You, Me & the Alter(cations) - Farmeed AU

32.

Saveira left shortly after their tense conversation, the silence was loud and the discomfort was very visible in the room and Umeed could not do anything about it. Not only was that another lie, it was a weird one. There was nothing else that made sense at that moment but she wondered if there was something else she could have come up with. It was difficult and embarrassing but there was nothing.

This was a safe decision. It would keep peace between everyone. The last thing Umeed wanted was tension between all four of them, she wanted no further problems. If that meant but her herself under such an impression and even mildly vandalising Farjaad for it, it was a risk she took and it worked in her favour.

As she got in bed, she looked to her phone on the side. It was a habit to check it before sleeping. Even though she knew what it would mostly have, Umeed counted onto her stars that checking it will be of her benefit and she should.

Picking up the phone that had been muted for two days, she opened it to, as expected, more missed from him. She gulped, anger taking over her once again and she breathed out angrily.

Just as she scrolled down, ready to turn if off and sleep in her misery, Umeed's eyes looked past the email notification, and then scrolled up again when she realised that this was one of his tens of missed calls.

She tapped on it, her full focus on it and why it was in her inbox.

'Good evening Ms Pasha, I am Asif Muneer, interior designer and events planner based in Islamabad...'

-

"I'm happy aap ne mujhe apna number de diya kyunke, frankly speaking, mujhe aap ki email nahi samajh mein aayi." Umeed took a sip of her coffee and placed the mug back onto the table, trying to understand what the email from last night implied.

She had decided to call the man in question and ask him directly, seeing that the email itself was not going to help her in any way.

"Aap se ek baat poochun, aap ne meri profile dekhi hai?" She furrowed her eyebrows. Umeed could not recall seeing any link attached to the email.

"Um, nahi. Aap ne bheji thi?"

"Nahi." She stayed silent, lost. "Sorry, i was expecting a laugh in my head. Mein aap ko ek link WhatsApp karta hoon, usko please check kar lein." Usually this would irritate the life out of Umeed, but for some reason, her lip curved. He clearly did not get what he wanted, it was funny to Umeed.

The laptop was on in front of her and she had WhatsApp opened. Umeed got his text and clicked onto the link, waiting.

It opened, and the moment it loaded, Umeed's eyes dilated as if she had taken all the recreational drugs at once. It was like, heaven.

Mediterranean style interiors, barndominium concepts with the perfect blend of rustic and modern touches, evening gala roundtables in dim halls with chandeliers, fine dining settings she did not even think existed in Pakistan, all overwhelming her as she scrolled down.

"Oh." Umeed scrolled down. "Oh wow. Wow." Grand events, official events, political and influential names, decoration and wealth to the highest degree. This was another level of lavishness and luxury. Umeed was speechless, this was business. This was not just for clients, the was the for the subcategory of the 'elite', the zero-point-one percent of that category.

"Yes." She had never seen the man's face but for some reason could feel the smugness through his tone. Umeed could not assume much but his voice sounded like he was quite young, and his behaviour supported that claim. Regardless, the newfound respect was through the roof. He was exceptional, the best she may have ever seen. It was mind blowing.