Chapter 2
"So...?" I leaned back on my heel and raised a brow at Papa- who continued to read through his morning newspaper, not sparing me a second of his attention.
I huffed and glared at the paper in his hands that seemed more interesting than what his daughter had to say. He slowly placed the paper down and rested his chin on his hand, leaning forward and eyeing me.
Maybe I looked a little childish, bouncing from heel to heel but you couldn't blame me! This man had not spoken a word to me since yesterday. I was simply curious and needed answers. My curious and restless self was getting well.....restless!
I wanted answers, I needed them to solve the puzzle in my mind that shuffled like pieces on a chessboard. Although my mind was a little more confusing than chess, chess was very very confusing - now that was a reference to how confusing my mind was.
"What's the matter, Ayla?"
My jaw dropped as I gave him an 'are you for real?!' glare.
It was amazing how my father at his golden age of 55 did not look a day over 30. His face was smooth and only a few wrinkles had settled into his forehead and around his eyes, his eyes would sinch in when he smiled. His hair was a beautiful dark brown colour with a few streaks of grey peeking through- those must have been as a result of his stressful job. I always wondered why Papa decided to enter politics. Coming from a small minority background, being a resident in America had already proven its challenges. I admired my father's efforts to try to prove to the country that we were all equals and no one's background or race mad then superior to the other.
"Cat got your tongue...Jaan?" He asked politely and even has the audacity to tilt his head and feign confusion. I groaned into my hands before aggressively dragging a chair to where he was sat and planting my backside onto it. I carefully straightened my white blouse and dusted off my black skinny pants, I had to ensure they were not creased as I would be heading into my hospital shift soon.
"Who is Mr Khan and why did you two seem so aquatinted," I asked hurriedly with no shame whatsoever.
Papa chuckled and folded his arms across his chest, before smiling at me and pinching my nose. I scowled and swatted his hand away in annoyance but couldn't help the smile slowly creeping onto my face.
"I know I said I didn't care but-"
"But you couldn't sleep without knowing what was going on right?" Fawad my annoying second eldest brother walked in and finished for me. I sent him a quick glare before turning to give Papa an innocent smile.
"Don't you have to be at work?"
I narrowed my eyes as Papa tried to change the conversation, he had been doing that a lot recently and it was very frustrating. Sometimes I felt as though he didn't realise I was no longer is his little girl who needed shielding from the terrors of the world.
"He's just an old friends son and he is working on a very important job for me." He folded his newspaper neatly and placed it on the table. I watched as he carefully picked up his coffee cup and took a gulp of scolding hot black coffee and placed it back onto the saucer. I grimaced internally, yuck. Whoever drank black coffee was simply ruthless in my very personal opinion.
"He will be here tonight to discuss important business with me, no funny business Ayla," I narrowed my eyes whilst placing my hands onto the table.
I wasn't a child, I didn't need a warning.
"I'm very well behaved Papa, maybe you should tell Fawad the same thing," I cringed as Fawad sat at the other end of the table, shovelling into his mouth a large bowl of fried rice in the extremely early hours of the morning. Table manners were clearly not his forte.
Men were a disgrace to this world.
"You'd think he was adopted," I mumbled and even my father sent him a disapproving glance.
Fawad was only a year older than me but his 6ft height made him tower over me like a giant. He was tall slim built and a little too energetic at his big age of 28. His short but neatly styled dark brown hair stuck up in different directions today, he clearly wasn't ready to tackle whatever problems the day would throw at him.
Fawad was a carbon copy of Papa. From his warm chocolate coloured eyes and long sharp nose and rigid bone structure. Just like Papa, he preferred to be clean-shaven. However, his personality was far from our fathers.
Fawad was a complicated mixture of different personalities all in one. He enjoyed reading, singing, dancing, being loud and completely obnoxious. He was the jokester of the house and would break out into a song whenever it suited him really.
Today, however, he looked tired and his face showed signs of sleepless nights. As if reading his mind, papa spoke up.
"Fawad I need you in the office today. I have had several complaints about your absence in the office for months"
Papa was serious, the coldness in his tone didn't waver once. My eyes darted between Fawad and Papa, Fawad stiffened and froze. The spoon of rice clunked back into his plate and he clenched his jaw. His hands on the table were scrunched into a fist and his knuckles were slowly turning white.
"You're no longer a child Fawad."
Papa's tone held annoyance but more so disappointment.
"How do you expect me to trust you with the family business when you behave like a child at this big age. Stop fooling around with your time pass hobbies and please focus on the family business."
"Have you ever considered that maybe I don't want your stupid family business."
Oh my, this was getting rather heated. My eyes darted between both father and son, it was pin drop silent. I'm sure you could hear the frantic beating of my heart and blood rushing through my ears at this point.
My eyes scanned both of their firm postures and I internally felt deep sorrow for both. Papa was always so busy, he hardly got time to sit with his own family and Fawad had been dumped into a business he did not want any part in.
I knew it wasn't Papas fault but his attention and duty were to his political party, not to his family. Dinners and breakfasts were not always eaten as a family, in fact, it was quite rare when Papa made an appearance at the dining table or family lounge.
This ridiculously large house felt so quiet and empty and there was only so much warmth and love me and my two brothers could give. Everything had fallen apart after my mother's death, it was a shock to us all.
However, Papa had been affected the most. They truly loved each other so very much, I could never imagine the pain he must be going through. He had vowed to my mother that he would never dig deep into politics and make a name so big for him that his family would be forgotten. Sorrow had taken over him, his family did lay forgotten and he had decided to numb his pain by allowing his life to be consumed with work and exhaustion.
One more term and the devotion to his team would be finished, is the only statement that kept me strong and stable. He would return back to being our father.
I brushed off my trousers and stood up from the table, both their heads snapped up to me and I smiled widely.
"I'll be off to the hospital, it was nice seeing you at the table, Papa. Maybe I'll see you for dinner ....next week?" I joked and Papa rolled his eyes a playful smile making its way onto his face. However, I knew there was a hint of sadness in his eyes and I felt guilt seep into me for the cheeky remark.
"I'll be surprised if he makes it to dinner tonight," Fawad scoffed before rudely leaving the table and marching off to change into his office attire.
I quickly shuffled out of the dining room and smiled at Dan, Papa's head of staff who was probably making his way to Papa himself to discuss today's busy schedule.
I grabbed the keys to my sleek black BMW and drove off to my rotation for the following 9 weeks. I was in my third-year residence as a medical graduate. I already knew what I wanted to specialize in and was more than excited to find out that this couple of weeks of rotation would allow me to finally decide if this was the right thing to expand my career in.
Due to Papas career, I had moved schools a lot during my younger years. I had moved schools so often that I was home-schooled very frequently in between, to ensure that I was not missing out on key information. Papa was very serious about educating all his children despite any circumstances.
Grabbing my keys and jacket, I drove to the hospital ready to start a hard day of work.
***********
"Bye Marya!" I waved at my best friend who was a 3rd-year resident and was working in the medical and emergency department for her rotation.
Marya was more than a friend to me, she was my sister. Not being blessed with a sister of my own, I had become very close to Marya from the day that I had met her and we did absolutely everything together. I had known her for more than a decade, we were literally inseparable.
"Don't forget to come over for dinner on the weekend, Mum will not spare you if you forget!" she shouted from across the entrance hall, waving to me since she still had one more hour till her shift finished. I grinned and quickly hurried outside, ignoring the not so subtle glares of the receptionist.
Before driving back home, I remembered that I needed to pick my eldest brother Zayan up from the gym since his car was at the garage. I drove deeper into the city, traffic slowly began to stream down either side of the road. The city lights shone brightly, illuminating the dull grey skies.
Autumn was my favourite season after winter. The golden-brown leaves- painted with hues of red and orange - dancing in the wind and coating the browning grass were really a sight to see. The crisp air indicating that the warmth and humidity of summer were slowly coming to an end. I was extremely lucky to be living in a city where I could witness blankets of snow and the extremely suffocating heat of summer.
I drummed my fingers along the steering wheel, the tune playing from radio filling the silence in the car. As I got to the gym I parked and sent Zayan a text, letting him know that I was waiting.
I was busy indulging in my texts that I had not gotten a chance to answer all day. And of course, the memes Marya had sent me on her break. The door opened and a gust of chilly air smacked me right in the face. I pocketed my phone and grinned at my eldest brother Zayan.
"Hey stranger," he ruffled my hair to which I responded by whacking his hand and scowling. I loved my brothers to pieces but they were always so annoying.
"You're an idiot." He sent me a wide smile sarcastic smile whilst trying to throw his gym bag into the back seat. Zayan was a boxing instructor and boxer himself. At 30 years of age, he had managed to build his own gym and pursued his passion in sports, despite our Fathers disapproval. I was so proud of Zayan, he did not give up his dreams and goals even when some people did not believe in him.
Zayan did not look like Papa or Fawad. Most said that we both took after our mother. Zayan was freakishly tall, taller than Fawad at 6 ft 2. He was well built and had jet black hair which was straight from the back and wavy at the top. He had olive skin, all the angular structures the men had been blessed within this family and bright golden-brown eyes.
"To infinity and beyond!"
I passed him a pointed look and he only replied with a cheeky grin. Rolling my eyes, I started the car and drove towards home. We talked a little about our day and the weather to keep us occupied until we arrived home. We may have also fought a little and argued but it was all for the sake of entertainment, I assure you.
The humongous black metal gates were already open, indicating that someone had just pulled in before us. Driving on, I turned to the guard on my left who nodded at us.
"He freaks me out." Zayan shuddered in his seat as I laughed at his stupid comment. Some guards were a little scary, they had emotions on display like a rock. Simply empty and emotionless was the correct way to describe it. But I guess that was their job.
I had only just parked and Zayan wasted no time in grabbing his bags and jumping out of the car. Stepping out, I noticed a similar sleek black car I had seen before. Why did it look oddly familiar?
My question had been answered as the man of my nightmares stepped out. Okay, that was a little bit of exaggeration- he simply was rude, dark and mysterious.
Mr Khan or Uzair Khan- thanks to Papa enlightening me on his name.
"Uzair Armaan Khan!"
My eyes widened as Zayan shrieked like a little girl and pulled Mr Mysterious in a manly hug. Uzair surprisingly reciprocated and even smiled for a fraction of a second. Or I may have just blinked because his expression was now back to being almost nothing.
"I have not seen you in over a decade! How have you been?" Zayan clearly seemed to be in awe. Confusion rattled my brain at Zayan's statement.
Why was he so well aquatinted with this completely monster of a man that had no emotions whatsoever? Okay, maybe I was exaggerating a little- once again. I did not know him well to make a calculated judgment. He could simply just be a little introverted.
"It's nice to see you too Zayan," he didn't reciprocate his excitement. In fact, he sounded like he'd rather be anywhere but here.
I didn't waste my time in their conversation and simply made my way inside. I swear I could feel someone's burning gaze on my back, I didn't want to turn around. But being the curious woman I was, I did turn around- only to regret my decision.
It was in fact Uzair who had been so interested in watching me walk up to the double doors that were slightly ajar. Zayan didn't seem to notice that Uzair wasn't exactly paying him any attention. I felt my cheeks radiate heat as he continued to challenge me with his eyes. I broke my gaze first and bit the insides of my cheek, hastily walking into the house and not making it too obvious I was running away from him.
What was his problem?
Shaking my thoughts away, I went upstairs to my bedroom to shower and change before dinner was served.
****
We were all seated at the dining table and surprisingly, even Papa had managed to come back on time from the office.
The men were all engaged in conversation and it was so weird seeing a man I had never even met before getting along so well with my family. They mostly talked about business and politics, neither interested me.
"Not hungry Ayla?"
My train of thoughts was broken by Papa. I looked up to see all eyes on me and once again I felt as though my face was on fire. Damn it! Why did I need to be the centre of attention, he could have picked Fawad. He was a natural-born star.
"I had a big lunch," I lied and Papa raised his brow, not believing me in the slightest. He nodded and turned to Uzair who was sat beside me and for the 20th time tonight, burning daggers into me.
"Uzair it really has been so long since we've sat down and had a meal together as a family." I'm not sure what had triggered him but he shifted in his seat and I could tell instantaneously that he was suddenly not feeling comfortable with this conversation.
"I've not seen you for so long!" Zayan but in and Fawad nodded, supporting his statement.
"Life's just been too busy," he smiled briefly and I was shocked to see that this man who I had only known for two days could smile through his dark demeanour.
Dinner soon ended and was replaced by dessert. However, my stomach felt uneasy and even the chocolate pudding could not tempt me tonight.
Soon Uzair excused himself to leave, which was followed by a few farewells.
"I hope to see you again Uzair," Papa patted his shoulder in a friendly gesture to which Uzair nodded and shook his hand.
"Hopefully with a little more information on our recent dealings," I looked between the both of them with a confused expression. Men were so weird.
"Ayla darling, please accompany Uzair out to the door. I have a meeting before I retire for the night." Papa came forward and kissed my forehead before leaving me alone with Uzair.
Uzair cleared his throat as I was once again lost in my own mind. You could not blame me, this whole meeting had been so intriguing and confusing.
"Shall we," he asked and I bit my tongue from making a rude remark and simply nodded. It wasn't me leading him out of the dining room and into the entrance hall like any other normal host would do. No, it was him leading me.
As we got to the doorway he turned around, almost as though he was going to say something but changed his mind and continued to walk towards the double doors.
"A simple thank you would suffice, Mr Khan."
STUPID STUPID TONGUE.
Could I have not just allowed this man to walk out of the door, so I could finally breathe in a space that was not suffocating me with his strong scent?
He turned on his heel and continued to study me as though I was a textbook and he needed to scan every word before a big exam. I inwardly cursed at myself in every language I could think of right now. My heartbeat was rising quickly and my palms were getting sweaty.
I swear I felt a palpation as he took one step forward. I don't know what about this man frightened me, but I was definitely scared and he could sense it. He frowned and immediately stopped in his tracks as he realised I had shuffled back every so slightly.
"I don't know if you're being really ignorant or you really are as clueless as you look." Gosh, his voice was beautiful. Was it remotely possible to be attracted to a voice?
Shut up Ayla! The voice inside my head knew that I had gone insane. The last time I remembered having a proper crush was on my latest series of Netflix shows that I had binge-watched last weekend.
"I don't know what you mean," I was surprised my voice box hadn't decided to malfunction halfway through the conversation. I truly did not understand what he was trying to say.
He looked half offended and half sympathetic- if that was even possible. I was very confused to why everyone in my family knew him so well, yet I felt like I had only met him for the first time in my life.
"Doesn't matter," he seemed annoyed, no- hurt was the right term. His shoulders had dropped ever so slightly but he regained composure quicker than I could blink.
"Thank you."
He walked towards the door and just as he was about to step out he finished his sentence. The words that left his mouth sent a shiver deep down my spine, resurfacing memories I didn't even realise I had.
"Good night, Noor."
_____________**********___________*********_________*******__________*********
Glossary:-
Jaan- Life (Usually used as a term of endearment)
This book is being completely re-written. Currently, I have no idea where it's going and nor am I good at writing ;( But it's okay.. we move.
Any tips and advice would be appreciated.
-sparklexox-