Qirat's POV
Days passed. And though Arif said it was a joke I think he may just be ready now..I took that as my que to start looking for rishtas for him. Ever since I've mentally considered several girls..but one thing or another kept making me reluctant..god was I this picky? But how could I not be it's my amazing son, anyone would be happy to have a guy like him and he totally needs a girl he deserves..I was mentally thinking about literally all the girls of considerable age..I don't know what happened but suddenly one particular girl came in mind. Picking up the house phone I dialled a number I hadn't dialled for a while.
"Asalamulaykum..pehchana?"
"Walaykumasalam. 'Pehchana?' seriously?...har do teen din bad sar kahney phone kar deti ho..thumari awaz kash me bhul sakta" Osama complained from the other side of the phone.
"Haan Haan! Bus! Me phone na karti kisi ko tho humara squad kabhi tikta nahi..aur wese bhi apse behas karne ke liye phone nahi kiya mene..Meri pyari bhabi ko phone dein"
"Hey"
"Hiiiii Saba how are you it's been so long...uff kher forget that I was thinking something maybe you should come to my house someday."
"Hmm yeah maybe we should all have a reunion"
"Haan apni judwa buryah ko bhi leyana aur Kiran ko bhi bulate he"
"Qiratttt! Hum tho na budhyaye Haan par Osama hogaye budheh hahah..me kya karu raam mujhe budah milgaya...ahahshs Osamaaaa! Me phone par bat karahi hu na!" Saba scolded her husband, this always happened, whenever I call them they usually spend most of my call arguing with each other.
"Uffo aap dono baad me larlena..filhal meri bat sunein..parso meryahan ana sahi hai..aur Maliha aur Abeeha ko bhi lana...Acha abh me rakhri hu aap log Aram se larein..allahahfiz" and I ended the call.
These monkeys, no matter how old they got they didn't mature the slightest, but they were still one of the best and purest people I had ever come across. And I have faith that their daughter Fariha would've taken after them well. Let's see where this goes.
———-
3POV
The old university friends group had finally reunited. Well not all of them made it since Kiran decided not to show up. The friends group was a close knit one, but Kiran somehow drifted away. Well it wasn't exactly unknown to them why she had drifted away. Back in university days Kiran had become very close, maybe a little too close to Osama. Kiran and Osama had some history, but a clash of religion made things hard for them. By the final year of university, Kiran married off to a fellow Sikh, as her family had liked her too. And during that tough time for Osama, Saba had helped him a lot as a true friend purely.
The friendship was taken a step further with time and now they both were one of the most adorable couples one had seen. They were a perfect example of a 'Tom and Jerry' couple; couldn't let each-other live at peace, but cannot live without each-other too. Saba and Osama had two sweet daughters; Maliha aged 21 and Abeeha aged 16.
Saba's twin sister; Sarah on the other hand became much more serious about her career. And after completing BSC with the rest of the squad she flew off to Japan assisting a renown scientist in some Oncology studies. She had met a reverted native Japanese man there and tied the knot with him. Just a few years ago she moved back to Pakistan, with her family. Her family consisted of her, her husband Jamal and their 10 year old son Daud.
The old group of friends occupied the main part of the living room, whilst their children sat surrounding a coffee table playing chess. Well they weren't really playing, more acting to play, since non of them really knew how to play it. But the managed to enjoy themselves.
The friends were recalling their university days over tea. When Qirat felt it was the right time she began the conversation she was waiting to initiate. "So Maliha has completed her degree now? Mashallah" she appreciated.
Maliha smiled from across the living room whilst her parents praised her.
"Abh tho bus inshallah shadi karayenge iski jald" Saba commented, causing Maliha to uncomfortably shy away and Qirat to grin.
"Inshallah..Koi larka hai nazr me?" Qirat asked cum interrogated.
"Kahan yar..aj kal Acha rishta dhoondna mushkil hogaya hai" Saba responded.
"Mera Daud bara hota tho me kahi na janey deti isko ..aj kal esi larkiya bhi kaha milti hai" Sarah said looking at her niece in appreciation. Making Maliha even more uncomfortable resulting in an awkward smile.
"Wese Arif ki bhi parhai abh muqamil honey lagi hai. Mashallah se Masters karaha hai economics me, bus ek hi semester baaki hai" Qirat sparked an interest amongst all the adults present.
Saba and Osama looked at each other telepathically conversing. And Sarah vocalised their conversational point. "Yeh tho..Bagal me chora aur sheher me dhindora hogaya" she laughed.
"Bulao me Arif ko? Dekhlo ek bar bohat Acha bacha hai mera"
Osama turned towards his daughter as in asking if she would want to consider this. Maliha lowered her gaze from her father, permitting him to do so.
"Bulao bulao hum bhi tho dekhein ke bacha tumara hokey acha kese hosakta hai" Saba joked earning a light friendly slap on the arm from Qirat.
Dinner was done with the guests and Zaakir had too joined now. Qirat had a quick word with Zaakir making him aware of what was going on, she instructed a Zaakir to call over Arif ASAP, and being the obedient husband he was he instantly obliged. Excusing himself he phoned Arif, who was currently staying late in the library preparing for his thesis due soon.
Upon being called from his father Arif hurriedly sorted his notes and called it a day at university, bidding his friends a goodbye he made his way home.
Reaching home he had a whole audience staring at him with a smile. It made him feel awkward, but being the mannered man he was he greeted them all politely and excused himself to freshen up. Just when he was about to leave to freshen up his mother called him to sit next to her and he obliged.
"Yeh hai mera beta..beta yeh mere sarey university friends hein" Qirat introduced.
"Oh yes ofcourse. I remember from the photos I've seen..Saba aunty aap tho bilkul wesi hi ho" arif friendlily complimented.
"Aunty?.." she feigned offence
"Osama uncle betein hein tho ehtiyaatan kehdiya warna how dare I" Arif joked, instantly mingling well with his mother's friends.
And it was a nice evening. Everything was going smooth. Arif was also vaguely introduced to the children, which seemed okay to him, but he got a weird vibe from Maliha, it seemed as if she was feeling nervous from him, but he ignored it.
Later that night, Arif was in his bedroom. Laying between a mess of his notes, staring at a particular photo in his phone. It was a picture of her, Laiba. It was from Pareesas wedding, when she grabbed his phone to take some pictures of her, Pareesa and one which had him in it too. He cropped Pareesa out of the picture which he was in too, he kept the original picture too but he kept this cropped edited one too. And stared at it dreaming of it to be what he wanted that picture to be, a picture of them as a couple, it gave him energy when he was low to look at this picture. And right now he needed this energy, his brain was drained working on this thesis.
Someone knocked on his door and the door opened a little before he could say come in. Quickly shoving his phone under his pillow, he sat up straight and held onto which ever paper was closer to him.
He saw Qirat enter the room.
Qirat made herself comfortable on Arifs bed. She sorted out some of the notes creating sapce, "beta itna bars table kisliyeh rakha hai apke room me?" She rhetorically asked, seeing her son killing his back and working on the bed, she didn't know that he'd spent the last hour staring at his phone instead I studying.
"Bus thakgaya tha Muma sochra tha abh soney ko karu" he said whilst placing his head in his mother's lap.
And Qirat's hands went to his head, her fingers slowly massaging his head. He shut his eyes in peace.
"Aaj sab ko aap bohat achey lagey" Qirat started the conversation.
"Me hu hi Acha me kya karu" he joked. Earning a light slap on the cheek, making the mother son duo smile.
"Maliha kesi lagi apko?" She asked.
"Theek lagi" he responded normally, but he began to her an idea of where this conversation is headed.
"Bus Theek ya achi?"
"Bus Theek hi thi, usey zyada baat kaha hui meri"
"Humane usey apke liye passand kiya hai.."
"Mumma!" He sat up straight all of a sudden.
"Kya hua?" Qirat asked confused.
"Apko koi aur passand hai?" She asked when he didn't respond to her first question.
He thought to himself, should he tell her. But then he thought again and his sanity told him to shut up. He thought saying anything right now would disappoint his mother.
"Bus mujhe abhi shaadi nahi karni" he directly said.
"Abhi shaadi karne ko kon kehraha hai, dekhlo abhi passand karlo, ek choti moti rasam karlenge abhi aur jab bhi aap ready hongey tabh shaadi karlenge.." Qirat persuaded.
"Muma I don't know.. I just don't want to.."
"Arey sochney me kya harj.?..just think about it atleast"
"Ok ..ok I'll think about it"
"Good. Mera acha bahca..jesai apki shaadi hojygi, phir mene Bilal aur Laiba ki bhi karadungi"
His eyebrows which were tensed in irritation a while ago fell as his mouth dropped. He wanted to say womething, but couldn't formed words. Composing himself a little he mustered up courage to ask.
"Bilal aur Laiba?"
"hmm, humari aur Falak ki tho inki paidaish se pehle ki baat paki he, aur jese yeh dono hai mujhe lagta hai dono kushi kushi humari khwaish puri kardenge" she smiled to herself.
And he began to find it difficult to breathe. He felt his stomach constrict at the thought.
"Kya hua beta?" Qirat asked seeing her sons face sink.
"kuch nahi mama, thakgaya I need to sleep maybe" he managed to say, holding back his emotions.
"Sojao beta. goodnight" Qirat kissed his forehead and left the room, letting him rest. But he couldn't rest, he was restless instead.
He dropped onto his bed, shutting his eyes tight. If his younger brother and her were happy with each other is it right for him to interfere? No, it wasn't right he concluded. He worked out he doesn't have the right to come between something everyone else found perfect and ruin it. But what about his emotions? NO! he couldn't be this selfish. He pulled out his phone, deleted that picture of him and her, as if deleting the feeling he held for her from his heart. he threw his phone across the room, covering his eyes with his forearm he forced himself to sleep after laying like that for god knows how long.