Love At Second Sight

001 - Half Truths

"You did not just do that!"

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If someone were to combine every news channel's information and present it on one single site, they could still never surpass the data desi aunties collect by just looking at your face, the longer they look the more they know, and no journalist could ever make it as interesting as the desi aunties gossip sessions.

And the most interesting of the gossips were the ones that were half-truths, the conspiracy theories that followed always had the subject awaiting the next thing an aunty would speak out- each more hilarious than the previous.

Because, none of them ever knew the reality.

And so, leaning against the wall as she overheard one group of aunties talking about her, stood Eenas Shaariq herself.

"The girl rejected him!"

"I'm telling you Shareefa, she probably has a boyfriend behind her parents' back, astaghfirullah."

"He's such a nice boy, I'm going to take this opportunity and go talk to Shayla for my daughter instead,"

"Imagine rejecting the first, best proposal you get without even taking a proper look. I pity the girl, she lost a catch."

An amused smile lit up her face, and Eenas ducked deeper behind the wall so that none of them could see her, or worse, accuse her for alleged eavesdropping. Which she was doing, but for all reasons justified, they were talking about her, and as amusing as it was, a pang of hurt hit her at their words.

They didn't even know her on a personal level. Scratch that, they didn't even know of what went on because heck, even she wasn't clear on what went on. 

"Eenas!" Maliha, her best friend, whisper-yelled, "are you done listening to their baseless gossip? Your dad's been waiting for fifteen minutes, I'm pretty sure he's sus by now."

"Coming, Mali," Eenas distractedly muttered, walking out of her shell and joining Maliha as they fell in step. 

"Why do you do this to yourself?" Maliha asked, rolling her eyes.

Eenas shrugged, "I didn't do anything, I was just trying to find out why is it such a big deal that I rejected a guy? I barely knew him, he clearly didn't want to marry me, why's it such a fuss if our families had no problem? Why do they have a problem with us not marrying when we didn't even want to marry each other?"

Maliha gave her a poker face, "Because he was a hot-shot, Eenas, because he is the most well-known, most well-established, elite guy in the city."

"He's one of the elite guys, not the end of them. Besides, his money wouldn't buy me love. And with the way we only had awkward silence as a conversation, I definitely wouldn't spend the rest of my life with him."

Her best friend shook her head, "You met him only once, you're judging too quick."

"It's not about time, Millie, it's about vibes." Eenas argued, before grabbing Maliha's arm and walking faster, "C'mon, your dad's waiting."

Once home, she hurried up to her and her brother's room, closing the door behind her.

Eenas breathed out, closing her eyes as her fingers worked on unhooking the chaand-baali in her ears. She had just attended the valima of someone she didn't know, but she only went there because a) food and b) Maliha was invited too. She and Maliha barely ever hung out, thanks to Eenas' ever so strict parents, and if they did- it was mostly at her home, in that very room.