You're My Home | Complete ✔

Chapter 3

"Going out somewhere sweetheart?" She turned around to see Maria standing in the corridor with a warm smile as always.

"Yeah, dinner at a friend's place."

"Glad to see that you're getting some time off work and enjoying life dear. Young girls like you should be doing that more." Maria was the epitome of a sweet neighbor. She was a widow in her early sixties with no children, and was the first friend Samara had made when she moved into the complex.

"How's your knee pain?"

"Oh that old thing? We're well acquainted now. It's bearable." The woman always spread such positive vibes, it was impossible not to love her. "You better be off now. Don't want to be late for dinner." Samara gave her a hug before she headed out to Armaan's place.

*******

Cooking was an old hobby of Armaan's. He was cooking his favorite Pakistani dishes for dinner today, as he wanted to give his friend a taste of his homeland. Not to mention his Daadi was super excited about it too. He put the rice on the stove and turned down the flame, just then the doorbell rang.

Armaan rushed to open the door, and he was dumbfounded when he did. It was almost impossible to recognize her. Samara was looking absolutely gorgeous. He was so lost that he couldn't utter a word for a while, and she just stood there patiently, waiting for him to respond. Finally, when he came back to his proper senses he smiled and took her inside.

"You look.......beautiful." He subconsciously had been staring at her all along.

Thank goodness I put on some blush. At least it hides the flush on my cheeks. She very rarely put this much thought and effort into her appearance to make sure she was nicely dressed but not overdressed. Her blush pink suit with mirror work was paired with silver bangles and jhumkas. The suit was a gift from her mother and she trusted her choice.

"Thanks Armaan." He was looking no less either. A white self-print kurta that went hand-in-hand with his soft, slightly rugged beard and those deep brown eyes. He looked much more like a musician now than he did before.

"Oh Samara!" Nadia entered greeting her in an excited tone. Both exchanged hugs and pleasantries, before she handed Armaan the cake she had brought.

"Well I thought since you're cooking dinner, I might as well bring my own baking skills to the table."

"I'm sure it'll be wonderful." The ladies sat down while he went back to the kitchen to put some final touches to the food.

"I must say daadi your house is very beautiful."

"Well it might not seem like it, but my grandson has a good taste." They laughed together as Nadia shared some more details about their luxurious penthouse. Samara had always known the Yasirs were well off financially, but she didn't expect them to be 'a grand penthouse right in the middle of Brooklyn' type of rich. Took her a while to figure out whether she was entering the right house. The security downstairs had escorted her to the top floor where their residence was. It was one of the poshest neighborhood in Brooklyn. Nadia offered to show her around the house, which seemed far too big for only two people.

While going around the house, she spotted a few pictures hanging on the walls, some were of what looked like baby Armaan, and the others were family photographs.

"Daadi, are these...." She stopped mid-way and looked at Nadia.

"That's my son and daughter-in-law. Armaan's parents. Both live in Pakistan now. Or at least that's what I heard the last time I checked." She let out a deep sigh.

His parents were alive? All this while Samara had assumed that they had passed away, hence he was living alone with his grandmother far away from home. He never mentioned them to her. Not once.