Hikayat ✔

Chap. 18

Lahore
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The Present

It was raining cats and dogs in Lahore.

Vania stared in dismay at the water droplets falling from the sky, cursing her fate.

She hated unexpected rain, the most!

It was a small distance to cross from where she stood under the shade, to the glass doors of the office entrance. But in between, there was the cemented pavement and a slippery wet staircase they had to climb. And more importantly, no cover from the pouring rain.

Why couldn't she have been that lovely girl that would happily twirl around in the icy cold water, giggling delighted instead of flushing with embarrassment?

Or why couldn't she have been that smart, smart girl that could predict the rain 20 minutes before getting out of the house, without an umbrella!

But nooo! Vania had to be the most unfortunate girl standing meekly crying over the fact that she was sooo dumb and irresponsible!

*Sigh...

The clouds thundered reminding her that no.. It had no plan on stopping anytime soon..

She nibbled on the soft skin of her thumb, thinking if she should just sprint forward quickly without caring how she might look to the on lookers!

If only someone else was running with her!

Hayee Anoushey! Ajaa yaar!

***

A slap of feet from the distance, indicated someone else was coming running from the parking lot, in seek of shelter from the cold rain.

Yes!!! Wooh!! The basement elevator was not working today.

Vania held her breath ready for the company, hoping hard that it be someone from her department. Hopefully female!

She couldn't see them clearly yet as it was misty and the water blurred her vision, so she turned back around waiting.

Suddenly they were right next to her panting, hastily shaking water off their gray hoodie and raking a hand through their hair.

Shit!

Vania stopped breathing.

Not him nooo! Allah Miyaan!

Harris looked at her just then and froze in his movements.

Yes, he wasn't very enthusiastic after seeing her either.

Probably cursing his own fate.

He turned around standing straight, his body going rigid. Vania turned away too.

Both staring at the entrance and the rain falling hard, forming a curtain of mist around them. The soft scent of petrichor wafting around them filling the air.

She gulped, it was hard to stay silent next to him.

After the initial fear of encountering Harris had passed, she spent the night before reminiscing about the past.

And she wondered in her head, now that he had released his dislike for her out of his system.... perhaps they could quite possibly be civil with each other, perhaps?

Vania bit her lip and sucked in a deep breath looking at the rain, "Barish, horhi hai.."

She wanted to smack herself for stating the obvious, but she just couldn't stand the silence anymore nor ask her brain to think coherently and make up good excuses to talk.