HE opened the car door for her and she stepped out. Silently stunned by his response and gentleman like behaviour. Needless to say she had even forgotten the fact that they had stopped at a local dhaaba and she needed to question him about it. He sauntered forward towards the indoor dining area, and Serina silently followed him, wrapping his given chador around herself tightly. The wind was cold and she really wasn't enjoying it this time. So contrary to her time in the car.
Grumpily she made her way behind him and inside the restaurant, upon entering she realised Apparently Faris knew everybody there and everybody him.
"Lala kese hain aap?", a teenage scruffy looking boy with green orbs came up to the both of them, and asked Faris his well being as if they were the best of chums. "Main theek hun chotu tum sunao", Faris pat his back and they made their way to a table. "Sab set hai. Aur ye Bhabi hain?", Chotu asked, glancing at Serina. This made serina's eyes widen and she covered her face further with her duppata. "Nahin chotu. Haan magar ye honey waali Bhabi zaroor hai.", Faris quickly covered up, yet Serina noticed he was most certainly amused with the situation and he was taking full benefit of it. Serina stared at him in shock and he could feel her piercing gaze. "Acha to ye baat hai!" Chotu looked at Faris mischievously and Serina wanted the ground to open up and eat her. "Aisi koi baat nahin hai! Hamari mangni hui hai. Shadi bhi bus kuch hi Dino main hai! Aainda is tarha inki baat mat karna!", His voice had raised a few pitches and Chotu cowered back in fear. Serina wished to laugh at him but Faris's lies were still fresh in her mind.
"Sorry lala, ainda se Ehsaas karunga",and he scurried away the next second. Once he was completely out of sight Serina turned towards the man she was growing to despise an awful lot. "Acha! To jhoot bolne main bhi PHD kar rakhi hai aapne", she accused him, her voice an awful lot bitter Than in the car. "Ahmaq larki samjha karo. Agar jhoot na bolta to tumhari ya meri izzat na Bachti", the anger still hadn't worn off, and the Remnants were being taken out on her. "To phir aise kaam hi kyun karte hain, jis se izzat dao par lag jaae?", she complained and he merely looked at her curiously with a quizzical look on his face. After a few moments he called Chotu again dismissing his thoughts, and ordered a few things.
"Tum kuch logi?", he asked her once he'd realised he had ordered for her as well, without asking. "Jee Bhabi, yahan sab kuch hota hai! Pizza burger sab!", Apparently Chotu had a death wish, but not from Faris.... In fact from Serina. After giving him the deadliest of stares Serina shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Jo aap lenge main wohi kha lungi", she said in a clipped tone and Faris told Chotu to bring everything quickly. "Uss becharey pe ghussa nikalne ki Kya zaroorat thi?", Faris sat back in his chair rolling up his cuffs to his elbows.
"Acha aap kar sakte hain. Main naheen?", she asked him when suddenly her eyes went to his fore arm. A huge fresh cut, sliced it's way across painted onto his arm. It was healing but looked no older than a day or two. "Ye Kya hua?", she required without another thought. Faris followed her gaze not realising what she was implying towards and once he saw, he dismissed her. "Kuch nahin. Haan to Kya keh raha tha main? Haan, uss becharey ko to wuhi pata hoga no jo hamne bataya hai!", he changed the subject so smoothly but Serina didn't find it smooth at all. She found it disturbing. How unaffected he was that a big cut was on display and quite clearly evidence of a knife crime yet he sat there, relaxed and not even the slightest bit in pain. "Baat ko na palten. Ye kisne kiya hai?", she got up from her seat and took the one closer to him. She reached for his arm and started to inspect it. The cut was deep and it looked as if it could cut flesh into two. "Ye kese hua?", Faris was now looking at her from a very close distance. Oh how obliviously was she making him so nervous and jittery with her innocent seductive ways. Her mere closeness was causing the heart in his chest to pump Loudly.
"Tum itne sawaal kyun karti ho?", he asked her, his voice laced with admiration unknown to the one sat before him, yet still sat there letting her inspect his wound patiently. He liked the feel of her soft fingers against his rough arm. She was tracing the cut now like it was a piece of art. "Kyunke mujhe acha lagta hai", she deadpanned, whilst looking at him with disbelief. "Agar koi shareef banda itna bara cut dekhega to zaroor poochega ke Kya hua, kese hua?", she left his arm now and sat back in her chair. He didn't like the way she let go and went so far away. He yearned for her closeness.
"Acha Mrs Serina Faris, to aap ko main shareef nahin Lagta Kya?", he liked teasing her. The way her rosy cheeks would go even rosier and her eyes would widen. All evidence of her naivety. "Abhi shadi nahin hui. To Serina Faris kese?" She asked him huffing with a very flustered look on her face, and looking around quickly. "To aap Manti hain ke hamari shaadi kuch Dinon main hone waali ha aur ye bhi maanti hain ke main shareef aadmi naheen hun?", He stared at her and laughed internally at the satire situation, and to make things worse he even started gazing at her intensely and she felt jittery under his gaze.
"Ab aisa to nahin kaha. Aur haan main to bus aapki baat ki taqeed kar rahi thi", she didn't lift her gaze from then onwards. He knew she felt nervous under his stare and by God he enjoyed it. The way she was playing with her hands in her lap, eyes downcast with her lashes kissing her cheeks. Her pouty lips in a cute pout and embarrassment very evident on her face. "Konsi baat?", he tested. Looking at her and only her with, and wishing these moments never ended.
"Huh?", she lifted her head. "Jo aapne baat ki!", she looked at him confused. "Konsi baat ki Maine?", he was more than amused at her muddled mind and cloudy eyes. "Yehee, ke main aapki biwi hun? Nahin nahin Balke, ke aap shareef admi hain ke naheen!", she shook her head again. He was playing mind games just to get under her skin and fortunately for him he was succeeding in it. "Acha Jee! To Kya khulasa nikla in dono baton Ka?",
"Yehee, ke main aapki biwi nahin hun, aur aap shareef admi naheen hain!", she lifted her chin like she had spoken nothing but the truth. Faris lifted a brow. "Main shareef admi nahin hun?", "Maine aisa kab kaha?", she questioned unnerved. Her mind haywire. "Ab to tum mere saath game khel rahi ho. Tum ne abhi to kaha ke main shareef admi naheen hun!", he leaned forward, getting closer to her. He stared in her eyes which were in slits due to the befuddled state of mind affecting her gaze. "Acha? Nahin mujhe lagta hai ke aap shareef admi hain!", she corrected her statement, a contradiction to her state a few moments ago. "Nahin!",
"Kya?"
"Nahin, main sharif aadmi nahin hun. Tumhara pehla jawaab sahih tha."
"Kya matlab", and Chotu came along with the tray of food. "Kuch nahin. Chalo khana khaalo", and they spent the rest of their time silently eating. No questions asked, no answers given. Both were hungry and didn't have any notion of discussion in mind.
☽
"Dadi ne aapke saath khelne ya baat karne se mana kiya hai!", her little voice sounded broken over the line. "Kyun? Kitni gandi dadi hain tumhari!", the boy was angry, he had never spent a day without Serina. How could he depart from her now? "Aise mat bolo. Meri dadi bohut achi hain. Woh bus mere liye achi cheezain hi sochti hain aur inhone ye bhi kaha hai ke agar main tum se baat nahin karungi to woh mujhe har roz naye khilone laake dengi", she voiced what had caused her to even weigh the pros and cons of never talking to her best friend again.
"Theek hai. Lelo naye khilone . Jao ab se main bhi baat nahin karunga tum se. Tum ami abu ki wajah se agar mere saath larai kar rahi ho to theek hai. Main bhi aainda nahin aunga tum logon ke ghar", tears were falling like a dripping faucet from his eyes. He wiped them harshly, fearing anybody would accidentally notice his show of emotions. "Faris! Meri mama kaha karti theen Ke baron ki larai main, aksar bache hi piste hain Aur dekhlo meri mama Kya chali gaeen Unki baat bhi sach nikli", he could hear her whimpers and he realised she was being forced into departing from him aswell . She also didn't want to but it was a test and they had to pass it.
"Theek hai. Phir baat main tumse tab hi karunga jab ham in baron ke jaal se nikal jaaen ge," he said one last time and cut the call.
He slid against the wall and tears were now freely flowing form his eyes. This time he didn't care if anybody saw him because the one person who cared, was no longer in his life. His best friend had gone.
"Faris? Tum theek to ho?", His older brother came and sat beside him. "Kya hua?"
"Bhaiya! Serina ne mujhse dosti tordi hai!", he cried with hiccups. "Serina ne? Kyun?", his brother asked with confusion. He knew the families were strained but Serina and Faris held such a strong bond. Nothing could break that. "Woh kehti hai ke dadi ne mana kiya hai", and his brother understood How grave was the event. "Choro in larkiyon ko. Inka wese hi dimaagh kharaab rehta hai. Aao cricket khelen", and His brother got up to leave.
"Bhaiya...", he stopped. "Main kuch khilonon main Bik gaya?",
☽
Faris parked the car in a lavish parking lot, with multiple sleek black vehicles lined one after the other. The building they'd parked infront of, stood tall with an enterprise like look all around. Serina felt so out of place, surrounded by such a modern atmosphere and such high class cars and she even noticed a few women wearing western garments and their hair tied in sleek pony tails. How different was Islamabad to Peshawar? How awkward.
He got out, not before noticing Serina still in her position, unmoving. "You're not coming?", he asked. His voice sounded so formal and stern, she almost missed his annoying remarks and calm voice. Now he really sounded and looked like the business man he was and sadly Serina didn't like this version of him. "No! I'm completely fine here.", she told him dismissively, not trying to make big of the situation. "Are you good? It's not safe here. Come quick I'm getting late!", he demanded and stepped out. He fixed his tuxedo and buttoned the front. He looked so austere and proper where as she looked so casual and Serina didn't understand if she liked that or not.
"What will I do though?", she whined, stepping out. Without another word, ignoring her cries he made his way inside the building, so tall and confident with his head held high. He sure looked like he owned the place. When they entered he nodded to a few, a few came upto him in respect but most merely stared. "Cover up", he quietly told her and Serina quickly covered her face with his chador. She didn't like the way he was commanding her but this was no place to start an argument. They got into a lift and she removed her hand from her face. "Where will I go when you're in the meeting?" She asked once again.
"In my office". He stated and the lift opened. "You have an office here? I thought you.."
"I have an office in every big city of this country. Now hurry up", his steps became quick and soon he made his way into an empty corridor and right at the end was a door. He unlocked it to a beautiful large office room, with mahogany furniture encompassing the whole area. It was minimal but very elegant. It really screamed of his current attitude.
"Stay here. I'll be back in two hours. Also don't get out. It's not safe", he repeated his words sternly and Serina looked at him confusedly. Why was he saying that so often? If it wasn't safe he shouldn't have brought her.
He left shortly after and now Serina was left alone in this huge room. This room which belonged to Faris. To keep herself occupied she started exploring his room, maybe it showed any kind of insight to his character because currently Serina was really confused as to who he actually was. Sometimes cold sometimes hot, in reality she had only been host to his sympathetic and caring side, but even then she knew he wasn't the same Faris who she knew all those years ago. The kind and nurturing soft boy, who always wanted to make her happy. Even now though, he always was trying to make her happy. How odd.
She sat on the chair which looked awfully new. She concluded that coming to this office wasn't a common reoccurrence for him. She went round and round in his chair until her head went absolutely dizzy. This was no fun.
Getting up she went to his built in fridge and opened it, it had all types of soft drinks but the weather was so cold she didn't feel like having or drinking anything. Again she looked around the room to do absolutely anything, but absolutely nothing caught her eye. So, tired from the journey she lay across one of the sofas lined in a corner probably to take up space, and closed her eyes feeling the intensity of her tiredness.
☽
"I think this collaboration is beneficial for neither of our enterprises and we both sought better to eliminate this contract even before it can birth itself into the minds of our contradictors" He pronounced his statement like it was a fact, and by God, anybody looking at the man would know, that he had the power to render even something wrong into acceptance through the magic of his words. Faris sat back down in his seat, well satisfied with the looks of shock from the man sitting before him. And the man's son right beside him.
"Don't bring family into business beta. You know how beneficial this will be for the both of us", the man spoke with kindness so brought Faris could tell the price. It was sticky with malice and envy and reeked of jealousy. "Sir. Im not brining family here. It's on you to think I'd do such a thing, because maybe that's a tactic you've used before" He leaned forward and stared deep into they eyes of the two men he absolutely hated.
Arez Daudzai and his son - Dawar.
An evident look of disgust braced it's way onto Faris's face as he stared at the father and son like they were dirt on his shoe. "And beneficial? I think not. You know your company is failing miserably and your stocks have gone unsustainable, whatever you invest in goes down the drain and the only thing that can save you is me. Which I kindly withdraw from doing", he confidently declared, making Both father and son sit there dumbfounded, unaware of whatever response they ought to give him.
"With that, if you could please excuse me, I have a fiancé waiting on me", he asserted standing up, he started to collect his files. "You did not", Dawar's hand shot to grab his one and Faris merely stood there staring at the hand Dawar had enforced on him. "Whatever I did, has absolutely no concern to you. Whether or not I marry her or keep her as my mistress, it shouldn't be of any significance to you", he bit, raising his gaze and settling it right into the dark orbs of the man he despised ever since he was a child. "You mother fucker", Dawar threw a punch Across Faris's jaw, causing him to stagger a few feet back.
The impact of the hit wasn't as bad or horrific as the chuckle Faris gave right after receiving the blow. "Dawar. What is this?", Arez ushered form behind but both men weren't listening and were beyond in their fits of rage. Faris took a step forward from where he'd been pushed to, and Dawar staggered back in fright but Faris didn't care and launched a hard punch across Dawar's articulated jawline causing him to fall on the round glass table. Arez ran to his aid cursing Faris profusely but Faris without another word left the meeting room and made his way towards the lady who was in reality not his fiancé but was surely waiting on him.
At least he said one truth.
//
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- NOOREH