Misha's POV:

This felt like Déjà vu. Ibraheem was awfully silent. It's like he had actually complied with my request to leave me alone. It was odd. Knowing his nature, he wouldn't give up so soon but maybe he had changed in the five years that had gone by. 

Ever since that moment in the restaurant four days ago, he hadn't bothered me at all. He hadn't showed up to university or tried to contact me in any way. Also, ever since then, Usman and I weren't on talking terms either. He didn't tell anyone what had happened meanwhile I avoided him because I was ashamed of meeting his eyes and for not knowing answers to the questions he would ask me like 'Who was Ibraheem to me?' It was better this way.

I know it was me who wanted Ibraheem to do what he was doing and yet, it made me feel hollow inside but even more than that it made me realize and actually confirm the fact that he was and would never be serious about me. It was all a game. And now it was over. Finally. 

Looking at myself in the mirror, I lightly tapped my face with both my hands as if to wake me up. "You have been there before, Misha. Far too many tears have been lost because of this. No more. You are a free soul. Some things are just not meant to be." I convinced myself firmly as I heard ammi call me down for dinner. Ever since Saleem bhai had moved out to his own house, the house felt quieter. I had gotten so used to the sound of my niece and nephew running around and randomly barging into my room asking me stuff like 'what are you studying, phupho?' while sitting on my back. Children really were a blessing. 

It was a relief that I no longer believed in love and the likes of it because it had only ever brought me pain and disappointment. Plus, I was focused on Rubab's problem. She was trying to come up with all the possible ways to convince her family to break the engagement without having to bring up the pathetic idea Fahad had suggested but as more time passed, we concluded that his idea made sense. Or maybe, we were losing our sanity in the process. Rubab's problem was our problem after all. We had to think on the same lines.  

Madeeha bhahbi popped her head into my room giving me a pleasant smile that I wholeheartedly returned. Her smile really was contagious.

"I made double chocolate chip cookies. You down for it?" She offered and I nodded as I followed her downstairs.

"You need to teach me those someday." I told her as I was about to take a seat at the table.

"Teach you what?" Humayun inquired while Qasim bhai gave Madeeha Bhabhi a side hug as he sat down on the seat beside Humayun.

"Chocolate chip cookies." I told him, already foreshadowing his next remark.

"Matlab jis din tumne cookies bhanaye us din hum sab ka paet kharab tou pakka samjho. (Meaning, the day you decide to make cookies, we are all going to get a stomach ache for sure.)" Humayun replied and I scowled in return.

"It won't be that bad, Humayun." Qasim bhai defended me and I was about to thank him until I heard what he had to say next. "She will probably blow up the kitchen before she even gets a chance to serve the cookies."

"Ammi! Yeh dekhen kya keh rahay hen yeh. (Mom! Look at what they are saying.) I am not that bad, right?" I pleadingly looked at ammi while glaring daggers at both my brothers who were laughing while high fiving.

"Humayun, Qasim, don't say this about your sister. She would be an amazing cook if she tried." I heard my mother say in my defense while we heard the doorbell ring. That was probably abbu. We all waited in a blissful silence for the house keeper to open the main gate for abbu so he could park the car in the garage and join us at dinner. It was our daily routine and yet it didn't follow suit today.

Our housekeeper entered our dining room with an unsure look on his face.

"Sahab, kuch mehmaan aye hen. (Sir, some guests have arrived.)" Our house keeper, Shabbir uncle, told us. He was an elderly man nearing his seventies. He used to be our driver but he recently got into an accident and hence could no longer use his legs properly so he became our trusted house keeper and guard.

"Konse mehmaan? (What guests?)" Qasim questioned and then turned to ammi. "Are we expecting someone today?"

"Not that I know of, son." Ammi replied while looking at Shabbir uncle. "Kon hain? Koi ata pata bataya hai unhon ne apna? (Who are they? Have they introduced themselves to you?)"

"Nahi baji. Bus itna kaha hai k baray sahab aur apse milne ayen hen. Bari gaari se utray hen. Aik khatoon hen aur aik mard hai. (No ma'am. All they said is they came to meet you and sir. They came out of an expensive car. There is a woman and a man.)" Shabbir uncle explained and then waited for further instructions. Ammi told Qasim to see who it was while Humayun was told to call abbu to ask if they were expecting any of his guests.

"Ammi, I think they are abbu's friends. I have seated them in the living room." Qasim returned shortly. The living room was connected the room we were currently in so they were in the room right besides ours.

"But abbu said he wasn't expecting anyone either and he is on his way back as well. He will be arriving in five to seven minutes." Humayun said as he got off the call with abbu. We all looked at each other in confusion as Ammi concluded that she would take care of the situation.

"Qasim, Humayun, come with me to the living room so we can properly greet our guests and ask them who they are. Madeeha beeti, can you prepare something to serve the guests? Misha, go help your Bhabhi." Ammi instructed as we all got to work. This was an unusual event but nothing unpredictable. Abbu's friends or our neighbors or the parents of any one of my brother's friend would show up once in a while to meet and greet so this was nothing out of the blue. The only peculiar thing was how we were not informed beforehand about this.

I could hardly hear what ammi was talking about with the guests. Maybe, she was killing time until abbu arrived. I was a tad bit curious. Okay, scratch that, I really wanted to know about the identity of the guests. I was about to eavesdrop when I heard the bell ring and I spotted abbu coming inside from another window. I greeted him as he asked me about who had arrived and what was happening but I just shrugged so he entered the living room as well. There he went. Just great. More silence and then then suddenly the voices got louder.

Madeeha baji and I flinched in surprise. What even was happening?

Qasim's POV:

Ever since I had gone outside to greet the people in the pearl white SUV, I knew something was off. The woman seemed elegantly dressed and continued to smile without saying a word while her husband, I assume, looked at me with an air of silent domination. Something about him annoyed me but I didn't know what.

"Asalam o Alaikum." I greeted with a neutral expression. The man had guards with him which made this entire situation even more suspicious but maybe he was a high profile friend of father's. "Kya men apke naam jaan sakta hun? (May I know your names?)"

"Walaikum Asalam. Gee zaroor. Mera naam hai Saqib Khan and yeh meri wife hen, Nadia. (Ofcourse. My name is Saqib Khan and this is my wife, Nadia.)" The man introduced himself with a smile as he brought his hand forward for me to shake. I shook his hand while I waited for him to continue. "Men apke abbu aur ammi se milne aya hun. Zaroori mamalaat k baray men baat karni hen. Kya woh ghar hen? (I have come to meet your mother and father. I have an important matter to discuss with them. Are they home?)" His answer left me perplexed. It was rude to make them wait at the gate so I was compelled to invite him in. I told him to come inside and the man told his guards to stay behind while he and his wife sat down in the living room.

When ammi, Humayun and I entered the living room again, I had a pretty strong guess that ammi did not recognise the guests. Neither did Humayun. I had expected ammi to have an idea because she usually knew about abbu's friends but guess we were about to find out.

Ammi greeted them politely as she sat down on the sofa opposite them while Humayun and I each took one of the single sofas. The man introduced himself and his wife again and then questioned about the arrival our father.

"He will be arriving shortly." Ammi replied as she sat down as elegantly as the lady in the front of her did. Her posture was calm but I knew she was probably trying to figure out who these people were. Fortunately, abbu arrived and entered the room greeting the guests as well. Well, he didn't have that look of familiarity on his face which wasn't a good sign. Once father was seated beside mother, the man started to talk.

"Thank you for allowing us into your house. We will make this as straightforward and simple as possible. Hum bohat dil se apki beeti, Misha, ka hath mangne ayen hen apne beetay k liye. (We have come to sincerely ask for your daughter's hand in marriage for our son.)"

"Gee kya? (Um, what?)" Ammi was the first to react. Humayun and I were too shocked to respond and we didn't think we needed to with abbu and ammi sitting there.

"Mera naam Saqib Khan Narejo hai and men Sindh ka MNA hun. Mere beetay, Ibraheem, ko apki beeti bohat pasand hai and humari khuwahish hai ke apki family aur humari family apas men jur jaye is rishtay ke sath. (My name is Saqib Khan Narejo and I am the MNA of Sindh. My son, Ibraheem really likes your daughter and it is our wish that your family and ours gets joined together with this marriage proposal.)" 

Author's Note:

Hello and Asalam o Alaikum Lovelies!

Firstly, a very happy new year to each and every one of you. May you all have a wonderful and blessed year Ameen. 

Secondly, thank you for leaving wonderful comments on the previous author's note that I posted. It meant a lot to me. God bless you all.

Thirdly, I will probably write a small part of a coming chapter on how Ibraheem told his parents about Misha but I felt that with a New Year, this would have been a more exciting update. Hope you enjoyed it.

Peace out. \\//