"Whether he lives or dies, I don't have any link to that person. So refrain from giving me his news from now on!"
Nisha stopped in her position when she heard her mother's angry voice as soon as she entered the house. She was talking on a telephone. After that, she flinched at the loud bang of the poor telephone on the wooden board.
She came from college just now.
She walked inside and reached the tv lounge where her mother was still looking at the telephone with red eyes as though she was going to burn the poor thing with the heat of her stare.
"Who were you talking to, Ammi?" She asked as she placed her bag on the chair.
"No one... I mean it was just a wrong number," Tabinda retorted.
"Oh!" Nisha mumbled as she took out a bottle of water from the fridge. She poured the water into a glass and gulped it down.
"You go and change your uniform. I set the food table, " Tabinda told her at which she nodded.
As they were having a meal, she remembered when her father's brother came in her way this morning. Should she tell her mother? After thinking for a while, she finally concluded that she should not hide this thing from her.
"Ammi!" She called her.
"Yes, Ammi ki Jaan," Tabinda said while she placed a morsel in her mouth.
Nisha smiled at this reference from her mother. She always loved when she called her like this.
"You know, that uncle from yesterday--",
Tabinda looked at her in alarm as her eyes widened, "what--what did he do to you?" She cut her off and asked quickly.
"He did nothing, Ammi. Be assured. He came to my college in the morning and asked me to let him talk to me. He was so insisting but I declined since you asked me to not meet him. Just that's the thing," she explained.
"You did well. And remember Nisha, you won't meet or talk to that man ever in your life. Except for your Dadi Amma, you are not going to talk to anyone from your father's side. Understand?" Tabinda ordered her.
"I won't Ammi. You can trust me. But...can I ask you one thing? Promise you won't get angry," she asked her while showing her puppy eyes.
"What is it?" Tabinda glanced at her with gritted brows as what she wanted to say that Nisha was scared that she would get angry but she asked her to go ahead anyway.
"Ammi, that uncle! I mean, does he regret doing it to Baba? His eyes...his eyes showed regret and like...you know he asked me to at least talk to him like--"
"Nisha!" She stopped when her mother called out loudly.
"How old are you?" Tabinda asked with a straight face. Nisha looked at her in confusion at her sudden question.
"Ammi!"
"I asked how old are you?" This time, Tabinda said it louder as her voice turned shrill. Nisha gulped down in panic. Her mother became a different woman whenever the topic of her father's family came.
"T...T...Twenty years," she mumbled.
"I have way more experience than your age is even. So don't fall into any trap. I know what is better for you and what is not. So do what I say. Understood?" Tabinda glared at her.
Nisha nodded as her eyes dropped down to her lap and she started fidgeting her fingers. "Fine, Ammi."
"Good. Now finish this. I make tea for you. You must be tired," she announced as she stood up.
"I...I will make it, Ammi," Nisha asserted.
"No, my daughter is also tired. I will do it, don't worry," she lovingly patted her head and went towards the kitchen.
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Her eyes were on her zoology book, her finger having a pen was making ambiguous lines on the page but her mind was somewhere else.
Her mother's behavior turned polar opposite on the mention of her in-laws. She hated them so much. And the reason was justified; that man took away her Baba from her. She suddenly felt a deep rush of hatred for him. Her grip on the pen tightened as she gritted her jaw. She would never talk about them at all in front of her mother. She nodded her head at her self-made decision.
Tossing away every thought, she turned towards her book when her phone rang. She diverted her attention to it and picked it in her hand. It was Huzaifa's call. She smiled before touching the green sign on her screen.
"Hi Nisha, are you free?" Huzaifa asked as soon as she picked up.
"Umm...I am...Kind of. Why are you asking?"
"Actually, we have a plan for eating ice cream and I thought to ask you as well. So should we come and pick you up as well?" He invited.
"Huzaifa, let me ask Ammi then I will let you know," she replied.
She heard him sigh audibly. "You have to take Khala Ammi's permission about everything. You are twenty years old, Nisha. Not two years old."
"Huzaifa, she is my Ammi. And I don't do anything without telling her," she glared at the phone as she spoke with gritted teeth.
"Okay okay, go and ask Khala Ammi. I was kidding. Let me know quickly then, hmm?"
"I will."
She disconnected the call and got up from her study table. She walked out of her room and reached the hall where her mother was busy sewing.
"Ammi!" She called her.
"Hmm?" Tabinda mumbled even without looking at her, as her sole attention was on sewing the bottom of the brown frock.
"Huzaifa called me. He told me that they are going to eat ice cream and they wanted to take me as well. All the cousins would be there. Can I go?" She asked while maintaining a smile on her lips.
Tabinda stopped what she was doing and peeked at her from above her glasses. "Fine, ask him to pick you up. Come home quickly, okay?"
Nisha jumped in excitation, "thank you Ammi. And don't worry, I will come back quickly."
Tabinda nodded as she returned the smile to her and went back to her work. Nisha rushed back to her room and called Huzaifa that her mother had conceded so he would pick her up. She opened her wardrobe. After a lot of thinking, she brought out a mustard long shirt reaching almost to her knees with white trousers. She quickly took a shower and wore her dress when the horn of a car reverberated in her ears. She picked up her purse and settled the white dupatta on her head and came out.
"Ammi, I am going. Allah Hafiz!"
"Go safely, beta," Tabinda reminded her and prayed in her heart for her safety.
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When she reached the car, she saw Haider was in the driving seat while Huzaifa was in the front seat. Haya and Rania were seated in the back seat. Haya was the sister of both the brothers while Rania was another Khala's daughter who recently came from Lahore to Karachi to visit the place. She smiled at everyone before sitting inside, on the back seat with the girls. Haider started the car.
"Didn't Unaiza come?" She asked seeing one of the members of her girl gang missing.
Huzaifa groaned and in the side mirror, she could find her rolling his eyes. Everyone was aware of how much he got irritated by that poor girl who never meant any harm to him. She was a sweet, simple, and a bit timid type of girl. But she was damn intelligent and being in the same class as Huzaifa was her life's biggest downfall. Everyone involving their teacher always praised and favored Unaiza which irked Huzaifa and he started to dislike her. Even his parents and siblings also compare him to her all the time.
"Unaiza Api said she has to make an assignment. She said that she had to complete it and didn't have time to go out so she didn't come," Haya replied. She was fourteen years old, a bit chubby but beautiful and cute.
Everyone turned towards Huzaifa when he suddenly started coughing. They all glanced at him with a look like he had grown two horns.
"Didn't you have an assignment, Huzaifa?" Nisha asked with a raised brow.
"I am already done with my assignment. Some naturally lazy people are still trying hard to complete it," he turned his face towards her and spoke.
"Naturally lazy and Unaiza, no way. She is way more intelligent than you. Right guys? " Nisha announced at which he again rolled his eyes.
Everyone said yes which made Huzaifa groan in annoyance.
"I am not interested in the lesson on 'Traits of Unaiza'. So can we talk about something else?" Huzaifa said and everyone else giggled. They all were aware of his grudge against Unaiza and always brushed it off thinking that once they would get done with their studies, everything would turn fine. Besides, they both were quite young now; in their teen ages.
Huzaifa was more of an impulsive guy and a bit childish too. The competition that he sought against her was one-sided and self-made. Unaiza never did anything to him. Besides one thing he loved the most; which was to tease her. But still, she never uttered a word of complaint. The reason was she was head over heels for him. Her innocuous heart fell for this stone man who always loved annoying and holding contempt against her. She was in love with him since she came to take refuge in his house when her mother died. She admired his careless nature a lot.
"So which flavor, guys?" Huzaifa asked when they settled around the huge table in the ice cream parlor.
"Chocolate."
"Mango."
"Tutty Fruity."
"Strawberry."
"Strawberry."
Haider and Nisha spoke up together and the same flavor choice by them made both of them stare at each other with widened eyes. Huzaifa laughed. "Wow, you guys have the same ice cream choice always. "
It was not the first time it happened. They both were well aware that they liked the same ice cream flavor and even used to love this fact but today, it suddenly turned embarrassing. Huzaifa stood up to bring ice cream as everyone started chatting. Nisha changed her sitting posture when she constantly felt like Haider's hot stare was on her. She knew that this sudden confession of Haider would put both of them in uncomfortable positions and she wasn't wrong though.
"Nisha, you are looking distressed. Are you okay?" She raised her head when Haider said. He smiled when his eyes met her.
"I am fine," she briefly replied.
"By the way, this color suits you a lot," he commented to her, maintaining the same charming smile.
Before he could say anything, Rania asked him something and he diverted his attention to her. Nisha rubbed her nape and licked her dried lips. Haider seemed like he had gotten over this and it didn't mean anything to him anymore but why she wasn't forgetting it? Did she do haste in giving her answer? She thought.
Haider was a sweet, loving, and calm guy who always respected not only her but everyone around him. More than that, he was her cousin and friend. Another relation through whom he used to admire her. But that was where the problem was. She never liked him more than a friend and never saw him other than that particular connection. She could never fall in love with him.
After a while, Huzaifa came back with tubs of ice cream for everyone. They all started devouring it like there was no tomorrow. Nisha was going to take the first spoon when her phone rang.
"So Khala Ammi has called you," Huzaifa said with a smirk as he put the spoonful of coffee in his mouth.
Nisha along with Haider glared at him before she took out the phone from her handbag. It was her mother's call.
"AssalamoAlaikum Ammi," she quickly said over the phone.
"We just reached the ice cream parlor and I will come back in almost....almost half an hour," she told her at which Huzaifa looked at her with a scowl.
"Who told you are coming back home in half an hour? After ice creme, we had a plan to watch a movie. And I told you the already. Why didn't you tell Khala Ammi this?" Huzaifa reprimanded her.
"Huzaifa, you know Ammi doesn't like it if I stay out for so long at night. If it was the morning time, then it was another story but not now. I apologize. You guys just drop me home after this," she tried to explain at which Huzaifa sighed and was about to say something when Haider stopped him with an eye gesture.
"It's okay, Nisha. I can understand. Khala Ammi gets worried for you. We will drop you after this, don't worry," he informed her.
"Thanks, guys for understanding," she said with a smile as she looked at everyone who nodded in understanding except Huzaifa.
"Oh, my--" Nisha groaned when she discovered that in all this fuss, she suddenly made a spoonful of ice cream fall on her shirt. Considering it was her new shirt which she kept exclusively for some formal events, she panicked and stood up quickly.
"I. I am going to wash it, guys. Please give me a minute," she mumbled before rushing toward the right side. As they already used to come to this parlor for eating ice cream, she knew the direction of the washroom.
As she was in hurry to wash that stain from her shirt as soon as possible, she nearly ran and bumped into something hard.
"Aish...can't you walk properly?" Don't you have eyes?" Someone shouted which made her flinch.
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Salam/ Hi guys!
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Allah Hafiz/ Bye! ❤