Anaya walked into her office room and shut the door behind her with a little more force than necessary. She marched to her chair and sat down stiffly, arms folded tightly, eyes locked onto the screen in front of her—though she wasn't seeing a thing.
Her jaw was clenched. Her mood? Boiling.
Everyone had tested her patience today. First, Dadajaan, with his endless daath—like she was the root of every problem in the house. Then her father, scolding her for something that wasn't even her fault. Her mother, of course, took her precious son's side. Ayaan and his pointless, brooding attitude. Zayn, who had now made it a habit to act like she didn't even exist. Azaan, with that ever-so-smart mouth, always ready to irritate her. And Aqsa—her sister—who had fully transformed into Azaan ki chamchi.
She grabbed the nearest pen and slammed it onto the desk with a loud thud.
"Kya sab log ek hi din chunte hain mujhe pagal karne ke liye?" she muttered through gritted teeth, rubbing her temples with frustration.
Fights? She could handle them. Arguments? Been there, done that. But this—this felt like the whole world was conspiring against her.
Tears stung her eye but she blinked them away. No. She wasn't going to cry. Not here. Not over them.
Still, the lump in her throat wouldn't go. Maybe she wanted to scream. Maybe she wanted to pack her bag, walk out and vanish for a week. Or a year or for lifetime
Instead, she leaned back in her chair, tilted her head toward the ceiling, and let out a long, exhausted sigh.
This day needed to end. And fast.
The phone rang and without even looking, Anaya picked it up. "Kya hein?" she snapped.
Azaan chuckled on the other end. "Kya hein matlab kya hein? Boss hoon tumhara, kaam nahi karna?"
Anaya rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed.
"Apni chuhein jaise aankhein roll mat karo, bohot gandi lagti hain." Azaan smirked through the phone and Anaya could feel it. "Mere room mein aao."
Without wasting another second, Anaya hung up.
"Bandar" she muttered under her breath, annoyed.
"Chal Anaya, kaam pe lagta hai" she said, trying to motivate herself as she stood up but the exhaustion hit her almost immediately.
"Ugh, mujhse nahi hoga" she sighed, collapsing back into her chair
More than half an hour later, Anaya mustered the strength to make her way to Azaan's room. She knocked—gently at first. No response.
She knocked again, this time louder, a few more times. Silence.
Rolling her eyes, she muttered under her breath, "Kahin Allah ko pyaara toh nahi ho gaya?"
With no other choice, she pushed the door open slightly and peeked inside—only to find him completely absorbed in his work, as if the world beyond this room didn't exist.
That was it.
Her frustration bubbled over. She stormed in, slamming the door with such force that the walls seemed to shake. Azaan glanced up from his laptop, eyebrows raised, his expression as indifferent as ever.
"Yeh kya baatameezi hai? Main darwaza knock kar rahi thi!" she snapped, her fury barely contained.
"Hmm" Azaan responded, completely unfazed, turning back to his work. "Didn't hear. Was busy."
Anaya casually dropped into the chair, arms crossed. "Kya hua? Tumhe kisi ne kuch keh diya kya?"
"Aur Aqsa kahan hai?" she asked sharply, her patience running thin.
