Unapologetically

chapter fourteen

Afia looked at her grandson who was in an incredibly good mood. Then to her granddaughter in law, who looked absolutely pissed.

She took a sip of her tea, pinky out like always, observing them both over the rim of her teacup. Marwa was lathering her slice of toast with cream cheese, adding a few cucumbers and Rohail seemed lost as he looked at his phone, a satisfied little smirk on his face.

"Rohail tumhe dekh k aisa lag raha hai jaise tumne zaroor koi fraud kiya hai."

Rohail choked on his tea, settling the cup down as he looked at his grandmother with an incredulous expression. Eyebrows furrowed and lips apart.

Marwa smiled to herself. Afia turned to her and chided her. "Tum zyada kush naah ho. Hua bhi tumhare hi saath hoga."

Marwa's face fell as Rohail let out a laugh, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Madam ko meine kaha tha k raat ko naha lena, subha meine nahana hai."

Afia made a face.

"She started arguing saying I should shower at night because she's gonna shower in the morning."

Marwa passed him a glare, her hands in her lap clenched.

"She slept through like five alarms—!"

"You turned my alarms off." She viciously retorted.

Rohail continued, as if unaffected by the disturbance in his story. "And I showered and now she has greasy hair."

"Saath naha lete dono." Afia simply folded her napkin. She was too focused on how her ring had gotten stuck to one of the threads of the napkin that she didn't notice the sharp gasp.

When she looked up she found a matching pair of open mouths and blushing faces.

"Oye! Mera yeh matlab tha k ek time pe naha lete! Ghar mein ek se zyada bathroom hain!"

Marwa huffed. "He wouldn't let me get my shampoo and conditioner."

"I was showering!" He defended himself.

"I don't care. Tum bohot dhokeybaaz ho." She touched her hair, checking the ends with a frown.

"It looks fine. Just do what all the kids are doing nowadays. A slicked back bun."

Marwa nodded, but didn't say anything. She was seriously off put.

Rohail causally sauntered behind her as she walked ahead of him. She had started her rotations and luckily was not placed in the same department as him.

"Kya ho gaya hai?" He side hugged her as they neared the door, his fresh scent a cruel reminder. He was smiling in that asshole-ish way he did when he pissed her off. "You have a chador on anyway."

She pushed him away, flustered and angry. "I called the shower last night way before you did."

He raised his hands. "First come first served."

"Go to hell."

He looked mildly offended at that. "Very sorry. Lekin mein wahan nahi jaa sakta jahan tum nahi hogi."

That brought out a groan. "Tum kitna flirt karte ho? What happened to Professor Zahrun? Ek nazar se tangein kampti thi meri."

He chuckled, following her outside to the car. "Ab meri tumhe dekh k kaampti hain."

She turned to him, walking backwards, a childish smile on her face. "Mein itni scary hoon kya?"

He tried to memorize how she looked in that moment. Dressed in black, her cheeks red as always and tiny nose pin glinting in the golden sunlight. His smile faltered.