Tillim's Bullet

Chapter Four; A Demon

The house was glowing more than the chandeliers hanging on the ceiling. The wondrous smell of marigold and Jasmine was hanging in the air as the soft wind blew over the evening. There was the sound of the clinks of tea cups, nonstop whispers, and giggles.

Innocent talks and glances were shared between the kids and the elders sided in one corner to talk about important matters. Housewives and mothers were enjoying tea and gossip while joy erupted everywhere.

At that moment, Salim entered the gathering snatching everyone's attention. He was adorned in a cream sherwani and a white shawl hugging his neck. His hair was gelled and strands of his hair were falling on his dark brown eyes, making his sharp facial features stand out.

His cousins were behind him like a tail, bickering here and there. The groom was looking ravishing.

Aunty Rukhsar stepped forward and awwed at the man standing in front of her. "Oh my, what a sight to see!" She squealed as the girls giggled.

Salim smiled at her sheepishly as she clutched his arm and bought him forward to sit in front of the elders.

He sat down gracefully as his cousins and friends started to joke and laugh.

"Damn bro, looking sharp as always," Aakash said as he nudged the man. Salim smiled at him.

Aakash was Saleem's childhood best friend. He had been there with and for Saleem ever since elementary school and since then both of them were inseparable. He was quite the type to flirt and talk to every girl he saw but he always kept the boundaries as a decent boy.

Sitting next to Aakash was Sadid, Rifat Sadid, the eldest son of the family and the one handling the business with Tillim. Out of all the children of Karim Shah and Dilruba khan, he was most like Tillim. The whole wedding finance was handled by Tillim and Sadid.

Next to the two boys sat Zainab and Jannat, the two younger sisters. They were laughing and playing with the other female cousins. Zainab was the second last and Jannat was the youngest of all children of Abdul Karim.

Zainab was decent, organized, and lovely while Jannat was the whole opposite. She liked cooking but the kitchen after her cooking looked like havoc.

"Bhaiya, Isn't it time you show a little desperation for your distant wife?" Jannat said and laughed. Saleem glared at the youngest as Aunty Moumi playfully smacked her.

"Yeah, well I really thought that you'd be dying to meet her," Sadid said while looking at his phone, expressionless.

"Seriously bro? You too?" Salim scoffed at the older brother.

Salim and Munira were separated after the engagement as per tradition. They wouldn't be able to talk or meet with each other till the wedding day which kind of pissed him off. He thought it was stupid but obeyed the elders nonetheless.

"But I feel like Sadid bhaiya would be more desperate in his wedding," Jannat said and was graced by another playful smack by Zainab.

"Dude what?" Sadid said looking up from his phone.

"Yeah, I feel like that too." Moumi khala said. Now Sadid was the target of all the teasings. But now for some reason, his backup comebacks were dying down looking at a pair of honey brown eyes in front of him.

He wanted to fight back but those innocent eyes captivated him for the night as his lips sealed shut and his eyes were lost in someone.

Inaya

She was Zainab's best friend. An absolute angel. Her beauty wasn't her appearance, it was her gentle and kind behavior to others. She was charming in everyone's eyes but a bit too much in Sadid's eyes. Who wouldn't fall for her?