House of Ashes [Complete]

3. Revenge | بدلہ

When he didn't grab the cup from her, she mustered enough strength to look up only to see him still shooting daggers at her through the midnight pool of his dark eyes.

'RAHIM!" He shouted on top of his lungs, still mauling her through his eyes which sent jolts of chills down her spine and the cup fell lose from her grip, landing straight on his scoured black shoes.

White lilies!

Definitely. That's what I'm gonna ask Asmara to use for décor. My funeral should not be mundane. People should know Safa Hayat died. The classy, sassy woman, yo!

"Here, sahab ji (sir)" Rahim (the head of the working/cleaning staff) came in hurry with a freshly ironed black T-shirt dangling from his hands while Safa gaped at him, brooding on from which dimension he conjured up since he didn't live with them.

I need to reel down. Too many magic-non-magic shit to ingest for a day. Someone give me a freaking breather.

"Thank you!" Azlan chirped as he took the shirt from Rahim. "Also," he gestured at Safa, "this worker over here is highly unprofessional. Give her a re-training or hire someone else," he commanded as Safa's eyes extended to full extent and Asmara stifled a giggle.

"But, sir..." Rahim tried to expound him but Azlan thrust his hand up. "No excuses."

With that he strode in to the corridor.

Once both Rahim and Azlan were out of sight, Asmara broke into fits while Safa turned around towards her, her cheeks scarlet and nose tinged rosy.

"Did he just call me a cleaning lady? Which I, by the way, have no problem with. God, I love that queen! Always there to clear up my mess. But I'm a teacher, ffs."

Still laughing.

Safa's eyebrows scrunched as she smacked Asmara on her bicep, "Why the hell are you laughing so hard? It's no joke, that excrement of cockroach!"

"What did you just call him?" Asmara asked with another round of guffaws.

"Excrement of washroom-cockroach! That's what he deserves to be called," she repeated as she took her cashmere off. "And by the way, what the hell is he doing in our house? And why didn't you tell me he was here? Oh My God! That spare room. Is he gonna live with us? Shall I leave? And from where the fuck did Rahim pop up?"

"God, Safa, just take a break for a second. Too many questions." Asmara walked towards the fridge to retrieve a water bottle. "And no one's leaving. Also, I've finally emptied your swear-jar. So your liberty of profaning is finally over."

"Give me the damn answer or I swear..."

"What? Call me names?" Asmara asked with a sheepish grin and Safa slithered towards her with long strides in an attack-like movement.

"Alright, alright, I'm telling. Jeez, Laraka aurat! (fighting-woman)" She threw her hands up after putting the bottle back in the refrigerator. "Okay, so technically speaking, it's his house, not ours."

"So? That doesn't mean he should come and start living with us. Doesn't he have manners? I know it must be really difficult for him but he can at least try."

"Gosh, Safa! At least let me finish, you moron." Asmara convulsed her head.

Safa apologized and asked her to continue.

"He has kinda like a shack few kilometers away from here where he stays whenever he comes for a visit and is here to collect few of his things from the spare room he left in last time on his excursion." Before Safa could raise the question she knew she would, she answered beforehand, "And NO, we didn't live together under the same roof, it's some of the school work things he had asked me to put in the room since his shack is left unguarded once he leaves."