Truly Madly Deeply

Chapter 29

The car ride was not silent at all. Fahad continued to glance at Ibraheem while grinning like a little boy who found a new toy to play with. Kamran was in the back seat, going through his Instagram.

"What? If you got something to say, say it." Ibraheem questioned annoyed as he continued to stare at the road ahead.

"Just a question." Fahad's words intrigued Kamran who was also wanting to ask something but trying to play it cool. He looked up from his phone at Fahad's mischievous smirk and Ibraheem's irritated face. Ibraheem give him one look before taking out a Redbull from the glove compartment.

"What is it?" Ibraheem added as he took a sip of Redbull.

"Should we start calling her Bhabhi (sister-in-law) now?" Ibraheem spit out the Redbull on the windshield as he gave Fahad a death glare while he started to laugh. Misha's image as his wife flashed through his head and surprised him to the extent of choking on the drink. But it wasn't like he didn't like the idea of it. It sounded about right. Kamran also grinned at his cousin's reaction while Fahad continued to tease Ibraheem. "I mean, you weren't really the master of being subtle back there."

"Chup kar, Fahad (Shut it, Fahad)." Ibraheem groaned as he took out a tissue and wiped the front screen while keeping one hand on the wheel. He knew his friends weren't going to leave this be but did they really had to start like this?

"Yeah bro, you were an open book but it's a surprise Bhabhi didn't pick up on that." Kamran joined in on the fun as he put away his phone and moved his body forward, popping his head between the two seats to stare at Ibraheem's ruminating expression.

"Tu bhi shuru hogaya hai ab? (You are going to start on this as well?)" Ibraheem said as he discarded the tissue while turning the car at a signal. He had mixed emotions whirling on his face that Fahad and Kamran found very, very amusing to see. He looked genuinely perplexed. He liked that his friends were calling Misha that but at the same time, it annoyed him because it meant he was accepting the facts of what he felt for her.

"Well bro, at least you ain't denying calling her Bhabhi then." Fahad voiced Ibraheem's thoughts while taking out a cigarette. "You should have told us you were into teenagers. No wonder you never seriously liked someone before." Fahad badgered while lighting up the cigarette and pressing the button to open the sun roof. Ibraheem decided to ignore his provocations as he took another sip of the Redbull.

"It's hard to believe they are teenagers though." Kamran added as he recalled Zoya and Rubab. "That Zoya looks really mature for her age." She talked so much, her voice kept haunting his head even after she was gone. She really was pretty but the way she talked totally ruined the entire vibe. Her daring attitude that was oozing with confidence reminded him of someone he knew back when he was a kid. The girl in his memories was strikingly similar to Zoya which annoyed him even more but there was no way they could be the same people. Never. The girl from his memories was long gone, leaving him behind to deal with the loneliness.

"Oh, speaking of her, why didn't you take her number?" Fahad changed his target to Kamran since Ibraheem was blatantly ignoring him now and deep in his own thoughts. Kamran gave Fahad a look that said, 'do you even have to ask?' as he shook his head trying to get the image of Zoya and the girl from his childhood out of his head.

"Aw man, both of you are so dry, I swear. One is lovesick and the other is scowling. Why did I even befriend you guys?" Fahad said to himself but loud enough to make sure that both of them heard him. Ibraheem chuckled while Kamran rolled his eyes at his childish behavior. Fahad then suddenly lightened up. "Well, since we are in Lahore anyway I just remembered that Mayra is throwing a party in Bedian tonight, shall we go to it?"

"Sure." Kamran agreed while Fahad look at Ibraheem for an answer but he was still deep in thought. He was thinking about how he had tried to mouth something to Misha when she had looked back at him back there and was wondering and hoping if she had picked up on what he had said. He really hoped he had but when she frowned at him, he had his doubts. She really was cute when she looked at him with knitted eyebrows and a tilted head.

"Ibraheem? Bro? Snap out of it. You down for it?" Fahad nudged him in the arm and Ibraheem looked at him disoriented.

"Huh?"

"Party at Bedian tonight? Mayra is back from Toronto for a month. She is throwing a house warming party." Fahad repeated as Ibraheem honked the car to get the guards to open the gates to Fahad's farmhouse where the three of them were staying while in Lahore. Ibraheem also had a house in Lahore but it needed cleaning since it was closed so they settled on staying in Fahad's place.

Mayra was Fahad and Ibraheem's school mate who had went to Toronto to study Business Administration. She once had a crush on Fahad back in Olevels but soon realized he was a douche when it came to love and affection and so gave it up after causing a scene in one of the parties Fahad had thrown. All was forgotten though when she found a new crush who returned her feelings. They got engaged last year after staying in a relationship for 4 years.

"Yeah, I am down." Ibraheem replied as he drove the car inside while the guards saluted them one by one.

"Yeah, let's hope you don't see Misha's face when you get drunk this time." Fahad laughed as he got out of the car. He instructed the guards to wash the Cruiser and the BMW that was standing in the garage.

Tonight was going to be fun.

....

Meanwhile, Misha had told everything that had gone down between her and Ibraheem from the very beginning to Rubab and Zoya who listened intently on the drive back home.

"I knew I recognized him from somewhere! He was the guy who had asked you for directions back then. A face like that is hard to forget. Damn, you really had an eventful life the past few months." Zoya recalled and Misha nodded to affirm what she said.

"You should have told us before. You wouldn't have to go through this alone." Rubab added while squeezing Misha's shoulder to which Misha smiled in silent gratitude.

"I am sorry for making you guys go through what you had to back there, in Tuscany." Misha looked at both of them with a feeling of guilt and shame. It was all her fault they went through something like this. It must have been traumatizing for them.

"Don't worry about it. It was actually a bit thrilling apart from the constant fear of getting shot by that menacing Kamran." Zoya smirked recalling how agitated she had made him. She was being annoying on purpose because she had a feeling it was infuriating him. Watching his sullen expression was really amusing. Misha was shocked at Zoya's reaction, she and Rubab knew how fearless she could be but it still surprised them every time.

"Yeah, it was fine. I was really worried about you though. I had Zoya with me so it wasn't that scary to begin with. Apart from how irritating that Fahad guy was. But Zoya, you were really playing with fire back then pushing that guy's buttons." Rubab interjected.

"It's because his reaction was so fun! He literally looked like he was contemplating the best way to kill me with his eyes." Zoya laughed while Rubab shook her head slowly at her friend's idiocy.

"I am glad you guys are okay. I never thought Ibraheem would do something like this." Misha spoke as she remembered how he had showed up out of nowhere, looking ready to butcher her. The reality of what had happened back then was slowly starting to seep into her mind. It almost sounded impossible to believe that something like this had happened just a little while ago. She hadn't expected him to leave her alone this easily but he looked like he genuinely understood her situation.

"So you must really hate him then, right?" Zoya probed while wiggling her eyebrows at her. Misha's silence surprised both Rubab and Zoya as they stared at Misha who looked like she was thinking of something.

"I don't hate him but I don't like him either. It's just somewhere in between." Misha replied as she remembered what Ibraheem had mouthed to her as she was leaving. She hadn't expected him to be looking right at her when she had turned to give him one last look so her heart skipped a beat when that happened and then he mouthed something to her which Misha had a hard time believing at first but then eventually came to terms with it, knowing his mood swinging nature. She smiled as she remembered what he had mouthed to her. He was a really weird one.

He had mouthed 'Sorry' to her.