You Will Always be Mine

Chapter #8

Song: "Mera yaar mila de" by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

~*~

"Zaib, I want to talk to you about something," Ishrat said to her sister rather secretly.

"Ji? (What)"

"What have you and Mehmood decided on Kanwal?" Ishrat asked, leaning back in a position so that she could have a proper look at the door. Right now, she didn't want anyone to listen to their conversation, especially Kanwal.

"What do you mean decided?" Zaib, Kanwal's mother gave her elder sister a confused look.

"About her marriage of course."

"Baji, we haven't decided or thought of anything about it yet and I personally think we should give Kanwal some time."

"Give her time?" She frowned after listening to her sister's thoughts, "Have you really lost your mind, Zaib? At first, you engaged that girl at such a young age, despite knowing that engagements could easily be broken off and now you are leaving her, saying she needs time? Tell me, are you so naive that you can't understand the emotional turmoil she is going through to the point that you are thinking of letting her be this way?" Ishrat said in an angry tone.

She had been against Kanwal's engagement from the start, not because she disliked Ahad, but she thinks that girls shouldn't be involved in such matters until they have graduated. Parents may think that engaging their child at a young age would keep their kids away from involving with the wrong type of people, but they often forget that the attachments they cost at young ages could be very harmful to kids. That's what exactly happened to her beloved niece and she blames this on her sister Zaib and her husband Mehmood.

"Baji (elder sister), I don't know what to do anymore." Zaib sighed.

"Listen, I had never told you this before because Kanwal was already engaged when Hasseb got married. Saima wanted our Kanwal for her brother and she is still insistent. I ask Saima to bring him on a picnic tomorrow so you and Mehmood could meet him. He is a very nice boy. Kanwal and him as a pair would look so good."

"Baji, this will be too soon for Kanwal."

"Zaib, it would be better if Kanwal moves on and forget Ahad as soon as possible. Besides, it's not like I am asking you to marry her right now. It would sound harsh and forceful, but engaging her to another person will help her in it. Her sense of responsibility towards her new relationship would eventually drag her out from the past."

"I will talk to Kanwal's father." Zaib sighed and said. She knows very well that her sister would never sit in peace until she gets what is in her mind come across. So, Zaib goes on her way if she sees no harm in it and a part of her also thinks that maybe someone on Ahad's place could help Kanwal.

~*~

"Um... Khala told me you aren't going tomorrow with us." Kanwal asked Maaz while taking the dirty dishes from his hands after dinner.

"Hm... I didn't submit my assignment on time, so as punishment I got another assignment which I have to submit a day before the exam." He shrugged.

"When is your exam?"

"Next week."

"You still have plenty of time."

"Actually, I haven't even started my assignment yet. So if I go, I don't think I will be able to complete it on time." He said as he takes his phone out from his pocket and starts typing something.

"I will help." Kanwal said abruptly and Maaz's head snapped towards her. She realized that it might be the first time in all these years when she starts talking about something related to his personal work. Usually, she just kept herself to Khala, Khalo, and Haseeb, they had never associated themselves with each other if there isn't any need.