Truly Madly Deeply

Chapter 12

I was mortified. I was scared out of my mind. My brain had stop functioning from the shock of seeing him here. This was not part of the plan. What if my brother saw me? What would he think? Oh my God, this is so bad.

"Why do you look so terrified? I thought you were looking for me?" Ibraheem questioned me smoothly as he took a step towards me while I retreated to maintain a distance between us. I glanced left and right, fearing that maybe Humayun might see me which would only instill a new form of hell on me.

"How...how did you..." I had wanted to ask how he knew where I was when clearly I had not given him my location and my phone was in the car. I was still in a semi shocked phase where I couldn't believe he was standing right in front of me.

"Find you? I was hoping you would ask. Clearly, we were supposed to meet at 3 p.m. so you can imagine my surprise when I didn't receive a single message from you at 3 or 3:15 or even 3:45. I had actually given up waiting and was on my way out to go to your house to see if something had come up for you to be like this but I was frankly surprised to see you suddenly smiling and laughing with your brother while going from one shop to another. At first, I thought it was someone else but then, I had the time to observe so you know how wonderful I was feeling to see how you had stood me up and was happily shopping. It seems you don't heed to my warnings carefully. Tell me, Misha, do you think I am joking? Cause I can go right over there and tell your brother about my intentions." Every word fell heavily on my ears.

"Please...don't." I pleaded, my eyes were glassy because I looked almost ready to cry. Ibraheem's hard expressions softened just enough as he scrutinized me.

"Don't look at me like that. So why did you ditch our plan?" The question came like a straight figurative arrow to the shoulder or heart. He wasn't going to beat around the bush. I had to answer his questions immediately to make sure he leaves me alone.

"I was supposed to go shopping with ammi but then something came up at home so brother came with me instead. I couldn't possibly meet you with him over here." I answered honestly.

"And yet you are meeting me right now, yes?" His question left me at a loss of words.

"Can you please go?" I begged.

"Not before I complete our fifteen minute talk." This man had given me more stress than seventeen years of my life ever could.

"But my brother is right here."

"I will handle him when he shows up. So tell me, is that the real color of your eyes?" His question caught me off guard. Really? This is what he wants to ask me at such a crucial moment. "I had wanted to ask you back then but I was distracted so I couldn't."

"Yes, yes it's real." I answered impatiently. A lot of people used to ask me if my eye color was real, it was blueish green with streaks of golden near the pupil in it. It was rare to have colored eyes in our country so people found it quite mesmerizing. I had inherited them from my father but all my brothers had honey brown eyes from my mother.

"They are beautiful." Ibraheem stared intensely into my eyes and I found it a little hard to breath. "Do you want to ask me anything apart from when I will leave?"

"Why did you come to Lahore? Aren't you from Karachi?" It was true I was curious to know why he was here in the first place.

"Oh, so you did stalk me then. I am flattered. Well, I have friends in Lahore so I came to visit." He grinned at me and I had wanted to mentally face palm. Is he an idiot or something? We have established that he is crazy though.

"Okay but what were you doing in our school?"

"I have friends there too." Can you see the face palm that was coming? Does he really expect me to continue answering if he is going to give me such ambiguous replies?

I had so many questions but if he was going to give such vague answers, I didn't want to enquire further.

"Alright. How did you know where I lived?" That one had been bothering me long enough.

"I followed you home." He said in a matter of fact tone.

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

"This is better, isn't it?" I sighed. This was taking me as a joke.

"Can I leave now?" I was starting to grow impatient. I had to admit one thing, his aura and dry replies had distracted me from the impending doom that was coming pretty soon in the form of a blood sibling.

"No, it hasn't been that long yet."

"Why did you want to meet me anyway?" I highly doubt he would give me a proper answer to this but it didn't hurt to ask.

"To confirm something." Can I strangle him, now?

"You are not going to tell me what that is if I ask, are you?"

"Not really, no. Not until I have confirmed it completely."

"When are you going back to Karachi?" I looked straight at him with an expressionless face as I questioned.

"Okay, ouch that hurts my soul. You are that determined to get rid of me?" The face he made almost made me smile. ALMOST. But I wasn't about to budge. Ibraheem was about to answer but his eyes flickered to someone behind me and before I could turn to look, I already knew who was standing there when I heard the dreadful question and all my fear came back like it had been dropped on me like a bucket of ice cold water. I shivered from the terror emanating off of my brother at that moment.

"Misha, what are you doing?" Humayun asked as he glared at me and then at Ibraheem.