The Red Necklace

Chapter 15

I was at home by 1:15 pm and frowned at the main gate when I saw a black car parked outside. Thinking who's car it could be I entered home. Before I could open the main entrance door; that lead to the main hall, the door was opened by a stranger, grinning. He looked like he was in his early twenties, with a fair complexion and brown eyes. He was approximately 5'8 and broad shouldered. I stared at him confused. Whoever he was, he was blocking my way to the entrance and that irritated me a lot.

" Excuse me." I said and he jerked away as if coming out of a trance.

" I'm so sorry, please come in. " I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Who exactly was this man, welcoming me to my own home.

" Who are you?" I said as I threw my school bag on the sofa and turned to look at him.

" You don't remember me? Ouch I'm hurt now." He said feigning hurt. I stared at him back not in a mood to play " Guess-who-is-this -stranger" right now.

" I'm sorry but I don't..." and then it him. We were expecting guests on Friday. And today was Friday. This man standing next to me was my childhood friend, Shahbaz.

" Oh... you're Shahbaz." I exclaimed pointing my index finger at him.

"And we have a winner." Shahbaz said clapping his hands together loudly, grinning from ear to ear. He looked really nice smiling like that, I had to admit that. He had grown into a real heartthrob and it wouldn't be a surprise if I saw girls swooning over him. but he was really not my type. He was nothing like Salman. My Salman was different. Different from the whole world.But in a good sense, of course.

" You have grown." I said and then realized how stupid that sounded. I saw Shahbaz smirk and blushed at how stupid I could get at times.

" I mean you have changed a lot." I added quickly.

" Hmm... is that a compliment? " Shahbaz asked.

" Yeah, you could call it a compliment." I said smiling. It was so strange to look at your childhood friend as a complete stranger. I knew nothing about him anymore. He had changed a lot, that much I could tell for sure.

" Well, I must say that you have grown to be more beautiful." I smiled at his complement, unaffected. It did nothing to my heartbeat. It didn't make me blush. It was just a compliment from a friend. Whereas if Salman had said this, I would have melted right there and then like a wax.

" Thanks Shahbaz." I said giving a full smile.

" Honey, you are home already? Come here , Aunt Maria have been asking for you for so long. " Mom said coming out of the kitchen.

" Salam Aunty Maria! " I greeted Aunt Maria and she stood up from the kitchen stool she was seated on, to hug me. I hugged her back and memories of my childhood came back when I used to visit her house and she used it to make pancakes for Shahbaz and me as well as for our toys. Although Shahbaz was three years elder than me, he never complained about playing with a girl three years younger than him. In fact he always looked forward to it and insisted on my mother to send me to their home..

" Just look at my girl. She have grown to be a very smart and beautiful young lady. " Aunty Maria gushed looking at my mother as if she was holding a piece of a very valuable item. I looked over at the kitchen's door and saw Shahbaz standing there, smiling at me affectionately. He was 22 years old now but he manged to look like a playboy teenager. Just not my type, I thought smiling.

By the time we were done with the dinner at night I had learned that Shahbaz had done MBA with shining marks and was now employed in a very well known company in America as Assistant Manager. Aunty Maria could just not stop talking about her only son that made Shahbaz roll his eye every now and then and shout " Mom!" to stop her from telling us some of the embarrassing things he have done.