Deceptions

Chapter 2

Saif drove the car not to my home but to some farmhouse at a weird location. As we parked outside the huge gates, waiting for them to be opened, I looked around.

"Why are we even here?" I asked.

"You'll see," was his cryptic answer.

The gates opened just then, and he drove inside. There was a beautiful fountain right at the entrance before a huge house came into view. The front garden had been decorated, and I spotted Dad sitting with Uncle Asim, Uncle Raza, and Uncle Furqan. Their wives were seated on another table, looking radiant and beautiful.

I grinned widely, jumping out of the car. Uncle Asim was the first to spot us.

"Oh my! Ayra, my child. My beautiful little girl, you're here!" He exclaimed, getting up.

This caught everybody's attention, and they looked at me and Saif. Dad's face broke into one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen on him as he laughed and stood up, spreading his arms.

"My baby!"

I quickly rushed over to him and hugged him. I was slightly shorter than him, so I didn't have to bend over him. He rubbed my back affectionately, still laughing.

Once we pulled away, he kissed my forehead. "How was the plane ride? You got back safe?"

"Yes, Dad. I got back safe," I told him before separating from him so I could greet the others.

Dad has a group of 4 close friends, three of whom were here today, but I couldn't spot Uncle Dev. I went over to greet the others and their wives.

Uncle Raza had two daughters named Sania and Mahira while Uncle Furqan had two sons, Asher and Taimoor. They told me everybody was inside so I could go and meet them.

I turned around to look for Saif, but it seemed like he had already gone in, so I went towards his car.

"Where are you going, Ayra?" Dad's voice called out.

"To get my stuff from the car, Dad," I stopped and turned towards him.

"Saif already took everything inside. You go on, go freshen up and come out to have tea with us," Uncle Furqan's wife Rihanna said.

I smiled and nodded before hurrying up the steps and over the long walk before throwing open the large doors. I could either go left or right, so I decided to go right first. I knocked on the door in the little corridor and waited for a response.

The door opened, and Sania's face came into view. She broke out into a huge smile when she saw me.

"Ayra! You're here!"

I smiled and stepped inside before she pulled me into a hug. Over her shoulder, I spotted Mahira and Asher in the room as well. They grinned once they saw me and stood up.

"You look amazing," Mahira stated, pulling me into a hug.

"You look great too, Mahi," I told her.

I smiled at Asher. "My, my look at you. Who is this? The Asher I remembered used to be so tiny that we used to call him tiny-Ashy."

The two of them laughed behind me. "Yeah, I guess he had a growth spurt or something."

The four of us chatted for a while before they left me to freshen up. I took a shower and dried my hair before putting on a fresh outfit. After doing my hair and applying light makeup, I stepped outside. Night had already fallen, and a cool breeze was blowing. I thanked God because the elders were all having a BBQ outside, and the heat would've made it impossible to sit in peace.