Qurbat

-14-

It was Friday evening as Isha layed on her stomach on her bed under the ceiling fan, reading her favourite book.

The wind passing through the open window blew on her face, making hair strands that framed her face blow lightly as her marble floor mimicked the the pinkish sky.

"Isha! Isha!" Abida called out as she entered hwr daughter's room.

Jumping at the voice, Isha almost immediately got up sitting straight on her bed not before bending over the bed to shove her novel under her bed , making her plushing fall while d0ing so.

"Isha-yeh, tum kya krrhi ho?" Abida stood by the door giving Isha a weird look.

"J-ji?K-kuch nhi." Isha immediately got up fixing her hair, sitting straight on the bed.

Getting nervous from Abida's sus look she continued. "Umm..haan! Meri plushies..gir gyi theen." She spoke picking up her fallen plushies trying to act all natural.

Abida rolled her eyes shaking her head at her daughter's never ending antics.

But the good thing was that she fell for Isha's words not suspecting any hidden romance books under her bed. Being considered weird did benefit her sometimes.

Abida continued "Acha usse choro. Tum jldi se tayyar hojao."

This made Isha furrow her brows. "Kyun? Mein aaj busy hun." She spoke with a little voice, worried about the date she planned.

"Tou cancel krdo. Osman shaam ko tumhe lene ayega tou-" Abida's words were cut off.

"Wait. What?" Isha stood up from her bed in a swift movement.

"Haan. Arey, us din maine Osman ko kisi kaam se call ki thi naa tou usne mujh se poocha k woh tumhe dinner pr le jaye." Abida explained.

"Exactly kab?" Isha asked impatiently, in a cid order.

"Jis din tum shopping krke aai thi. Kyun?-" Abida answered honestly thinking back to the day but got cut off by Isha's loud gasp.

"Kuch-kuch nhi." Isha spoke. Happiness dripping from her voice. "Aap jayein mein tayaar hone jarhi hun." Isha spoke leading her mother out the room.

"Pr tumhare plans-" Abida's words were again cut off.

"Usko mein dekh lungi. Aap jayien." Isha quickly closed the door resting her back on it.

"Daal mein kuch tou kala hai." She spoke to herself in a small voice , her eyes squinted slightly as she bit her lips holding back her smile.

Letting out a small squeal she proceeded to run to her closet to get ready.

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Osman stood in front of the mirror in his walk in closet, looking at his button up shirt with matching pants that he wore.

"Good enough." He nodded his head, his gaze sneaking glances at the shopping kept just beside the mirror, but he took his gaze off it before he could think about the things inside the bag.

"Why am I even going?" Osman he bit his inner cheeks before letting out a small sigh.

'Well, because you asked for 'permission'. Remember?' Osman closed his eyes at his consciousness speaking up again.

"Whatever." He mumbled to himself  and proceeded to move out the closet while fixing his watch. His eyes moved back to the bag kept as he let out a sharp exhale, before closing the closet door.

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Sharmeela entered Osman's room after knocking twice, holding his perfectly ironed two piece suit for office.

"Osman baba. Yeh apka suit-wa hum ache se press-wa krdiya hai-" Sharmeela's words were cutting off by her gasping , covering her mouth, Osman's suit slipped from her hand  at the sight in front of her.

Osman looked up at the noise, raising his eyebrows at the reaction. Sharmeela quickly bend down and picked up the suit before she gets scolded.

"Kya hua Sharmeela bi?" Osman questioned.

"K-k-kuch nhi. B-b-bs a-ap g-g-gulabi mein-" Sharmeela let out an awkward shock laugh trying to cover up her astonishment.

Osman looked down at himself. More like his new pastel pink stripped button up shirt that he paired with a beige tailored pants.

"Is there something wrong with it?" He asked with a straight face.

"No, nana wrong something not." Sharmeela spoke with a nervous voice and broken english she struggled to learn. "Mein yeh krhke aati." She moved to closet to keep his clothes, fearing he might scold her any second.

Shaking his head he headed out of his, making his way downstairs. Sharmeela had always been dramatic, he had known her since he was a child. Now he had learned to not pay any heed to her drama.

As he approached downstairs his family's voices grew louder. He could tell they were sitting in the living room probably watching their tv series.

He looked at them breifly. "Bi-jaan, I have plan so I'll get going. Ok?-" His sentence stopped when he focused his family's expressions.

Maham was trying to hold her laugh, Sikandar Sahab choked on his chai , Hajra sat stunned while Bi-jaan was laughing out loud without any fear.

"Is there something I'm not aware of?" Osman was so confused by everyone's reactions.

Bi-jaan nudged Maham to tell Osman while still laughing.

"Bhai apki shirt-" Maham cut her words off by laughing.

Osman let out a sigh before going out the front door not before saying. "I'll eat dinner out . Don't wait for me."

He still needed to learn the art of not paying attention to his dramatic bi-jaan and his now dramatic sister. He blamed Isha for turning Maham dramatic. They were'nt alot but enough to cook his brains.

"Yeh aise ja kahan ja rha hai?" Sikandar sahab questioned looking at his disappearing figure.

"Isha ke saath. Are kya kahte hain?-haan data-deta?-" Bi-jaan stammered.

"Date." Maham completed.

"Haan!" Bi-jaan exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

Hajra on the other hand was gritting her teeth. The way he wore a colour he dispised just for a date with Isha angered her so much.

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A white fortuner stood in front of Shahid villa in which Osman sat.

'I shouldn't have worn this.'

He thought to himself with a small frown looking at himself in the rear view mirror.

'Should I go inside?'
'No. Everyone will think I wore pink' He thought to himself.

'Because you are wearing pink.' His conciousness mocked him.

He felt irritation filling his body. Pink had never been an issue in his life. And now it was the only issue. This made him hate pink even more.

"Such a headache." He mumbled to himself before getting off the car.

He shut the door locking the car by pressing the button on the key.

Just as he passed the iron gate a sight stopped him. A beautiful one.

He for a second forgot everything until the sight abruptly came pulling him in a swift motion leaving the poor man processing.

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