𝐒𝐇𝐏𝐀 𝐃𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐙𝐀𝐀𝐑

𝐀𝐅𝐒𝐎𝐎𝐙 | 𝟒

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It was around evening time when everyone was called to the dining room for dinner. At the center of the dining room sat a Victorian-style dining table with a burl and antique metallic gold finish. The large table was surrounded by ten formal chairs, two of which were armchairs that sat at opposite ends.

The elders were the first to present themselves for dinner, Bibi sat at the head chair, however, the head chair opposite of her which was always occupied during my childhood remained empty. I could see the lingering sadness in her eyes as she stared at the empty chair because she was thinking of him.

My father, Awalmir Khan Akbari, sat to the right of Bibi with my mother sitting by his side. While the seat to the left of Bibi was occupied by my uncle, Jamil Khan Akbari followed by his wife. The rest of the seats were quickly filled by my siblings and cousins once the remaining dishes from the kitchen were placed on the dining table.

The table was full of my favorite dishes ranging from mantu and tandoori chicken to peraki and qaboli pallow. While my mother was filling my plate, I had failed to notice the figure of that took a seat across from me. With everything that happened earlier, I had forgotten that this was always Phana's seat.

She offered a polite smile to the elders and served herself a small portion of white rice. After doing so, her eyes remained focused on her plate, however, she pushed the rice around with her spoon rather than eating. Aside from the occasional chatter here and there, everyone was immersed with eating their food.

When a sudden clearing of the throat was heard from my father which broke the silence and caused all eyes to turn towards him. He glanced at Bibi and the two of them gave one another a confirming nod before he started to speak.

"As we all know, Idris has finally returned home and the time to discuss this topic has finally arrived since all of us are gathered here today. Bibi and I along with the rest of the elders have decided that from now on Idris and Phana shall be abiding by their marriage and fulfilling their roles as husband and wife," stated my father with a tone that held finality.

For a few minutes, a warm blanket of silence enveloped the room as everyone attempted to recover from the bombshell that my father dropped. The elders were quick to discuss holding an event to announce the news to relatives and friends.

However, the remaining individuals exchanged worrisome glances. Taimoor seemed to be seething with anger as he stared at me with a heated glare. Though my younger brother was the least of my worries since this had nothing to do with him. My main worry was the woman sitting in front of me.

I redirected my eyes towards Phana and it felt as if time slowed down. A statue. That was the only word that came to my mind that could accurately describe her condition. One could've mistaken her for one if it weren't for her subtle breathing.

It felt as if her physical body was present but her mind and soul were elsewhere. Her eyes were void as the spoon remained stilled in her hand. Her fingers were tightly grasped around it while the rice remained cold and untouched.

The color had completely drained from her face and if a stranger had been here, they would've assumed that Phana was nothing but a corpse. I waited and waited for any sort of movement but it never came until her mother placed a hand on her shoulder.

Suddenly, she jumped in place and glanced at her mother with wide eyes. The spoon clattering against the plate as it fell from her fingers. Realization seemed to dawn on her that she had zoned out after what my father announced.

"Khwazay, cheshi wa so? Tha sama ye?" Questioned Noor khala with visible worry on her face. Her hands gently caressed Phana's hair. As soon as Noor khala touched her, Phana instantly nodded her head and barely smiled.

"Za sama yam Mor. Ka sthasi bad na razi, za bala zam khpali khone tha. Bekhi bad me par sar dard de," Phana announced to her mother and everyone else.

"Ah sama de zoya. Dawa wakhora bya kno beda sa," responded Bibi with a sweet smile. Phana nodded and rose from her seat.

"Khwashala shpa walari," came her faint voice. She quickly pushed in her chair, grabbed her plate, and headed towards the kitchen. There were subtle sounds coming from the kitchen for a few minutes before they stopped and Phana headed out.

I watched as she climbed up the stairs and walked a bit down the hall before she rounded the corner and disappeared from my sight. The last thing I caught eye of was her black dupatta flowing after her.

My mind ran with hundreds of thoughts on how I wanted to handle this situation. If I go up there and apologize after everyone has gone to bed, she'll definitely forgive me because Phana could never be angry with me for too long.

My thoughts had me so engulfed that I hadn't even realized that the table had been cleared and almost everyone had left the dining room except for me. As I was getting up from my seat, I noticed Taimoor headed up the stairs in a speed of light.

I wouldn't have given it much thought, however, my blood started to boil when I realized which direction he was headed in. My eyes drifted to the large grandfather clock and noticed the time being past 12 at night. What the hell was he doing so late at night in Phana's room?

I quickly went up the stairs and headed down the familiar hallway, towards the white door that opened up to her room. The lights in the hallway were turned off which allowed me to stay hidden from their eyes. Thankfully, the door wasn't keep fully shut. There was a crack that gave a perfect view of the two as they were seated on the sofa by the window.

Phana was sitting on one end of the white sofa with her back towards the door, hiding her face from me. All I could pinpoint was that her attention seemed to have been focused on something outside as she was gazing out the window. On the other end of the couch sat Taimoor, where he was speaking to her in an animatedly way.

His brows were furrowed and he appeared quite stressed. My attention fell upon his hands which were holding onto hers causing my to clench my jaw. He had no right to touch her like that even if they are so called friends. How dare he?

I attempted to withhold my anger before it led to me doing something that I would end up regretting. My hands were bawled into fists and I quickly pushed them into the pockets of my pants. I was seconds away from my restraint and patience breaking.

The two were talking in hushed whispers for quite a few minutes before Taimoor rose from the sofa. He walked towards Phana and left a kiss on top of her hair before he headed towards the door. I stood further away from the door to avoid being seen.

I watched as Taimoor left the room and disappeared down the hallway towards his bedroom. Now, she can't hide from me anymore and she'll have to talk to me whether she likes it or not. With that mindset, I strode towards her room.

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