Have you ever experienced seeing a shooting star? Imagine, you are watching the night sky filled with stars, and out of the dark, a shooting star is seen. Your eyes follow that star till it disappears. And then you realize how your heart was beating so fast.
That was exactly how Ruhee felt, mesmerized.
Aayan was so up close to her, that she forgot how to breath. Her heart was beating so fast, she feared she'd have a heart attack.
He was standing so close to me. With his shirt open and those eyes, staring at me like, he could read me like and open book.
Ruhee was currently arranging the dinning table for dinner. It was 7:40pm, and Huzayl was gonna be here soon. She had made chicken biriyani and carrot halwa. Sahma was really excited today, not to meet Huzayl, but to eat the food. But all Ruhee could think of, was Aayan.
She was unable to sleep properly last night, and the whole day, she kept zoning out. During lectures or when with her friends. When they asked her if she was okay, she just smiled and nodded.
Oh My God, Aayan is messing with my head.
Ruhee shook her head and composed herself.
Get a grip Ruhee, it was just.....
She couldn't name what the situation was. Just then, the door bell rang, "I'll get it." saying this, Ruhee happily hopped towards the front door to open it. Her smile turned into a frown, when she saw Aayan, standing out the door.
He is early today. He would be home only by 9. Atleast that's what Ammi said.
"Are you just gonna stand there, or let me in?" Aayan asked with a glum look. Ruhee moved aside to let him in.
He walks in greeting his mother and goes up to the room. Ruhee's eyes just followed him as he closed the door behind him with a bang.
What's with him? He knows the passcode, then why ring the bell?
The door bell rang again, causing Ruhee to break out from her thoughts. She opened the door, to find a smiling Huzayl, with a bouquet of white roses. Ruhee smiled and let him enter. He entered and Sahma came over to him and greeted him.
"Welcome Huzayl, it's a pleasure having you over." Sahma said, smiling warmly at him. "The pleasure is all mine." he said, smiling back at her. The slamming of a door is heard. They all look towards the sound, to see Aayan, walking down, now dressed in a black shirt and white jeans.
I really need to get his eyes checked.
Ruhee was wearing a long purple top with yellow flower prints, with gray jeans and a black hijab. Sahma was dressed in a blue chudidar. Huzayl was in a yellow t-shirt over a violet blazer and gray jeans.
Ruhee looked at Aayan, seeing him look at Ruhee and Huzayl, from head to toe. She looked at Huzayl, and that's when she realized something.
We are more or less twinning.
"Hey Ruhee, we are almost twinning." Huzayl said, looking at her. She smiled at him, honestly. "Who are these roses for? Sahma asked. Everyone looked at the roses Huzayl was holding. He turned to Ruhee and gave it to her," For Ruhee." he said smiling. Ruhee was really touched, and you could tell from her expression, as she held joy and happiness. She happily accepted it with a smile and said, "You remembered!"
"Remembered what?" it was Aayan who asked that, now throwing daggers at the bouquet. "Ruhee's favorite flowers are white roses." Huzayl said smiling at Ruhee. Ruhee was busy admiring the flowers, that she couldn't notice how a particular brown eyes were staring at her. She looked up at Huzayl with gratitude and thanked him. She ran up to her room, and placed the roses in the vase, kept on the bed side table.
She went back down to see everyone sitting in the living room. Sahma was enthusiastically talking with Huzayl, and he replied to her, earnestly. While Aayan was just glaring at the teapoy.
Something is seriously wrong with him?
Ruhee went and sat next to Sahma, who had just asked Huzayl about his family. "I live away from my family, but I also make sure to check up on them from time to time, since I am the only person who earns." He replied smiling. "What do you do Huzayl?" asked Sahma, "I am a mechatronics engineer, I am experimenting on few things right now, hopefully they come out right." he said looking a bit embarrassed. "Till then, I work at a IT company." he completes.
"That's wonderful. And Inshallah, your experiments will make you successful." Ruhee said smiling at him. He just nods at her smiling. "Let's eat." came Aayan's irritated voice. He gets up to move to the dinning table. "Yeah, let's eat" Sahma adds in, following Aayan.
What's with him?
They all settle on the dining table. Aayan on his head seat as usual, Sahma and Ruhee to his right, Huzayl to his left. They help themselves with the meal. Huzayl takes a bite and relishes the meal. "This is really good." he says, taking another spoonful. "Thanks." Ruhee says, blushing at his reaction.
She looks at Aayan to see him just eating quietly. Ruhee felt a bit disappointed that he didn't comment on the food.
Does he not like it?
They ate their meal and desert was served. While Huzayl kept on complimenting Ruhee's cooking, Aayan just ate silently. It was time for Huzayl to leave, he said his goodbyes and left. "What a charming person!" Sahma exclaims while clearing the table along with Ruhee. "Yeah, he is very charming. Whoever becomes his wife, is lucky." Ruhee says, smiling.
Aayan gets up from the sofa abruptly, "I am going to bed." saying this, he walks up to his room. Ruhee just stares at him. "Why is he so grumpy today?" Sahma asks, Ruhee looks back at her and gives a small smile, continuing to clear the table.
That's what even I would like to know.
The table was cleared. Ruhee said her goodnight to Sahma, and went up to her room. As she entered the room, she saw Aayan sitting on the bed, working on his laptop. He looked up at her when he entered, and back to his laptop to work. Ruhee walked inside the closet and got changed.
Is he still mad at me for yesterday?
She came out in her usual night wear. She went and sat on the couch and stared at Aayan. "Are you still mad at me?" she asked, Aayan looks up at her and asks, "What?", "Are you still mad at me for getting lost yesterday?" she asks again.
"No." he said and went back to working on his laptop. "Then why are you behaving so grumpy?" she asked. He again, looked at her. "I am not behaving grumpy." he says, staring at her. "Of course you are. You kept glaring and staring at either objects or Huzayl." Ruhee asked, moving her hands. He slammed the laptop shut, that caused Ruhee to look at him, startled.
He could have broken the laptop with that force.
"So, it was all about Huzayl!" he says, gritting his teeth. "Huh?" Ruhee looks at him confused. "You are so fond of him aren't you?" he asked, keeping his laptop on the bed side table, getting up. "He is very charming isn't he?" he said, in a mocking voice, walking towards Ruhee. She just stared at him. He was now changed into a black t-shirt and sweatpants.
He reached Ruhee, still keeping eye contact, and bends to keep his hands behind her head, on the head rest of the couch. Ruhee was now backed up to the couch. "His wife is gonna be so lucky, isn't she?" he says staring into her eyes, intensely. Ruhee's heart had started beating fast again.
Calm down you stupid heart.
"Well, I am sorry, but I am not Huzayl. I am not charming, and maybe my wife thinks that aswell." he said gritting his teeth. This caused Ruhee to frown, "Who said I think like that?" Ruhee asks, "Yes, you are arrogant and can be a jerk at times, but even you have got charm. When, you look at Ammi, with so much love and care, that's your kind of charm. Now just imagine how much love and care you'll show to your wife." she says, now smiling. Aayan just stared at her, and asked in a small voice, with intense eyes,"And why do you think, I meant what you think?"
"You said what your wife thinks, and I am your......wife."Ruhee started sharply, to end with a whispered 'wife', and she realised what she had just said. Aayan smirks at her and turns around,"By the way, dinner was delicious, wife." saying this, he switches off the light, and goes to lay down on his bed.
Ruhee just looked shock. She had just admitted to him, that she considers herself his wife. But what was more shocking to her, was that she liked the thought of being his wife. That he would love and care for her like his mother.
He would love and care for me.
Ruhee shook her head, bringing herself out of that thought. She laid down and closed her eyes. She stared at Aayan's back, that was facing her. She wanted Aayan to behave like how he would behave with his wife with her. She shook her head and turned away from Aayan, and closed her eyes.
God, Aayan is really messing with my head.