Kismat

CHAPTER NINE

"Mujh par yakeen karo, Sakinah." His voice began to ease my restless heart. Feeling courageous, I took one step in his direction. Then another. Another.

Soon, I found myself standing directly in front of him. I stared down at his hand, still at war with myself.

"I'll never leave you," he coaxed in that encouraging voice. I raised one trembling hand, placing it in his warm, larger one. A breath-taking, relieved smile broke out on his face.

"I won't let you down."

The sun peeked in through the maroon printed curtains, waking me up instantly from the strange dream. I yawned and got up, trying to work out the kinks in my neck from sleeping in one position too long. Throwing on a simple salwar kameez, I headed out of my room.

I crinkled my nose at the layer of dust that had settled over the extensive banister. I ran a single finger along the smooth surface, feeling the soot collect under my previously clean fingertip. A shudder of disgust racked through me as I wiped the offending finger off on my salwar.

"Aaj kya banao naashte mein," I muttered to myself as I rummaged through the full fridge and the disheveled cabinets.

I decided on Rizwan's favourite pancakes. I hummed to myself as I pulled out all the ingredients I would need for the batter, feeling strangely happier. Not a bad strange, more like a good type of strange.

"Aapi!" I heard Ayaan and Rizwan shout simultaneously. Wincing internally, I turned to find them standing with their now full laundry baskets in hand, frowns adorning their faces.

"I can totally explain?" I said sheepishly, backing up against the counter.

"Kitni dafa kaha hai, don't do our work!" Rizwan mock glared. Laughter bubbled up in my throat, expressing itself with a smile tugging at my lips. I saw a twitch at the side of Ayaan's mouth but he made no move to surrender himself to it, instead choosing to bite the inside of his cheek.

"Well if I don't do it, who will? Your room looks like Panipat ki teesri jung wahaan hui thi. I can't even see your floor!"

"Hum utha lete na, why are you tiring yourself out? Obviously, you'd come into our rooms to check up on us and found that our rooms were like damsels in distress, in dire need of a hero." Ayaan flaunted over-dramatically

"Or a heroine in your case." Rizwan interrupted Ayaan. Sabrina came in sleepily, clad in her favourite pair of flower-printed pajamas.

"What's happening?" She yawned, still stuck between reality and dreamland. She rubbed impatiently at her eyes. I suddenly realized how ridiculous the entire scene looked. The boys strapped with laundry baskets backing me up into a corner as if they were about to douse me in their dirty laundry.

"Aaye Sleeping Beauty, aap bhi shaamil ho jaaye." I cast a warning glance towards Ayaan who had already begun purposefully provoking her. He set the basket down near the doorframe.

"Aapi, you are not entering my room ever again." Rizwan declared. "I don't care how neat you make it, tum mere kamre mein nahi aaoge." I brushed him off with the fluttering of my whisk and turned back to measuring my ingredients out. "I'm serious, Aapi. It's not your job to pick up after me."

"Or any of us for that matter." Sabrina pitched in, jumping up onto the counter. Seeing my look, she hopped back down, pouting.

"Then either you clean up and make your room decent, or you let me do it." I proposed.

"We'll do it." Ayaan agreed immediately. My eyebrows shot up.

"Accha jee, dekhte hain." I turned to hide my grin and started mixing. Sabrina came and rested her head on my shoulder, arms circling around my waist.