Losing Echoes [Complete]

11. Team

Flashbacks are in bold*

The capital has always been famous for one thing. Its calm. The one that is often a fresh respite from the fast moving life of other cities. The nights are peaceful, the days are without any mayhem. Life goes on a set track and never swirls around anyway. But that's the thing with places posing the picture perfect serenity, from within they are hollow. Their chests are filled up to the brink with secrets. Those which would be enough to swallow the peace and replace it with chaos. Chaos is always lurking in the shadows. One misstep, one mistake, one blink and it is here to announce its arrival.

Sohaira was confused. The moment Hamail's secret had gotten out, she was expecting her mother to start a never ending saga over it but to her surprise that never happened instead all she saw was a calm and almost satisfied Gull who was now reading a book with out most attention.

"Mom, aren't you acting a bit weird?"

She glanced in Hamail's way who was leaning against the wall at some distance from them. Mrs. Aneesa and Khadija were in their rooms. After the revelations the kind of storm both Hamail and Soha were expecting never came. It was out of the norm and they weren't used to things this way.

"What do you want me to do?"

The reply came with Gull's trademark too-cool-to-give-a-damn attitude.

"Ask me questions, yell at me and demand for an explanation."

Hamail took his part in the conversation for the first time.

"I didn't do it when I came to know about your decision so why do you think I'd do it now?"

The shock felt like infusing in the air.

"You knew?"

"For an year now."

"How?"

Gull sighed pushing the book in the drawer. She then turned to her children who were both waiting for her to explain.

"Zaviyar took me in confidence before you went out getting the Nikkah done."

Hamail was taken aback.

"He thought it was necessary for me to know what you were going to do. Being your mother I had the right. He asked me to talk to Ismail as well but I refused. Knowing the kind of papa's boy your father still is, I couldn't take the risk. So, yes I knew."

"You had no objections?"

"You love her, Hamail. You took the beating for and were ready to take a stand as well just like you did now. Your happiness lie in her and that was the reason enough for me to not be a hurdle in your love story. Same is not true for your father. This house is not kind to those who refused to be controlled. And your father? He has always been a dummy in front of his parents. Why I have always been the disliked daughter in law? Because I refused to spend my life on their terms. It was bearable as long as your father and I were concerned but when it got to my kids I had to let them do what they wanted to. That's why I didn't stop Zaviyar and even the moment you told the family I was ready to give piece of my mind to anyone who wanted to stand between you and your life."