Umar was again back to his usual routine, he was working in his cabin when a knock on the door snapped him.
"Get in." His full focus was on the laptop, he was typing rapidly.
"Good afternoon Mr Jabir." This was Amara.
"Afternoon." He mumbled and slowed down his typing speed.
"Uh.. Yes. There is a meeting."
"What is it Ms Amara?"
She was shocked, standing numb on her place.
"Uh.. How was your trip?"
"Alhamdulillah." He looked at her for a second but immediately lowered his gaze.
"We were thinking of having a group lunch, will you join us?" She asked fidgeting her fingers.
Umar thought for a minute.
"Yeah sure." He replied and a huge grin plastered on Amara's face.
"Okay, you know you have changed a little."
"Huh?" He asked with raised eyebrow.
"I mean.. nothing. Lunch at 2 then."
He nodded and she walked out with a cheeky smile plastered on her face.
Umar sighed and focused back on his work. 3 months back it was Ramzaan and he actually spend the entire month in peace.
He still remembers his first time fasting, years back. It was one of the great experiences. The effect of the beautiful month purified his soul giving him the energy to endure the doing of this world.
His thoughts came to an end when his phone started ringing. He took it and without glancing he answered.
"Assalam ul alaikum." He greeted.
"Walikum as salaam." There was a strange voice, he looked at the caller ID and it was an unknown number.
"Yes?"
"This is a warning, you will face severe punishment if you are late."
"Pardon?"
"You have only half an hour left and if you don't come in time you will be dragged."
"Okay I'll be there, my suit is well pressed don't think of dragging."
The other end got silent and a smirk was there on Umar's face. He didn't know what's going on but he was messing with the one who was trying to mess with him.
"Time is ticking 25 minutes."
"Let's do a thing, you will eventually come to drag me. So, why not let's meet at my place, time is ticking 24 minutes." He replied back.
"If I come then that will be your last chance, you will be in great loss."
"Waiting for you buddy and on your way get me a hot coffee."
He was about to cut the call but stopped in the middle listening to that strange voice.
"Your friends will be in danger too."
Something clicked in his mind and he shook his head with a smirk on his face.
"I don't have any friends."
He kept the phone on speaker and was continuing his work.
"You don't have?"
He was so done with all of this childish behaviour.
"I have one but he is of no use, you can take him instead of me."
"And who is it?"
"Imaad Abbas."
And within few seconds his cabin door opened and Imaad was standing there with his phone in his one hand, his eyes were showing the hurt.
Umar looked at him and was trying hard not to laugh at his condition, he knew it was Imaad trying to mess with him.
"What's up bud?" He asked cheerfully.
"What are you doing and who are you talking with?"
"I was just talking about business you know."
"How can you do this to me? I have a daughter waiting for me and you were ready to give me to the murderers."
"How do you know this?"
Imaad stopped on his tracks and immediately ran from his cabin, Umar chuckled and focused back on his work.
It was around 2 and again a knock came, he sighed and stood up. He opened the door and there was Amara standing.
"Everyone is calling you." She said immediately looking at him.
"Okay."
They walked a little and saw Imaad standing there with a glare. Umar waved his hand at him.
They went to the nearby hotel and sat on their respective seats, they were around 6 of them.
"What's wrong Imaad? You are so silent today." One of his colleague asked and this was the turning point of Imaad.
He first glared at Umar and started complaining about what happened a while ago, all this time Umar had a smirk on his face.
Everyone looked at Imaad for a second and soon burst into laughters looking at his face.
"You are so childish Imaad, who can say you have a daughter."
He glared at them and again tried to look at Umar with intense gaze.
Umar gave him a mocking smile and he rolled his eyes in annoyance, Amara was looking at them with a smile on her face.
They ordered the lunch and started eating.
There were two versions of Imaad, one a mature adult and another an immature child. He knew when to act like one.
After eating their lunch and talking about random things they went back.
Days were going on like this and it was the end of the month.
Umar, Imaad, Amara and Elijah were sitting in a waiting room.
All the four were volunteering on going to those orphanages, old age homes and villages where the people were suffering.
Elijah was one of Imaad's friend and on the last moment his one of the friend got emergency and on his replacement Amara volunteered. So here they are four of them.
After about 5 minutes a man in his late thirties walked inside the room and by this time the waiting room was filled with the volunteers.
"Assalam ul alaikum and good morning to one and all, first of all thank you for volunteering. I'm Sohail I'll allot you all different places and guide you. You are all doing a great job by volunteering, May Allah accept our good doing."
They nodded mumbling ameen.
"So, it will be a surprise for all the camps and you will all be allotted a different place, there will be a team of two workers with you accompanying and guiding you."
"There will be a stay for a night and tomorrow morning we will be here and if the people needs any kind of medical attention do alert us."
He started guiding and giving them a little precautions.
With that he divided the team and showed them the places, they all got different places. They wore the cap and badge of the organisation.
"Okay, so we will leave at correct 11 am and by the time we reach there it will be around 5 or 6 pm. Take care everyone, thank you."
They started preparing and team was guiding them about different things.
After an hour they all sat in the bus and took their leave.
Imaad was talking countinously while Umar was just humming in response, his other friend Elijah was with them too but he was fast asleep.
Amara was glancing at Umar time to time, even though she tried hard to avoid him but it was impossible.
It would be impossible for any girl ignoring that handsome hunk, dark blue orbs, fair complexion, well built body with 6'2 height.
It was impossible for any women but that one woman who didn't cared for a second was 6 feet under the soil. Eira never fell for his looks, it was always his care that attracted her.
Now on other hand Amara at first felt like betraying her bestfriend but later she couldn't control her emotions.
Maybe if Eira would be alive she wouldn't dare to do this, but as she wasn't, it didn't effected Amara much.
After few hours some of the volunteers destination arrived and they climbed down from the bus with their mini team.
And like this everyone reached their destination except Amara and Umar.
He was trying to look busy infront of her to avoid the unnecessary conversation with her as he was aware of her gaze on him.
"Umar." She called and he sighed mentally.
"Hm." He tried to show disinterest in her by looking busy on his phone.
"Did Eira ever talked about me?"
He stopped typing those incoherent words on his notes app and froze on his spot. The conversation he wanted to avoid, he was trying his best to avoid talking but this woman can never stop.
"No."
He didn't feel like explaining it, he doesn't even care at this point that even it can hurt her.
"Umar, how was she? What did she became?"
She knew his weakness, she knew how much he missed her, she knew too well what impact Eira had on him and still she tried to talk about her as she even knew he can never ignore the topic of her.
"How was she?" He repeated the question and a mixture of emotions spread across in those deep blue orbs, his lips curved into a soft smile and as if he felt peace.
His brain flooded with flashbacks and her face came infront of him, which lighten his face with glow.
It's been more than 4 years now but he was still in deep love with her.
Whenever he thinks he can move on now, something comes in his life that reminds him of her and sometimes he started imaging her.
"She was beautiful like EXTREMELY BREATHTAKING. She was the defination of religious and pious. She is my peace.." he immediately stopped in the middle not wanting to share anything about Eira and his life.
Amara was feeling hurt looking at him, with the intensity and love he was talking about all this was clearly visible just by looking at his face.
He shook away this thoughts and leaned back on his seat closing his eyes, he knew what Amara was trying to do and it made him a little angry.
"Umar."
He curled his fingers into fist and was trying so hard not to lose his cool. She was now testing his patience, he totally ignored her as if she doesn't even exist.
"Uma.." she was trying again but one of the man informed that they arrived on her destination.
She sighed and climbed out of the bus, she turned back to look at him again but he didn't even spared a single glance at her.
He started doing dikhr trying to calm himself down as possible, he was regretting telling them about Eira.
Even though he didn't tell her anything in detail but he was regretting even telling her name.
After a few minutes he totally calmed down and opened his eyes to look at his surroundings.
"What is this place?" He asked.
"Mr Jabir it's the last destination, it has an orphanage and an old age home joined together."
He nodded and took his phone out, he dialled Imam Hamza's number and talked to him, asking him about his health and his routine.
After about 5 minutes he cut the call as they reached his destination. He looked out from the window and his heart started beating fast as if something big is waiting for him.
He and other two men who would be accompanying him got down with several equipments, food and clothing.
He looked at the time and it was around 5 pm, they walked inside and he started scanning the place, it was his old habit which can never fade away no matter how much he want to try.
He almost scanned the place and he even found the places from where the hidden exists are. His eyes then landed on an old lady who was combing her grey hairs.
They got a little inside and he found two pathways, one for the orphanage and other for the old age home.
His eyes then landed on a small quarter in the corner, he then looked at the huge tree where the children were playing.
"Good afternoon good afternoon. It's a pleasent surprise." A flirty and cringe voice snapped him from his observation.
He looked back and saw a lady talking to one of the members of organisation.
She looked at Umar and her eyes widen, she totally ignored them and took a step near Umar, he stepped back to maintain the respectable distance.
"Who is this handsome?" Her eyes were fixed on Umar but the question was for another two men standing there.
"Where are we staying?" Umar asked before they introduce him.
"Oh let me show you come this way." She said and turned around.
Umar looked back at those men with weird expressions and they chuckled.
"Don't mind her Mr Jabir, it's her nature. Actually no men come here so it's an honour for them to see a handsome like you." One of them commented.
Umar made a done and fed-up face making them laugh, he was so fed-up with all this. He was fed-up with girls.
Everything changed in his life but one thing was constant, be it Alex James Johnathan or Umar ul Jabir, wherever he goes the female species always get attracted as if he is honey and it get attracted by numerous bees.
They walked a little and got inside the room, she was about to talk but Umar immediately went inside the washroom and took a breath of relief.
She talked with other two men and went back, Umar came within 5 minutes and offered his prayers first.
The first thing they thought of roaming around and get an idea about this place, to look for any damage which needs to be repaired.
It was around 9 pm now, Umar was alone looking at his surroundings. He was about to go from there but mistakenly he bummed into someone.
"I'm sorry.." he said turning around but got froze, she was sitting on the ground collecting something from there.
For the first time in 4 years he was struck looking at a girl, his breathing almost stopped and even after thinking of lowering his gaze he couldn't.
She stood up from the ground and looked at him and as if he forgot to breath.
She had a nun attire, but what made him struck was her eyes.
He never thought someone can be so beautiful, so mesmerising and so perfect. He couldn't able to blink nor able to breath.
His breath hitched and his eyes were wide, he forgot to even blink his eyes. Never in his wildest dream he thought he could get attracted to someone in just a single glance.
The emotions which died down from 4 years flooded back in his mind, she as if hypnotized him.
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