Finding Love

Chapter 11

Kabir stood there, spellbound, as he watched the brunette lose herself to a swift paced Kathak composition. It seemed like magic stood before him, personified in all its grandeur. Every swirl, every bend, the arch of her back, the bounce of her soft hair, it all had Kabir's attention, as he stared without batting an eye lid! Her aura seemed to radiate in the whole room, as the faint echo of her anklets seemed to sooth the storm within Kabir's mind. He began to relax, as he watched her dance, losing herself within the moment. There was no music, no thoughts, and no words. But there were emotions. And the emotions, reflected much like words, or thoughts, through her soft, graceful steps, as she walked towards the wall, finally stopping.

Even after she was done, for a few moments, Kabir still stared in awe, at this figure before him. So lost. So broken. But she had found herself. That, was the difference between him and her. He had lost himself. And could never find himself again, as much as he tried to. Once broken from his reverie, he walked into the room, staring at the floor, her back facing him.

"You're a magical dancer," he said, jolting her into reality with a jerk.

She whipped her head to face him, shock writ large in those brown eyes. Surely she didn't expect anyone to have been spying around her studio!

"Excuse me?" She still couldn't believe that someone was witness to her personal time, in her dance studio! Looking him in the eye, she said, "You're not supposed to spy around in Shah Aashiyaana. People here, prefer having their privacy intact. But, since you're not aware of the rules, it's okay. Thanks for your complement though!"

Kabir was no novice when it came to coldness. He instantly sensed the rigidity in her tone. Chuckling to himself, he look at her, a smirk plastered on his face. "Indeed, Ms Shah. My apologies to have spied around, in your kingly mansion!"

A moment of unpredictive silence followed, as each took in the form of the other, in high scrutiny. Letting out a deep sigh, Kabir decided to make the first move. This ice needed to be broken soon, before the silence got stifling.

"So, I'm Kabir. Kabir Abdullah. I've come from London, with Noorie," Kabir said, while extending his right hand towards her, for a formal handshake.

His name struck a chord in her mind, as she understood him to be Noorie's childhood best friend, the one she usually spoke about, quite often. Smiling, she shook his hand, introducing herself to the stranger.

"Ayat. Ayat Shah. Noorie's cousin."

'Woah,' this was too sudden for his mind to process. Not even once did Kabir think, that the brunette would indeed be Ayat Shah. Eyebrows raised, he returned her smile, trying his best to decide what to do next. Either he could leave the room, exchanging pleasantries with her, or he could spark a conversation, and fathom how interesting she indeed was. Tough choice. The atmosphere began getting awkward by the moment. Quickly deciding on option two, Kabir looked at Ayat, who was waiting for him to proceed. Ah, quick in perception! A good trait, according to Kabir.

"So, Ayat. What do you do?"

"I'm a professional in marketing and finance. So I help out in Abbu's business. What about you, Kabir?" She sounded unsure of his name, as she carefully chose her words.

"I manage my father's company in England. Abdullah Group." Kabir tried his best to keep the info limited to just as little as he could.

The awkwardness began to build again, but a sudden knock of the door, drew their attention toward it, relieving both the troubled souls. Safina, it was, the domestic help.

"Didiji, letter," she said, handing Ayat a blank envelope. Ayat took it from her, smiling just a little, before walking towards the window, as she looked for the sender's name and address. Finding nothing, her eyebrows furrowed with confusion, she opened the white envelope, to find a neatly folded letter encased within it.

As every word that she read, settled within her, she took a step backwards, recoiling in shock, as the letter slipped out of Ayat's hands. Another step backwards. This time, she almost lost her balance, but Kabir was quick enough to observe every twitch of her muscles, and raced to her side, helping her steady herself. Her eyes transfixed into oblivious space, were now wandering around, downcast all the while. Kabir looked at her, taking in the shocked details of her features.

"What happened Ayat?" His tone was soft, yet commanding. He didn't expect a letter to cause a reaction of this sort. When she didn't reply, he shook her by her shoulders, urging her to meet his gaze. Looking up, her teary eyes tugged so hard at Kabir's heart, that he let go of her, taking a step behind, his countenance softening immediately. Letting his gaze wander for just a moment, he looked down at the piece of paper, picking it up, and skimming through what was written in it.

'Asif Javed, down. The next one too will go. You're smart enough to comprehend this. Be wise.'

'What the actual hack was that!' Kabir needed a breather, and this letter was not doing any great good. He looked at Ayat, staring hard, contemplating what to say.

"Know the sender?"

"No," she replied, her voice barely a whisper.

Sighing, Kabir walked out of the studio, the letter in his hand, as he trailed down the stairs, and into the study. Without even a courtesy knock, he walked in, and gently placed the letter on the table, drawing Razaak's attention towards it.

Reading through the letter, for the enth time now, Razaak looked up, to meet Kabir's gaze.

"What's all this?" He tried his best, to simmer his rising anger. He needed to know who sent this.

"A letter. Your domestic help delivered this to your daughter, a while ago."

That was enough to kindle the remaining patience, as Razaak stormed through the haveli, calling out to all the maids, in his loud, booming voice, that now bordered on rage and fury. Screaming his lungs out, he demanded for an explanation from them, as they shivered before his wrath.

"Shah Sahab, someone rang the call bell, and before I could see who it was, they had left. All I found, was this letter, with didiji's name." The poor lady was so close to tears by now.

The situation just got more complex. Within moments, Razaak was back in his study, pacing up and down furiously, trying to put the pieces together. He could not overlook this... not anymore...

* A/N: mysterious letters and ....
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