Stuffing the last bite of his scrambled egg, Dilawar durrani sipped on his hot tea out of that big mug his mother prepared for him, sitting at the head of the dining table, his father was looking at him digging his eyes on the tablet in his hand, not minding himself sitting infront of his elders, working and reading God knows what! Ajkal ke bache-- thought ajmal while shaking his head.
Dilawar durrani was a 35 years old man, he was the epitome of dominance and grey's. His life was way different then what it used to be in his childhood, he was a man, so handsome and pure, so big and muscular, making people take a second look at him while passing by him.
From having the height of his father, he was 6'3 tall with board shoulder and narrowed waist, his chest muscular and his back strong, screaming the hours and hours he spent inside the gym, the thighs so ride worthy and face so drool worthy, he was the eldest of his parents. Dilawar's life had changed after that one event, where he not only lost the people for which he blames himself till now.
Dilawar was 29 years old when he introduced his marina to his parents, who were way too happy for him to settle down.
Dilawar had loved his wife dearly, that supported and comforted him in his hard time, had given him precious time. He still does. He was thankful that atleast, that women had given him something other than pain. She was the women who stood-even for lesser time but she stood with him through his darkest times.
Dilawar could feel the way his father was eyeing him and the way the voice of utensil cluttering was increasing bit by bit. His parents wanted to talk to him. Ajmal slightly cleared his throat that made dilawar looked up at his father, with his eyes void of sympathy and emotions. His hooded eyes that he inherited from his mother stared back at the dark eyes of his father who broke the eye contact and swatted his hand on dilawar's shoulder, making him hiss.
"Yar baba? Ye kya tareeka hai!" Spoke dilawar in his voice filled with irritation as he rubbed the place his father slapped him. Ajmal dramatically rolled his eyes and kept the Dawn news paper down. "Jee, ye hi tareeka hai ap jese khotty se bat karne ka, kal tumhari ammi ko call ai thi, bataya usne ke kal ap date par nahi pohche the or wo larki be izzat hokar wahan se gai hai"
[Baba? What's this behaviour?]
[Yes, this is the only way to talk to you! Your mother got a call yesterday, saying you didn't reach to the date! That girl was embarrassed]
Dilawar sighed and shooked his head, not believing he received a beating at the age of 35. "Kyunk maine apko kaha tha, I am not interested in marrying again baba. And ap mama ko samjhane k bajae k ye meri shadi ki umar nahi hai, ap utla unhen hi sheh de rahe hain?" Dilawar asked, his voice still laced with irritation.
[Because I told you, I am not interested in marrying again baba, and instead of making ammi understand that its not my age to marry now, you are siding with her?]
"arey kese umar nahi hai? Abhi to mai dusri shadi kar sakta hun, larkion ki line hai mere---" spoke ajmal, bragging to his son, how girls would get down on their knees to marry---a 50 years old something ajmal but was cutt off, when his wife, safa ajmal durrani threw the cloth she was using to clean the countertop at him, shutting him off instantly.
[How is it not your age? Even I can marry second time with a line of girl ready for me---]
Safa walked towards her son, with her both hands on her waist, her body wearing light coloured cotton kameez shalwar with dupatta hanging losely around her head, she looked at her son who stared back at her and sat down on the seat opposite to him. "Dilawar, as much as I would like to disagree, your father is right! You are just thirty four, larkian apko dekhte hi han kardengi. Or apke andar kami hi kya hai? MashaAllah itne sohne dikhte ho, itna sohna bolte ho! Apne ap ko aik or chance to do beta!"
[Girls will say yes after seeing you, you have no imperfections! You are handsome, you speak so beautifully, give yourself another chance son!]
Said safa, trying to make her son understand, how it is so easy to get a girl for him. Dilawar visibly stiffened, he licked his lips and fisted his hand tightly under the table" I was already married mama, no one would accept someone like me!" He said, tired of the topic of his marriage again. After his last marriage failing miserably, it had given him a vulnerable lesson in life. He wasn't ready to take the step of his life again! Not when he has alot more to lose now!
Safa shook her head and made a noise from her mouth, clearly disagreeing with him. He sighed and put his chin on his palm listening to her " mai aisi larki dhund sakti hun dilawar! Beta apne ap ko kab tak koso ge?-" and that was it for daryaab who curtly nodded and said "agar ap waqai aisi larki dhond kar le ain then i will marry her---but mama, she should not expect a thing from me, agar mai shadi karunga to wo sirf apke lie otherwise I can live without a women" and stood up, taking his things that he had to take with him and left, leaving safa to squeal excitedly and turn to ajmal, who was sipping his tea.
[I can find a girl like that for you, for how long you are going to blame yourself?]
[If I will marry, that will be for you!]
" dekha, maine kaha tha na he will agree" she asked her husband who nodded, deep in thought.
[Look, I told you he will agree!]
she scrunched her eye brows at him and asked "ajmal? Kya hua?" He hummed and said looking at her " kya agar...beechari bachi ki kharab matti kardi isne to?"
[Ajmal? What happened?]
[What if we are doing wrong with this girl?]
Ajmal was a father as well, he could understand how it would feel if the daughter comes to home crying, saying how she is being mistreated, he would die before letting it happen to anyone's daughter. His concerns made sense to safa but she was the mother who has raised her sons well. Quickly dismissing the concerns, she said "aisa kuch nahi hoga, I know my son. Mai uske lie itni khubsoorat or achi larki laungi jo ise kheench kar rakhegi"
[Nothing of this sort will happen, I know my son! I will find someone so beautiful and good that she will keep him on his toes!]
Laughing at her own joke, she went toward the kitchen, all the while mentally counting her friends and families who's daughter could be the perfect match for her raja beta.
_____■
Stepping inside her lecture room, ayesha looked straight towards where she wanted to sit, in the middle. Not minding the looks and whispers being thrown in her way, she proved them the rumors about her being the 'daughter of rich daddy'. Its ironic how they would whisper about her and would ask-beg to let their one's be free from her father's wrath. She doesn't care what they call her, she doesn't mind being looked at as an inferior and someone that is different then them, she was just someone who was twenty five siting amongst people who were starting from eighteen! That was the only difference, ayesha saw in her and themselves.
Her chain of thoughts was broken when someone sat down beside her with a thud, she closed her eyes and calmly opened it, knowing it was her annoying best friend she made in this class. Rabia mukdaam! Raabia sat down beside ayesha and take out her journal from her bag, aggressively. Showing ayesha how bad her mood is right now. Clearing the throat, ayesha asked "Rabia...kya hua?" And looked at rabia patiently waiting for her to speak who spoke not so long after, shifting her body to face ayesha.
[Rabia? What happened]
" I cant believe it!" Ayesha raised her eye brow at her. "That fucking bitch got back together with arsh!!! After all He did with you! She got back with him!!" Rabia whispered yelled at ayesha, telling her about ayesha's ex best friend boyfriend who once molested her and how they were back again, ayesha laughed and continued to take out her supplements for her first class starting in some minutes.
"I dont care yar, she and he, both doesn't matter, my fathet had a very good talk with him wese bhi" said ayesha while remembering the uneventful journey towards the washroom one day, when arsh, the boyfriend of ayesha's ex best friend harrased her. Ayesha was scared, she had started her uni and was barely nineteen, she ran from there and ran out of her university towards the car where the guards took her home without a question, seeing her condition.
Ayesha was weeping by the time she was in the arms of her strong baba to whom, she blurted out everything and her baba was furious with the boy. Her mama and baba had comforted her and they had a talk with the chief of university, suspending the boy for months. At that time ayesha was friends with aleena, who was not her best friend now. All this doesn't matter to her now, all she care about was getting grades and graduating!
Upon the ending of her thought, the room of her lecture room got snapped open and walked in a man she had never seen before. Her gaze followed as the man, so tall and so muscular -- with the personality so dark as the stormy night made his way towards the front of the class, where the table and a chair was placed for the teacher that suddenly looked too small compared to the man that was to sit on them.
He had dark features with stern brow and high cheekbones, his eyes were pitch black, covered with emotion so hard to read, was it anger? Or dominance in his eyes that made her wants to submit to him? He was definitely past his youth, may in his early thirties like thirty five?
Checking out a professor as hot as the one standing infront of her was never in her to do list today, though the way his musky, strong scent filled the room, ayesha felt herself melting, the way his heavy presence entered the class, Ayesha felt as she was standing so close to him, he was big...brooding...he was hot!
Dilawar durrani was a mystery of power and dominance, his presence affected people and he knew it, being able to read the emotion of people, he could see the way his class had quiten down in some minutes, it was astonishment, fear, excitement and lust on their face that made him suck in a proud breath. He had the power over them and he was proud of it!
His eyes roomed over the class, taking in every student and their appearance, some looked sleep deprived, some looked extra energetic and some looked like they would rather eat him then him teaching, his eyes roomed over the class and never once stopped at any student before he opened his mouth to let the words flew out of his tongue so fluently.
"Assalamualaikum, I am Dilawar durrani....your new psychology professor" and was it a shiver that just passed down the body of ayesha? Her mouth went dry as the voice, roughest as ever reached her ear, her mouth suddenly watered as she felt herself craving to hear it more and thats when dilawar spoke up again.
"I do not tolerate any childish behavior in my class, if you want, you can take the lecture and if you dont want to, you dont even have to enter the class, its not my business. With each passing chapter on your book, I will be giving you my own handmade notes, to study and prepare for semester exam"
Ayesha felt rabia shifting beside her and she heard her friend muttering 'subhaan Allah' under her breath and ayesha could do nothing but think "subhaan Allah indeed'
Sighed, ayesha sighed and tilted her head without herself noticing, she was not listening, what her professor said didn't make any sense to her, her mind was hazy suddenly, for the first time her body and mind had reacted so differently in the presence of a man who was'nt her brother and father, she was confused and nervous. His rough voice had the sweetness of honey that she wanted to taste again and again.
Dilawar once again roamed his eyes on class and stopped at one particular desk, his eyes brow frowned seeing the scene, ayesha heart suddenly thumped against her ribcage as dilawar pointed his marker, that he was holding towards her and said "You..tum larki...get out of my class" and ayesha had her eyes almost watering thinking how she wont be able to see him.
[You girl]
Hearing him say "get. Out. Now" once again had her immediately stand up, and ready to walk when "not you, larki tumhe nhi kaha tumhari peeche wali ko kaha hai" and ayesha pointed at herself then at her seat making dilawar mentally rolled his eyes and nodded and again pointing at the girl behind ayesha, gesturing her to leave the class, having her caught sleeping.
[Not you, the girl behind you]
"As I said, no childish behavior, No talking, No sleeping and absolutely no eating here" ayesha sighed in great relief as he made her sit down, and the embarrassment of thinking it was her, crossed her mind, making her wants to cry again, she heard rabia chuckling and shoot a glare at her.
The class started with dilawar asking them to open their books, and reading the first page, giving them introduction on psychology, telling them about what was written before giving them an assignment to make on the same topics he had taught them.
By the time the class ended, ayesha felt as nothing was more interesting than a human brain, she immediately packed up her beg as she saw others doing the same, on the front of class stood dilawar facing towards the door, seeing his student leaving with the bored expressions after he lectured them for 45 minutes.
Next his eyes went towards ayesha who was standing still, gazing at him with a peculiar expression and emotion in her eyes, he slightly squinted his eyes and averted them--bored of too much gazing and staring at him and went towards his desk to collect his material and left the room, leaving her standing alone. He was used to it, he was used to this attention!
She sighed and put her hand on the desk, slightly heaving big breaths and continued her day with her mind on her professor. By the time her university was over, she was in dilemma with too much thinking, she was feeling bad for thinking too much into his matter--of her professor that behaved so uninterestingly in her.
After parting her ways with rabia, she made her way out of the main gate towards her car and drove away, wanting peace of her home and warmth of her father- who will most likely deny understanding her....well who would want their daughter to think about a man...that is not them!
Certainly not sikandar! All ayesha knew, her new semester would be the pain in her head and cause of fluttering feeling in her heart, azaab in her life! Cause she knew all but that her professor was not the simple man she thought he was!
While dilawar patiently went through his classes and left, not once his mind crossed anything, he went away, leaving the world of reality behind.
________♡
-My soul is high
My body is heavy with memories and places-♡
Muhammad Darwish