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The silence that followed was thick, each second stretching painfully as the shock registered between me and Ghulam. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I hadn’t been expecting Shahzain's friend to be Dr. Ghulam Sayyed.
I could feel Shahzain’s gaze flickering between us, confusion etched on his face as he tried to make sense of our reactions.
“Wait... You two know each other?” His voice sliced through the tension, forcing us both to confront the moment.
Neither of us spoke at first. I was too stunned to respond, and Ghulam looked equally unsettled, his usual easy-going demeanor nowhere in sight. I forced myself to gather my thoughts, my mind racing for a plausible explanation. Ghulam shifted on his feet, clearly uncomfortable, while Shahzain stood there waiting for answers.
Finally, I nodded, fixing a smile on my face as I stared at Ghulam. “Yes, we know each other.”
Shahzain’s frown deepened. His eyes darted to Ghulam, who seemed to wish he was anywhere but here. “Ghulam? Care to explain?” he asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.
Ghulam exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his hair, clearly stalling. “It’s... a long—”
I didn’t give him a chance to finish. “He’s my cousin Zaid’s friend,” I interrupted smoothly, cutting off whatever Ghulam had planned to say.
Ghulam's eyes locked with mine, his brow raising slightly at the lie. But I gave him a subtle nod when Shahzain wasn’t looking, silently begging him to play along.
After a moment of hesitation, Ghulam sighed and shrugged, finally catching on. “Yeah, that’s right. I’m good friends with Zaid.”
Shahzain’s expression softened, though the confusion hadn’t fully cleared. “I see. Well, small world, I guess.”
The air around us loosened, the tension easing a little, though I could still feel the weight of Ghulam’s gaze on me. He knew there was more to the story, but thankfully, he wasn’t about to blow my cover.
Before Shahzain could ask any more questions, I cleared my throat. "Let's eat dinner before the food gets cold."
Shahzain nodded in agreement and, along with Ghulam, moved to the dining table, taking a seat. Parveen and I brought the dishes, setting them out while the two of them continued their conversation. I could feel Ghulam's eyes on me from time to time, his gaze heavy with unspoken thoughts.
Each time, I deliberately avoided meeting his eyes.
Suddenly, Shahzain’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen before looking at both me and Ghulam. With an apologetic smile, he said, "It’s my client. I have to take this."
