غير مألو - Unfamiliar

Chaptet 11

Zohal Wadi stood rooted to the place, as Omar Fatih burst through the doors and shut them loudly.

She took a few steps backwards, appalled at his sudden behavior.

"Who were you talking with?"

Omar's low voice reached her ears.

Zohal furrowed her eyebrows and scrunched up her face.

"Why do you ask?" Zohal asked confused.

She realized subconsciously, that it was the first time, they both were conversing properly. Until now, it had just been one word answers.

"I asked a question." He said impatiently.

"I talked with Dada." She answered quietly, not knowing what had gotten into him.

What?

He didn't seem to be angry. Face was blank. Expressionless. Hollow eyes.

He breathed heavily, before looking up.

Zohal thought for a minute that he was going to leave, but when he started to step forward, all sane thoughts left her mind. She backed away slowly, not knowing what to expect.

But before she could take more than two steps, he had caught up with her.

His hands reached forward and gripped her forearm.

Zohal's eyes widened at his actions.

"If you so much as try to snitch on me, ever again, I don't know what I will do." He said in a low voice.

Anger boiled through Zohal's veins and she turned red, as his words reached her. All she saw was red.

"I don't snitch. And also, who are you to tell me that? Let go!" She sneered.

She struggled to get his firm hand off her. But he was holding her in a dead grip. A moment passed before it loosened and she quickly stepped away, inspecting her hand.

Before she could get any words out of her, She heard the doors of the room banging, indicating his leave.

Tears brimmed in her eyes brown eyes.

Zohal would never snitch. She didn't take her problems to others. If anything, she solved it herself.

He dared to touch her? When clearly, Lateef and the others had warned him not to touch a hair on her?

If she had loathed him before, she detested his mere existence now.

She didn't understand in what way, Darab saw Omar Fatih, and she didn't have any interest to understand, anyway. But, whatsoever, this would be the first and last time.

A sudden determination coursed through her blood. The flames of resolution burnt her.

Not anymore.

***

It had been a week since, Omar and Zohal had tied the knot. But Zohal never got to see Shehraz after that day. It was like, Omar was deliberately keeping him from her. Whenever she'd go to his room, he wouldn't be there.

But living in that house she noticed something peculiar.

Only the boys paid attention to Shehraz, if at all.

The girls almost never talked about him, unless Najeeba breached the topic.

Only Umaira and Salim Fatih seemed to enjoy spending time with him, truly.

She understood that Mina who was a bit of reserved, and wouldn't talk or interact much. And she spent most of her time in her room.

But Maria and Rahma were so kind. And the fact that they ignored the boy, was hard to get around.