preference delights

"A thunderstorm of emotions"

(Chapter 19)
Fahad quickly checked his phone and stuttered, "Fifty-two missed calls... I am a dead piece of meat. Aunty Warda will not spare me." He heard his words losing their tone. He swiftly put his phone back in his pocket and peered for a way to escape. Fearing he might get caught at the entrance, he headed in the opposite direction. But to his surprise, Zawyaar was already standing there, asking someone, "Have you seen Fahad?" The guy nodded and pointed towards him.

Fahad turned away with a horrific expression, hoping his friends would help him in this ironic situation. "Don't expect my help. Did you take our opinion before creating all this fuss? So now deal with it," sensing his gestures, Jawad shrugged and openly declined to help.

"Salar," he placed all his hopes on Salaar. But irritated by Zawyaar's entry, he gave him a deadly glare, assuming that the son could be more vicious than the mother. He thought it would be better to have no expectations.

In the meantime, Zawyaar approached and casually put his hand over Fahad's shoulder. "Hi, Fahad." Unable to protect himself, Fahad forced a sheepish smile.

"Can I take your friend for a moment?" Zawyaar asked for permission beforehand.

"Yes, go ahead; he is all yours," Jawad snapped, clenching his teeth in fury.

Fahad finally surrendered and followed Zawyaar. He knew Aunty Warda would soon grab him by the neck and vowed that from now on, he would only eat at home, no matter how much his stomach cried for good food. He would confine himself to his sister-in-law's partly cooked, sometimes burnt, but always indigestible meals.

---

Salaar was exasperated because it had been days since Zarmeena had gone missing from campus along with her friends. Jawad told him about Zarmeena's sudden and mysterious departure. His car entered the driveway and stopped in the porch. He lazily stepped outside the car as the guard efficiently took the keys and drove away. After thinking for a moment, he headed toward Dadi's portion. Sarwat Khala (Aunty) opened the door for him. Sarwat Khala and Majid were both employed to take care of Dadi.

Salaar followed her to the sitting area. The place was furnished with old-fashioned, classic Chinioti furniture covered with white fabric. The interior was simple yet elegant, resembling Dadi's nature.

"Sir, Dadi is offering Maghrib prayers," Sarwat informed him obediently.

"It's okay; I will wait." He nodded without looking at her, taking the newspaper from the table and starting to read it with a solemn expression. He was deeply engrossed in the newspaper, holding it in one hand while resting the other hand on the armrest when Dadi came in.

"Oh, Zarmeena's Salaar is here!" Dadi exclaimed with a mischievous smile. Salaar became so anxious with Dadi's words that his hand slipped from the armchair, making his whole body lose balance. Salaar also realized that Dadi wasn't alone; Sarwat Aunty was also there.

"Dado." Salaar stared at Dadi and, through eye gestures, pointed toward Sarwat Aunty.

"Don't worry; she knows everything. I can't keep things from her," Dadi said casually, ignoring his signals, as if Salaar's privacy were not her primary concern. A brief grin touched Aunty Sarwat's face before she left the room.

"Dado, you are really unpredictable. Sharing a secret with you means it is not a secret anymore." Salaar was still annoyed.

"Oh, Salaar, true love can't be hidden. Like a bubble inside water, it finds its way out. So, my dear Salaar, it's useless to try to obscure it." Dadi remained steadfast in her stance, and Salaar regretted losing control in front of her. To hide his nervousness, he lowered his brows and started scratching the palm of his hand. Dadi fixated her gaze on him. Sensing Dadi's eyes on him, he raised his brows and let out a timid smile.

"Dadi, stop it, please, or else I will leave." Salaar was feeling intense nervousness, so he stood up to leave. Guessing his intentions, Dadi quickly responded and grabbed him by the hand, "Okay, okay, we will change the topic." Dadi blurted out, and Salaar sat back down beside her.

"Salaar, are you upset with your mother?" Dadi asked him in a grave tone while gently stroking his back.

"Did she tell you why I'm upset?" Dadi nodded and continued stroking him to comfort him.

"Dadi, she was stalking me, and you know she also involved Fahad to keep an eye on me," he explained in a gloomy tone.

"Salaar... I know her methods of safeguarding her children are often disputable, but that's just how she is. She has her own ways of loving her children," Dadi uttered in an explanatory manner.

"But she has left me in no position to face my friends," distress etched in his tone. How could his own mother berate him like that? Didn't he deserve to be trusted by his own mother, especially when she knew he had no feelings for Leena?

"Salaar, let it go now. You are avoiding her. She frequently visited your portion, but you know about Zubair. He is so protective of you that he didn't even let your mother talk to you."

Salaar curved his lips, thinking of Zubair's high-level security concern. He didn't let anyone near Salaar without his consent. Even during his stay in England, despite his limited circle of acquaintances, no one ever visited his apartment due to Zubair's interrogations.

"I know that he has only you after losing his family, but sometimes he really overdoes it." Dadi was genuinely furious at Zubair's undue concern and shook her head in disbelief.

"Salaar... she already has too much on her shoulders because of your illness; ignoring her like this will only increase her burden." Dadi tried to convince him in an explanatory tone.

"Okay, Dadi, I will go talk with her." For Dadi's reassurance, he let out a beaming smile.

"I knew you would understand. Now I am genuinely asking... are you feeling low because of Zarmeena?" Dadi asked politely, sensing a hint of concern in her words.

Salaar knew he couldn't let himself loose in front of Dadi. But he couldn't keep it inside any longer. His newly developed feelings and growing concern for Zarmeena were eating him alive. Besides, he knew that Dadi was the only one he could confide in.

"It's been a week since Zarmeena has not come to university," he exclaimed with a sullen expression.

Dadi was so amused by his facial expression. Thinking of him sulking again, she clutched her laughter in her teeth. She tried to focus herself on him. "Did you search for the reason?" Dadi asked profoundly.

"Jawad told me that she was on the phone and left in a hurry without informing anyone. After that, nobody knows where she's gone," he exclaimed with grief in his voice.

"Don't worry, my baby. Have you ever heard this saying: 'no news is good news'? God forbid, if something happened to her, the news would have eventually reached you already." Dadi tried to console him. He was silent for a few moments and then started, "Dadi... I hate this..." he muttered, his gaze downcast.

"Hate what?" she questioned, not knowing what was going on inside him.

"Dadi, I despise that I surrender so easily to these stupid emotions for a girl who is even unaware of my feelings. This is not like me." Dadi sensed his voice was coursing with emotions.

"I wanted to complete my degree and help run Baba's business with Taimur. But look where I am stuck." He muttered with his gaze dropped. Dadi wanted him to let out everything he had inside him, so she concentrated on listening. Salaar continued.

"Only a month left until my final exams, and look... instead of studying, I am worrying about someone else." Salaar was fully disappointed with himself.

"These feelings are making me frail, Dadi," he uttered in despair, placing his head on Dadi's lap. He closed his eyes and stretched out on the sofa.

"Salaar... love has its own characteristics. Sometimes it is like a storm, destroying everything inside you. Sometimes it is tranquil, like the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Sometimes it makes you vulnerable like a feather, and sometimes it evokes immense power inside you that you could grip over anything. It is undefeatable; you can only get over it when you surrender with all your will." While lightly stroking his hair, Dadi explained so he could fully perceive it. At Dadi's words, he felt pacified and couldn't help drifting into a deep slumber, realizing Dadi that she must have been a very special girl to have taken over Salaar's heart.