The Remaining Story

《Chapter 15》

"Ask her why she was there," Shehzad told Riya. Wardah was seated in a chair. To her right stood Shehzad with his arms folded across his chest, the vein on his forehead was popping and his face was red. Behind her stood Aarav, his hands resting on the chair's backrest. She could hear him taking deep breaths in order to stay calm. To her left, was the Riya, the angriest of the lot. Her hands rested on her hips and a scowl covered her face, her eyes narrowed as she spoke,

"What were you doing in the gym?" She asked.

Wardah looked at Shehzad with puppy dog eyes. 'Why' she mouthed but to her suprise that only made him look a shade of red darker than before.

She repeated the reason which she had told Shehzad last night. "I had been sitting for two whole weeks, I felt like i gained some weight. So I thought...."

"Who told you to think!" Riya's eyes were wide open with shock. "Didn't Dr Mehra clearly instruct you to not exert yourself?"

Wardah listened to her silently. She was definitely at fault, but the way the three of them were reacting totally caught her by suprise. She wanted to hit herself for upsetting them.

"I can't believe you would do such a stupid thing," she heard Aarav's voice from behind her, his tone laced with disappointment.

Wardah looked down at her hands, wringing them absentmindedly.

"And where were Mala and Anita? Why are you alone in the house when I pay them to stay with you?" Shehzad said in a raised voice, gritting his teeth to stop himself from losing control over his volume in front of her.

"I....I sent them. Mala's mum is sick, so she went to the city to check on her and Anita's weekly off was due," Wardah replied in a small voice without looking up from her lap.

"Ofcourse you did that!" Shehzad huffed in annoyance, raking his hand over his face.

Just one glance at her, her head hung low with guilt and her sullen face was enough to melt Shehzad. He bent down on one knee and held the sides of her chair,

"Don't ever do anything like that again. Okay?" He said in gentle tone. Wardah looked into his eyes, probing in the depths of his hazel orbs. Fear and concern was all she could find. She wondered why little things about her caused a disheavel in him. She couldn't forget the way he held her last evening. Like a drowning man holds on to a piece of log.

"Okay," she promised and he stood up and left the room without a word, Wardah's gaze following him as she tried to figure him out.

"Okay babe, we'll pick you up in the evening," Riya interrupted her thoughts.

"Why not now?" Wardah asked, wanting to go home as early as possible.

"Because first, I need to go to your flat and get everything neat and tidy," Riya explained.

"But i can do that mysel...," the moment she uttered the word, two pairs of eyes glared at her so hard, she could feel the heat and fury in them, "okay okay, you do it, " she quickly corrected herself.
*********

"Okay! We need to set up a suprise for her!" Riya exclaimed jumping in excitement as soon as Aarav and Shehzad arrived in Wardah's house.

"Idiot!" Shehzad muttered under his breath. Riya had texted Aarav the address of Wardah's house and asked or rather ordered both of them to be present there within an hour. Being the hopeless lover that he was around Riya, Aarav immediately left the office and drove to Shehzad's location to pick him up. The fact that he was being made to follow Riya's orders disturbed Shehzad's ego greatly.

"Aarav, call our event planner and tell him to arrange a suprise. Riya can tell him Wardah's favourites and stuff," Shehzad instructed and Aarav nodded, taking out his cellphone to make the call.