When Silver Met Gold

Chapter 8 - Madrassah

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After classes, I went to singing practice. The play was going to be the bomb. It was a musical play; for the most part, I was singing as Juliet. Soniya was doing good. When I talked to her thinking of her as Aaliyan's sister, she was innocent—quite naive, too.

People asked me about the oversized shirt. I disregarded it. I thanked myself for wearing the top, so I got to kill two birds with one stone. First, I saw his deviously sexy chest. I involuntarily shivered. Second I got to smell him on me all day.

I'm never gonna return this shirt, nor am I gonna wash it ever, like, ever.

Despite that, no matter how nice it felt to wear his shirt, I couldn't deny the fact that Aaliyan Haider controlled me, ordered me. And the thing that was pissing me off the most was that I obliged. I obliged like an obedient child. Even if I did it on purpose, it didn't mean that he could order or control me.

I was so incensed that Aaliyan was an overprotective and controlling man, precisely like Papa. Who controlled me like a puppet my entire life. Now, when I was away from Papa and his dominating nature, Aaliyan was the one behaving like him.

I wouldn't tolerate another man to dominate me.

I promised myself that I wouldn't talk to him until he begged. Aaliyan should know his place that I, Musca, wouldn't let him control and order me around.

Our university had an entrance and an exit, both routes met at the main road, and low hills surrounded it. There was a route that went through the mountains and reached the main road, hidden from many eyes. It was the focal interest of us—students and reminded me of the secret passages of Hogwarts.

Whenever we had a free class, we would go through the hills for coffee. There were many coffee shops on the road. A hut shaped outdoor cafe that served the best cappuccino, pastries, and chocolates. I wasn't a fan of chocolate until I went to that cafe with Asmat and ate the liquor chocolate and sea-salt caramel truffles. The woman that served those chocolates was sweeter than the actual chocolate.

One day, she directly said to me, "You're pretty."

The hoots of my classmates echoed in the cafe. I was entirely new to people complimenting me on my looks, and a little shy. Before coming to Pakistan, I was afraid to go here. All I came across was news about bombings, kidnappings, how the country was not safe for foreigners, especially for women traveling alone. I wondered how people even lived here.

I was furious at how easy it was for people to draw an ugly image and feed it into someone's mind. Since I had lived in Pakistan, all I saw was fantastic hospitality, landscape, and the most welcoming people. Everyone was kind, loving, and helpful.

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Aaliyan picked me up at just the right time from university. I was not talking to him, but he did not try to converse with me, and it made my blood boil in rage. I am ignoring him, and this egoistic man does not seem to care.

The weather was chilly, the sky was full of Gray clouds, and the sun sometimes glimpsed down at the earth shyly. Aaliyan was taking different routes today. When the car finally stopped, it was not our street. We were in a parking lot. There were cars and a crowd around us, going towards their destinations. Aaliyan had brought me to some other place, somewhere I had never been.

I stared at him quizzically.

Taking his seat belt off, he asked me to come out, his unsuccessful attempts at hiding his smile didn't go unnoticed by me. I got out and went to his side. Aaliyan took my hand into his and walked towards the gates.