The Eclipsed Heart

Chapter 31

"Shahmeer! Oh my God!" Meerab exclaimed loudly, almost in disbelief, as she rushed towards Shahmeer, who stood there with an equally surprised expression. She engulfed him in a tight hug, unable to contain her excitement.

"I can't believe this. I never thought that I'd be seeing you here," Shahmeer said as he wrapped his arms around Meerab, his face beaming with happiness. As Meerab broke the hug, she couldn't help but wear a wide grin.

"Tell me about it. Is this your party?" Meerab inquired, eager for details.

"Yeah, that's my father, Dawood Ali Khan. Remember I've told you about him," Shahmeer explained, connecting the dots for Meerab. Pakistan, Karachi, Politician, Dawood Ali Khan.

"Oh, my, yes, you did. I just... it feels so good to see you. It's been ages," Meerab expressed with genuine joy.

"I know, right? I missed you so much. And look at you, you look so different. I mean different as in very pretty," Shahmeer complimented, his eyes filled with warmth.

Meerab chuckled, "Well, life happened, you know. But it's incredible to see you again. I thought that you never wanted to return back to Pakistan?"

Shahmeer grinned, "Baba insisted that I should come back and spend a year or so here to get familiar with the country's situation and to see if I'd be interested in the politics here. Surprisingly, in a few months, I realized that I did actually want to work for the betterment of the country, so yeah, here I am after wrapping things up back in London."

As Meerab and Shahmeer continued catching up, the lively atmosphere of the party seemed to amplify with their shared laughter and animated conversation.

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As a hearty reunion unfolded between the two friends, Murtasim, on the other hand, couldn't shake off the growing twinge of unease that he couldn't quite comprehend. He gazed at his own hand, still tingling from the lingering warmth Meerab had imparted just moments ago. The sudden absence of her touch left it exposed to the cool night breeze, a subtle reminder of her departure as she hastily moved toward the mysterious stranger standing before him.

As he was in the midst of processing that, his eyes moved towards Meerab hugging Shahmeer, and Shahmeer wrapping his arms around her. Murtasim felt an unsettling feeling swirling within him as he witnessed the scene before him.

Clenching his jaw, Murtasim tried to inhale deeply, attempting to rationalize the emotions churning within. He was an open-minded man, but an unexpected discomfort lingered as he watched Meerab and Shahmeer hug. It wasn't a possessive nature; it was just an unsettling feeling, a reaction to the unexpected sight of Meerab in another's arms.

He tried to reason with his own thoughts. After all, this was just a reunion among friends – a simple normal meeting after years of separation. Then, why should he be burdened with this irrational sense of discomfort? It felt absurd, yet Murtasim couldn't shake the feeling.

His internal struggle only intensified as Shahmeer voiced how much he missed Meerab. Logically, friends missed each other; it was ordinary and expected. Yeah no big deal but then when Shahmeer called Meerab pretty, Murtasim's internal turmoil erupted. PRETTY!!?? Obviously she did look pretty but why was he calling her that? Murtasim couldn't help but feel annoyed by the compliment.

But, apart for all of this, to his surprise, Murtasim found himself questioning his own reactions. Why was he feeling this way? Was it jealousy? What? No way! He wasn't jealous. Surely, this was just a natural, normal response to witnessing his wife in the embrace of someone else. It's just a biological reaction right?