When Love Finds Its Own Way

22

                               ALIYAH:
"Have you tried the starters?" Zarar bhai asks who was standing with me. Hania nods her head.

"Come lets have some. I too didn't have them." He says gesturing her to come with him. Hania first looks at me with questioning eyes that why is he talking to her so much? I shrugged my shoulders that I don't know.

She went with Zarar bhai to have some starters whereas I turned to see Armaan who was looking at me.

"What happened?" I ask him. We were both standing on the middle of the stage.

"Nothing." He says and looks at the front at the people. I was still looking at him and then I noticed that he clenched his jaw, his eyes turned dark and some lines formed on his forehead.

I looked at the direction where he was looking and I forgot to breathe. There were two people meeting with my parents. It was my phupho and his son. How did he come out of the jail?

My papa just shaked his hands and hugged his sister. I can feel the uncomfortableness between them.

Haroon was wearing a black suit and has grown some beard. He looks different now but one thing is common that I hate him with all my heart.

Now they were both coming towards us on the stage. I don't know for how long I had stopped breathing and the realization hit me. I started coughing and took deep breaths.

"What happened?" Armaan asks placing his both hands on each sides of my shoulders.

"Nothing nothing." I say.

                               HANIA:
We were both having juices and eating the dynamite chickens when my eyes landed on the stage where I saw Armaan bhai and Aliyah looking somewhere. I followed their eyes direction and saw that ullu ka patha Haroon with his mother. How did he come out of the jail? Did Aliyah know about it?

I could see tension surrounding Aliyah's face and anger surrounding Armaan bhai's face.

"Where are you lost?" Zarar asks me.

"Look." I say pointing towards Haroon who was going to the stage with his mother.

I glanced at them and looked at Zarar whose jaw was now clenched and he was squishing the juice which was in disposable glass.

"You will drop the juice." I say bringing him back from his thoughts. He stopped his hands and looked at his hands.

"What is this ullu ka patha doing here?" He asks in an angry tone. I wanted to laugh hard because this was the same curse I gave him a few minutes ago.

"Don't ask what is he doing here. Stop him from going to the stage." I say and looked at the stage where Armaan bhai was holding her shoulders. While Aliyah was saying something.

Yaa Allah please don't ruin my friends big day.

"Yes lets go." He says. I kept the disposable glass on the table and was coming when he stopped me.

"Take the juice." He says. I look at him with questioning eyes. He gestured me to take the juice filled glass. I didn't say anything and took the glass.

"Now lets go fast." He says. We were walking fastly and Haroon and his mother were now going on the stage with the stairs.

We were both now at their back and they did not notice us. They were on the stage now and now we were beside them.

They were about to say something when Zarar pushed my shoulders and the juice fell on both of their clothes ruining it. I was losing my balance but Zarar held my wrist and pulled me towards him slowly so that I don't land on his chest.