kabhi main kabhi tum [one shots]

Make This Place Our Home: Part 1

Summary: Sharjeena's parents get worried about her, and when the truth comes out as to why she and Mustafa left his family's house, her dad tries to get her to come home with them--but Sharjeena refuses to leave Mustafa's side.

A/N: this will be 2 parts, so i'll label it as such!

Part 1

"Okay, Ammi. I'll tell Mustafa," Sharjeena says, running her fingers through her hair in mild exasperation before resting her hand on her hip.

"Saat baje aaja na, theek hai?" Ammi responds in her usual soft but firm tone, the one that leaves no room for nonsense.

"Acha," Sharjeena says, trying to stifle her sigh before the conversation ends and she hangs up the phone.

She licks her lips, knowing the conversation she's going to need to have with Mustafa will likely not go well. Giving herself a moment to stall, she looks at the ingredients she had laid out to start cooking dinner, realizing that she might not need to cook after all.

She walks out of the kitchen, walking past the kitchen and stepping into the main living area, where Mustafa is sitting on the floor, back against the wall and laptop resting on his outstretched legs as he types away. They have gotten a few amenities in the new flat; a mattress with more stuff for the bed, some chairs and a table, but no decorations for the walls yet because they only recently finished painting the walls anew and Sharjeena wants to get frames to hang up pictures. And, most importantly, they have groceries in the fridge and Internet so Mustafa can get work done.

"Mustafa," she says, approaching him and coming to a stop next to where he sits.

"Haan?" he asks distractedly, the flat filling with the clacking of the keys.

Ssharjeena hesitates for a second, momentarily distracted herself by the sight of his concentrated experience, eyebrows furrowed together yet partially hidden under dark hair falling over his forehead. She figures it's best to rip the bandaid off and tells him, "Ammi and Baba want us to come over for dinner tonight."

The clacking stops, Mustafa's fingers hovering over the keyboard as he looks up at her, confusion swimming in those dark eyes. "Kya? Kyun?"

Sharjeena shrugs, flashing him a hesitant smile. "Bas dinner hi toh hai," she tells him in what she hopes is a persuasive tone. "Just one or two hours."

He lets out a disbelieving scoff. "Hum dono ko patha hai ke eik-doh ghante main nahi khatum ho ga." When she presses her lips together, he sighs, "Sharjeena, time right nahi hai abhi. I don't want to lie to your parents, and I don't want you to have to lie to them, either. If they ask us how things are, hum kya kar rahe hain aaj kal, we'll end up telling the truth. Toh phir kya ho ga?"

"Mustafa, hum unko baar baar ignore nahi kar sakte," she tells him quietly, moving to sit next to him on the floor.

She sits facing him, legs crossed, her knee pressing to his thigh. When he purses his lips, looking ready to argue, her throat works. They've been keeping her parents at bay for well over a week now, Sharjeena keeping quiet about what's been going on since she and Mustafa left his parents' house. Her mom has been asking her and Mustafa over for dinner for a few days now, getting more and more insistent as the days go on, and Sharjeena knows she can't hold her off forever. It's now or never, at this point.

"If we have to tell them what's going on, we will—but whatever you want them to know," she assures him. Her hand rests on his leg, tilting her head with a smile as their gazes lock. "Main hoon tumhare saath. It'll be fine."

The reluctance is still heavy in his eyes and Sharjeena understands it. She doesn't want to push him on this, but if she keeps finding excuses to tell her mom as to why she and Mustafa both can't make it to dinner, Sharjeena knows they'll have a bigger problem on their hands. At the same time, Sharjeena doesn't want her parents to find any excuse to blame Mustafa for anything that's happened over the last two weeks. Her mom may not, but as much as Sharjeena loves her father, she knows that he may not be as forgiving. And judging by the look on Mustafa's face, she knows that he knows it, too.