Scrambled Tales

**

The midnight glory was shining upon us with the starry canvas. I passed a smile to Ayat Appi, an awkward one.

Her brows furrowed, and a little smile plays on her lips. I saw her walking towards me.

"Mysha what are you doing here?" She asked with her phone now on her palm.

I took two steps towards her and replied, "I was just walking, actually Kabeer has a video conference so I thought why not just a stroll around".

"I see the time difference being a thing for him," She said with that prominent infectious smile.

Sometimes I do wonder how serene her smile is, how pure it is and how rare too.

For this time she is smiling for real.

"He will manage it," I said coming out of my thoughts. She nodded and then moved towards the swing, I trailed behind.

"You are doing something?" I asked taking a seat next to her.

"I was just waiting for a call," She says and I didn't miss the longing in her eyes. She must be waiting for long.

"This late?" I asked again, it's past midnight.

"Well time difference again," She said and shakes her head, must be at some distant memory.

Her face glows under the moonbeams and for once I saw her eyes shine, a single pearl resting upon the curtains and she blinks it away.

Ayat Appi has always been a mystery for me.

So unknown yet so unknown, so close yet afar.

"I see," I said looking at the gleaming stars now.

Silence engulfs us and I let that be, I was too busy reading between the lines, thinking about Ayat.

"Mysha I was about to ask you, do you want to come with me to the local market for shopping?" Suddenly she asked and I smiled at her in answer.

"Yeah sure". A day with her was certainly a great idea.

"You'll love it there, I have a meeting tomorrow morning I'll keep you up in the afternoon?"

"Kabeer is free I guess, can he join us," I ask with a laugh and she shook her head.

"Of course he can, he should." She laughs and I swear I left time stopping there.

Amma's words run behind my head, "Ayat ki muskuharat mein koi baat hai Mysha. Jab woh hasti hai toh duniya ruk si jati jati, hawayein tham se jate hai aur sab khubsurat sa lagne lagta hai."

She told me this in the morning and now, it seems so true yet so rare. Her laughs are rare.

"Api can I ask you something," I asked her coming back to reality.

"You don't have to take permission Mysha" She smiles and nodded, and that was my clue.

"What about Kabeer's aunt? I haven't heard about her and it's been a week I'm here"

"You are excited to meet her? Because she is super excited."

"She is?" I asked, I mean no one really talks about her here.

As if she is some taboo topic, and I can feel it because I mention it once and Sanaya just shut me up and asked me to never mention it to any elder.

But you know what, curiosity sucks!

"Kabeer is Imran Chachu's split image, he was her closet brother, so you can say she is just counting days to meet you two," She said in a fond voice, she must have been really close to her,