FEAR OF FONDNESS

Chapter 8 HER PAIN

Wassal's POV:

After the hunt, I returned home after about four days. We had planned to stay longer, but Ahtasham and Zaram had to leave early for their university finals. As Mustafa and I reached home, my younger sister, Ania, rushed towards me, exclaiming, "Bhai!" and hugged me tightly. I knelt to hug her back. Ania was only eight years old and she was very attached to me, after coming from Miss Innocent's party I couldn't meet her because she was asleep and the next day I had to leave early so I couldn't meet her.

"Where did you go?" she asked in her sweet voice.

"Just on a trip with my friends," I reassured her, returning her hug. "I didn't tell you because it was a sudden plan.".

" I missed you a lot," she said hugging me. I loved her innocence. I wished that she never got like Zunaira Aunty.

At that moment, Sania Api entered the hallway, her smile dimmer than usual. "She really missed you a lot," she remarked softly. I felt a pang of love for her. "I want to play football with you," Ania chimed in eagerly.

"Sure, just grab the ball and I'll meet you on the lawn," I told her, watching her skip back into the house joyfully.

Turning to Sania Api, I noticed a look of worry on her face."What happened? Is everything alright?" I asked. She took a deep breath before speaking, "Shinaya was bullied by some boys last evening. ." Her words hit me like a ton of bricks, and I felt like my breath was knocked out of me. 

"What?" I exclaimed. My heart was pounding with a mix of anger and fear.

"They don't know who the culprits were," Sania Api continued. "They're trying to find out."

"They haven't found out yet? It's been a day!" I couldn't contain my frustration, my hands were clenching into fists at my sides.

Sensing my agitation, Mustafa stepped forward, placing a calming hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, relax," he urged. "He's just a bit irritated from the long journey," he explained to Sania Api, who looked taken aback by my sudden outburst.

I tried to control myself, But inside, a storm raged within me. Whoever had dared to lay a hand on Shinaya would soon realize that they had made an unforgivable mistake.

I stormed into my room, my mind consumed by a single burning desire: to find those responsible for hurting Shinaya. My fingers flew across the keypad of my phone as I dialed Daim's number.

"Daim, I need you to trace an incident for me, and I want them in my hand!" I demanded firmly. I relayed the details of the location to him.

 "They won't get away with this," I vowed to myself as I hung up the call.

Mustafa's voice cut through my thoughts. "What are you up to?" he asked,"I'll make them suffer," I declared in a cold and unforgiving tone. 

"Sounds like a new adventure for me," Mustafa remarked casually, settling onto the sofa,as he knew what was coming next.

 "Hey, won't you call Bhabi? You should ask her about her," he suggested to me.

He was right. I should have reached out to her by now. I grabbed my phone in a hurry, intending to rectify the oversight, but as I opened the dialer, a wave of helplessness washed over me Frustration surged through me as I realized that I didn't even have her number

I looked up with a hopeless face, Mustafa was watching me with an incredulous expression. "Come on! Don't tell me you don't have her number," he exclaimed, his annoyance palpable.

I threw my phone onto the bed in frustration, feeling utterly powerless in the face of this new obstacle. "What can I do if I don't have it?" I muttered bitterly.

Mustafa got up from the sofa and put his one leg on the bed." Well I can do it for you." he said with a smirk. His mischievous grind was telling me that he had a way.

He called someone on his phone. and I had a guess who it could be. " hello Mahnoor! how are you?" he said in a really sweet voice. oh, so that's how is going to have her number." Mustafa's father and Mahnoor's family know each other. Their fathers had been friends since childhood, and their friendship deepened with time. so that's why Mustafa and Mahnoor also had a good bond.

 "Can you do me a favor?" he asked her getting to the point. I was waiting for him to finish the call. he was requesting her again and again to share her contact. Although it was easy for me to trace out her all data, it would barely take a day or two but I wanted it right now as there was no way of contacting her right now. 

At last, he passed me a signal, I quickly ran to get my phone and noted her number. Before he hung up the phone I heard her shout out of the phone " Mustafa I'm telling you one thing! 'Don't' let your friend do 'any' such thing for 'which' you would suffer later I don't want my friend to be stressed because of him". " Fine! Fine don't shout I have two perfectly fine ears," he said and hung up.

he came towards me and said " bhai! tujhay khuda ka waste hai ab aesa kuch na karin k Mahnoor mera qatal kr day"(oh brother for God's sake don't do any such thing due to which Mahnoor would kill me) he said joining his hands in front of me.

" Fine Fine," I said and started to daily her number. " Have you thought about what will you tell Bhabi how did you get her number?" he said casually creating another problem for me.

I wanted to throw him out of the window at that time." what! I was just asking" he said moving away. I took a deep breath and started to think Should I call her? what will I tell her how did I get her number? I could tell her any reason easily but she would forget all other matters in the world and would not leave me until I would tell her how I actually got her number. 

She was reserved and this thing of hers attracted me a lot.