Meet Monisha, Melanie's younger sister/fashion guru/press agent/defense attorney/biggest fan. Melanie always says she looks the most beautiful in pictures Monisha takes because there is no one else who tells her when she doesn't look fabulous. In turn, Monisha has always been the most excited during all of Melanie's biggest milestones and even claims the proposal was "the best day of her life!"

Gina picked Melanie out of a lineup of tutors in their freshman year of college at Rutgers University. Even during the worst parts of college, Gina was always a steady, kind presence in Melanie's life and ready with advice and good company.  Then, she introduced Melanie to Amy and the Trio was born! As you can guess, Gina is the level-headed decision-maker of the group. No matter what nonsensical things Melanie and Amy want to do, Gina always finds a way! 

Melanie and Lucy met on the first day of their first year of medical school. Melanie had picked a vegetarian sandwich from the buffet when she saw Lucy across the room. She walked up to her and noticed that Lucy also had a vegetarian sandwich.
"Oh, are you a vegetarian?" asked Melanie
"No. Are you a vegetarian?" asked Lucy, glancing at Melanie's sandwich
"No." said Melanie, sitting down next to her
Thus, best friends were born.

Harry was the first cat Melanie and Raza adopted. He took to the couple immediately and was not shy when making new friends either. Recently, he was even seen stealing the heart of Melanie's niece! Even so, Harry can mostly be found hanging around his favorite owner, Raza.

The middle Haider brother, Kazim has a gift for knowing how to get under Raza's skin. He and Raza have been butting heads for over 2 decades, and do not look to stop anytime soon. Of the three siblings, he is the "social butterfly," able to make friends/network with virtually anyone, the biggest "troll," to the point where no one can take anything he says seriously, and the best athlete. He is also the self-appointed defender against Raza's jokes, kicking his older brother out of family Facebook groups for days/weeks at a time after particularly bad puns.

Angad, Clarence and Raza call themselves, "Les Trois Amis," as they met in French class. Angad came up with the name, as well as a signal and t-shirts. He was the outgoing one - he invited Raza and Clarence to tennis, sleep-overs, and even road trips. Before Angad, Raza only really saw friends in school, but Angad expanded his idea of what friendship could be. Fifteen years in, their friendship is still going strong - Raza sees Angad on every visit to Atlanta, no matter what, and Angad has thrice come to Cleveland. No one ever comes to Cleveland.

Mandar was a central part of Raza's medical school experience. They hung out a lot in M1 year, playing pool after class and even going on occasional out-of-town trips. He was the one who introduced Raza to Bombay Chaat, Raza's favourite restaurant in Cleveland; he was also the first person Raza told about Melanie, and the first of Raza's friends Melanie met and liked. Mandar and Raza (along with their SO's) visit each other roughly once a year to reconnect and also to attempt to finish the game of Pandemic Legacy Season 0 that they started Fall 2020.

Laura and Raza met in France in 2012, but did not become close until Raza came to Case, where Laura was already studying. Laura became Raza’s “Cleveland Mom,” introducing him to Michell’s ice cream, bringing him snacks before exams and letting him play with her pet hedgehogs during stressful times. In turn, Raza called her when he came up with a new pun, and provided a sympathetic ear the few times Laura needed someone to whom to vent. Cleveland is Raza's home, and Laura is one of the people who make the city feel like it.

Allison and Raza's friendship began because she lent him a tent; when Raza returned it, they ended up watching the masterpiece, Roadhouse, together. A woman of culture, Allison introduced Raza to many things - Jasper Fforde, Beyonce's "Lemonade," Brooklyn 99 - but the most significant was her cat Chairman Meow (RIP), who helped Raza overcome his fear of felines. Raza loved exploring Cleveland with Allison, hanging out with her every weekend. After she graduated, their adventures became more infrequent, but still continued, just in her new cities.

Raza and Justin were roommates their sophomore year at Emory because they could find no one else with whom to live, and it was one of the best decisions Raza ever made. They developed a fast friendship, which included Friday night ping-pong , monthly restaurant outings around Atlanta, and regular chats about the importance of creating passive income streams. Sadly, Justin became an RA as a Junior, cutting their time as roommates short, but their friendship endured, as evidenced by their being groomsmen in each other's weddings 10 years later.