Wallflower

3

"Tell Merjan that Dadi wants her at the dining table. Quick." Ashar ordered the house help and insisted Waleed to have a little more in his plate. He, who was amazingly very silent, appeared lost in the mayhem of his thoughts.

"Waleed?" Dadi asked out of extreme discomfort to which he ran a hand in his hair and smiled as he replied while playing with fork and the chunks of onion, "Dadi, too much calories for me. Cannot try these kebabs anymore."

"This generation is missing out on so much; this game of calories and proteins will lead you nowhere. You all are settled for aging before it actually happens." She now had a few creases on her forehead.

Ashar laughed, "There are other reasons." Waleed stared at him with the expressions of supreme obnoxiousness in his eyes while he covered up, "Dadi, I am just being carefu--"

"Salam."

There was a whirlwind that swept away all of his words, all of his explanations, everything that mattered. His eyes lifted to see the entrant in the dining room and lowered involuntarily. He was not any usual guy who'd get confused in the presence of a pretty woman nor his personality had absurd complexes then why he was being engulfed by the strange emotions and sentiments?

"Walaikum Assalam, join us." Ashar pretended to behave nicely as she hesitantly observed a stranger getting up from his chair and walking towards Ashar. It was a nice introduction that somehow forced her to respect him a little.

"Merjan, sit. Rice?" Dadi was trying to make the environment comfortable for her, that too in the presence of Ashar. She managed to plaster the smallest smile on her lips and the fear swam through her eyes as she guessed Ashar's constant glare focused on her tormented face.

"Waleed, meet Merjan, my niece's youngest daughter. She is basically from Abbotabad." Dadi addressed him and he smiled a little, after looking at her face for the thousandth part of a second, and nodded while he said, "Hi, Merjan."

Her eyelashes shivered a little as the mustard on her cheeks turned into the lightest shade of pink and his jawline expanded a little under his stubble, invisibly. His heart was not on routine!

"So, Merjan," Ashar sensed the changing dynamics of atmosphere and asked, "Can I have your legal documents, please?"

Her eyes immediately lifted only to see the dreadful smirk on his face that shouted the tales of victory.

"Ashar?" Dadi had warning in her tone and he responded swiftly, "Census. Waleed must agree too. You are staying here and we have to inform the staff that you are a guest who would, obviously, not live here forever."

"Ashar, behave yourself." Waleed mumbled under his breath to which he replied, "Bro, this is important, no?"

"It is. I am sure Ms. Merjan would have all her documents safe." Feeling like any awkward guest at that moment, he replied. His jaws clenched together.

"I know her whereabouts. You are ridiculing me, Ashar." Dadi's voice silenced Ashar's cutlery as he sighed in his defense.

She saw him for a moment and her heart sobbed at the paths leading towards her destiny, the blurry sight of what luck had in store for her! A sob broke the silence of the dining hall as she spoke lowly, "Dadi, I have to go... some or other day so-- why not now?"

"You can go and get your documents fixed. This house will always welcome you back." He smirked as he said briskly not wasting any other moment and she realized being respected was not written in the lines of her palm. Inhaling sharply, she nodded and smiled soberly as the words slipped out of her mouth before she left the dining room, "I am not complaining, Ashar Bhaie."

...

He smiled palely as he inhaled and hummed, "Dad, I am missing you."

The moon showed its full bright majesty peeking from the thick dark clouds. Everything seemed fine. Everything was normal and usual but not for him.

"And not me? That's not fair, Bhaijan." Hadeed appeared in the wide screen of his laptop offering him the packet of cheesy chips and wrapped an arm around Sikander's shoulder.

"You both are testing me. I am so alone here. I literally feel so lonely these days. If it were not my hearings, I'd have flown to Lahore instantly." His voice sounded heavy as he pretended taking a fistful from the chips.

"It is weekend, Baitay. Get a flight." Sikander had a subtle furrow lathered in his voice. His son was calling solitude bad; there must be some pertinent reason.

"Dad, I would. This weekend it seems impossible but the next would be fine for me to travel." Waleed was seen adjusting his pillow indicating that he was planning to sleep.

"Bhaijan?" Hadeed placed his phone at the arm rest of giant sofa and asked, "What if I take a flight to Karachi tomorrow?"

"Are you serious?" Waleed exclaimed as he turned and lowered to the screen. It was finally someone else's presence about to happen in his house.

"I have my conditions. Wait." He inserted a handful of chips in his mouth and typed something on his phone. Meanwhile Dad and Waleed talked about the business and the extended family issues, Hadeed had smirk on his lips.

...

Being the classical manifestation of 'sleep deprived', Waleed was just tossing and turning in his bed. It was around three in the midnight when he surrendered after his demons and picked up his phone. Messaging his temples and enduring the acute headache, he smiled at Hadeed 's texts palely.

-I can consider paying you a visit. It is conditional.

-One. You would be nice with me and not force me to behave with Tanya nicely.

-Second. That witch would not come to abuse and harass me sarcastically. I cannot tolerate her cakey face.

-Ded? Must have collapsed. Poor soul.

He chuckled lightly without any joy and sent his baby brother a plain yes. Nothing was working.

Why was everything so hazy? His mind was restless, heart fidgety. Ashar's words, his expressions and smirks were hammering him. Why did he behave that way? The answer to this question was yet to be found but one thing was clear; Waleed was the most affected. It was very hard for him to admit that Ashar was this inhumane, his confidante.

"You... your... tears are precious, Merjan." He hummed lowly before drifting off to sleep. 

...

AssalamoAlaikum

How is life at your end?

I desperately want to disappear fearing backlash for my absence. I am one hopeless person. 

Nevertheless, the recent update. How do you think story would unfold now?  

Read and tell me! Your every single vote makes my day. 

Until next time, 

Allah Hafiz