Make Me Your Villain

Chapter Fifteen

Hayat Azhar

What on earth was I thinking?

I banged my head on the pillow and groaned, waves of contrition consuming me.

I told Sameer I'd quit the job and drop out of the university?

Clearly whatever I was thinking, I wasn't thinking it right.

As if I would ruin my life for a guy like him. It was idiotic of me to propose such a stupid idea. But because I sounded so confident yesterday, I was too embarrassed to eat my words now.

I had the day off from the haveli but what about the university? He might be there and I didn't want him to see me.

Racking my brain for ideas, the only solution I could come up with was using the old school trick;

Pretend to be sick.

I felt bad having to lie to mother to avoid going to the university but it worked. And I ended up taking another day off from the haveli, successfully avoiding Sameer for two days in his own house and the university too.

My moment of bliss was short-lived though. Because before I could build enough courage, it was already the third day after that tea incident.

Having had skipped the haveli for two days already, I couldn't not go there today as well.

My nerves twisted in my gut as I made my way towards the Malik haveli and found dadi in their fancy hall.

"Hayat." She exclaimed upon seeing me. "How are you, beta? I heard you were sick."

"Oh, uh, I'm better now." I gave her a feeble nod and she turned to my hands.

"And your hands?"

I had wrapped one of them in a gauze roll while the other had been bandaged.

"They're fine. It wasn't anything serious." I casted her a reassuring smile when aunty Tabassum rushed past us and dadi's focus was diverted from me.

"Tabassum, did my kitten have lunch yet?"

Aunty Tabassum stopped. "He's got a stomachache, amma jaan. He doesn't want to eat anything heavy."

"My poor kitten!" Dadi bellowed, lines of worry stretching over her face. "If this is how he always returns from his excursions with his friends, why do you allow him to go out in the first place?"

Aunty Tabassum tucked the corners of her lips and shook her head. "Whenever I try to stop him, he gets his permission from you."

"Well, why wouldn't I allow him?" Dadi countered, pulling a face in offense. "I can't say no to my kitten. It's your duty to stop him!"

She sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing with dadi. "Okay, amma jaan. I'm going to check up on him now."

She left the hall and dadi shook her head, mumbling about how nobody took care of her kitten and how fragile her poor little kitten was.

"Should I make you some tea, dadi?" I proposed, halting her depressed speech.

"Forget about the tea. Go and make some porridge for my kitten." She ordered while standing up from the chair. "After that, come and iron my clothes."