Shehnaaz Shah
I escaped from lioness's den, haha, I rolled my eyes, not jocking at all. Badhi Ammi is like a abominable person when it turned to trap someone in trouble. Huffing I searched for Sidharth who was enjoying full on with his brothers and some of frnds.
I tapped his shoulder from behind making him turn, facing me. "Hi!" He grinned at me at which I winced.
"Enjoy." I fakely smiled at all of them while I pulled him apart from them and next I dragged him with me.
"Woah woman calm down." He commented sensing my sour mood.
I glared at him as we stopped at a lil distance from the stage where Aru and Salman was displayed as paintings in an art exhibition. I wanted to laugh at my own thaught.
Shaking my thoughts away I looked at my right where Sidharth was looking like he was looking at the strangest person. I cocked my eyebrows at him which he thought to return with a question.
"Where were u?" He finally was considering about my whereabouts.
"U remember about me?" I gave him a mocking impressed look. He opened his mouth to speak but didnt, which I knew bcz he didnt want to argue with me. He then easily tried to go away from there and join his gang back.
"Oye where?" I grabbed his wrist.
"What where?" He eyed at them in a saying manner that he was going there only.
"U r not moving from my side." I strictly said him. Then his eyes turned into their teasing form. He ran his hand over my face, "U want me to stay beside u all the time."
"Kuch bhi ha?" I jerked away his hand while a chuckle left his mouth. "I m saying to be with me bcz of Badhi Ammi."
"Badhi Ammi?" He asked all confused. "From when she is making me profits?"
He was indicating me asking him to stay with me. I rolled my eyes at him.
"U, stop thinking about yourself. And yes if anyone came here to call me on behalf of Badhi Ammi, u will say them that she wont go." I looked around to see if anyone was coming for me.
"Why will I?" He questioned me.
"U know what Badhi Amii was doing. Aunts were talking about their domestic life and family. One was saying my daughter-in-law is number one bitch, one was like aww this is so sad, my one is the best daughter-in-law I could ever get. And another aunt was spilling secrets of her beauty, believe me she was looking the ugliest there." I made a disgusted face.
"And another was doing bla bla. Argh. It was so annoying and Badhi Ammi made me and Zahra Bhabhi sit along with them." I was complaining in one go. It was really suffocating to sit in the middle of those women. I didnt know how Zahra Babhi was sitting there like a statue.
"And do u know the reason?" I looked at him to see him nodding his head in no.
"Bcz I m a daughter-in-law of Shahs now. I have to obey her now without any attempt of denying." I grimaced as her words ranged inside my mind. "It's only bcz of u. Why u too had to be a Shah?" I smacked his arm slightly.
But next a roar of laughter escaped his mouth. The guests around us looked at him weirdly but it wasnt looking he was goona take a concern for it.
"What was so funny there?" I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Everything." And again he got back to laugh.
"Teri haasi toh me nikal thi hu, tu ruk beta" I felt a flicker of irritation from his laughing at my poor condition.
At this correct moment I didnt know from where an aunt in late 30's appeared there. "Beta?" She asked pointing at Sidharth. "Ye apka beta hai?"
We both cringed at her way of asking the question. Was she insane? We didnt answer her question, so maybe she took the amswer in affirmative by herself only. Confusion was laced with her facial expressions. "Par ap toh uski -"
I cut her in the middle as I was too annoyed at this moment. "Par mein toh iski choti behen lagthi huna Anut ji." Then I quickly corrected my words, "mera matlab behen ji."
Sidharth looked at me bewildered, but next he shook his head knowing me well.
"Woh kia haina hum sheher me rehthe hai, agar apko pata nahi toh." My hands were in air as I was explaining her with my over-dramas. "Aur udhar na bohot sadhe beauty parlor hai, ap ana akdin ap toh mujse jawan dikengi agar apne waha ki service li toh." I tried to show her my beauty like the aunts in tv show their to every single person they meet.
That aunt looked at me amused like she was believing my words. "Mein jaror awungi." She was not gonna leave this early, that I can say according to my calculation. But when someone called for her she left.
"Ye pagal log kahase aa jate hai yarr?!" He laughed and I too joined him.
"U remember Alya Api's marriage day?" I asked between my laughter.
"That one was hilarious."
Falshbacks
It was the marriage of Alya Api and she along with Talha bhai was sorrounded with elders. So we kids had no options without roaming around the marriage hall. There was a beautiful lake beside that hall.
So Hafsa, Arya and I decided to enjoy the view. That hall was situated away from our village, all in the midst of nature. So it was really refreshing to be there.
Sidharth came there in search of us, and one of our abbo's cousin's son, Daud bhai, means he was also a cousin brother of us, came with him.
"What u people r doing here?" Sidharth asked in all responsible big bro mood.
"Enjoying and doing fun." We replied in union.
"Let me add some fun in it." Daud bhai said spoting someone.
"Uncle." He called an uncle who was chewing betel leaf (paan). "O uncle idhar idhar." Daud bhai shouted more loudly to gain that uncle's attention. When uncle saw daud bhai he started to come in our direction.
"Oye Daud kio bula raha hai?" Aru laughed, knowing what was gonna happen. We three looked at them with curiosity.
"Uncle sab badhiya hai?" Daud bhai asked putting his hand over his shoulder in a friendly way.
Uncle replied but that was not clear what he said. So he gulped and then he replied that he was fit and fine.
"Shehnaaz ask Uncle how is he?" Daud bhai instructed me.
"Why?" I frowned deeply.
"Ask na yaar." Aru was also nudging me to do so.
"And yes important note. Ask in English that how are you?" Daud bhai spoke in between.
"How r u Uncle?" I tried to be polite, ok?
"Uncle how r u bol rahi hai." Aru eyed at me.
"Oh I love u." Uncle's reply made us all look at him oddly.
"I love u uncle." Aru was the next to speak and uncle replied Aru with a extra word, "I love u too."
Then the place was filled with our loud laughters.
"Uncle ki thori hili huyi hai." Daud bhai said. That only added the sound of laughter more. The matter was Uncle didnt know how to speak English nor he understood the international language, so he used to say or do what the mischievous kids wanted uncle to say or do, if I speak in Daud Bhai's language uncle ki thori hili huyi hai.
The circle repeated like this. We all laughed our heart out that day. Isnt there is a saying that if winter comes can spring be far behind? We also had to dry the water of our eyes by crying that day only.
------
Keeping the day of Alya Api's marriage in mind Aru took promise from everyone that no one was going to cry at her farewell. She didnt want to ruin her costly makeup. I rolled my eyes in my mind as I remembered it. Typical Arya!
U know I used to hate attending marriage or any functions related marriage. Bcz it is very usual, someone will ask your hand for marriage, in such functions. It happened with me several times. But to my relief this time nothing like that would happen as mostly everyone knew about me being tied with Sidharth. But never in my wildest dream I thought Sidharth would get proposal, that too from a girl herself, though it was in a indirect way.
I glared at that girl when she suddenly came and hold his hand. Wasnt that girl noticing me standing beside him? He too didnt protest. Maybe he knew that girl from before. Bcz he was involved too much in girls before.
"Remember the time? We had so much fun together that day when we meet through Arya." That girl asked him after greeting him.
"Yeah." He simply replied in one word.
"U told me that u wanted be with me, but u have to break up with gf first for that." She chuckled and Sidharth looked at me for a single moment. I raised my eyes at him.
"Do u have any gf now?" This girl was surely charmed by him too much for her own good.
"No." He smiled awkwardly at her, removing her hand from his hand.
"Oh that's great!" She exclaimed with joy. "I m too single u know."
I frowned at her words. I looked at Sidharth who was stealing his eyes from me but well aware of my piercing glares.
"Umm it is good. But I m married." He slided his arm around my waist and pulled me with him before mutting a "Excuse us."
I really wanted to see her face so I turned back to see her face filled with disappointment. A smirked played on my lips. I shrugged the thoughts of that girl from my mind.
"Did I tell u?" His husky voice broke my trance then only I noticed we were near at the corridor which was almost desolate. "U r looking annoyingly beautiful today."
"Acha?" I questioned back.
"Hmm." He leaned down, letting his lips touch my neck before biting my ear-lobe slightly.
Ignoring my flushed red cheeks I gasped knowing there was very high chance someone seeing us sharing our moment.
He chuckled as he straightened himself and noticed my shocking face. He again leaned, this time giving light peck to my lips, he pulled back.
His stunts always caught me up in surprise. Leaving me in daze he left from there whistling. For a moment I saw a glimpse of the old carefree Sidharth in him. I smiled at his retreating figure.
Then, I turned on my heels to see Arya and I stood there sometimes beside her comforting her as she was conscious of too many people's staring at her. To my surprise Arya truely didn't shed a single tear at her farewell. She was comforting others to chill reminding everyone that she would come after a day only. As there will be organized a Dawat for the Iqbals (Arya's in-laws).
----
In evening I was roaming around the whole house, but was missing Aruu too badly. Never in my life I stayed in this house without Aru. Sidharth was in their room with Baaz and Sami. Hafsa was with Badhi Ammi and solitude was grabing me around.
Suddenly I thought why not to visit my Nani. Yeah it was a great idea. First I had to inform Ammi and... wait.. maybe I should inform Sidharth first.
So I climbed upstairs to meet him. I knocked before entering. I found Sidharth laying on bed where Sami half laid over him and Baaz's legs up at Sami's body.
I shrinked at the sight. "What is the exact thing going on here?"
"I think we should go." Sami nudged Baaz to get up so that he himself could sit straight up.
After Sami climbed down bed he pulled Baaz along with her out of the room, not before yelling, "Enjoy Bhai."
I turned at the source of Sami's voice knowing it too my glare wont reach him as he was already out of my sight. Surely he was Sidharth's brother. Same to same, no shame at all!
"And Mr. U put some clothes." I searched for any kind of his upper wearings, finding one I hit directly at his face.
"Otherwise U will catch cold." I spoke before he could spill some witty remarks. He muttered some incoherent words while putting the piece of clothe.
"Sami is becoming just like u." I said breaking the silence, a lil amusement in my voice.
"Ahah, like me?" He pulled me, the pull was strong enough to make me fall over him. My hair was all over his face, he was playing with them, placing them at their right position. "U mean smart or handsome or -"
I beated him off, "I meant very annoying." I got up and straightened my clothes and hair.
"Oh yeah! Listen." I turned to face him as I remembered the reason I came there. I circled my hands around him. "I m thinking about going to Nani's place."
"Why?!" Irritation pricked at him.
"I m not feeling like to stay here. Aru is also not here. So-" I drop my words down, let him guessing the rest.
"But I m here na. So u are not going anywhere." Was he throwing his decision at me?
"But it is a matter of a day only Sidharth. I will be back till tomorrow night." I stepped back from my place, creating some space between us.
"Did u came here for my permission or letting me know your decision?" He ran his hand through his air, an act to represent his frustration. But I never said such things to make him frustrated
"Why I have to ask for your permission? " I questioned back.
"Can you just answer the damn question?" I felt anger building inside me at the tune he used.
"I just came here to inform u." I tried to calm down, but wasnt successful much.
"Then do whatever u wanna do." Uttering those words he left from there, he simply left between our incomplete conversation!!
The next morning
I was walking towards living room. The last night Sidharth didnt show his face to me. I didn't know how pointless the argument was, but it was surely pointless. And Sidharth, he was acting like that was a very serious matter.
I also didnt leave to see my nani. I couldn't stay there at peace knowing he was angry at me.
While nearing to my destination I heard noices of yelling. Reaching there I saw Sidharth and Hafsa shouting at each other.
I saw Sami, Baaz and Zahra Bhabhi standing there, not trying to dispose their fight.
I quickly stood by his side requesting him to calm down. But it was being nasty more and more. I hold Sidharth's hand to pull him but he wasn't leaving before ending this shit.
Momentarily I moved away from him as Lala Ammi came there. "Sidharth go to your room." Lala Ammi instructed him.
"First lemme show her-"
"Sidharth I SAID U TO GO." Lala Ammi stated in a strict tune. After giving her a last glance he left from there fuming.
"That asshole!!he changes girl in his life like weather changes and he was giving me a character certificates, gow to behave."
Allah knew why I heard this. After this nothing was keeping me away from this one line. Unknown to myself I was hurt from before. The previous night, when we were having argument he just walk off before clearing the things between us.
And when I heard Hafsa saying my mind got clouded with the past thoughts. Like I said before he was too much involved with girls.
The scene flashed in the back of my mind when he introduced us to one of his girlfriend. 'Here is the love of my life.'
I blew air out of my mouth out of annoyance, running my hands over my face. "Dont think, dont think Shehnaaz. Dont think about the past, that has nothing to do with our present."
I moved away from people's sight, I pulled my hair as that one thought wasn't leaving my mind. I never emphasised on thinking about his past relationship with his so-called girlfriends though I m possessive about my people. I felt like my head would burst any time soon.
----
Finally!!
~Fari❤