Qurban

•40• Crack / درز

Oh no
I'm falling in love again......

Altamash rolled the piece of paper between his fingers. The paper crumbling beneath the continuous rotatory motion. The edges worming off, the continuous contact of skin making the paper crumbly. Suddenly his movements stopped and his eyes fixated on the paper.

On the perfect square.
The perfect square.

He didn't want to think what it was. Didn't want to create false hope in his mind. Didn't want to dwell in the meaning behind this unexpected gift. He didn't know why he received it. At first he thought it was a pleasant message from one of the people present at the Jalsa. However, upon opening it, he found the paper empty. He remembered asking Zainab cluelessly about it. Her reply turned the wheels in his mind.

"I don't know, but it was a man. He seemed old, in his fifties maybe. He asked me to pass this to you."

And suddenly Altamash could pinpoint exactly who it was from. He eyes eagerly devoured the page and when the pattern of the paper dawned on him, his breathing stopped.

Closing his eyes at the remnants of the encounter, he dropped the paper in the drawer. He was currently residing in his study. He converted a spare room into his temporary study. The room didn't occupy much, just a large sized oak table and some cabinets to hold files and other necessary stuff. He wouldn't be using this room for long anyways.

A knock diverted his attention to the door and he saw his wife entering with a coffee cup in hand. Automatically a smile conjured his lips as she closed the distance between them.

"Thank you."

He softly said when she placed the coffee on his desk. He was so grateful of her because he was in a desperate need of caffeine. His head was combusting. Figuratively.

"You've been working since morning. Take some rest."

His eyes casted a glaced at Zainab. Dressed in a plain white magenta suit, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever come across.

"Yeah. I'm very bored with this political stuff."

She cracked a smile at his whining and suddenly her eyes sparkled to life.

"I have an idea to cure your boredom."

Her enthusiasm made Altamash curious. Leaning back in his chair, he folded his arms across his chest.

"And what would that be?"

His tone was flirty and God knew he was flirting. He liked when she smiled at him like that. He liked her smile.

"That would be a surprise. Now get dressed and wear something casual."

He almost barked out a laugh. It almost sounded like a date.

"Come on, hurry up. We can't be late."

Her eyes danced with mirth as she ushered him to go and get ready. Altamash was smiling so wide, his cheeks hurt. As he went inside his closet, he couldn't help but feel excited. Like a schoolboy going out with his crush for the first time. Smiling, he grabbed white pants, a dark navy polo and took out his favourite pair of Aviators.

What?

He wanted to look good in front of his wife!
****************

The car stopped at the gate of the orphanage. They both got out of the car. Zainab stood beside him and smiled

"Didn't expect it, huh?"

Altamash eyed his wife, her face had a calm smile and her cheeks looked fuller. A smile lit up his lips and he shrugged