Fruit of Passion

Changed Feelings

The event took place in the spacious courtyard of the Ghani orphanage in Islamabad, decorated with colorful banners and balloons. A dedicated area was set up as the "Fruitphilic" booth, adorned with pictures of fresh fruits and the product logo. Each table was decorated with bright tablecloths, and a cheerful ambiance was created with upbeat music playing in the background.

To make the event memorable, a range of entertaining activities was planned for the children. A face-painting station with fruit-themed designs added a touch of excitement to their day. A storytelling corner provided enchanting tales centered around the nutritional benefits of fruits and the importance of a healthy diet. The kids also engaged in fun games and dance sessions, fostering a sense of camaraderie and joy among them.

The entire event was planned and designed by Arsalan and Alya and Wania only helped with the technical and logistic end. It was the first time Alya took the lead in any of the project and Wania was delighted to see how enthusiastically yet practically she was dealing with the whole thing. Then there was Arsalan, the guy who had not only managed to surprise her with his professional prowess in the previous months but also seemed to have made a significant impact on her, personally as well. She had come to rely on his opinion and look for suggestions from him. Wania was also amazed at the fact that he understood her mother, her competencies as well as reservations, almost as much as herself. Alya already adored Arsalan but in a short time, Wania had come to catch feelings too, though unwillingly. 

Wania was always cautious when it come to attachments. Dealing with abandonment issues, thanks to her father, since she was a little girl, she found it hard to develop lasting feelings for anyone . This had been her coping mechanism, more of  self-preservation tactic to shield herself from the kind of trauma her mother suffered in the name of love causing Wania to develop the distrust she had for relationships and marriages. Of course, she was a living breathing human with emotions and every now and then she had found herself attracted to the male species who , it seemed, could never have the willpower to ignore her. But, she had conditioned herself in a way that the feeling don't last long. A couple of weeks, some harmless flirtation, a few dinners and then she cut them off. However, the sentiments that had been developing in her for the Abbas boy were unprecedented and unwavering. No matter how hard she tried to shake them off, they just don't budge and that was a matter of concern for her.

Wania stood near the Gifts & Souvenirs stall when she saw Arsalan emerge from the corner of the courtyard with a chubby little girl in his arms, she was not more than three years and had a wide set of green eyes, a literal angle Wania thought as she smiled broadly despite herself. Arsalan swings the little girl around a few times and she giggled uninhibitedly like there wasn't a more joyful experience in the world. Wania thought about the girl being orphaned at such a young age, she would have a life of struggles ahead and suddenly was glad to have arranged this event for her. Probably this one moment of joy will dwell in her memory giving her strength when she will need it in the future much like Wania herself. God forbid! she wasn't an orphan but not having her father around for most of her childhood and him never being a part of her happy memories was something that had left a void in Wania. She saw Arsalan throwing the little girl up in the air and then catching her while she laughed all along and Wania realized how much she had missed as a child. Her mother had done more than she could, that's for sure, and her Nana was there for her but she needed a father, not for the things like a roof over her head or  food on her plate but......for him to throw her in the air and then catch her while she would trust him that he would never let her go. A sudden rush of emotions got to her, welling up her eyes. She wouldn't let the world witness her emotional breakdown, she decided as she hastily retreated from the venue of the event and went out in the greenhouse area for a few moments of silence and recovery.

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Arsalan had spotted Wania as soon as he walked into the courtyard with the little girl in his arms. It had become a ritual for his eyes to scan the place for her whenever she was in the same vicinity as himself. It was almost as if his brain and eyes worked on their own accord when it comes to Wania, much to his discomfort. He also watched from afar as she hastily drop a wrapped gift parcel on the booth and walked out of the courtyard and something in her quick steps and averted eyes told him, she wasn't okay. As always his body reacted involuntarily as he put the girl gently down on the dance floor to join her companions and followed Wania out.

As soon as he came out of the venue of the festival, he looked for Wania and it took him a couple of minutes to find her in the greenhouse alone. She was sitting on one of the high stools, her back was towards him. Arsalan slowly walked towards her and as he came to stop just beside her, he realized she had the same tangled earphones jammed in her ears and the music was on in full volume while she just sat there with her eyes closed. Arsalan had a sudden feeling of déjà vu. He contemplated the situation remembering the defiant reaction she had the last time he interrupted her in the moment of retreat much like this one. But, he couldn't seem to leave her alone like this and a nagging feeling was tugging at his heart urging him to do something, to make her feel better. 

Arsalan cautiously put both hands on her shoulders and she flung open her eyes. This time she didn't jump or recoiled away from him but, the surprise was there. Arsalan looked at her face for a few seconds not doing anything and then slowly took his hands away from her shoulders and pulled the hands-free out of her ears. Wania sat still not saying anything or even moving. She didn't push him away, she didn't hide her tears as they threaten to fall down her face. All of a sudden, both of them found themselves in a daze. The world around them seemed to have been reduced to obscurity. It felt like they were the only two people in this new world they have suddenly landed onto. These were unchartered territories, unknown grounds and both of them were unaware of what exactly was conspiring there as Arsalan gently brought one hand to Wania's face and wiped one tear away from her cheek but then he didn't withdraw his hand. The gentle yet slightly calloused hand dragged from her soft cheek to the side of her face from where it tugged one loose strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers brushed against the back of her ear very tenderly but the effect was electric. A shiver ran through her.

Arsalan saw a little trimmer ran through Wania's body as his hand went behind her ear and his own heart skipped a beat, may be two. The pain in her eyes a moment ago was now replaced by something which looked alot like desire and Arsalan had to tell himself that it wasn't Wania's feeling peeking from her eyes right then, but the reflection of his own emotions. In this moment he knew for sure that he desired her more than anything and the fact that she wasn't being her usual challenging self was making it hard for him not to act on his impulse, which was screaming at him to kiss her. 

Arsalan waited for her to pull back any second, to push him away or to give him any reason to not go ahead with what he was about to do but she didn't and just when he leaned down with the intention to take her lips with his, he saw her close her eyes giving him enough validation that whatever was happening there was just....right!