Kabhi main, kabhi tum, kabhi yeh, kabhi voh

Part 9: Games

Mustafa sped towards Sharjeena's parents' house, his mind swirling with jealousy and anger. The image of the succulent plants, accompanied by Rehan's comment, replayed in his mind over and over. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the handlebars, thoughts of confronting Rehan occupying his every breath. A voice in the back of his head whispered that storming to her parents' place unannounced might backfire, especially with how tense his relationship was with her father. But another, louder voice drowned it out: "I need to fix this before it's too late!"

He parked his bike, taking a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. A very tiny rational part inside him knew that this might be a stupid idea. But the highly irrational part that covered the majority of his brain at this moment couldn't help himself. That latter part was silently praying for Sharjeena to open the door. If she did, he'd whisk her away, talk to her alone, away from prying eyes. His irrational mind that had completely lost it by now imagined the two of them riding back, her hands around his waist, then scooping her in his arms while climbing the stairs of their apartment and finally kissing her deeply to confess his love to her as soon as they enter inside their apartment making things right between them immediately.

But then the door opened, his imagination shattered, dreams died and heart sank.

Sharjeena's father stood there, his face revealing a mix of surprise and confusion. Mustafa's stomach tightened.

"Mustafa," her father greeted, his tone cautious. "Tum yahaan..."

Mustafa managed a strained smile and greeted Sharjeena's father and asked. "Sharjeena ghar par hai?"

"Voh Yumna aur Rameen ke saath shopping karne gayi hai," her father said, still standing by the door, clearly unsure what to do. "Par...andar aao, aao naa."

Mustafa felt a pang of disappointment but nodded and stepped inside, feeling out of place. This wasn't how he had imagined this moment going. The house felt warm and inviting, but he was painfully aware of the awkward tension between him and Sharjeena's family.

As they stepped into the living room, Sharjeena's mother entered, clearly surprised to see him. "Arey, Mustafa beta! Mujhe nahi pata tha ki Sharjeena ne tumko invite kar dia tha. Keh rahi thi tum kaafi busy ho aaj. Office ka kaam ho gaya?"

Mustafa's brow furrowed, confused. "Invite...kis cheez ke liye aunty?"

"Uh-Aaj raat ke dinner ke liye," her mother explained, her voice laced with surprise. "Maine kaha tha ki Bilal bhi aa raha hai toh tumhein bhi bula le, par usne bataaya ki tum aaj kaafi busy ho... Par accha hua tum aa gaye, aur voh bhi shaam ki chaai ke waqt."

Her words hit him harder than he expected. Why hadn't she invited him? The hurt gnawed at him as he realized it was likely because of his behavior, the cold distance he had kept from her family, and missing the last family function. Was she ashamed of him?

"Voh..mujhe nahi bataya tha usne dinner ke baare mein," Mustafa said, trying to mask the hurt in his voice.

"Oh.. shayad usne socha hoga ki tum busy hogey." Her mother offered a smile and excused herself to get tea, leaving Mustafa sitting awkwardly with her father.

There was an uncomfortable pause before her father cleared his throat. "Toh kaam kaisa chal raha hai?"

"Ji...acchha chal raha hai," Mustafa replied, shifting his weight uneasily. "Kaafi busy." The silence that followed made the air between them feel heavy. Mustafa could feel the disapproval beneath the surface, masked by polite conversation. He answered a few more half-hearted questions about his job, all the while feeling the weight of Sharjeena's absence pressing down on him.

Inside, Mustafa's frustration grew. He had come all this way to speak to her, to figure things out, and yet here he was, sipping tea and making awkward small talk with her father, the tension thick enough to choke on. Where was she? And why hadn't she wanted him here?