Manzilien

1.

"Beejan has called both of us." Sehmat told Rayan who was busy reading mails on his phone. He looked up at her and his breath hitched at her sight. She was adorned in a light pink Pakistani suit and was looking very beautiful.

"Rayan Bhai." Sehmat waved her hand in front of his face. Rayan sighed when she again called him bhai. He never liked that word from her mouth.

Rayan nodded and stood up but before he could walk out of his room Sehmat pinched his arm and ran downstairs.

"Sehmat ki bachchi." He almost shouted but a small chuckle left from his mouth. She was always like this. Mischievous. He had always been strict with her and lenient with her twin sister Rehmat and only he knew why.

He came downstairs and fake glared at her, who was smiling at him while standing beside his mother Raziya Ali Khan, her badi ammi.

"Rayan beta." Beejan smiled and gestured for him to sit beside her. He returned her a smile and sat beside her , between her and his Dadu, who was sitting next to his dadi.

His parents and Sehmat's parents, in short every family member was present there.

Rayan felt like something important was coming and this thought made him restless. This situation seemed similar to the moments when his sister Zoya's nikkah was discussed and Sehmat's twin Rehmat's nikkah was discussed.

What if they have called him and Sehmat for discussion of their Nikkah?

"Adnan and Zahra I wanted to discuss something with you, in fact all of you ." Naziya begum spoke to her youngest grandson and his wife , who nodded at her while smiling.

"Rehmat and Zaheer's nikkah happened last year and now I want Sehmat to say yes for her nikkah." She spoke and Rayan's heart started beating wild.

Adnan Khan patted his daughter's back who was sitting beside him and looked at her for her answer.

Sehmat smiled a little and said a slow voice," Yes."

Rayan's leg started shivering and he put his hand on it to control himself.

Naziya begum called Sehmat and made her sit with her on the sofa. She read a dua and kept her hand over Sehmat's head.

"Saif se karengi Nikkah?" She asked her and those words turned Rayan's world upside down. He looked at his mother but she gestured him to stay calm.
She knew that her son liked or might have loved Sehmat. But she was never his.
Never.
(Will you marry Saif?)

Sehmat smiled and nodded her head in response. Saif was her distant cousin and she somewhat liked him.

Rayan wanted to just go away from there. He didn't want to listen to anything further. He expected that they would get her married to him.

But?

Everyone present there was happy but what about Rayan? He was smiling but only him and his mother knew about the storm which was blowing inside him.

"Ab mujhe kon tang karega?" Rayan asked with a forced playful smile on his face and Sehmat threw a cushion on him making everyone laugh.
(Who will irritate me now?)

"Rayan beta, you are almost twenty six and now it's your turn to say yes for the nikkah." His dadi said taking him off guard.

"Dadi not now." He showed her puppy eyes and it was Sehmat's turn now to irritate him.

"Yes yes get him married. He is getting old and our haveli needs a Bhabhi." She smirked at him, who in return narrowed his eyes at her.

Naziya begum gestured her son Ahmed to speak.