It's All In The Mind √

Chapter Twenty

The thermometer read a humongous 102 degrees.

Sakina lay on the bed with red eyes and an eighty kilo blanket on. Shaahid sat on the chair staring at the temperature scale.

" See.... This is exactly why Salman doesn't like rains... " , Sakina sneezed loud.

" Where do the paracetamols stay? " , Shaahid got up.

" Down the lane in an old house. " , Sakina replied angrily.
" Who asks this way, as if paracetamols are humans? "

" Just keep aside your lame sense of humor and tell me where the meds are. " , Shaahid said.

Sakina pointed at the drawer in the table. Shaahid took out a tablet. Helped Sakina get up, have water as she gulped down the medicine.

" Medicines won't help much. You need water compress on the forehead. I'll be back. " , Shaahid disappeared.

Sakina stared at the door for sometime, then at the clock.
It read 2:30, not a single soul named servant was alive and awake.
But this man who was no one to them, moved around the house only to make her feel better.

She closed her eyes and covered her head with the blanket.

He pulled down the blanket and sat beside her, pressing a wet kerchief on her forehead time and again.

" You don't need to do this Shaahid. "
Sakina said weakly.

" Of course I need to. I wasn't responsible enough unlike your boyfriend to keep you away from the rains. I should make up for that. " , Shaahid grinned.

Sakina remained silent. She felt good as the cold kerchief touched her fiery forehead.

" Were you sleeping when I called you? " , she asked after sometime.

" No. I was counting the exact number of cobwebs in the ceiling of my room. Today I'll clean them. " , Shaahid said.

" I know. No one does their jobs properly in this house. Actually no one on earth takes responsibilities they are supposed to. The best thing is to run away. Like Salman did. Has always done. " , she said.

" Don't talk so much. And don't bring Salman into everything. " , Shaahid said.

" I didn't. You did. By saying he took responsibility by keeping me away from rains. " , Sakina frowned.

Now Shaahid fell silent. He did not want to talk about Salman for the time being, as a part of the approach he had planned.
She had to get rid of him slowly. And then completely and abruptly.

" My fault. Now shut up. " , he said.

" I won't.
Bhai did this for me the last time I fell sick. Salman did not come because his uncle was also sick. His uncle was more important to him. " , Sakina said.
" If bhai would be home, you did not have to do it. But would you let bhai do, or do it yourself? "

Shaahid stared weirdly at her. She was looking at him strangely as well. As if with a lot of expectation.

" Of course I would let Saajid bhai do the needful. I would support him and stand beside though. " , he said.

Her eyes dulled down immediately. And she looked away.
" But you yourself said, you are making up for the harm you did to me. "

" Ophho, that's why I would stay with your bhai and not sleep in my room.
But how can I snatch from him the right of a brother?
A thin line of balance keeps this universe stable. " , Shaahid concentrated on the compress.

Sakina looked at him for sometime. He was not an idiot. Rather a very sorted human being. She suddenly disliked the fact that she was almost admiring the person who ended up sending Salman away.