Then Armaan heard, "Mr! Wait a minute please."
A smile spread on his face and he turned to her.
"Yes, miss." He said, "what happened?"
"I forgot you to tell you that need to enter your info here as you've taken the book."
"Yea sure." He filled up the entries and saw she was looking at him intently, as if puzzled about something.
"What happened?" He asked.
"Why would Armaan Malik come to the Library, like why?" She pondered and she was questioning herself but then realized that she said it out aloud.
"I mean--" she was about to give explanations but he interrupted her, "I know it's strange but I just wanted to get this book from the Library… I didn't know this book existed until I came to his Library and wanted to read it before it went off my mind."
"Not a good excuse but okay…" she smiled slightly, "did you get to know about this book because of me?"
Armaan's eyes widened and he felt like all his excuses would go in waste cause she got to know.
"Yeah I did." He didn't lie anymore.
"I'm glad, it's a great book." She said.
"Had to be."
"It's time," the girl looked at the clock.
"What?"
"It's time for me to go," she said, "I'm closing the Library."
"Oh… thanks for the book."
"You're welcome."
He turned to leave but now that he had talked to her this much, he gathered courage and turned.
"Can I ask you, your name?" He asked.
"Inaya Rawat." She smiled.
"Armaan Malik, nice meeting you." He held out his hand for hand shake, she hesitantly took and they shared a shake hand.
"Bye, have a great … " he looked at the clock, "evening."
"I wish the same for you," Inaya said.
__
"Armaan, where were you? Why so late?" Asked Armaan's mother, Jyoti Malik as he walked in.
"Nothing Mom, I was just wondering. Any problem?"
"No, what's in your hand?"
"A Book, Armaan??" Amaal asked, shocked.
"How are you at home so early?" Armaan counter questioned his elder brother.
"Just like that… You tell me… has the sun risen in the West that you've got a book with yourself? You don't like reading."
"Nothing, I just found this one interesting, so got it…"
"Hmm, strange, what's the name?"
"Why she disappeared."
"Sounds really interesting." Amaal said, he noticed that something was up to Armaan and he wanted to know it.
_
After dinner Armaan walked to his room and played a few tunes on guitar while looking out of the window, and suddenly his eyes fell on the book. He doesn't like reading but he picked it up. Is it not said that when you're into someone, you copy their actions and activities to understand their state of mind? Armaan was doing the same, reading a book she was reading.
"When she fell, she fell apart.
Cracked her bones on the pavement she once decorated
as a child with sidewalk chalk" Armaan was murmuring the words of the book and soon he was asleep with the book in his hands.
Another bright morning came and Armaan was woken up by a loud yell of Amaal.
"Arre Yaar, what happened?" Armaan woke up.
"Nothing much but I'm awake." Amaal grinned.
"So what should I do? Party?" Armaan said, "but yeah it is something to party about, how are you awake so early?"
"Just like that, I wanted to spend the day with you."
"That would be cool."
They both got ready and after having breakfast the two brothers headed out.
"Where are you going Armaan?"
"Library?"
"For what?"
"To return the book…"
"You read it all already?" Amaal raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, to an extent."
_
"I'll just come back after returning the book," Armaan put on sunglasses and cap so that no one recognised him.
He walked in and it was early morning so not many people were inside the library.
He found Inaya in front of a shelf, arranging books
"Inaya," he walked to her and she turned.
"You?"
"I was here to return the book…"
"You read it?" She asked with a smile, a little shocked.
"I did. It was beautiful," He smiled back and she took the book.
"Any Favourite quote from it?" She asked.
"Without your past,
you could never have arrived-
so wondrously and brutally,
By design or some violent, exquisite happenstance
...here," he quoted.
A brighter and bigger smile broke out her face, "it is my favourite from the book too!"
"We've got a connection, I swear." He chuckled but then they realised that they were talking a little too loud so they slowed down and gave silent smiles at each other.
"I'd come to take another book--"
"You can come at the same time as yesterday," she completed.
"Thanks," he smiled and he knew he should leave now but he didn't want to… with a great annoyance to his heart, he turned and walked out and found Amaal waiting for him outside with narrowed eyes.
"Now I understand why Prince AM was interested in reading and the library…"
"What…" Armaan tried to hide the obviousness.
"You know what…" Amaal said, "she's cute."
"What? Were you spying?"
"Not really, it took you half an hour to return a book, I had to see what's so special." Amaal laughed.
Armaan rolled his eyes and Amaal laughed.
“Wouldn’t you introduce her to me?” Amaal said
“Not too soon!” Armaan said, “I don’t even know her.”
"You will." Amaal laughed, "with the speed that you're going!"
____________
Since Inaya had already told him when to come, Armaan walked in.
"Hey." He said she was reading a book.
"You're half an hour late." She pursed her lips together, "If I hadn't been caught up in reading the book, I would have closed the library and went back home."
"I know, I mean I was stuck, you know Amaal was showing me some lyrics of the song, I have to sing for SRK!" he said, he looked really happy.
"Wow, you seem really excited!"
"Exactly, I've always wanted to sing for him for like once and now I got two!"
"That's really cool."
"Why did you come here though?" She asked.
"You called."
"I didn't." She widened her eyes.
"For a book."
"Okay, which one," she asked
"Okay I won't lie anymore. I don't know any books and I'm not much of a reader but I'm trying to. I loved why she disappeared… so suggest some more good books as that one."
______________________________________
Finally!! He said the truth!! 😂 It's never good to start anything with likes ya know!
🤗
Love y'all !
Take care🥺