Hum Raah

2.

The cold wind blowing made Ayesha shudder, she pulled her chaadar tighter around herself as she looked at the Malik Kothi decked up as a bride.

The strands of light which had been let loose from the roof covered the walls of the Kothi, bathing it in warm yellow hue.

"Iss raat ko dinn matt samjh lena bulbul." Ayesha said looking at her sparrow as she replenished the seeds in the cage.
(Don't confuse this brightness with daylight.)

"Ye nayi subha he hai Ayesha. A new morning, a new beginning." Harris said walking towards her in his black salwar kurta with a black shawl draped on his left shoulder.

"Matlab ?"

"A new beginning for the Malik's.." he said with a smile. "Dadda huzur is going to extend their support to the Nawab's."

"You know Harris, I don't understand politics. What does the Mir family have to do-."

"Extending support and merging with the Mir's means victory by majority in our province, which may mean that baba may be elected as the provincial head." He explained Ayesha.

"That's great news Harris." Ayesha said smiling brighter than the lights surrounding the Kothi.

"It is." He said smiling back at her. His heart skipped a beat looking at her, how lucky he was that she was made for him. She was his other half.

He took a step close to her, entering the thick palpable zone of her personal space. The smell of her itar intoxicated him, the smell of fresh flowers and strawberries and a hint of lemon somewhere, the sound of her heavy breathing, and the noise her bangles drove him crazy.

"Have I told you, you look exquisite tonight." He said looking at her. "And looks like we do look like the perfect pair." He said looking at her wear the beautiful black dress he had himself picked for her. "I hope you liked your dress."

He moved his fingers towards her face and tucked the stray strands of hair falling on her face. "I'm so lucky you are mine." He said caressing her cheeks before pulling away from her.

Ayesha was a blushing mess. She knew she would be a bubbling mess so she chose to remain quite.

"I'm going to head down now, you should join everyone as well." He said and she nodded.

Harris smiled at her before turning around and moving out of her room to join the party to play the host.

Ayesha smiled to herself as her feet moved towards her bedroom, she looked at herself in the mirror, she looked pretty, a part of the Malik family.

Slipping into her silver heels she opened the door of her room and walked out.

She could hear the laughter and chatter coming from below, it was time for her to put up the big bright smile she was taught to wear ever since she was little.

Placing the dupatta on her head and wrapping the chaddar around her she walked down the marble stairs into their large living room which was redecorated to looked like a ballroom for tonight.

As soon as she reached the bottom of the stair she had an arm waiting out for her to hold.
"Let the madness begin ?" Faaz looked at her with a smile and said as she placed her hand in his.

"Can't wait for the night to end." She said biting her lower lip to hide her smile.

As Faaz led her around introducing her to men and women their age, sons and daughters of politicians, businessmen and high ranking government officials, some she had met before, some with familiar names, an hour into the party and she was ready to call quits.

Faaz brought Ayesha to a group of older women now, the ones sitting with their mothers.

"This is my youngest Faaz and that's our Ayesha." Farmina said introducing the Malik kids.

"We have met Faaz before I believe." A girl around her own age said giving the two a smile. "I'm Nadia Mir by the way." She said extending her hand towards Ayesha who shook it meekly.

"Yusra was telling us you just finished your exams Ayesha, so what did you major in ?" One of the older woman draped elegantly in a maroon saree asked her.

"Literature aunty."

"Urdu literature?"

"Urdu and English, she has three degrees, she topped her university as a bachelor in economics." Faaz said with a proud smile.

"That's quite impressive beta."

"It is." He said. "I'll let you ladies talk, I have a few things to check on I'll be right back." He said and turn to leave.

Ayesha looked at him, begging him to stay but he left giving her a small helpless smile.

"Beta I didn't introduce you to the Nawab family. This is Mrs Zoya Mir." she said introducing the woman in the maroon saree.

"Here is Mrs Gul Baano Mir and this beautiful lady who introduced herself, Nadia is Gul's daughter." Her aunt Farmina said introducing her to the ladies.

"And this is my best friend, Farah Sayeed." Nadia said clutching a beautiful girl dressed in a yellow suit next to her.

"Hi." She said with a soft smile.

"Mashallah Yusra, your daughter is pretty." Zoya Mir said touching Ayesha's cheek affectionately.

"I agree bhabhi." Gul Banno said with a smile.

"Ayesha why don't you show us around ? We haven't see your house and -."

"Nadia why are you troubling the girl meri jaan." Zoya said.

"It's no trouble at all aunty." Ayesha said with a small smile. "I'll show you around the Kothi." She said and asked the two girls to follow her.

The trio excused themself and walked out of the main room.

"You don't have to show us around Ayesha." Nadia said. "You looked uncomfortable there so I thought we could get you out."

Ayesha looked at her shoe and then up at the two beautiful young women, cracking a smile she said her thanks.

"In return of your kindness I'll show you the most beautiful part of the Malik Kothi." She said asking the girls to follow her out of the house. They followed her to the backside of the house, taking the cobbled path they could see the well lit glass house ahead.

"This is my glass house." Ayesha said opening a white door. They walked into a pretty structure lined with different exotic flowers, the air full of different scents.

"This is beautiful Ayesha." Farah said looking at the bright pink peonies.
"I've never seen so many beaut-."

"Beautiful ladies together ? Me neither." The voice make the three girls let out a shriek.

"You scared them." Faaz laughed looking at the three fuming ladies in front of them.

"My apologies." The man in the beautiful blue kurta with gota work said.

"They call me by Sameer Mir." He said extending his hand for Ayesha to take.

"Ayesha. I'm Ayesha." She meekly took his large hand in for a shake. Her eyes travelled from Sameer to Faaz and then to the cigarette between Faazs' finger.

"Faaz !" Ayesha whisper yelled. "You are smoking again in my green house, I've told you a million times to take your dirty deeds out of this place and you -."

The ringing of Faazs' phone saved him from Ayesha's anger. Swiping his finger across the screen he put the phone to his ear.

"Yes... that's great news bhai, we'll be there in some." He said into the phone.
He looked at everyone in the room and smiled.

"Our families have shaken hand on their political views, congratulations guys, to the Mir's and the Malik's." He said with a wide smile.