Love for Rent

x I am here x

I ate some food, packed my things, and rushed to the hospital.

'What do you mean you moved her?' I yelled when the receptionist told me that they transferred Ma to another room, a more expensive room. I should have been happy, but it was too expensive. I pulled the phone out of my bag to call Jaan but saw that my phone was dead. I forgot to charge the battery.

I got the new room number and went to find her and see why Jaan did that without asking me. I took the elevator to a different floor, turned to the hallway, and suddenly stopped when I saw Jaan talking to Shahzaib on the other side across from me. He was here.

As I walked toward them, Shahzaib turned to me. When I reached him, he placed an arm around my shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze pulling me closer to him. I secured my arm around his back and leaned into his chest for a slight hug. Jaan didn't try to hide his smile when he looked at me, and I smiled back.

'Sorry I was late, I slept, and then Suraiya and Zehra Aunty came by,' I told Jaan.

'You needed to rest too,' Shahzaib said, and I looked at him. Darn him for thinking about me and having those expectations from him. He was setting the standard too high.

'I know, but Jaan helped so much, plus he had to put his wedding preparation on hold,' I explained.

'Now I am free,' Jaan said dramatically, making my smile wider.

'You are free to go and start another battle of wedding preparation,' Shahzaib said quickly.

'I asked Mona to do court marriage. Can you imagine how easy that would be?' Jaan called out.

'Actually, we can,' I prompted.

'Absolutely,' Shahzaib added with a superior glance at me.

'You should go, get some rest too,' I said to Jaan.

'Yeah, I should; my back is hurting; these chairs are awful' Jaan grabbed his jacket from the seat.

'Yeah,' I moved my shoulder up and down to release some tension.

'I will visit when I can. I hope you can join the wedding' Jaan was getting a few weeks, and I didn't think I'd be able to make it since I wasn't sure how Ma's situation would be then, but I promised I would try.

'Don't worry about this anymore; I am here, be there for Mona. I am sure she wants you involved in the planning,' Shahzaib advised him before Jaan left, leaving us alone in a quiet hallway. As soon as Jaan was out of sight, I leaped into Shahzaib's arms, he tightened his arms around me and I couldn't help but cry, I didn't want to pretend to be strong. I was okay to feel vulnerable in front of him now.

'Are you alright?' Shahzaib asked first when we parted, and I faced him. He wiped the tears from my face and brushed the hair out of my face.

'I am better now that you are here,' I admitted to him.

'You actually came' I put my stuff down on the ground and held his hands.

'You said you missed me' He smiled as if that was enough. It was; it was more than enough.

'I don't mind you being rich sometimes,' I laughed, and his smile grew.

'Thank you for getting her a better room,' I told him and tightened my grip on his hands.

'You're welcome. I got a glimpse of her' He mentioned to me, and I peeked inside the door to check on her. She was still asleep, this time in a much larger, comfortable, looking bed, in a better-equipped room with an extra bed and chairs and even a small sink.

'Did you eat before coming here?' I asked him once we settled in our seats.

'I went home; first, Nani is also here' He broke the new way too casually.

'She is?' I was surprised, to say the least.

'Did you tell her?' I asked him, and he simply nodded.

'Don't just nod' I squeaked in tension when his face grew serious. She was probably furious at me and never wanted to see me again.

'She wants to meet you,' He declared, and I gasped in panic.

'I can't meet her, I can't stand her being angry at me' I fidgeted with my shirt.

'We both will have to do that at some point, me with your Ma and you with Nani,' He said matter-of-factly. Imagining, preparing, and going into the lion's den were completely different things.

'You'll be fine' He eyed me with an unreadable expression, and my stomach, already tensed and prickly, did a little flip.