Of Broken Hearts

one

" A single misunderstanding is so poisonous, that it makes us forget the hundred lovable moments spent within a minute."

***

The bright rays of sunlights peeped into her room disturbing her beautiful sleep. Leila Qureshi wasn't a fan of waking up early but she does it anyway, she cannot go and change the college timings from 12:00 to 13:00 now, can she? Although she wishes that she could. Soon enough her alarm too started to ring which she dismissed with a sigh and got up to do her morning routine.

After getting dressed in an off-white Kurti, matched with a blue coloured dupatta; she descends downstairs with a frown on her face. There was this test in her college today which she didn't bother to prepare and now she regrets not studying earlier. But the frown disappears as soon as the smell of aloo paratha hits her nostrils.

"Aslamualaikum, ammi!" Leila greeted her mother with a happy smile and grabs one paratha from the hot box and savours it without any second thoughts.

"Walaikumaslam, Leila. Eat slowly." Humera Qureshi smiled at her dear daughter as she continued to prepare the parathas. Leila smiled back as she continued to stuff the paratha into her mouth. She loves her ammi's handmade parathas and according to her, they are the world's best parathas.

"Tayi ammi, bee jaan is asking you to prepare the breakfast quickly. Shehryaar is going somewhere early today." a new voice informed Humera, who just entered the kitchen with a bright smile on her face. Leila's frown reappeared as soon as she heard the annoying voice of her cousin, she didn't fail to notice the stress Armeena made while taking Sheryaar's name, which she assumed was for getting a reaction out of her. She didn't care anyway, all that matters to her at that moment was her favourite aloo paratha; which she's busy munching happily.

"It's done now, help me, girls," Humera orders them both with an inward sigh and the other girl excitedly obliged as she helped Humera carry the breakfast to the dining table. Leila didn't bother to do anything as she continued to eat without the care in the world.

If there is anything which Leila hated then that would be Shehryaar Qureshi, her Taya Jaan's son who she hated with every fibre of her body and then comes Armeena Quershi, her Chacha Jaan's daughter, who she hated as equally or more.

"Leila, I asked you to help me." Humera who came back from the dining room glared at her daughter in disappointment who washed her hands in a hurry.

"Ammi, even after knowing that I hate that guy why are you bothering to make me do stuff for him? After everything he did to me, you should hate him." Exclaimed Leila in disbelief as she frowned at her mother.

"It's been a year now, Leila, why don't you kids move on? The elders are getting affected because of your immature behaviours." Leila so wanted to roll her eyes but she stopped herself.

"I'm getting late, ammi. Don't stress yourself, anyways I don't think that he'd eat the food touched by me. I know him" Leila said with a slight hurt in her voice but masked her emotions quickly as she kissed her mother's cheeks and murmured," Allah Hafiz. I'm getting late now."

"Go safely, Azim Bhai will get your lunch." Humera sighed as she watched her daughter hum in response and leave the kitchen. Azim was their servant who brings lunch for her every day. Leila always gets hot and tasty meals as lunch every single day. She was a little spoiled like that.

The mother-daughter duo was so oblivious to the fact that there was someone else as well who had listened to their conversation; unintentionally. Shehryaar stared at the disappearing image of Leila with a frown on his face. What did that girl think of him anyway? Sure he hates her. But he wouldn't go that far as not eating the food just because she has touched it. It just proved that she didn't know him at all, he wondered how were they once so in love and now how everything has changed. He'd blame Leila for all of the happenings. He'd blame only her.