A hundred silent ways

Chapter 3

He felt that uneasiness since the day of Almas wedding. He felt utterly helpless because his mind would go back to her. The moment when he saw her in that red dress. Consider him a goner.

Everyone was praised bride but nobody saw bride's sister. How beautiful she looked. It seemed as if she had landed straight from heaven. It was his eyes may be. That deceived. Or may be his mind, that pictured her ever so beautifully. Whatever it was but it made his heart melt away.

Her eyes weren't the one you could fall deep in. Neither her features were that symmetrical yet it held him captive. He never fell for her face, he has seen her since childhood. Same school, same college they studied in. Every function they attempted together. He never looked at her wrongly. Throughout all those years, he noticed one thing that was very prominent about Amarha. It was her modesty, her limits that she knew very well.

When she was 15 she started covering her hair away. He had a vivid memory of her shaggy brown hair braided in two as they both walked into their school, sometimes her hair held high in a ponytail and whenever she ran, her ponytail jumped along. He remembered when she had cut her bangs in eighth grade and showed him the next day. Now he wanted to see her hair again. After all those years he mused on how would they look now on her features. How would they look when her hair strands would brush her cheeks.

Mohsin mini glanced the book in his lap as he leaned on his bed headboard. He was preoccupied and so couldn't focus on whatever he was studying. He blinked his eyes several times and then narrowed them on the page because his mind was in a daze. His vision too. There was a wave of sleep and he felt flaking away until he heard his phone vibrating in his trousers' pocket.

Taking the phone to his ears, he mumbled, "Hm? Marha."

"Sorry. Its quite late but i felt sleepy an—."

"I get it. You are sleepy so you called me to let sleep not overcome you because we both have test tomorrow." He said straight. "Same buddy same." He kind of wailed like a friend would to the other.

After a while she answered "Yah and thank you for saying it for me. I was too tired to even move my lips."

He smiled dreamily.

"So now what are we going to do?" He asked but then he reframed his question. "When are you sleeping by the way?"

After a few shuffles she answered, "i dunno. I think i wont because i still have a whole assignment left to make. What 'bout you?"

"I will sleep after two hours." He eyed the wall clock which displayed 2AM.

She smiled through the other side of phone. "You are a genius."

He scratched the back of his neck, "you too."

She shook her head through phone, well aware that he is not here to see. "You always lead with marks and everything." She spoke hoarsely. He didn't answer so she continued, "but i am happy for you. You are a hard worker and you deserve it all right?"

"You too. Don't worry."

There was a pause. She stared at the small window before her bed on which curtains were fallen because she was too scared at night to peek outside. Pondering if she really should stop worrying.

She decided to change the topic and called him. "Mohsin?"

"Hm" he only mumbled a hum and she continued. "You remember Almas Rukhsatti?"

"Ahan!" His mind vaguely traveled to her red dress that she wore on Almas Barat. "What about that after so many weeks?"

"You didn't lemme meet her when she was leaving. Why didn't you?" Her voice was deep and rough.