Harris laid back in his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him. Lazily his arm flew across to the other side and draped on the back of Vania's chair.
Vania stiffened at his closeness and turned only slightly towards him, whispering, "Seedhey ho ke betho kiya hogaya hai! Office hai."
He watched her with drooped lids and gave a rougish smile.
"Thori si thakkan ho rahi hai....."
He said and stretched his arms out wider leaning in more on her side.
He breathed in the soft cherry blossom of her perfume and felt his heart beat dance. His choclaty browns peeked into her gray irisis and smiled at her nervousness. He reached for her.
"Harris!!" She hissed at him and he changed tactics reaching for her pen instead and sitting back upright.
"Pen le raha hun khali!" He stated playing innocent and Vania was speechless.
"Yeh tumhari table pe kiyaa hai?" She pointed to his own.
"Yeah, but your's is more smooth.." he winked and Vania's breath got stuck between her lungs.
She blinked looking away and instantly Anoushey was at her desk beside her. Harris pretended to be busy like he wasn't just teasing Vania a second ago.
"Vanu Vanu! I sent you an attachment jaldi se uska print nikaal do!" She said hastily.
Vania whined, "Yaarrr why don't you use your own printer!"
"Pata toh haai tumheyn jani your's is more smooth!"
Harris snorted and then covered up his laugh by a cough.
"Vania and her smoothness." he mumbled under his breath.
She elbowed him but hit the pencil cup instead and it clattered to the floor.
"Kuch kaha Ibrahim?"
He turned to a smiling Anoushey and shrugged, "Very smooth."
His eyes were on Vania who was quickly picking up the fallen stationary by her feet.
She looked up and glowered at him and he cheekily grinned.
.........
The most satisfaction he got today was by seeing Waqas's broken face. A special balm to his heart was the fact that he was no longer staring at Vania not even a side glance.
Harris wanted to fist pump the air in joy or maybe raise his collar in style. The most immaturest of thoughts was that to stick his tongue out at him in victory.
He bit his lips and looked down at his screen controling his laugh.
*Ahem* he cleared his throat and said, "Hey Waqas!"
Vania looked up shocked at Harris. Waqas too looked up confused and a bit rattled at being called by Harris of all people.
"Are you okay?" Harris asked acting polite. Vania motioned him with her eyes to stop.
Fahad too looked up at Waqas and said, "Aaj thora down lag raha bro, sb theek hai naa?"
Waqas cleared his throat, "Yeah.. Yeah... Just... Thora sir mai dard hai..."
"Oh have a Panadol!" Harris piped up. "Here. Sab dard dur hojayen ge." He grinned playing the good guy.
"Yeah.. Ummm.. Sure... Thanks" Waqas mumbled and Vania grit her teeth.
Harris sat back down and they all continued with their work.
Suddenly he felt a pinch on his forearm and he hissed softly.
"Kiya hai?" He whispered askes Vania.
"Kiya faltoo harkat thi yeh?"
"Bhai kaa khyal kar raha hun... Ab iss main bhi kuch ghalat hai? Dekho bichara kitna sad lag raha hai..."
She hit his shoulder softly and he raised his brows in question.
She rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Loser.."
Than began working again.
Harris felt like he just won a trophey or a gold medal when she said that.
Years! It had been years since he heard her last say this to him. He felt like he could hug Waqas for being the reason she called him 'loser' again. But this time he controlled his urges.
Sighing he fell back in his chair smiling widely at his computer.
"Aaj din kitna payar hai naa..." He randomly said.
Farah and Qirat looked up and hmmed in agreement.
"Haan bohat." Hashir too agreed but none knew the reason why Harris thought it was a good day.
Not even Vania.
__________________________________
Ayaan didn't get to talk to Airaa all morning as he was surrounded by so many other people but he was sure he would get to sit next to her in class.
He entered Dr. Wajiha's lecture hall and jogged up the steps to reach the 'Royal Aisle'.
Shock froze him into place for a second as he noted Airaa had made some other random classmate sit in his place.
He frowned trying to catch her gaze but she had a curtain of hair covering her, blocking his view of her face.
"Ayaan!" He heard Asad's voice from the other side of the lecture hall gesturing for him.
"Yeah I am coming." Ayaan answered.
With one last glimpse at Airaa he began to turn away.
She looked up at his back and chewed on her bottom lip as the conversation she had with Maryum and Imaad in the morning repeated in her head.
*Flashback to the morning*
"Yaar Airaa we are soo sorry for friday.... Sara plan kharab ho gaya thaa.. But I swear ab ki baar kuch bohat acha socheyn ge." Maryum said as she joined them on their table in the ground.
Airaa's heart beat faster in her chest as she heard that.
Something has changed definitely. Something she doesn't want to acknowledge. The thought of hurting him isn't as pleasing anymore specially hearing Maryum say it like that.
"Hero ki akr ki aysi ki taysi! Uss ko toh main nhi chorun gaa. Pata nhi khud ko kiyaa samajhta haai...." Imaad said with anger.
Airaa's fist curled at his menacing tone of voice and she glared.
"Shut up!"
They looked up at her shocked and Airaa quickly covered up.
"Tum toh apna mun hi band rakho.... Kbhi koi kaam ka plan banata nhi ho...." She completed and they relaxed.
Airaa breathed out.
'Shit... This is not right.'
"Yaar Airaa I swear I'll think of something really good. Tell you what! school ke bahir pakartey hain usko. Let's stop with this juvenile shit. Campus ke bahir mere kuch friends hain. Hum usko sahi sabaq sikhayen ge--"
"No!" Airaa yelled.
He frowned at that. Airaa's heart hammerred against her chest as his words stirred an unpleasant vile feeling in her.
"Kiyaa hua?" Maryum asked.
"I don't want to think about him right now..." Airaa said coldly.
She was Airaa, if she says she doesn't want to think about it nobody will.
"Okay okay... let's drop it." Maryum said and gestured with her hand at Imaad to ease up.
"Talk about something else. Subha subha uss idiot ki kyun baat kar rahey ho? Sara mood kharab kar diya.." She entered in to her bitch mode and glared at Imaad and Maryum throwing her hair back.
Immad spoke up changing topics, "Aaj sham main aou gi naa?"
Airaa furrowed her brows.
"Haan Zaroon ki birthday party hai. You will be coming right? You said you would..." Maryum asked.
Airaa chewed on her lip. Inwardly her stomach churned with unease at the thought of going. She hated the misogynist Zaroon Affandi and his rowdy as hell night raves. She never attended in the previous years as well playing the 'too cool hard to get ice-queen'. But this year she had already promised Imaad and Maryum she'd come with the hopes of teaching Ayaan a lesson.
Now that that plan had failed he won't be there but she'd still have to go. Because Airaa Kamran doesn't back out of commitments.
"Haan obviously. Aoun gi." She gave an eye roll.
Imaad and Maryum grinned, high fiving her and she gave a fake one back.
"Party scenes on hain phir! Ali or Rameen bhi hon ge bohat fit scene hoga!"
Airaa just nodded not sharing the enthusiasm.
"Black and gold theme hai--"
"Please.. We don't follow themes." Airaa grinned her sadistic grin and Imaad and Maryum mirrored her.
"Never!" They smirked
"We'll go in red." She stated.
They laughed and began chatting about the party and other school gossip, Ayaan Amir successfully off their minds.
Airaa sighed in relief but knew this was short lived.
She'd have to stay away from him and keep her group away from him too.
Ughhhh... Why is she doing all this in the first place?!
*End of Flash back*
Imaad whistled after Ayaan as he left to go to the other side.
"Heroo! Nice shirt! Date hai ajj kiyaa?"
They laughed and slapped their hands together Airaa didn't turn.
Ayaan gave them a side glance and rolled his eyes, "Haan Airaa se poocho usko pata hai."
She stiffened and the class turned to her shocked.
Reluctantly, she raised her head and glared at him with her jaw clenched. He met her eyes finally as if to tell her 'She can't ignore him'
She gave a harsh breath and raked her mind for a bitter response. She knew what Ayaan was trying to do.
She won't let him win.
He dared her to break eye contact. He dared her to look away. She didn't.
Her hands fisted tight, she opened her mouth but Dr. Wajiha entered the class at that moment and all ruckous died down.
She huffed and finally looked away. He turned around to walk to the seat reserved for him by his friend.
..........
She speed walked out of the class Imaad and Maryum hot at her heels.
"Airaa! Why didn't you respond?"
"Uska mun kyun nhi band kar waya?! Bohat zyada over ho raha hai yeh! sach kaa hi hero samjhne lag gaya khud ko!"
"Iska kuch karna hoga yaar!" Imaad said to her angrily.
Airaa gritted her teeth a head ache began working its way up her brain.
"Yar chup karo tum dono!" She screamed.
They stopped walking shocked.
Airaa gave a breath out and turned to face them, "Abhi I have surgery lab you guys have another class...I don't wanna waste energy thinking about that stupid idiot! Alright!"
They again nodded their head but eyed her suspiciously.
"Hey.. You okay naa?" Maryum asked.
"I am fine." Airaa replied dryly and left for class.
........
Ayaan saw Airaa turning the corner to go to the labs and he jogged up to catch her.
Airaa walked fast sensing him behind her but he was still faster.
Grabbing her by the arm he dragged her into the empty corridor and blocked her path.
Both panting heavily from the running, stopped to catch their breaths but then Airaa recovered and began to leave.
He grabbed her again and this time she yanked her arm roughly.
"Don't touch me!"
"Why are you avoiding me?" He asked without missing a beat.
"Avoid? Why would I be avoiding you? Itna special nhi samjho khud ko. Whatever happened last night didn't change anything! Alright! Get it through your head! We're not friends! We're not anything! I wouldn't associate myself with someone like you!"
She tried to muster all her bitterness, all her anger in her voice making it as hateful as she could.
He was unfazed.
He scoffed loudly and slammed a hand on the wall beside her.
Airaa's heart beat wildly and she blinked.
"Nothing changed huh? That's why you were standing there staring at me in the morning? That's why you didn't go running to your so called friends and told them I am a liar? That I am freaking rich and I pretend! You didn't go around spreading hateful rumours about me? Because nothing changed?"
Airaa stared speechless. She tightened her fists and looked away.
"And you wouldn't want to associate yourself with someone like me?? Are you kidding?" He gave a dry laugh, "You and I both know we're past that stage Airaa... Then why?" His voice took a softer touch by the end and Airaa sucked in breath.
"Nothing changed Hero! You shouldn't trust me! That rumour can be spread at a snap of my finger! Don't push your luck." she glared harshly.
He matched her glare, "I dare you! Karo spread! Tell them all! I dare you!"
She growled and pushed him back hard, "Shut up and leave me alone or I will hurt you Hero I swear I will!"
She began walking away but he caught her wrist pulling her back.
"You won't be able to hurt me Airaa. You can try. But you won't.." He whispered to her.
She yanked her wrist free harshly and stomped forward without looking back.
........
She slammed open the door to the ladies washroom which was empty as everyone was in class.
Slapping her hand on the sink, she breathed in roughly.
'Idiot! Khud ko samjhta kiyaa hai woh!'
She glared at her reflection with venomous eyes. The light stung them and they got wet but she didn't blink.
She gave out a large gust of air and bent down to splash her face with water to get rid of the heat.
Then she again stared at her reflection. Beads of water slipped down the edge of her chin and she looked vicious.
But more than that.... She looked broken.... She looked scared..... She looked.... Like she was yearning....
For what? She didn't know.. But she could see it in the green of her eyes.
She gulped and looked away.
"You won't be able to hurt me Airaa."
How? How was he so sure?
And why was he soo right? Why was the thought of hurting Ayaan suddenly making her feel like throwing up. Why was she soo averted to it?
What changed?!
"F*ck!!" she punched the side of the sink and her knuckle split open. A trickle of blood ran down the side of her fist.
"Shit!" She hissed and ran water over her wound.
It stung badly and tears sprung up in her eyes. The bleeding stopped and she closed the tap then wiped her hand and applied a bandaid.
She then looked at her face and quickly wiped the water away with a paper towel.
She re-applied her make up and lipstick puffed up her hair.
A last glance at herself in the mirror and she no more saw the wild Airaa but the cold mean girl with scary green eyes. The girl that would walk all over anyone who dares to cross her. She was cruel.
She sighed and left the bathroom to go to the surgery lab.
'I don't lose! I don't lose!'
__________________________________
Ufff! Airaa is soo intense! And writing her intensness is hard 😰 but I hope I was able to deliver it well.
My point in making her like this is to give a realness to her character. People like Airaa don't change in one day.. It takes a lot of effort. She is in too much shit to come out of it very easily and stand up to the same people she ruled over.
Let's see what happens next.
Harris bhai tohh bhai full Lala land main hain abhi... Unki zindagi ke khushi ke din chal rahyn hain. 😂 Smile with Harris and Vania and have a head ache with Airaa and Ayaan.
Ramzan Mubarak to all my dear readers! 😁😁 Ab miltey hain pata nhi kab 😅
Stay blessed
Stay safe