Humsafar

Far Along

A bright sunny day. Yes, it was and clearly not as gloomy as people had predicted since the constant showers of rain that took the city of Stirling by surprise. It had been barely six hours since he landed here, and he was quick enough to figure out that there was nothing about this place to make him like it a bit.

Except for one.

He laughed at himself. He was unrecognizable, and so were his actions for just one person he almost despised once in his life. Life was unpredictable, and so was he. He hated this city. Nothing about it appealed to him, and he'd never understood why this woman chose to come here.

She was majoring in Mathematics. He might've understood the fascination with Scotland and its gothic vibe if she was a literature student. She wasn't a hardcore romantic like him, either. He took the crown in that regard. But why did she choose to come to this city when she would've instantly got admission to the likes of Yale and Harvard with a mind like that?

If he was honest with himself, she was smarter than him. She was brilliant, and it wasn't just her grades. Whenever they talked about life, social issues, and their relationship, he'd be amazed to hear her perspective on things. She wasn't a radical or an enthusiast; she was an honest individual with wisdom that he didn't have.

But he didn't envy her for it. He was proud of her. He admired her brain and heart, which she claimed he had taken away. She was wrong. It was her.

If someone told him that he'd fallen for the girl he considered backward, he won't believe it. But here he was.

Looking at her with his light eyes, lowkey admiring how beautiful she looked in her yellow sweater, long black boots, and cowboy hat. It wasn't cold, but she seemed to go the extra mile when it came to health.

Usually, Ashar was in awe of her, but today it was mixed with irritation, especially for the last 45 minutes because Khirad was constantly ignoring him. Her object of attention was that stupid french omelet and coffee.

He didn't fly all the way from the USA after two hectic business weeks to see her eating savagely as if she was starved for days, which according to her, was the reality, but he didn't trust her, knowing she couldn't live without food.

It was 7 am; he was beyond exhausted and now angry that she wasn't paying him attention despite hearing that he had something important to discuss.

"What?"
Khirad chewed on her food after feeling his scrutinizing stare. She didn't stop munching to his dismay and continued to stuff her mouth while crumbs escaped her mouth.

"Nothing, you carry on." Ashar made a disgusting face seeing her unhygienic stature.

"I'm hungry."  

Khirad shrugged. She wanted to remind him that she was starved for the last 28 hours, lost her apartment keys along her wallet, and stayed outside the door for hours with no access to her contacts because her phone shut down last minute. If it wasn't for his surprise and God's mercy that he showed up on the doorstep last moment, Khirad had no idea how she would've survived. This was the first time (not really) she was grateful he always kept an extra key to her apartment here in Stirling. She was against the idea when they first started seeing each other but gradually got accustomed to his sudden appearances in her personal spaces. And now, if it meant he was going to show up at the door saving her from cold with a bear hug and feeding her with the best and most expensive breakfast in town, she'd happily give him all her keys- well, that sounded a bit wrong but in all honesty Khirad was ready to allow him to devour her whenever the right time comes.

"Not for me?." Ashar made a feeble attempt to throw a pathetic joke to grab her attention towards him. He was noticing the way she devoured the breakfast, wondering if she wanted to eat this expensive, why wouldn't she simply ask his dad, who'd be more than happy to help, instead of working her ass off and earning pennies to pay her bills. Thankfully, his dad was persistent to not let her pay for the house and she was already studying on a scholarship, so there was nothing to worry about