Believers of Paradise

A R Z A A N

My fists instantly clenched along with my jaws. I paper crumbled in my hands as I threw it beside the table. Hearing abba's name always hurt me. It felt like a jab at the heart. And whoever this girl was definitely didn't make anything better.

"What about him?" I gritted my teeth and asked.

I waited for a response. The last thing I might have heard was the beginning of a word but that it the only thing that stuck to me. Other than that, all I could apprehend was total silence.

"Hey?" I slightly yelled in the phone, but got no response. I had held my breath so I breathed out.

Who was this person?

Just around five minutes later, a call came. I picked it up before it could ring twice, hoping it would be the same female's voice, except this time it was a man. It was the person uncle Rafi was expecting. I gave him all the information that was on a sheet that was right in front of my hand and read some of it out.

     The man politely thanked me for my time and hung up the call. I placed the phone back and sighed.

       Going back to my room, I laid down on my bed and stared at my ceiling, where the light flashed at my eyes. I squinted, but didn't do anything more for this thing that annoyed me.

     Who was that person? The girl who called? Who was she? What did she want with abba?

      I heard the door open from the living room. The creaking sound told me that either bhai or uncle Rafi was back. Soon though, I figured it was bhai from the sound of steps that approached towards my room.

      "Arzaan, I met uncle Rafi on the way home. Did you do the work he gave you?" He asked.

      I tilted to my left side and propped my elbow on the bed with my head resting on my palm. Looking at bhai, I told him what he was already expecting. "Did he leave me a choice for a no?" I asked.

       Bhai sighed and smiled. He took a seat on the chair. "You are saying as if you always listen to him,"

      "I do," I said sarcastically. Bhai grinned wider. "Why do you look so happy? What have you been up to?"

      "Let's just say I didn't only do the work uncle Rafi sent me to on the way home," Bhai smiled mischievously.

      I chuckled. "What did you do? Picked up some girls on the way?"

     "Kind of actually," Bhai looked surprised at my correct guess. Even my eyebrows rose with a hint of shock. I didn't know Bhai would turn out to be like me. "I just kind of knocked into some on the way,"

      I laughed.

     "Oh and also," Bhai said. "I forgot to tell you. Uncle Rafi said he won't arrive home until tomorrow night. He got some extra work to get done,"

      "I guess God does love his creations at times," I joked.

      "Shut up," Bhai chuckled and walked out of the room.

    Well at least I got peace until tomorrow night.

***

"Arzaan," I heard my name being called by Kadir the next day, just as the moon was high in the sky and I was about to go to bed after the tiring hours.

"What?" I shouted back. That guy's existence bothered me.

"Where did you put my blue shirt, you idiot?" He yelled. I looked towards bhai antagonized, who sat on a chair in my room.