hypothesis: if Madhuri’s destiny predicts failure, then a positive relationship would refute it.
“Wait!” Arjun exclaimed, pulling the purple pen from her hands. God, he was going to slobber all over that one, too. “I have to add something, too.”
The Kismat Experiment also aims to prove Arjun’s hypothesis: if Arjun’s destiny predicts success, then a positive relationship would support it.
“Our hypotheses are conflicted.” Madhuri’s eyebrows furrowed together as she reread the experiment. “If we’re going to break up by the end of our experiment, wouldn’t that be a failure for you? Wouldn’t that mean your destiny was wrong?”
“Does it really matter? Both outcomes prove your point.” When Madhuri cocked her head to the side, trying to mask her confusion for the sake of preserving her own ego, Arjun laughed out loud. “The only difference is why. If your hypothesis fails, it would be because our experimental relationship didn’t succeed, and your prophecy was right all along—you are, in fact, a colossal failure.”