Mehr-o-Mah (مہر و ماہ) -
The sun and the moon
A collection of short stories filled with love, spice, drama and a roller coaster of emotions and of course, a huge part of my imagination.
(The second generation of Ahd-e-Vafa)...
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Time flew by like a slow snail, taking its leisure time to get on Ayaan's nerve every time he woke up in the morning and found no one to annoy. His sister's room was left empty, the many things she kept stuffed in every corner were either gone or a few left that didn't hold many memories. The days had been tough on him- with a twin not there to give him the daily dose of mischief and a certain rose who wasn't ready to leave his thoughts alone.
"Ayaan, kaha gum ho itni subah?"
Zaira pointed out at the dining table. Breakfast was being served and Ayaan who would usually jump at the opportunity to gobble down tasty food sat still, as though he had nothing to do. His face didn't seem like the cheery kid Zaira knew nor did his eyes glint with mirth.
Concerned as to what had gotten him so closed off, Zaira shared a look with her husband who kept down the tabloid and cleared his throat.
"Zoya, ki yaad aa rahi hai?"
Azlan's words were coated with the slightest bit of teasing and Ayaan scowled at his father. The latter scoffed in reply and took a bite of the toast.
"Mujhe uski yaad kyu aayegi? In fact, I'm more than happy with this peace."
Lies.
He knew it and his parents did too.
Not wanting to get too deep into the topic, Ayaan kissed his mother's forehead and rolled his eyes at his father who now wore a frown on his face.
"Mama hai meri. She loves me more than you anyway, old man."
"Old man? Abhi batata hu tujhe."
Azlan had just gotten up to give his son a peace of mind but Ayaan was quick to run out of the house, cackling like a chick.
Azlan's narrowed eyes met his wife's amused ones and huffing in dismay, he begrudgingly ate the rest of his breakfast.
College had been boring to say the least, at least for Ayaan. Ahzan had not made another visit since so long while Sayeed was busy banging his head against the medical textbooks that made Ayaan dizzy just by looking at them.
And to add into this boring mix was she who wasn't even aware of how unsettled Ayaan felt when she was around. He didn't know why or how, but every time she was near, he had a hard time controlling the urge to just shy away and calm his heart down.
"Yaar, yeh professor logo ke paas humara jeena haram karne ke alawa koi aur kaam nahi hai kya?"
Sayeed whined as he took a bite of the samosa. His notes lay right next to the plate and he kept switching from looking at the rough handwriting that was no less than a kid's scribbles and then at his plate where the steaming hot samosa lay, calling out to him like a moth to a flame.
