Intekhaab✔️

Chapter 8 - Aetaraaf (اعتراف)

Sat at the breakfast table, everyone eat in silence after the morning Salams. Qirat wiggles her brows to Bilal, telling him she's about to bring up the conversation of Arifs marriage. Bilal sighed on the outside, but he was jumping like a little girl on the inside, he can't wait to hear it from him brother. Whilst Zaakir, understanding the unsaid conversation telepathically sighed and Qirat winked back to him.

"Arif beta, yeh kya bus daahi kahrahe ho, sahi se nashta lo" Qirat said forwarding a buttered piece of toast to him.

"Thanks" Arif politley accepted.

"Bachey ho abhi bhi bilkul..khudi khilana parta hai mujhe abhi tak..kalko bahu aygi tho kya samjhegi" Qirat dramatically nodded.

Diverting her attention to her husband now she began speaking to him, Zaakir. But she was indirectly speaking to Arif, which everyone but him knew.

"Bahu se yaadh aya, Laiba ko bahu banane ka kitna armaan tha na humara..tch lekin usne aur Bilal ne tho bromance ki hadein par kar rakhogey hein...khair me sochrahi thi kyu na Sheroze se uska rishta lagwaya jaye..?"

And suddenly Arif choked on a bite. And covered it up with a cough.

"Sheroze?" Zaakir asked

"Nidah baaji ka beta..Acha larka hai..aur larki bhi mashallah Laiba humari kitni pyari hai..me tho sochrahi thi ke bilal ne tho saaf inkaar kardiya, tho me Arif ka rishta lagwadeti, Lekin in Janab ko tho shaadi ke naam se hi chir hai".

"Nahi tho" Arif almost squeeled in his defence.
"Mera matlab...pehle ki baat aur thi..abh esa kuch nahi" he calmed his voice down a little and tried to sound mature.

"Tho koi larki hai kya nazar me?" Qirat smilingly asked.

"Huh"

"Kitna pareshan karogi" Zaakir finally intervened the mother son battle of not mentioning Laiba for Arif themselves.

Qirat gave a dramatic look to Zaakir with her eyes as large as saucers. She telepathically told him that she was just about to get him to admit. She made a grumpy face at him but then turned back to her son.

"Beta, ap ko Laiba pasand hai?" Zaakir asked, straight to the point as usual.

Arif felt so nervous at the question. His ears turned red as he tried to remain a collected expression on his face. But his shyness wasn't more then his love for her, seeing this as an opportunity walking right to him, he wasn't going to miss it.

"Jee" he gulped, looking at his father.

And received a slap on the head from his mother. "Itney saalo as puch puch ke thakgayi me ke koi pasand hai..bataya nahi mujhe!" Qirat complained to her son. Who now laughed in nervousness.
His mother couldn't resist his cuteness and kissed his head.

"Hum aap ki phupo se baat karenge" Qirat said whilst ruffling his hair.

"Aur hum tho bhabijaan se baat karenge" Bilal winked and ran.

It wasn't in Bilals nature to be the teasing one, but in reality he had never gotten such a chance before. Right now he had before him two very teasable people and he too wasn't going to miss this opportunity.

———

Falak massaged oil into Laiba's hair. Since laiba had chopped her hair off she cried everyday, missing her long hair. Since then Falak had been doing these oil massages for her hair to grow faster again.

Laiba sat on the floor whilst Falak sat behind her on the sofa and drenched Laibas hair in coconut oil.
"Beta aaj apki mumani ka phone aya tha..puchrahi thi itne dino as ayi kyu nahi".

"Dill nahi chaha ammi"

"Woh..apka haat maangrahin thi.."

"Uff ammi, yeh Bilal ko kya drama suja hua hai abh, mana kar to diya hum dono ne abh.."

"Arif ke liye"

And Laiba froze.

"Arif ne khud apni passand ka aetaraaf kiya hai"

"Ammi aap mana kardein"

"Abh yeh mat bolna ke woh bhi apko behan samjhtein hein..unhone khud aetaraf kiya hai"

"Ammiii" Laiba whined.

"Ek bar Socho tho beta, humari kitni khwaish hai..aur apney mamujaan ke ghar me apko sab kitna pyar karte hein...kal ko mujhe kuch hogaya tho me mutmain tho hongi ke meri beti mehfooz aur khush hai" Falak persuaded.

"Ammiiii.. me nahi karungi arif bhai se shaadi"

"Ek bar socho tho thandey dimagh se.."

"Ammi me kehrahi hu me bhaagjaongi!..agr ap logo ne meri marzi ke khilaf esa kuch kiya me tho bhagjaongi..aur wesai mujhe koi aur passand hai"

"Kya? Kon?"