The Shah Gharana

||Tabdeeli [Change]||

Dark.
Cold.
And so cold.

The whole room was painted in the deepest shades of darkness and even if the moon tried, it couldn't send light there. Not even a bit. The person sitting near the window loved the moon, too dearly but right now, even her dear moon couldn't bring her joy.

She was aching her wounds were left open in the cold air, for it to pain more and more.

A week had passed, maybe more than that, yet she had no trace of her father's returning. And badi ammi said he will come back. She wanted to scoff. But more than that she wanted to scream,so loud that her father could hear her and come to her.

She knew her crime wasn't punishable, heck it wasn't a crime. Yet the way her father had reacted, it felt like she had committed a sin. What was the reason, she knew not but what would knowing give her. It didn't hurt less.

It hurt more, seeing that her father, the man who had never ever lost his calm and had always listened to her, didn't this time. And the reason he gave? That nobody else will again wish to marry her, she knew how to read between those lines. She knew he too thought that she wasn't that worthy and spoiled just like so many people in the society.

She had an idea what they all used to whisper behind her back. She had heard herself, so many times.

It didn't affect her much, because she knew it didn't matter.

But listening the same words from her father, it had pierced her.

Saman picked her phone up and once again dialed a number, only for it to be ignored, yet again.

This was getting exhausting now. Even living was feeling like a task.

"Ek dafa sun lete mujhe papa." She whispered, staring at the screen. (Atleast you should have listened to me once.)

__________

"Ahad stop near some dhaba." Zeeshan said soon after they hid the road for returning. It was the day they all had to visit the current site in the capital city. They had left home early in the morning with their respective teams and after a long day of site inspection, deciding about further production and other things, they were now returning back.

Spotting the first roadside dhaba, Ahad pulled the car near it. Zeeshan and Ehtesham stepped out of the car and stretched their arms. All of them were exhausted and hungry on top of that. There was so much to do to even take a break for a meal.

"Ahad wake her up." Zeeshan said and walked towards the dhaba with Ehteshaam. He turned back and found Nadia sleeping with her mouth slightly opened . He suppressed his smile, it looked like she had been drugged.

Nadia had been practically running around, multitasking,as if her life depended on it. That's how she was, perfectionists, passionate and professional. Ahad couldn't even count on finger how many things she had done today.

Presentation of her team's ideas and designs. Done.

Finalizing the designs even though client, specially the rude manager seemed like he wanted to stall more. She had directly targeted the main of them, royally ignoring the snob and the way she had made sure her points were clear had stunned him too.