The Girl Next Door

¦¦Chapter 7¦¦

"Cabir I'm telling you bhaisahab ki tabiyat kharab ho rahi hai. Ab koi umeed nahi hai. Tu hospital ke Bill ke kharche band kar." his bade pappa said.

He sighed.

It was about his father's life.  They didn't have any right to interfere between them, small brother or not.

" He is my father. None of your matters.  And if this is about the money, then fine. I'll pay all the bills and don't  even start on itna paisa kaha se aayega I know how to take care of my father." he said in a very rude and dismissing tone that clearly mean the end of the conversation.

Defeated his bade pappa left from there.

Cabir was lost in his thoughts when Ayansh came in.

" Cabir, we're supposed wear the uniform from tomorrow to school right?", he said.

Cabir nodded and left wordlessly from his own room because of the presence of his brother.

Younger brother precisely.

He then remembered the talk he had with Alya and how she had warned him about things that might take place.

Suddenly feeling really stressed and scared he went to his terrace and took out his cigarette and lighter from his secret stash.

The one thing that he had always hated about his house was the way the terrace of the neighbouring houses were close.

Too close for his liking.  But now the new neighbours had added glass windows or panels to their terrace which seemed to, in a very weird calm him.

As he took one big puff of the lighted cigarette his eyes closed in reflex and he  just stood there savouring it while it lasted.

⫷⫸

Sana was feeling really bored in her house with no work to do so she took out the novel she was currently devoted to - The Alchemist- and went to the terrace.

There she saw the person she wanted to avoid at all costs.

Her neighbour.

There he stood in all his glory, smoking. The clothes he wore on a summer day - the skin fitting jeans and the V-Neck - with his hair all over his face as he looked up, his eyes closed as if relaxing and taking in all the smoke that he'd just inhaled.

His body - the only upper part that she could see- was well built and showed that the money he wasted on his gym wasn't really a waste.

She let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

As if sensing someone's intense gaze on him Cabir opened his eyes and looked side ways to the person staring.

Since the window of her glass panels was open, she could hear him say, "Can you quit staring at me creepily?", he said.

His voice, rough and hoarse seemed to be attracting her more towards him.

"You know that smoking kills right?", she said before she could stop herself from doing so.

Cabir let out a scoff and turned towards her completely.

"Well, that's my aim. But why do you care?", he said.

The first part seemed to take her off-guard.

"I care because I've been through loosing someone due to this slow poison. Since then I've been stopping people from doing it.", she said, suddenly remembering her god-mother.

"You don't need to worry about me. Carry on with your own work. Stop spreading awareness because people know that it kills and they choose the self destruction.", he said.

Sana sighed and turned around.

Both of them suddenly felt kinda lonely, missing the warmth a single meaning less conversation had provided them with.

⫷⫸

Ayansh was hyperventilating. The panic attacks were getting more frequent and he didn't know exactly why he felt that way.

His mom - well step mom had been behaving a bit weirdly with her. She had just joint their house and she was, that he had to admit, good looking.
No wonder his father got married.

He needed someone to talk to. Anyone who'd only listen not interrupt with their opinion.

Just then Cabir came in with a lit cigarette in his hand.

"I wanna make some amends Ayansh. We're not sharing the same bond since the last two years.", he said.

Hearing this, Ayansh kinda felt bad for shutting his brother out.

After all both of them had fucked up parents.

Both of them a had past they weren't ready to share.

Ayansh didn't want his secrets, his scars to be out and netheir did Cabir.

And so, with that started a re-bonding between the two best friends, the two secret keepers and in other words-

It was as if Wormtail repented his mistakes and changed himself and Sirruis spared it to save a living friend.
The only difference being that here, Wormtail hadn't sold his friends life to the evil.

Yet.