Zainab's POV

My tearful eyes followed his figure till he got disappear from my sight. I wanted to call his name, I wanted to stop him but it felt like my voice became blocked in my throat. I swallowed a lump as I found my legs trembling.

I felt something broke inside of me. The Shaiq from a while ago surely wasn't the Shaiq who used to be my best friend. His stare which always showed care, concern and love for me had turned into a stone-like hard one. His hand which always gave me warmth, strength, and affection became harsh, unfamiliar, and sharp. He had totally changed. The one who used to panic on my few drops of tears; today, didn't pay heed to the fact that the reason for my cry was he himself.

I licked my dried lips in haste. Today, for the first time, I deciphered that he wasn't pranking and teasing me by doing this. He had become a different person for real who didn't even care for what misery I was going through. I wiped my cheeks with my palms and headed out of the kitchen. I stopped for a moment when I found Shaiq occupying the dining table with his sister and niece. In fact, he was so busy feeding Parizay that he didn't even notice my presence.

"Bhabi, come on; have breakfast," Nofil invited me when she saw me. She was in her college uniform as she had already told me earlier that she needed to go there.

I nodded while passing a small smile to her. Shaiq finally looked up at me but drew his attention away the next moment, back to his niece. I dragged a chair beside Parizay and sat on it. Though I didn't have any mood to eat anything, still I decided to join them since I didn't want Nofil to get the slightest idea that something happened between me and Shaiq.

"Thank God, today is my last paper and then I will be freed from this hell at last. And Bhabi?" Nofil chirped in excitation as she glanced at me, "can you please accompany me for shopping tomorrow?"

I was about to grab the glass of juice before I stopped and looked at her with a raised brow, "tomorrow?"

Nofil nodded her head in reply.

"Sorry, tomorrow is not possible since I have a job interview in the morning but we can go the day after it. Okay?" I suggested to her with an assuring smile.

"Wow, do you have an interview tomorrow?" Nofil exclaimed with widened eyes.

I nodded my head but alongside my eyes went to Shaiq who just got up from where he was sitting and strolled away towards the outside. What happened to him all of a sudden?

"For which vacancy Bhabi?"

I came out of my thoughts when Nofil asked me again, "for the general manager vacancy."

"That's cool! Best of luck," she mumbled while giving a thumbs up.

I didn't say anything just smiled at her as my mind was still lingering on what happened between me and Shaiq. What would I do now? How would I make him understand? I turned my head to the front when Shaiq came back. He glanced at me for a moment with a cold stare before settling on the chair.

"Oh yeah Bhai, I just remembered I forgot to tell you I am in search of a job myself and I will be doing an internship right after my college," Nofil informed while her whole attention was on her brother.

Shaiq gritted his brows in confusion, "why do you need to find a job? There is no need for the job. As long as your brother is there, you don't have to worry about such things; just tell me what you want."

I blankly stare at Shaiq whose words and face were dripping immense love for his sister. I again felt my heart clenching; he used to care and get worried for me the same way he was doing for Nofil. But now he treated me like a stranger. He was as oblivious of my presence that I was invisible.

"No Bhai," Nofil chuckled, "I am not looking
for a job, because I need something, I just want to get some experience as an intern before the start of my university."

"If that's the case then it's fine. But you are going to quit that job once you will be going to your university and will just focus on your studies," Shaiq told her with a fake serious expression.

"Okay boss," Nofil beamed with a chuckle which was later joined by a throaty laugh of Shaiq, and I couldn't help but smile at this.

"I am leaving for the college then," she said while getting up and grabbing her long bag from the table and turning towards Parizay, "Pari baby come, take your bag, and come here."

Parizay pouted her small strawberry red lips and stood up while scratching her small forehead. She lazily hung her bag on her shoulders in which Shaiq helped her. After they were gone, I looked at him who was so busy cutting the egg white with a fork while with his other hand, he had carried his phone in front of his eyes. He didn't even pay attention to me. It was like for him, I was no one.

"Shaiq?" I mumbled but it came out as a whisper but in it as well I could sense my murky voice.

He didn't move a bit not even glance at me; perhaps either he didn't listen to me or he was purposely ignoring me. His scrutiny was fixed on his phone. I wondered what magic this phone got now that he couldn't seem to take his eyes off its screen. Since he came back, I always saw him using it non-stop.

"Shaiq, I am talking to you," this time I asserted in a loud voice.

This helped me and he finally drew his stare away from that magic box and gazed at me. There was no expression on his face except his lips which were pursed tightly in a thin line. After a bit, he again got back to his phone. I rose a little and peeped at the screen of his phone which was laying on the table. My forehead creased in confusion seeing him texting someone. Who was he messaging?

"Why are you doing this?" I spoke again a while later.

There was no reply from him except his fingers started slamming hard against the phone's screen.

"What are you getting by acting like this? At least talk to me, don't become this stranger to me, Shaiq. I...I can't live like this, please," I mumbled while contently looking at his face.

"You know what, Zainab?" He let out while finally placing his phone beside his plate on the table, "I wanted to ask the same thing from you as well but the difference is you are getting a chance to ask this but you didn't let me even ask you this."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before opening them again and gazing back at him who now was fully attentive to me.

"And I have told you Shaiq I did this for you, for your better. I did this because I wanted my best friend to make his future which wouldn't have been possible if you would have stayed here," I explained in a stern voice.

"Best friend?" He repeated while letting out a small laugh. And I could see the irony in it.

He let out an audible deep sigh before wiggling his head sideways like he didn't take any of my statements seriously. The smug was still present on his lips as he aimlessly twirls the fork in the white porcelain plate.

"What's funny in this?" I snapped back.

His hand movement stopped and came off as a screeching sound of the sudden halt of motion of fork on the plate. He looked up at me once again but now his face lost the smirk and lightness from earlier. His eyes were stern and without any emotion.

"You! You are funny," he whispered but I could sense the roughness in this.

He stared at me for a moment before getting up and leaving. It took me a whole minute to decipher that he just mocked me. According to him, I was someone who he wouldn't take seriously and whose talks would mean nothing to him. But I still couldn't understand why he laughed in a satirical way when I called him my best friend. I blinked my eyes continuously to stop myself from bursting into tears. Why was Shaiq treating me like this? What bad had I done to deserve this rude behavior of his?

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Sitting on the tiled edge of the swimming pool, my eyes were fixed on its fresh blue color who always used to soothe my mind and heart but right now, it was unable to do so. I didn't even care for the side of my dupatta which was soaking in the water of the pool. I didn't even interest in wiping the tears which were getting stuck on my cheeks. I felt immense pain like someone had broken my heart into pieces. He had changed; that to a stranger who I was unfamiliar with. His everything had changed whether it was the way of his talking or the way he looked at me.

I shoved some strands of my hair behind when the wind started to waver them. The weather suddenly got pleased with the strong and cold breeze as the afternoon arrived. As soon as Shaiq left in the morning during breakfast, I came here. And after that, I didn't go after him. One thing I was sure that he didn't go out, he was still at home. But where he was, I didn't know. I rubbed my forehead with my hands as I threw my face in between my joined knees. I hug my legs with my arms as I closed my eyes. It caused my blocked tears to escape.

My heart was still hoping that anytime Shaiq would come out, in search of his Zainab and would say that whatever he was doing was just to tease me and he was still my same Shaiq. But my brain was telling otherwise.

How many wishes I made when I heard him coming that I would ask him about what he had done abroad, how it was for him to be there without me, why he didn't use to contact me and will get fake angry with him for the same purpose, I will tell him about my studies and my new job but now there was nothing. All my excitement had gone down like the lather of soap.

I came out of my thoughts when my phone rang. I lifted my head and peeked at it, besides me. It was Meekal who was calling. Momentarily, my heart urged me to ignore it as I had no mood to talk to anyone but the other second, I refused it. That guy was so sweet and had done so much for me, not to forget how his calls were always used to give me alleviation in bad times and that was the least I could do for him; which was not to act up. I wiped my cheeks and grabbed the phone.

'Hi Zainab, how are you?'

'I am fine. What made you call me?'

Despite trying so hard to sound stable and loud, my voice came off as muffled and teary. There was a silence that prevailed between us which made me perplexed as to why he took a pause.

'What's wrong with your voice, Zainab? Are you okay?'

That was it! I wondered why this guy always got to know that small thing. It had become so difficult for me to hide anything from him especially when I would be talking to him on phone.

'Nothing, I have the flu that's why my voice is sounding like this.'

'Take care of yourself. Anyways I just wanted to discuss with you about the interview. We have it in the noon so I just wanted to let you know that we will leave for there right after university.'

'Hmm.' That was the only thing that could come out of my mouth considering how the bulk of tears had obstructed my throat.

'And yeah; your husband has come, right?'

Just this was needed and my tears started flooding out. I couldn't believe just Shaiq's mere mention could have that effect on me.

'M...Meekal, I will talk to you later, okay? Right now, I have a small work to do. Bye.'

I didn't let him say anything in the reply as I disconnect the call. I covered my mouth with my palm tightly to stop my sobbing. In all of this while, I just forgot to tell him that I had given his number to Nofil and she would contact him.

"Zainab!" I turned around with a jerk when someone called my name.

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Salam guys!

How are you?

I am back with another chapter. How is it?

Who do you think called Zainab's name in the end?

Zainab didn't tell Meekal that Nofil has his number so do you think it will be doing some chaos in the story?

Do you want to make me happy? Then just press the start button at the bottom and also comment down your thoughts. I will be really happy. ❤😀