Love? A Disaster

♪ 14. Crescendo ♪

But all of that could wait. Right now, making sure that he was okay was her priority.

"You should sit down."

Sila whispered softly. That seemed to pull him out of his thoughts. He stepped back, away from her hold, and nodded solemnly. His face became impassive in no seconds, hiding the anguish she had seen there just a few moments back.

Sila saw him sitting down on the couch. His face didn't show anything but his body language was defensive. He placed his hands on his knees as he took a deep breath. Sila opened her mouth to say something but then thought against it. If his withdrawing and ensuring distance between them hadn't been an indication enough, then she would be a fool and she wasn't one. He didn't want to talk about it. His expressions conveyed as such. Sila pursed her lips.

"We should get back to work." Aahil said in a steady voice. He had composed himself by then, masking every sign of his discomfort. Sila nodded. "Yeah, we should."

Aahil stood up, and gave her a smile. And Sila hoped she was just imagining it because it didn't reach his eyes. "After you."

Stifling the urge to ask him if he was really doing fine, she went out of the room wordlessly. Aahil followed her the same way, without saying anything.

𝄞

As soon as they came out of the room, they were swarmed by the unending work. Sila didn't mind it though. The event so far was a major success and to keep it this way till the very end, their commitment and unwavering attention to everything were necessary.

Aahil was with her the whole time. They found Nawar and Sahira along with the rest of the team members. The tasks were revised and the duties were again discussed. They all dispersed once again.

Sila was totally immersed in this chaos, trying to make sense of everything going on and so far, it looked under control. The ideal situation during any event she managed along with her team.

But for a fleeting moment, she found her gaze wandering to where Aahil was. He went to meet his family, she had noticed. He also joked around, if his niece and nephews' giggles and his grandmother and mother's amused expressions were any indications. She even found Adan and Faran coming to him and trying to talk, to which he just shook his head as if reassuring them of something.

"Sila, are you even listening to me?" Shifa's voice broke her reverie of thoughts. Sila focused on her. "Yes! I was just about to answer you."

She told Shifa but deep inside, she rebuked herself for being distracted. This was none of her business. She found Aahil Jahangir in a vulnerable condition. Don't we all get like that time and again? It's totally human. She had an event to focus on. It was in the last stages and she couldn't mess it up.

But even as she got back to work, the image of a distraught Aahil Jahangir didn't leave her mind. It stayed there on the back of her mind and her heart clenched every time it made its presence known.

𝄞

Giving a tight-lipped response to Jodi's greeting, he made his way to his room. The woman didn't need to be told explicitly. After years of being his house help, she knew his mood was sour. He'd need solitude for the next few hours to deal with whatever bothered him.

Once in the confines of his space, he discarded his car keys and wallet on the table. Folding his hands on his nape, he stood with his eyes closed trying to calm himself. It seemed to work.

But his relief was short-lived. Footsteps echoed outside in the hallway. He sighed, ready to tell Jodi he didn't need anything. She had stopped at the threshold. Osama had sensed it without even looking in her direction.