☆4. Back to India
1581 Words
"Mom!" Ayaan shouted on top of his voice. It was 9 am. He was getting late for a business meeting.
"Mom! Where's my breakfast?" He shouted. Although they had lot many servants he was the most spoiled yet loved child in the family. All the 3 mothers of the house use to feed him by themselves. He never got the food from the hands of any maid, where else the others mostly got the food from dai-ma.
"2 minutes beta!" Aksa shouted from the kitchen.
She came out with bread and omelet as it was Ayaan's favorite breakfast.
"Thank you so much Badi Ammi." He said and she made him eat from her hand.
"Love the taste. Nobody can make these better than you!" He said chewing.
"And Me?" Tarannum frowned. She brought kheer. Ayaan loved it too, it was his favorite sweet dish.
"Kheer!" He shouted!
"Love you, Muma!" He used to call Tarannum Muma.
He finished with his bread omelet and then jumped on to kheer.
"Huh! Nawab Sahab ki khatir dari to dekhlo!" Seher taunted.
["Huh, look at the special treatment of Nawab Sahab" ]
"Stop being jealous!" He teased.
They started making teasing faces to each other. Seher sat on the dining table and served some kheer to herself. No doubt the youngsters were a fan of Kheer.
"Where is Zubiya Chachi?" Meher asked taking her seat beside Ayaan.
"She is still in the kitchen," Aksa answered.
"Seems like another tasty dish is on its way!" Ayaan said in a teasing tone, irritating Seher.
"This boy!" Rabiya playfully slapped him on his head.
"Ouch! Rabiya appi." He pouted.
"Stop teasing her. Now you aren't getting late?" She taunted.
"Naah, first food then work mood!" He said and everybody laughed.
Finally, Zubiya came out of the kitchen with a full dish of biryani.
"That smell...!" Ayaan said inhaling the smell.
"Is amazing...!" Meher added.
"...Can I...?" Seher imitated.
"...Get some? Rabiya completed.
"Biryani!" All the 4 kids shouted together.
"Ammi, early morning biryani?" Ayaan asked walking towards her.
"Something special today?" Rabiya asked getting up from her seat.
"Maybe!" Zubiya replied.
"Now give that to me!" Ayaan said snatching the dish.
"Wait! Ayaan. Behave!" Zubiya said some broken words which didn't affect Ayaan a bit.
"Give me too!" Seher pouted.
"And me too!" Meher extended her plate.
"It's for me!" Ayaan teased all.
"Bhaiyu seems like those 6 pack abs are soon going to turn into a balloon." A girl standing on the entrance said.
Everybody's attention diverted to her. Ayaan dropped the spoon on the floor. Meher and Seher stopped between there bites. The elder ladies looked at each other as if they were dreaming.
"What? I'm not a ghost." She said.
"Chiki?" Ayaan said which came more like a question.
"Bhaiyu." Mahira replied. She dropped her bag on the floor and ran to hug him.
"Chiki!" He shouted and lifted her up taking rounds.
"OMG! You here! But how? And without notice and..." Ayaan bombarded her with questions.
"Hang on!" She tried to calm him down.
"Told you guys. Special occasion." Zubiya said opening her arms to welcome her daughter in her embrace after four years with teary eyes.
"Mom."
She ran and hugged him. They both had tears in their eyes. Mahira met everyone present in the room one by one except Meher who was upset with her for not attending her engagement.
"What's this noise over here?" Fahad said as he walked down the stairs opening his eyes. He was still sleeping.
"The same question," Danish said coming down from other stairs parallel to the first one.
"My dream isn't over yet?" He asked looking at Mahira.
"And so did mine," Danish said rubbing his eyes.
"Pinch yourself," Mahira said.
They agreed and pinched each other.
"Ouch!" They both gasped.
"It's not a dream?" Danish asked.
"I guess," Mahira replied and ran to hug him too.
"Missed you bhai." She said and then hugged Fahad.
"And you too jiju." The family overjoyed with her return. Mahira washed her hands and sat on the dining table with everyone to eat. She was given more special treatment than Ayaan.
They were all talking when Danish's cell phone rang.
He drank a glass of water and then answered the call.
"Assalam Alaikum!"
"Walekumassalam, beta. Is Umad with you guys?" Iqbal, Umad's father asked him from another side of the call.
"No uncle. He didn't come here since yesterday. What happened? Everything okay?" Danish asked in a deep voice and everyone turned to him.
"He isn't home since morning. His cell phone is off too and nobody knows where is he." Iqbal sighed.
"This boy!" Don't worry uncle. I'll find him soon." Danish said and hung up the call.
"What happened?" Aksa asked in a scared voice.
"Umad isn't home since morning. His cell phone is off and he isn't in the office too." Danish replied.
"What?" Mahira stood up from her seat.
"Relax!" He might be in any meeting." Fahad tried to calm her down.
"How come he could be so careless?" Mahira frowned.
She went upstairs to her room and changed her dress.
She came out of the changing room and saw Meher sitting on her bed.
"I'm sorry." Mahira murmured.
"Umad bhai has gone to Bangalore. Don't panic he'll be back day after tomorrow." Meher said.
"Bangalore? Why?" Mahira asked.
Meher shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.
"Damn! Laiba!" She shouted.
"Now where did Laiba came in the scene?" Meher asked.
"She is the only one he knows in Bangalore and till I know she is coming here next week and..."
"Appi, I hate that girl. She will definitely try to do something wrong." Meher half yelled. She totally forgot she was angry on Mahira.
"Call him now!" She added.
"Me?" Mahira asked.
"Then who else me?" Meher faked anger.
"But.."
"No buts and ifs!" Meher shouted.
Mahira dialed his number.
"It's ringing." She said to Meher.
"Nobody answered!" She added after a minute. She re-dialed bit again he didn't answer.
"Now what?" Meher asked.
"Nikah!" Mahira said in her raging voice.
"Really?"
"No, I mean ah... engagement?" She said more like asking a question.
"Your brain never works in this field." Meher scolded her.
"Better you sleep, you must be tired, I'll do something myself." She added with an evil smirk. Mahira simply nodded and laid herself on the bed. She was restless. She hated Laiba and Umad was not aware of her intentions. She turned her body towards. Suddenly her eyes fell on a family photograph that was taken 4 years back. It had everyone. Her eyes were fixed on her support system 'Raziya.'
"Miss you appi." She said caressing her face in the photograph. She got up from her bed and admired the room. After 4 years she felt like a girl, not a machine. She went to her balcony and saw a beautiful scenario. The garden that Raziya and Mahira decorated together. It seemed as if the girls took really good care of it.
She came back in and thought sleeping won't help her so she decided to join the family down. She hadn't met the gents of the family yet.
She was about to walk out when she saw her bow and arrow hanging on the sidewall. She smiled and caressed it. She closed her eyes and remembered her training sessions.
"You know, with this speed, it will take you whole century just to learn how to hold this bow." Umad teased her.
"If you are this concerned about me then you teach me rather than estimating the time I'll require to learn it on my own." Mahira frowned.
"Sure?" He asked with a smirk.
"One hundred percent!" She replied.
She took her bow in her hand and tried to fix the arrow. Suddenly she felt to arms around her arms imitating what she was doing.
"What are you doing?" She murmured hesitating.
"You asked me to teach you," Umad replied with an evil smirk.
He wrapped his arms around her back hugging her and helped her fixing the arrow. She was shivering on his touch. He was taller than her so he placed his head on her shoulder and blew air in her ears.
It gave her goosebumps.
"Umad stop. Someone will come." She murmured still shivering.
"Let them come." He whispered in her ears.
"Please stop." She again said in the least possible voice.
He didn't give a damn and continued to tease her with his touch. He slightly pulled the arrow back with the string using her hands and then left it. Mahira closed her eyes. The arrow went straight to the center of the target. She slightly opened one eye and saw the arrow's position. She smiled but then realized she was still in his protective embrace.
"Look taught you in just one short." He again whispered bending his head more on her neck.
"Ahem Ahem!" Danish and Raziya teased together.
"Guys, if you want we can postpone our marriage, you both can marry first." Raziya teased them.
"No!" Danish said in his scared voice.
Umad left Mahira suddenly and she ran inside the house. He stood there trying to ignore the stargaze of the two devils in his moment.
"Bhai, I'll just be back." He said and ran into the house too.
"The best couple!" Raziya said.
"After us," Danish added.
"Mahira!" Zubiya's voice brought her out of her flashback.
"Coming mom." She replied.
- Writer
