Yaar-e-Bereham

Chapter Thirteen

چلنے کا حوصلہ نہیں رکنا محال کر دیا
عشق کے سفر نے تو مجھے نڈھال کر دیا

Chalnay ka hosla nahi rukhna muhal ker diya
Ishq ke safar nay toh mujhay nidhaal ker diya
~Parveen Shakir

That night, I didn't have dinner with the family as usual making an excuse about seasonal flu and so when I came down to the kitchen after dinner for some coffee, I found Ammi already standing there making tea on stove.

"Marium beta, dawai li?" She asked, concern evident in her eyes.

I opened my mouth to reply when, the sound of footsteps stopped me and I turned my head expecting Armeena Api or the maid but quickly turned it away when I saw Zain in his home attire.

Since I had walked out of the room earlier I didn't come back because I didn't want to see his stupid face. I knew his presence would anger me more and I might have done something that both of us wouldn't have liked. Like maybe, slapping the moron's handsome face.

"Ji Ammi li thi, bus sar ka dard hai per wo bhi jald theek ho jaye ga." I reassured her with a smile as I flung the upper cupboard to pull out coffee jar.

"Zain, kuch chaye hai?" She asked.

"Ji, Ammi wo coffee." He voice surprisingly low and my eyebrows shot up.

"Marium bachay, zara Zain ko bhi ek cup bana do or rest kero, apni ankhe dekho kaisay soji pari hain."

I looked at Zain, only to find his eyes already fix at me, something in them I couldn't put a finger on, but I knew for sure it definitely was not guilt. My grip on the coffee jar tightened fully intending to hurl it at him but refrained myself and nodded at Ammi who patted me on the cheek before she took her tea cup and left us alone.

Turning my back at him, my hand started moving in quick motion as I tried to be done with it as soon as possible but I could still feel his piercing gaze at me as he stood still.

I moved past him to grab milk from the fridge only to be held back when he griped my wrist in his hand and he pulled me closer to him. Only that unlike last time his hold was soft.

My eyes travelled from his hand to his face.

"Sorry," He spoke, his voice almost a whisper and my eyebrows shot up once again, taken aback before my expressions quickly hardened again.

"Yeh sahi hai, pehlay insaan ki jaan nikal do or phir sorry bol do," I huffed, jerking my hand away.

I turned my back to him, quickly working my hand, whipping him his coffee before taking mine and leaving him standing in the middle of the kitchen.

When I came back to our room my eyes fell on his wallet on the bedside table and I didn't think much of it until an idea struck to my mind and I beemed, my eyes twinkling with mischief.

When he came into the room he found me sipping on my coffee scrolling through my phone, his eyes scanning my face before he shook his head and sat on the bed with his back against the headpost. Picking up his laptop he flipped it open on his lap.

After finishing my coffee, I went out to grab Coal from Armeena Api's room where he was spending most of his time following Saif around who had recently started walking. Areema Apa excitedly  ushered me in showing a shakily padding on his feet Saif and I squealed. This was my first time watching him walk.

I sat with Armeena Api, chatting for sometime before returning back to the room without Coal because Saif didn't want him to leave and neither did Coal mind staying away from me.

Little traitor.

I ignored Zain who was still busy on his laptop and laid down on the bed, pulling the blanket all the way up to my head.

The next day, I didn't talk to Zain or the days after, not until I made him feel remotely bad about what he had done.

For days, I would avoid his presence, spending time with Armeena Api or Ammi, only to return back when he would be asleep and then waking up before he did. During this time I saw very little of him, only at the dining table when the family ate together. Even then I would refrain from looking at him.

Neither did he try to talk to me and that was fine by me, I mean no arms twisting behind my back, right?

A week went by and we didn't talk, with neither of us making an effort to do so. I knew I sure as hell wouldn't address him unless I made him pay. Quite literally.

That day the courrier came in the time we were having breakfast and one of the gaurds came in.

"Zain Bhai apka koi parcel aya hai," He informed.

"Mera parcel?" Zain confirmed as he stood up.

"Ji bhai, koi liberty books walay hain," The guard pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

Zain eyes snapped towards me, realization drawing on his face and I grinned up at him. This was our first interation in days.

"Acha, tum chalo." He said to the guard but his eyes were still on me and I winked before turning my attention back to my plate when he went outside.

The others sitting around us didn't notice our little interation as Ammi and Abu were chatting about something of their own while Armeena apa was busy over a fusing Saif.

Zain came back a few minutes later his blazing eyes landing on me a recipt in his hand and my eyes lit up when a guard placed a heavy cardboard box on the floor with a grunt.

"Yeh uper meray kamray mein le jao." Zain instructed the guard who nodded before, picking it up again.

"Yeh kiya Zain," Ammi asked out of pure criosity

"Kuch nahi Ma bus mujhse apki bahu ki kuch kitabay kharab ho gai thi bus ussi ka karza utara hai," He said.

I bit my bottom lip between my teeth as I mentally thought, "Guess I can return to my ownself now. How hard it was for me to refrain from annoying him the whole week."

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"Ek lakh bees hazar," Zain said as he came behind me in our room after breakfast, holding the reciept up.

"Ap ke leye toh yeh kuch nahi hona chaye hain," I crossed my arms on my chest raising an eyebrow at him.

"Kabhi kama ker dekho," He scoffed.

"Haan, haan wo bhi ker loon gi," I waved my hand and he took a step towards me, making my expressions fell.

"Oh here we go again, my poor arm." I thought, mentally rolling my eyes.

A knock on the stopped Zain on the door and he oppened it to reveal a timid looking maid and I turned towards the box, placed it on the bed, giddly with excitement as I ripped the tape open.

"Bhai, wo Bharay Sahab bula rahay," She informed Zain who nodded.

"Unse kaho mein aa raha ho," He told her before shutting the door on her face.

I over turned the flapps gasping at my gorgeous new books and I wipped a hand down one if them. These things really felt like heaven on earth.

I pulled out the books from the box, collecting some in my arms to pile on the coffee table when I found him Zain still standing behind me, hands tucked in his dress pants and I stopped in my tracks. His eyes scanning my face and movements.

Our eyes met and I raised an eyebrow making him shake his head before walking out, slamming the door behind.

I turned my attention back to my books, gushing over each one of them. A lot of them were new novels I had been planned on reading while the others were a replacement for the books Zain had torn.

After I had calmed my over enthusiastic self, I took the novels to the study and set them in the shelf.

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Author's Note
University started. Again. And I forgot about updates. Again. Anyways, let me know your views and please vote.
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