Uns Ki Mohabbat : Heartstrings

Chapter : 30 - Baarish

"Uhhh, nowhere," I said.

"Where are you going?" she asked as I stood up. I looked at her, and her expression was different from just a moment ago—there was a hint of fear in her eyes.

"I have to go," I said.

"Jaana zaruri hai?" she asked, lowering her gaze.
(Do you really have to?)

"If you ask me to stay, I won't go," I said with a smile.

She didn't answer; she just kept looking down, staring at the shawl.

"Take care," I said as I left her room.

I was coming down the stairs when I saw Auntie Amira approaching me.

"Aziz, are you leaving?" Auntie asked, standing in front of me.

"Yes, Auntie, it's getting late, and it's not appropriate to stay any longer," I said with a smile.

"Thank you so much for everything, beta," Auntie said, placing her hand on my head with a slight smile.

"You just called me 'son,' so please don't thank me and remember, I'm just a phone call away, Auntie," I said, with a smile to reassure her.

"Honestly, Ammi, if it weren't for my bhai, I don't know what would have happened," Sahara said from behind as she walked towards us.

"Sahara!" I called her, as if to stop her from this formality.

"Take care, beta" Auntie said and then walked back upstairs.

"Shall we go, bhai? I'll walk you to the door," Sahara said while walking ahead of me.

"Sahara, can I talk to you?" I asked her.

She stopped in her tracks when she heard me and turned around to look at me. She seemed surprised, but I wasn't.

We both sat near the lounge in complete silence.

"What do you want to talk about?" Sahara asked, noticing that I hadn't said a word.

"How are you?" I asked her softly.

"I'm fine," she said dryly.

"Would you lie to your brother, Sahara?" I asked.

"No, bhai, I'm absolutely fine," Sahara said, defending herself.

"Has Samir said anything?" I finally asked her.

"Woh kuch kehte hein toh nahi hai, bhai" she said but this time there was a hint of frustration in Sahara's voice, and tears began to well up.
(He doesn't really say anything, bhai)

"What do you mean?" I asked, being confused.

"What should I say, bhai? You're already worried about Appi, and I don't want to add more trouble for you," Sahara said, now standing up to leave.

"As much as I care about Uns, I care about you too, Sahara. You're my sister; how can I leave you like this?" I said, standing beside her.

My bond with Sahara is unique; I knew her before Uns. I tease her, argue with her, and laugh with her, but how can I bear to see tears in her eyes?

"Ask Samir, bhai. He never tells me anything, but I want you to ask him if he even loves me or not," Sahara said, now crying, and her voice breaking, with each word she was saying.

"What do you mean, Sahara? Didn't he tell you that he likes you?" I asked, utterly shocked by her statement.

"There's a big difference between liking someone and loving them, bhai," Sahara said, wiping her tears with a smile.