Virtuoso

Chapter 9

"I'm going to die of hunger." I said dramatically as I turned away from Subway Surfer that I was playing on my cell phone and looked around me. Anis and Alisha were deep in conversation while Aida, Sadaf and Haashir were discussing some topic that I couldn't hear. Shahmir was sleeping while Hashim was typing crazily on his cell phone. Anis broke off the heated argument he was having with Alisha, and turned around to look at me.

"We will be stopping for lunch at the next rest station." He said as he looked at the board outside to get his bearings. I huffed at him and then turned around to look at everyone.

"We have been travelling for the last three hours but you still won't tell me where we are going." I said matter-of-factly, looking at everyone sternly. Everyone laughed except Hashim.

"I guess she's right, Anis. It's safe to tell her now." Shahmir said as he woke up. I grinned back at him.

"You are right. We are going to Shangrila and then Gilgit." Anis said with a grin. I looked at him, open-mouthed. Going there meant no internet connection and no phone connection because at this time of year, both of the places would be covered with snow and at the top of this, it would be freezing-ass cold. How was I going to survive such cold and I didn't even know what clothes my maid Aneesa had packed for me.

"I can't believe you would hide that from me." I said with anger. "You do know that how I hate cold?" His nod fueled my anger.

"You did this on purpose! I know you did!" I asked and turned away from him, seething with anger. Lately, I had been losing my temper with my brother, whom I doted on and still did. His strong-headedness was getting under my skin and I was hating it.

"Come on, Maira, cheer up!" Alisha said as she switched her seat with the empty one beside me. She was speaking in a low volume so only I could hear her.

"Anis didn't mean to provoke you or anything. He just wanted you to have fun and spend some enjoyable time with us." She said while she took hold of my hand and squeezed it softly. "Let's not ruin the atmosphere at the start of the journey. We have a long way to go."

She was right. Now that we were on our way, there was no use sulking over this therefore, I nodded and gave her my usual 10000 watt smiles.

"That's like my girl!" Alisha said happily and hugged me tight. I would get back at Anis in due course, I always did. I grinned evilly at Anis as he made a poker face and turned away from him.

Soon after, we stopped at a local inn for some food. We all were famished and exhausted from the long journey. Both, Alisha and Anis, were deep in conversation with Haashir and Aida while Sadaf and Shahmir were enjoying the view some distance away. Hashim wasn't around here, perhaps he ran off to talk to his girlfriend or someone. Wanting to stretch my legs, I stood up from where I was lounging and decided to take a walk. I walked away from the seating area, enjoying the beautiful view of trees and mountains towards my left. We were at quite some altitude and the view from here was breathtaking. Mesmerized, I watched as a bird dived into the valley between the mountains, it's chirpy song sweet to my ears.

"Maira!" I could recognize that low, sultry drawl anywhere. I closed my eyes tight, willing him to go away but I knew he wouldn't. I ran out of luck whenever he was around and in this instance, it was true. He wouldn't budge.

I ignored him and kept staring at the mountains but his nearness was making goosebumps appear on my arms.

"What?" Resignedly, I turned around to face him and winced. He was too good-looking for my peace of mind. His hair blew in the mild breeze, his eyes looking deeply into mine and his provocative lips curled into a smile. In that moment, I forgot that I loathed him. I just stood there like a mannequin, looking into his eyes, cast in his spell.

"Why are you avoiding me, Maira?" his voice broke me out of my reverie. I looked away from him and didn't deign to reply. Turning away from him, I had walked a little distance when he grabbed me from behind and I found myself pushed against a wall and in close proximity with Hashim.

"I can see that you've become more obnoxious than I remembered you, Maira but I also know that I'm the only person in your life who can kindle that fire in your eyes. You can try your best to ignore me but I will not let you win. I will make sure that you remember each and every moment, each sensation and each thing we said to each other before this trip ends."

He just then stared in my eyes.

"That's what I was looking for, sweetheart. You are scared of me and you should be because you know I can do it." He then placed his hand over my heart.

"That still beats for me, I see." A satisfied smiled softened his features then and there but his hands still held me against the wall. I breathed sharply.

"Maira! We have to get going, where are you?" Anis called out from somewhere near us. I pushed against Hashim and moved towards Anis, ignoring the man I left behind. I was rattled from what I had just experienced. Hashim was playing with me and I didn't like it but whenever he was close, I just lost my voice and I couldn't even say the scathing things that came to my mind.

I knew one thing right now: I loathed him but my heart still belonged to him.

***

The rest of the journey was uneventful. I could feel Hashim's eyes burning on my back but I decided to ignore him. I needed to be alone to be able to think about what he was doing to me. Right now, I had people around me and they wouldn't let me think anyway. Anis was again provoking me but I guess that was the beauty of our relationship. I loved bickering with him because I knew it was all his way of showing his love to me.

We reached Shangrila in the evening, after hours of traveling. As soon as we checked in to our rooms, we decided to take a nap and then meet for dinner. I took a quick shower, changed into my pajama tops and jumped into the cold bed. Before I could even think something, I was lost to the world.