An Inferiority Complex 2
1529 Words
Everything was silent.
The voices from inside couldn't be heard.
Azal Qureshi sat quietly on the bench, waiting for Khizar to come back.
Only the gentle whisper of the wind disturbed the silence, accompanied by the distant songs of birds.
After a while...
Someone sat down beside him.
There was no one else nearby.
Azal turned to look at him.
The young man had deep, sorrowful black eyes—as though they had witnessed every hardship the world had to offer.
His face was long and slightly thin.
He was of average height and wore a perfectly tailored black suit.
Just by looking at him, Azal felt he looked ill.
A moment later, the man reached into his coat pocket, took out a pill, and swallowed it.
Only then did Azal speak.
"If you're sick..."
"Why did you come to the office?"
"You should've taken the day off."
The man looked at him, slightly surprised.
He was Muhtashim Qureshi.
He had been waiting outside Fayaz's office while Fayaz and Khizar were talking inside.
"There are things in life," Muhtashim replied softly, his voice weakened by illness, "that are more important than life itself, kid."
Azal immediately shook his head.
"No."
"No work in an office is more important than your life."
A faint smile touched Muhtashim's lips.
"You're still just a little kid."
He picked up a bottle and took a sip of water.
A second later...
Azal stretched out his hand toward him.
"Here."
Muhtashim looked down.
"What is this?"
It was a small candy.
For a moment, genuine surprise crossed his face.
Why was this little boy giving it to him?
"Medicine is really bitter."
Azal scrunched up his face.
"The taste stays in your mouth for a long time."
Muhtashim couldn't help smiling.
There was something almost rabbit-like about the way Azal made that expression.
He didn't really need the candy...
But he accepted it anyway.
"Thank you."
He unwrapped it...
And placed it into his mouth.
After a moment, Muhtashim looked at Azal again.
"So..."
"What grade are you in?"
He already knew who Azal was.
And he also knew that Azal didn't know him.
Khizar had never liked talking about his family.
Whenever he spoke about them, he mentioned only his mother—and no one else.
Muhtashim, however...
Knew almost everything about Azal.
When Khizar had left home, Muhtashim had secretly looked into Azal's background.
He had wanted to know what was so special about this boy that Khizar had abandoned his own family for him.
Despite knowing everything...
Muhtashim had never spoken to Azal before.
This...
Was the very first time.
"My brother told me never to talk to strangers..."
"And never to give them any information about myself."
Azal picked up his school bag and deliberately turned the other way.
Muhtashim blinked in surprise.
"Then why did you give me that candy?"
"Didn't your brother forbid that too?"
A smile flickered in his eyes.
"My brother says helping people is a good thing."
Azal answered without looking back.
Muhtashim smiled.
"So..."
"You helped me."
"If I told you I was indebted to you..."
"What would you do?"
It almost felt as though he had found a new toy to pass the time with.
Azal kept his eyes fixed on the office door.
"I didn't save your life."
"So if you said you owed me a favor..."
"I'd know you were lying."
Muhtashim froze.
Then, without meaning to, he laughed.
The laughter never reached his voice.
It remained only in his eyes.
"You're surprisingly clever."
"Especially for someone so young."
"How old are you?"
"Eleven?"
"At most."
He already knew Azal was older than that.
He simply wanted the boy to reveal his real age himself.
Azal puffed out his cheeks.
"I'm not eleven."
"I'm older."
"Oh, really?"
"So..."
"Twelve?"
"You certainly don't look any older than that."
"I understand everything."
Azal finally looked at him.
"You're deliberately guessing the wrong age..."
"So I'll tell you the correct one."
"But let me tell you something."
"I really don't talk to strangers."
Muhtashim stared at him for a second...
Then laughed again.
This time too...
His laughter made almost no sound.
"You really are incredibly smart, Azal."
This time, he intentionally used the boy's name.
He hoped Azal would become curious enough to continue the conversation.
Instead...
Azal remained silent.
Muhtashim studied him carefully.
The golden curls...
The rabbit-like eyes...
The soft, rounded face...
For some reason...
He found the boy unexpectedly endearing.
"You didn't even ask how I knew your name."
There was genuine curiosity in his voice now.
"Because I already know..."
"You're Brother Khizar's stepbrother."
Azal answered without looking at him.
For the first time...
Muhtashim was genuinely stunned.
Khizar disliked him too much to have ever introduced him to Azal.
"How do you know that?"
"Did Khizar tell you?"
He couldn't stop himself from asking.
Azal finally turned toward him.
"So..."
"You really are my brother's stepbrother."
He spoke with obvious displeasure.
He didn't like anyone claiming to be Khizar's brother except himself.
"You guessed?"
"But how?"
Muhtashim looked at him in complete disbelief.
Perhaps...
He had made the mistake of thinking Azal was just an innocent child.
But this was Azal...
A boy who had grown up beside someone as sharp and dangerous as Khizar.
"No ordinary person has come to this place so far," Azal replied, pronouncing every word with quiet certainty.
"So you must be someone important."
"And you already know my name."
"That means you know everything about me."
"And there's only one reason for that..."
"You must be one of Brother Khizar's close relatives."
Muhtashim watched him with growing fascination.
"But how does that prove I'm his stepbrother?" he asked, amused.
"You could've guessed I was his cousin instead."
"Especially since you clearly don't like the idea of your brother having another brother."
Azal finally looked at him.
"Who said I have a problem with you?"
"I already knew who you were."
There was a trace of annoyance in his voice.
Muhtashim smiled.
"So..."
"Aryan told you."
"Fine."
"But tell me one thing."
"Why were you so certain I'd know everything about you?"
For the first time in a long while...
He was genuinely enjoying a conversation.
"My brother left his own home because of me."
"That's not something ordinary people do."
"So of course..."
"You must have investigated me to find out who I was."
Azal glared at him with his golden, rabbit-like eyes as he finished speaking.
For some reason...
That expression only made him seem even more adorable to Muhtashim.
At the same time...
Muhtashim seemed rather unpleasant to Azal.
He noticed every little detail.
He analyzed everything too deeply.
Then again...
Khizar was exactly the same.
He was a lawyer who examined every word and every action with care.
Except when it came to Azal.
In matters involving him...
Khizar always chose to trust with his heart instead of his eyes.
"You're far more intelligent than someone your age should be."
Muhtashim couldn't hide his admiration.
"I've never been interested in compliments."
"I'm Azal."
"I already know who I am."
He replied carelessly.
Muhtashim chuckled.
"I thought Khizar would've turned you into someone just like him."
"But you're a completely different case."
"I think Aryan has influenced you too."
Azal remained silent.
That only made Muhtashim like him even more.
"Will you be my friend?"
He held out his hand toward Azal.
Azal didn't even look at it.
"I'm not interested."
Muhtashim smiled again.
"So what else are you made of?"
"I can already see Khizar and Aryan mixed together."
"They usually become friends with everyone in no time."
Azal still said nothing.
"This candy is really good."
Muhtashim said while slowly sucking on it, his attention still fixed on the boy.
"I like it a lot too."
"Here..."
Azal reached into his school bag and held out several more candies.
Muhtashim blinked in surprise.
Then he laughed again.
This time too, his laughter was almost soundless.
"Why are you giving these to me?"
"I thought you didn't want to be friends."
He accepted the candies first and slipped them into his pocket before speaking.
"That doesn't mean we're friends."
"You're my brother's stepbrother."
"And respecting you is something I should do."
With that...
Azal stood up and started walking away.
"Where are you going?"
"Khizar hasn't come out yet."
Muhtashim called after him.
"Brother will be here soon."
"And I don't want him to have to wait for me..."
"...not even to stand up."
Muhtashim was stunned once again.
Azal turned back, tilted his head slightly, and looked at him.
"I'm fifteen years old..."
"Muhtashim Qureshi."
Before Muhtashim could recover from the surprise...
The office door opened.
Khizar stepped outside.
The moment he saw Muhtashim sitting there...
His eyes filled with anger.
"Khizar..."
Muhtashim stood up as soon as he saw him.
Khizar didn't even spare him a glance.
He strode forward and deliberately slammed his shoulder into Muhtashim's as he passed.
The impact forced Muhtashim to stumble back a step.
Without saying a single word...
Khizar took Azal's hand and walked away.
Muhtashim remained standing where he was.
- Writer
