A Piece Of His Heart

Twenty

Eliza

"Can't you admit it like a man?"

Waleed grinned and continued to hum to whatever song was playing in his head. I knew he was doing it mainly to show me that he didn't care. "There is nothing to admit."

I grumbled and threw my head back. When a new idea, a new tactic popped up in my head, I crossed my arms and feigned sadness. My bottom lip butter out and I bowed my head, looking up at him through droopy lashes. "So you won't miss me at all? I thought you cared about me." At the end, I ended up biting my lip to stop myself from cackling out loud when he shot me a confused glance like I'd just told him chocolate was a vegetable.

"Won't work on me." He shrugged and stopped the car in front of the large black gate of my family's house.

I sighed and dropped the act, and took my bag from him when he held it out after picking it up from the backseat. "Aren't you going to come in?"

"I should probably get to work now. I'm already late." He tapped at the watch on his wrist for emphasis, smiling at me.

"My mother's going to scold me for letting you go without at least having tea."

"Tell her that I'll stay for longer when I come to pick you up." I nodded and opened the door to leave, but he caught my wrist to stop me.

I raised a brow at him when he tugged at my wrist and I had no choice but to sit back in the seat. My heart fluttered when he held my hand and kissed the back of it softly. "You look beautiful." Then he kissed my wrist, causing me to smile. "And, yes, I'll miss you."

I grinned now, pumping my fist in the air for extra measure. "I knew it!" I opened the door and successfully got out this time. "But I won't miss you at all." I shot him a wink and shut the door before he could say anything and walked up to the doorbell to ring it. Waleed stayed until the door opened and I was inside safely before he drove away.

My mother frowned at his retreating car even as she pulled me into a hug. "Tumne bola nahi Waleed ko ke andar aajaye?"

*"Didn't you ask you Waleed to come inside?"

"Leave him, Ammi. He has work to do. And can you please focus on your daughter? I'm practically a guest too right now."

My mother laughed and put her hand on my back, leading me inside the house. "Yes, yes. I'll spoil and pamper you for your whole stay."

I nodded, planning to say something in return but I was instantly out of my mother's arms when I saw Baba pacing the living room with his phone pressed to his ear. He smiled at me and I, with no regard to his phone call, threw my arms around him and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug even though he was larger than I was.

He immediately ended his call and hugged me back as he placed a kiss on the top of my head. I sighed wistfully. He might have a funny name but he was my only father who loved me as much as any father would love his only daughter. "Asalam Alaikum. Waleed nahi aaya?"

*"Didn't Waleed come?"

I returned his greeting but frowned up at him. "Sabko damad ki pari hai. Beti ki koi ehmiyat hai ya nahi?" Both my parents laughed and I quickly grabbed my mother's arm to involve her in the hug. As happy as I was with Waleed, I'd definitely missed my parents.