Promises And Fate

Chapter# 3

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  I enter my classroom and put my college bag in my study chair. I try to steady my irregular breath by putting a hand over my rapidly beating heart . Today I have made it in time and I am not late for the first period,rather I am pretty five minutes earlier. Which is a success for me.
I remove the skin shawl-covering my head and chest, and my black hair braids fall over my shoulder, while folding the shawl.

"Arzu!" Someone shouts my name right from behind so suddenly that I gasp and turn around quickly.

I find my best friend grinning at me in her white college uniform, with her black wavey hair pushed back from her forhead with a hair band and rest of them, touching her shoulders.

"Maheen! You are insane." I glare at her.

"I know, that's why I am your best friend." She grins like an idiot and I pull at her ear slightly.

"Ouch! Why do you behave like my mom?" She grunts.

"Because you often forget to behave." I tease her.

" Well shut up for the lecture on behavior then." She sticks out her tongue at me.

"But you can not shut her up." I motion my finger towards the professor entering in the classroom and shouting her orders of discipline on the students. We both hurriedly settle down in our seats like all the rest of the students.

" I wish I could mute her with a remote or something." Maheen whispers in my ear making bored expressions.

" Keep that mouth shut and focus on the lecture Maheen." A heavy voice echoes in the classroom and Maheen in a current motion looks at the notes of literary criticism lecture, taken on the white board.

I try to suppress my giggles by putting a hand over my mouth. Maheen glares at me and hits on my arm with elbow.
I mouth a sorry to her and we both attend the rest of the lecture with focus.

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"Arzu! You are so mean. You were laughing at me." Maheen hits me with her bag and I dodge it aside with my arms.

" What did I do?" I pout at her.

"Oh don't make that innocent face with baby like twinkle in eyes. I know you were enjoying it." She glares at me and gives me a shove.

"Oh Mahi! It is just that the way Mrs Umair shut you up, it forced a giggle out of me." I sheeply look at her.

" You are dead! Arzu!" She steps forward to pounce at me in anger but
abruptly stops. Her face from deep red  changes into a warm pinkish glow and her eyes twinkle with a weird shine.

" You submitted the form in the morning?" She asks with a hope and I close my eyes for instant and then nod at her.

" Yay! And what's next?" She glides an arm over my shoulders.
Maheen's anger stays just for few seconds and then it evaporates specially when her mind clicks on something very important to her.

" Well! Miss Arfa told me that she would inform me about any further information related to the competition tomorrow."

" Inform me about it then."

" I will. Don't worry."

" Mahi, today I have to go to book store after college. Will you come along?" I ask her.

" Of course, I will. Have I ever refused to anything you ask for?" She playfully pinches my cheeks and I shake my head at her.

" Now let's go for next class because I am in no mood for another insult." She drags me by the arm upstairs and I laugh at her. She looks back to glare at me and I immediately put a finger on my lips.

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" How much for it?" I put three books of some historical fiction on the counter and dig out my wallet from my college bag.

" A thousand rupee." A middle aged man with greyish whiskers and hair tell me. And I put the money on the counter in front of him.

I take the plastic bag filled with the books and look around in order to spot Maheen.

" Mahi!" I pat on her shoulder and she turns towards me with a book covering her face.

"The Lights Out." She closes the book, revealing her face and turn its front cover showing up the title, towards me.

Maheen loves horror fiction. She goes to the counter and buys it. Then we both step out of the book store and begin to walk on the pavement.

" I have messaged aunt that we had dropped off at the bookstore from van and now you are going with me to my house." Maheen informs me while typing a text on phone.

I simply nod at her and tug at  my shawl over my head to fix it a little bit.
Maheen pulls her black shawl forward on her head and fixes her gaze on the rickshaws passing by to spot an empty one.

" Arzu!" I hear an utterance of my name when a motorbike all of a sudden stops near us with its sound of turned on engine, on the main road.

I look at him and greet a Salam with a tight lip smile. He responds back with a smirk and smoothing down the creases on his red check shirt he gets off his motorbike.

"What are you doing here on this road?" He questions, fixing his gaze on me and tightening his eyebrows.

I do not answer rather take a quick glance at his full attire. His red check shirt with blue jeans and white joggers, his golden wrist watch and stylishly combed hair, were in contrast to his penetrating gaze and the vicious smirk on his clean shaved tanned face. After a quick glance I snatch away my gaze to look at the road.

" I think, I asked a simple question, Arzu. If you don't want to answer then it's alright." I can still feel his stare on my face. I grab the hand of Maheen and motion her forward to walk away from him.

" Mind to tell the reason behind this rudeness." He pounces infront of me to stop me and I gasp at him.

" I don't owe an answer for my behavior to everyone." I snap at him.

" Woha! Everyone? Since when I became everyone?" He sneers.

" Hey! Behave." Maheen warns him and he gives out a laugh.

" I think you should tell your best friend to behave. How can she be so disrespectful to her future husband on the road?" He fakes a gasp and gives me a terrifying look which increases the anger in me.

" Future husband? Stop dreaming cousin." I snap at him and motion my fingers at him to get off our way.

" We will see in future, whether this dream turns into a sweet reality or not. Which I am sure it will be a reality, my love." He grabs my hand and says it almost in a whisper. I snatch back my hand and slap him hard on the face.

His hand flies towards his face instantly and he rubs his slightly swollen cheek. He looks at me with startled expressions. Maheen keeps silent and I feel my  haphazard heart beat in my chest.

" Don't forget this slap, Junaid Murtza, or I will have to remind you in future about it." I warn him with my index finger.

He keeps on clenching and unclenching his jaw but doesn't utter a single word.

" Rickshaw!" I wave my hand towards a rickshaw to stop it.

" Come along Maheen."
Leaving behind a shocked boiling in anger, Junaid, I grab Maheen's hand and we both get into it. I tell it's driver to start it and with its roaring noise it speeds away on the road.

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-------------------------------------TO BE CONTINUED.......
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