With You

Chapter 1

The soothing evening descended upon the houses of Amroha as birds chirpily moved back to their nests after seeking their food. Zarah was purely lost in her thoughts, she always loved to look at the hue shades of sky when sun would bid its temporary farewell to the world.

"Zarah, come on child. Bring me some stuffs from the market."

Her calm surrounding broke with her mother's voice as she came in her room with a list in her hands. Nobody would give her some peace in this world.

She had just came back from her duty and was taking some much needed rest but her mother always had other plans. Being a pediatrician, Zarah loved to spend her time with children but it was really a tough job which nobody could understand.

"Ammi, you always do this. I just came from work and you don't let me rest for a second." Zarah complained taking the list from her hands to which her mother gave a small smile.

"Sorry dear. What can I do if we are out of some stuffs?"

"You should have told me when I was bringing the monthly stock." Zarah grumbled while placing her dupatta on her head and wrapping it around her. That grumpiness was because she was feeling a lot more than sleepy. There was no need for her to stare at the sky when instead she could've good sleep. But no, she always had to flip her schedule.

Her mother suppressed a smile which was forming on her lips and kissed her forehead, "You're the best daughter. You know that?"

"Enough with the buttering, Ammi." Zarah squinted her eyes at her, a smile playing on her lips as she pecked her cheek before leaving the house for so called grocery items.

***

"Ryan, you're the best brother."

Ryan looked up from his laptop on his sister's words. Hamida was his elder sister but sometimes she behaved so silly and immature that he had to recheck their birth dates. This time too, she needed something that was why she was sweet talking to him.

"What do you want?"

Hamida placed a dramatic hand on her mouth with a gasp as if his words had deeply hurt her, "You mean I only praise you when I want something? Look, Maira how's your uncle is saying."

Ryan rolled his eyes as Hamida went to Maira her one year old daughter who was playing in her cot. Yes, his sister was a wife and a mother, but she never acted like one. Didn't know how her husband tolerated her? Just two weeks with her and he was already hoping for her husband, Hanan, to return soon and take her back with him.

"Ryan, take me to the supermarket."

That was the reason, she knew how he hated shopping and markets. 

"The car is outside, the driver will take you."

Ryan busily answered while furiously typing on the keyboard. He needed to check these reports of his factory and here this lady was bugging him to no extent. On sensing the silence, he looked up to see Hamida glaring him with pursed lips.

"Do you have any concern towards me? How ill I manage to shop with Maira all alone? You-"

Ryan took a long sigh, closing the lid of his laptop and standing up because else his sister would not shut up, "Fine, just shut up already.", he said taking the car keys from the table as he heard Hamida giggling to herself irritating him some more.

******

Yes, she could hear it. That kid was crying for quite some time. Firstly, she ignored it, thinking it was bad to intrude. But now it was going out of hand. Whoever was on that other side of the aisle had no knowledge of how to deal with kids. Like, she was not bragging but the person who was with the kid was not speaking a single word for its consolation.

"Sir, let me help you."

The guy who was holding that little kid looked at her with his cold gaze as Zarah came near him from behind the aisle. "No need. I can handle her."

Those words made her furious. "Yeah that I have seen. The girl is crying so much, I think you have just kidnapped her and have no idea how to be with kids."

Zarah replied haughtily to the man who had ego of a mountain. He was not able to handle her properly, why there was so much difficulty for him to accept this thing.

"Look miss, mind your language."

Their banter and the girl's cry was attracting customers around them. "No, you keep your ego in your pocket."

Zarah came forward and took the kid from his hands, shocking him. She had her own ways. She couldn't see her crying anymore, her yelling and crying was disturbing, didn't know why that girl's father was not understanding it.

Carrying the girl gently in her arms, she mumbled sweet nothings in her ear while she constantly felt that man's eyes drilling a hole in her. That girl was too cute, chubby cheeks with golden hair on her head; she was looking like a pretty doll. After sometime, the girl slept peacefully maybe tired by all the crying and she gingerly gave her back to that weird man.

"Try to learn some stuff from your wife." Zarah mumbled before going back to her shopping cart without stopping to hear his reply.