Embracing the other

CHAPTER 4

-"damn, her eyes"-

Asfandyar's POV:

I recognized her immediately. There was no way I could forget those big, beautiful, brown eyes. The girl who almost killed me. Out of all the people she was the last person I was expecting to walk in through my door on Monday morning and for a second I was astonished but years of pretending didn't let it show on my face. It was quite obvious that she didn't recognize me and I felt oddly disappointed. But the more I thought of her, the more scared I felt. A pretty face doesn't mean a pretty heart; I of all people knew that better. But it wasn't just those hauntingly beautiful eyes that attracted me; it was the aura around Dr. Zubiya. It was as if she was the spider and I was the helpless fly trapped in her web.

I dismissed these indecorous thoughts from my head and focused on my work, it was almost comedic at how strong I pretended I was, when all it required was a pretty girl to break my concentration, to make me forget the lesson I had learnt last time. And that was all it took, a small hint of the past was enough to snap me back into reality.

These confusing and not to mention irritating thoughts made me snappier then usual and unfortunately for her, she became the primary target. Dr. Zubiya's compassion for her patients made her a very good doctor, but where that was her strength it was also her downfall. I noticed her interacting with the children and I observed that she felt too much and as a doctor you had to bear a lot, I just hoped for her sake that when it was out of her hands to save a patient she wouldn't break. I knew I was harsh but being able to adapt harsh conditions was part of what our job description. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger; that was my motto and I had come to believe in it through my own experiences both in my professional life and my personal life, so I knew that if I wanted to be a proper mentor to Dr. Zubiya I had to be tough, so she would learn from her mistakes. But it was harder than I thought. Being harsh in order to keep discipline came naturally to me, but whenever I shouted at her a small part of me felt so guilty. She was the kind of person that made you want to protect her, especially with her sad eyes that seemed to always be in turmoil and pain no matter how much she smiled. Her constant smiles might make her seem happy but it was those pools of brown that reminded me constantly that she was not. And all this information I had collected in the span of one day, gosh I am such a stalker, I laughed as I thought. The sound of my laugh feels strange even to my own ears.

.............

I park my car outside and mentally prepare myself before I step inside my home. The minute I step in, mom's voice fills my ears.

"Asfandyar Ali Khan! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat you up right now!" she says fuming. I try to interject her but she continues, "Don't try to give me any of your excuses, I specifically told you to be home at 8 and look at the time it's almost ten, you know I've been working since morning because your bhaiyya and bhabhi are coming tomorrow and you can't do one thing?" she emotionally blackmails me and of course like every time it works.

"I'm so sorry ma, there was an emergency at the hospital and as for the work that's left I'll do it you can go rest," I apologize.

"Don't worry about the work Asfand, it's all done you know that I'm not mad at you right? I was just worried," she explains now much more calm.

"I know ma, I know," I say pulling her into a hug.

She pulls away from me obviously feeling better and rammbling about how excited she is that Daniyal bhai, Gaiti bhabhi and Saim are coming tomorrow and seeing her actually smiling after such a long time brings a genuine smile to my face as well.

After what happened, everyone was scattered. Now everyone is coming back, coming together. This is all my mother had ever wanted and seeing her happy was all I ever wanted so I smile and listen to her.

.........

A/N: Ugh, I know it's been so long and after all that time I still gave y'all just a measly chapter. You can say this is more of a filler but it does reveal an important thing and hint towards Asfandyar's past so eh.

Also I've already written the next chapter, so it'll be up by tomorrow and don't worry its longer than this one and you get to know a little bit more about our dear Zubiya. I'm sorry for the tardiness.

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P.S. Also attaching this bomb ass song by my fav Conan Gray cuz as you can see Asfandyar is not a fan of love or as Conan says the 'crush culture'.