His Obsession, Her Choice

Inside the Administration Block

ABEER:

I sat before the controller examinations and admissions and tried to explain my situation to him.
Mr. William Hall, as the black name plate on his finely arranged desk said, was a tall and thin man in his late fifties with droopy eyelids.
"So you don't have any other copy of the acknowledgement letter or any other of your documents", he said taking a sip from his black tea.
" I am afraid, No, Sir", I replied.
"Look Miss. Abeer, to grant you the identity card and roll number slip I need to ensure that you are who you claim to be. You should have been careful", he said after clearing his throat.
" Do you mean that I am making all of this up", there was hint of frustration in my voice.
"I didn't mean that but rules and formalities are to be considered", he said.
" Why don't you understand Sir, it wasn't my fault", I tried to convince him.
"The fault isn't mine either. There's nothing that I can do now. It would take a day or two to reclaim your documents from the database and to reprocess them. The administration and the staff are busy yet due to a bulk of new admissions", he said in a monotone scribbling something down on the paper.
" Give this at the reception and we'll call you if your documents are reclaimed", he said holding it for me.
"And if you do not find them?", I asked.
" Then I am sorry. But I'll let you know that too within this week", he said and I definitely was not in a position to say anything so I came out of his office, resisting the urge to bang its door behind me as much loud as much as I could.
Tears of frustration had welled up in my eyes. And Aamna... I didn't know even where she was. I was failing spectacularly to control my tears because my vision had blurred. I had worked so hard to get that scholarship and now....
The chain of my thoughts was incomplete yet when I slammed in a stone of dishevelled male figure.
"Sorry", I said kneeling down to pick up the book which had fallen from his hand, careful not to raise my eyes in an effort to hide what they were ready to reveal.
" Its Okay", he said taking the book from my hand and just then he noticed what I did not want him to.
"Are you alright?", he asked.
" Yeah", I said wiping a stray tear with the heel of my hand.
"You don't seem like you are okay. If there's a problem you can tell me", he said.
" No!", I said because I was no longer in a condition to believe anyone and sped past him as our arms slightly brushed. I would have walked out of the administration block too but the moment I took one step out, I decided that it was better to go in.
He, Asad Sanjarani, was coming from the far end of the walkway with his friends.
I turned around and to my relief, when I came back in, he was still standing at the reception. I approached him.
"Excuse me?", I said and he turned his face to look at me. This was the first time that I looked properly at his face. He had those shiny grey eyes that seemed to be somehow fueled by the mysteries of the universe.
" Actually, I do need your help", I said hesitantly.
He turned around completely and folding his arms across his chest, stood resting against the high desk.
"What is it?", he asked.
I told him a very abbreviated and upbeat version of my situation, skipping the details of how I had lost my documents.
" That's not a big deal. In fact, we can sort it out right now", he said and motioned for me to walk towards the office, I had stepped out of, a few minutes ago.
As soon as we entered the office, I understood why he had taken it so easy because Mr. Hall's face was lit up by a smile that broke his saggy features and the flicker of recognition in his eyes told me that he knew the guy standing next to me, whose name I did not know yet. In fact, they seemed to know each other very well.
And just as he had told me, Mr. Hall agreed to grant me the identity card when he lied that I was a close friend of him from Pakistan.
"You found the right man Abeer. Sahir's father is a good friend of mine and he is like my own boy", he said smiling as we stood up to leave.
So now this guy standing next to me had a name. " Sahir" was a good name indeed.
I had just parted my lips to thank him, while stepping out of the office when I saw 'him' enquiring the receptionist about something. Just then he turned around and his eyes met mine. Asad Sanjarani stood there with that smirk on his face but I quickly stepped behind Sahir.

ASAD:

When I stepped into the administration block, there was nobody on the chairs or the reception who resembled her.
"What if she has already left?", Waqas said scanning the lounge.
" We can still get the matter sorted out and the administration would inform her on its own", I said.
"But what are we going to say. The girl who didn't have her documents? I mean we don't even know her name", Hammad said.
" Wait, I saw it on her documents. It was something like A.... There was A B in her name...... I think it was Abeer", Theo said and just with that slight hint I approached the reception and asked the receptionist about Abeer.
That was a.... I don't know what type of name, but I liked saying that. The receptionist told me that she was actually looking for an ID card with the same name.
"Mr. Hall asked for it", she told.
" Give it to me", I commanded
"But....", she was hesitant. Definitely it was against the rules.
" Sweetheart, you can't say no to me and I'll give it to her ", I said with one of my winning smiles and it definitely hit it's mark.
" Okay", she said and knelt before the rack, looking for the ID card.
"Here", she placed it before me. I picked it up but before I could read the details, the huge door of Mr. Hall's office opened and I turned around unconsciously.
There she was. The girl with the tip tilted nose, the forget me not eyes, the rose red cheeks, dark hair and a swarthy complexion. " Abeer" the name suited her perfectly, but she stepped behind Sahir.
Sahir Afridi, I knew him well. We had met at parties, get togethers and even both of us had our names enlisted for the university's basketball team.
"Hey man! What's up?", I raised my hand to give him a high five.
" I'm good. By the way, what are you doing in the administration block?", he asked.
"Came to help someone", I said.
" But it seems like that you did it already", I completed my sentence eyeing her.
"What do you mean?", he asked , smiling.
"Abeer. I came to sort out the documents matter for her", I said and just then his mobile rang. He looked down at the Caller ID.
"Excuse Me", he said and left with the mobile pressed against his ear.
She, by no doubt, looked like that she would run away at the first given opportunity.
" So we meet again", I said jamming my hands in the pocket of my jeans.
The mixed expressions of fear and anger on her face amused me.
"Unfortunately", she said.
" So here is your ID card Abeer....", I said taking it from Waqas' hand and looking at the owner ID.
"Asad? Your full name is Abeer Asad?", I was surprised.
" What a pleasant coincidence", I said but she snatched it from my hand and turned to go.
"Why are you in such a hurry, Mrs. Asad?", Hammad said stressing on Mrs.
" How dare you say that?", she said turning around, her eyebrows furrowed and her tone angered.
"Well, I am afraid your name says that", he said adding "Abeer Asad, it really is a pleasant coincidence", sarcastically as all of us burst into laughter.
"I am never going to be Mrs. Asad! Never!", she said raising her index finger as if to warn but before anyone of us could say a word, a familiar voice intervened.
" You definitely can't be", all of us turned around and there she stood.
Model gorgeous: tall, regal, with skin the colour of cold coffee due to tanning and sun baths and cheekbones that could carve ice.
She looked hot in her short bubble skirt, fishnets, high black leather boots, an artfully ripped T- shirt topped off with a black leather jacket.
Here dark hair were loose by her sides that she tugged behind her ears with her long fingers that had acrylic nails. Her dark eyes, brightened with lots of shimmery eye makeup were focused on me.
"Brittany?" , I was the first one to speak.
Her glossy lips curved into a smile and she walked towards me. She gave me a brief hug and stood clinging to me.
"You are right. You can never be Mrs. Asad. Because that title...is reserved for me", she said looking at Abeer disapprovingly and then turned to shoot me a smirk.
Abeer let out a sigh and then left but I didn't like that. For the first time, I wished that Brittany should not have come to spoil the moment.