"Have something Zaara, you've barely had anything," the matriarch of the family passed her a smile.
"It's fine, I'm not really that hungry anyways." She shrugged, nibbling on a piece of naan.
"Pehli dafa ai ho, bhookay pet kaisay jaanay dun?" Shubana clicked her tongue.
[You have come for the first time, how can I let you go empty stomach?]
Zaara awkwardly looked around the rest of the table. She had noticed the tension that was between the elder woman and her daughter-in-law, not once had she doted over her grandson, Dawaar, instead all her energies were being spent on her. The attention made her feel out of place simply put. She was not used to being the centre of attention, let alone at a stranger's home. She sighed, glaring at the sage green ceramic plates, the golden grains of rice, pulao, her favorite, had never appeared so unappealing.
The thick silver spoon moved back and forth in the the well of rice her uncle had served her — the wide eyed stares had not gone unnoticed. They were a peculiar duo for most people, uncle and niece, who happened to be the best of friends? It was a rare sight, and they were often stared at as if they were extraterrestrial beings. She furrowed her brows, gently pushing the star anise to one side, scooping the still lukewarm bite into her mouth. Her nervousness had rendered her mouth to have no taste, the ice cold waters doing nothing to help her.
"Zaraa do you want something else?" Kaleem whispered under his breath.
"Can we go home?"
"Thori deir mein chaltay hain".
[We'll go in a bit.]
Zaara nodded her head, pushing the curled lock of hair behind her ear. A heated gaze bore into her shoulders, eerily cold eyes stared at her, the mans fingers rolling his fork with smoothness. She clenched her jaw, the flutters inside her heart, the quivering in her lower belly annoyed her to beyond any extent. Her breath was shaky, lips coated in a maroon lipstick stained the rim of her glass, the icy waters not doing much to subside the fire inside her veins.
"Zaara what are you doing these days?"
There it was, the question everyone wanted to ask. It was the couple's daughter, Mariam that had finally had the guts to voice it. Her shrill voice breaking the bubble of peace she had built around herself.
"I'm studying Finance."
Her reply was curt, as she looked at Mariam for a few seconds, confidence dripping from her words. Her eyes flickered to the man with a grey cloud over his head, a blush spreading across her cheeks as she caught his eye.
"Really? I wanted to study that in university too!" Tayab said.
"Why didn't you?" Zaara spoke.
She was stunned, why had the man not pursued what he had passion in?
"He'll be taking over as CEO of our company, it's best if he studies something more suited to the position". Amir Jahangir, was not one to let a young woman undermine his decisions.
"Of course. You're probably going to get a hefty inheritance, marry a rich man so you don't even need to make a practical choice over what suits what". Tayab added.
