Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, has stunning natural beauty and impeccable architectural beauty. It was known as the capital of the country for a reason. While residing here, he realized how calm, serene, and relaxing it was in Islamabad. It was surrounded by grand hills and lush greenery which would give the tranquility to the eyes. Modern infrastructure and cultural beauty were something noteworthy as well. Izmir had dwelled in many cities of Pakistan and even different countries for work purposes as well. However, the peaceful and placid vibes of Islamabad were unbeatable.

He remembered being a citizen of this gorgeous city since he gained an understanding of this world. Sohail Raza, his father, was a small government when he got married to Farhana. Izmir's mother had left for her home city,y Lahore, to accompany her groom to Islamabad, and then they lived there till his death.

Izmir was always outgoing, extroverted, sociable, confident, and vivacious. He was the life of together, and since school age, he was fond of reading, studying, and speeches. In school and college debate competitions, he was always the first one to raise his hand to participate. His lively nature and handsome build earned him a good reputation, along with popularity among girls too. He was well aware of his intelligence as well. All these things led him to pursue a better use of his intellect and social skills which was that he opted for a profession of journalism. He had a sharp memory and a way to deal with things, so he soon got a name in the media industry at such a young age.

Work had made him a bit disjoined with the rest of the world as well. However, he liked the colors of this world at the same time. He gave proper time to himself and his family, too.

The beautiful and vast bungalow which they were residing in now wasn't this big before. As the firstborn, Izmir knew the efforts and hard work that his parents had put into making their future bright. His father was just an ordinary employee earning a few thousand when he married Farhana. Yet they tried their best to give every necessity to their kids. Sometimes, the loss of a sister was felt by all of them; however, still, the brotherhood between the brothers was strong and unbreakable. And Izmir had strived to never allow this bond to shatter under any circumstances by any external or internal force as the oldest son.

Farhana entered his room, the tiers of her wheelchair making a distinctive sound as they moved over the tiled floor.

"Oh Mama, you here?" He murmured, with a smile. "Do you need anything?"

All of his brothers were gone to their respective schools or workplaces by now. On regular days, Izmir, too, would have gone to his office as well. After that Yousuf came back at around two. Farhana had to remain alone for around eight hours in this way. Seeing this, Izmir hired a female physiotherapist, Zenia, his trustworthy female assistant, to go to his mansion to supervise the physiotherapy. While being in a wheelchair in bed, her muscles needed some activity and exercise to prevent them from atrophying; hence, physiotherapy was best for it. Zenia was just here to take care of Farhana till none was at home. She earlier worked in his office howeve,r Izmir had restricted her right to two jobs in their house for his mother's sake. It also provided her with company, and Zenia helped with her medicine, food, and other things as well.

She moved forward and then raised her hand. Izmir took the gesture and then leveled his head next to her hand so that she could pat his head. "Are you ready to go to the airport?"

Izmir nodded. "Yes. I am about to leave in a while. You have to take care of yourself, Mama. I've called Zenia. She will be here any time soon. Your physiotherapist is on her way. Perform the exercises. Eat well, sleep well, and enjoy a lot. I love you, Mama." He bent down again and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

"I was thinking that you stay at Aqia's place there in Lahore," Farhana said, explaining her real reason for coming here.

Izmir gritted his brows. "Mama, there's no need to worry them. Everyone has their own life and stuff. Aqia Khala and her family make so many arrangements for me as though it's not me, but the prime minister is coming to their home. They will get disturbed for no reason. I'll meet them for dinner or lunch, maybe. Even Tabinda Khala as well."

For work purposes, Izmir had to do yours in a different city every other month. They had relatives or friends at many places but he preferred to stay at any hotel. He never liked to become a nuisance to anyone. He knew that it was very difficult to adjust to just one person suddenly by their own personal experience. Whenever they had any guests, it brought havoc; all the brothers didn't even know about the time.

In Lahore, both of his Aunts lived. His mother was the eldest, followed by Tabinda and then Aqia was the youngest sister. He was the eldest cousin among the kids of all the sisters. He was followed by Haider, Aqia's son who was ASP Punjab police right now. In childhood, he and Haider used to play together because of the considerably small age gap. Haider was serious, goal-oriented, and very respectful of everyone. They made good friends; however, things became distant when they grew older and got busy with studies and other stuff. After that, Tabinda's daughter Nisha came. The introverted, kind, and sweet Nisha was the apple of the eyes of her mother and Aunts because she was the only girl in the family to that date. He recalled the petite girl who would be jutted in her books, remained as a shadow to her mother's side, and was often seen to be playing with dolls. In childhood, the three of them mostly played together.

Huzaifa was Aqia's second son, and he was the total opposite of his brother. Having a clever, sharp, naughty, and mischievous personality, Izmir suddenly felt that he had a new playmate. Haider and Nisha were his good companions, and he adored the time he spent with them; however, with Huzaifa, it was different.

Haider and Nisha never liked to do adventures and take risks which Izmir himself loved. Huzaifa was the one he enjoyed thoroughly and throughout. Their friendship was based on the mutual likeness of their nature, which intensified their bond. Huzaifa was many years younger than him; however, their amazing bonding didn't make it seem like it.

Huzaifa didn't call him a brother or any such surname because they came on a friendship level. He still had contact with both the brothers tho. Hiba was a kid, almost the same age as his two younger brothers. While Unaiza was a girl adopted by Aqia. She was innocent, nice, and loving. In short, he had a nice bond with his cousins. The distances had put some spaces still whenever they met; it would bring havoc.

They all were busy in their own lives. Nisha was already married to a rich businessman and her paternal cousin Ruhaan Sufiyan Ahmad. Together they had three kids now. Izmir knew that Nisha and Haider were engaged, but their engagement ended because apparently, Nisha was in love with Ruhaan, who had probably married her to take some revenge.

He often found it weird how their relationship was working after her husband was the one who married her for a reason and she herself left Haider for him. Some said that Haider broke off their engagement and some said, Nisha did this. However, he always found it peculiar how an innocent girl like Nisha could maintain a relationship with Ruhaan while being engaged to Haider. But maybe they had found love along the way. Or perhaps their kids bound them. However, this thing made Haider bitter, and he only married after eight years of that incident.

Haider's marriage occurred suddenly in a private ceremony that Farhana and his brothers had attended. He couldn't because he had a meeting scheduled with one of the media persons in Dubai on the same day. He often complained to Haider about this; however, he said that he would make it up for him by arranging some dinner or party.

"What trouble, Mir? She is your Aunt and she would be glad to host you. I have already talked to her and now you are going to stay at her place," his mother contended.

He placed his hands over her shoulder. "I know, Mama. Aqia Khala is a sweetheart. But I also know what's your motive behind suddenly being so excited about my Lahore trip. You want Khala to search girls for me. Right?"

Farhana scoffed. "I gave you full freedom to search a girl for yourself but you didn't listen. So, it only gave me a choice to ask my sister to meet some match-making agencies. She has a lot of contacts so she can do a very good job."

Izmir just sighed in response. There was no coming back from here at all.

                         ______________

Assalamualaikum/ Hi guys!

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Here's a new chapter.

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We'll see many interactions between cousins from now on. So stay tuned. ❤️

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