Khizaan

Chapter 12

"Tum ek hafte ka keh kar gaye the." He scolded Hayder on video call.

(You said it will only take a week.)

"Baba, kaam agaya hai." Hayder was explaining him, but Hanif Mirza didn't hear any of it.

(Baba, I am stuck with some work.)

Hyra was sitting on some distance, hearing their conversation, but paying more attention to the file she was making.

"Rehne do. Sarey kaam tumhe hi toh atey hain." Hanif Mirza scoff.

(Let it be. As if you have to do all the work by yourself.)

"Baba!" Hyra's eyes widened as she looked at tablet, Hayder's video, he is whining. This made her snicker, as she bowed her head down to her notebook. She was sitting on a little distance from Hanif Mirza, Hayder could not see her, while Hanif Mirza was too busy scolding Hayder to notice her laughing.

"Baki sab kaha hain?" Hayder asked.

(Where is everyone else?)

"Shahzaib toh office mein hai, Kubra apni kisi dost ke yaha gayi hai, Hyra mere pass baithi hai, lo ussey baat karo." Hyra's whole body jolted as Hanfi Mirza turned the tablet to her, and left to give them privacy.

Meekly, she looked at Hayder's video, who was already looking at her.

(Shahzaib is in office, Kubra has gone out to her friend's house, and Hyra is sitting with me, here, talk to her.)

"Assalam-Alaikum!" She quickly propers her dupatta and greeted him.

Few days ago, when he video called her on her phone, but when she attended the call, he scolded her seeing her appearance, she wasn't wearing her dupatta, and it made him angry for some unknown reason that she didn't know why. It was late at night, she was preparing herself to bed, how else she is supposed to look?

"Walekum-Assalam!"

Now, Hyra was holding the tablet, and looking around everywhere but him. And Hayder looked only at her.

"Kya kar rahi thi?" After some time of silence, he asked.

(What were you doing?)

"File bana rahi thi." She mumbled.

(I was making my file.)

"Ankhon mein koi dikkat hai kya?" Hayder's question made her look at him,

(Do you have some problem with your eyes?)

"Nahi toh." She had taken off her specs, thinking he is talking about it, she started looking for it on the sofa, she has put it somewhere here.

(No.)

"Screen pe dekh nahi rahi thi mujhe laga." Hayder's voice made her look at him again.

(You weren't looking at the screen so I thought.)

"Maine aise hi chashma utara tha." She didn't understand his sarcasm and explained.

(I took off my specs just like that.)

Hayder smiled on her explanation, and she, who was searching for her specs, didn't notice.

"Achha suno," Hayder started saying, getting serious. "Baba tumhari wajah se zyada pareshaan rehte hain, unhe lagta hai nayi dulhan ko yun ghar pe chorhke mera yaha rehna achhi baat nahi."

(Okay listen,)
(Baba is worried because of you, he thinks I shouldn't have left you alone at home.)

"Tum unhe samjhao tumhe koi dikkat nahi hai issey, aur main yaha koi ghoomne nahi aya hoon, kaam ki wajah se aya hoon."