The day on the sets wasn't as hectic, given the fact that their first leg of the schedule concluded today. Osama was in his seat, facing the monitor and reviewing the footage when he felt a presence behind him. He craned his neck and sure enough, found Rimsha there.

"Hi."

She greeted him meekly. Osama nodded in her way and looked on questionably.

"Can I have a bit of your time? I swear I'll be quick."

Osama had an idea of what it'd be about. He'd look like a real ass to refuse her and he didn't have any reason to. Not without hearing her. So, he gestured to the seat next to him. Relief spread onto Rimsha's features. She obliged immediately.

"As I said, I'll be quick. First of all, I know this goes way beyond the scope of professionalism but I have no other choice. I don't want to approach you outside of the set, that'll be crossing a line but I also want to come clean to you so, yeah."

She leaned into her seat so that she was closer to Osama. It wasn't invading his personal space, just enough so he could hear her loud and clear.

"I'm sorry about everything, Osama. I crossed a line, it's all on me. There are no excuses and no justifications for my behavior and I won't bore you with those as well. So, really, I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable in whatever way I did. It won't happen again. You have my word."

Seeing Osama's neutral expression, she went on. "Yes, I'm ashamed of the way I was going on with this whole thing but what I'm and will not be ashamed of is being interested in you romantically."

Osama raised an eyebrow, not expecting this at all. Rimsha wasn't sheepish. Her confidence didn't falter even a bit.

"I like you, Osama. You know that. My family does as well and yours too. And that's what it is. I like you. But now I also know that you don't and whatever misconception I had that you were just being rough on the edges and hard to get is no longer there."

"Hard to get?"

She smiled, a sheepish tone to it for the first time she started talking. "As I said, a misconception. But I'd like you to know that befriending your mother was really not intentional. I've known Auntie Zeb longer than I've known you so please; don't misunderstand my genuine friendship with her. Yes, I did think that through her, we can get to know each other but that thought is also discarded now."

She pushed her hair out of her face. "That's it, I guess. I'm really sorry for putting you in an uncomfortable situation. It will never happen again. But I'm not sorry for liking you or hoping to get to know you better. I just don't want you to judge me too hard on the basis of this mess-up. And yes, from now on, only professionalism. To the dot. No hard feelings. I hope we can be at least civil with each other. Friends?"

Osama pursed his lips, not in annoyance but in amusement. Rimsha immediately understood. "Yeah. I get it. Too soon for that. Okay then, I'm off."

"Actually."

Osama pointed to the monitor in front of him. "I was going to call for you myself. We need to review some clips."

"Are they bad?"

"Not bad, per se but I think a retake will do both of us some good because I don't like the overall look of the footage."

"Really? Show me."

With that, she sat back down in her seat, Osama and her focus on the monitor as they discussed the clips.

And at some distance, Alina looked away from the scene and focused on her phone.

𝄞

When he got to Teen Talwar, he could already see Sila and a traffic warden standing on the sidewalk. He stopped close by and wasted no time getting out of his car. Sila's relief was intermixed with her sore loser energy upon seeing him.

"Everything okay here?"

For a pole trashing, police station voyaging, and generally a class D driver, he really had the audacity to act like a perfect knight in shining armor. Sila huffed. The warden shook hands with Aahil.

"Your wife's car broke down in the middle of the road. The truck is on its way to get it off here."

For the first time, Aahil didn't have to correct a stranger. She was indeed his wife now.

"Thank you, officer. I will take over from here."

The warden nodded as he left from there, relieved that his duty here was over. Sila leaned against her car's hood and folded her hand on her front.

"I think―"

"Not hearing a word from you is going to be a blessing for my sanity."

"Such a sore loser."

"Odds were never in my favor."

"Are we calling Chand Gaari that now?"

Sila regarded him seriously. "That's it. For this wedding to work, I have to lay down some ground rules."

"I'll go first. Rule # 1: You have to be happy for the other person's victories and triumphs no matter how hard that is for you."

"Only you'll equate winning a bet to triumphs and victories." She mimicked him, stretching the last two words mockingly.

"Small joys in life, Sila. Your car has made you completely ignorant of those."

"Actually, my marriage with you did it."

"You get to see me naked. I don't think that's the case."

"I NEVER GOT TO SEE YOU NAKED!"

"Sounds like a complaint to me. Don't worry; we'll see what we can do about that, wife. For now, the truck is here to take your baby to the hospital."

Sila left her car but not before sending a blazing look his way. "Don't make me send you to one."

"You'll come along, what they say? In sickness and in health―"

"Till your loud mouth do us part."

Sila finished for him as the truck neared. Aahil's reply was a laugh.

𝄞

The car was once again brought to a workshop. Aahil insisted on taking it to the previous one but Sila wasn't sure about it, her last experience didn't vouch for their competence. So, being the obedient husband that he wasn't, he drove them to a new workshop in a different area.

The congested noon was really doing a number on them. The summer started showing its ferocity even though the peak summer months were away. Sila wiped the sweat off her face as she saw the mechanics checking her car.

"It will take them a while to thoroughly examine it."

Aahil said, standing beside her. "There's a departmental store across the road. Why don't you head over there?"

He eyed the tissue in her hand and then her face. Sila shook her head. "It's okay. I'm used to all this. Just want to know their verdict about my car. Pray that they don't give up on it. I'm jobless so can't afford a new one at the moment."

"Oh, that badass will live. Also, you might be used to it but I'm not, privileged ass and all that. So, please go there and wait for me and if you can, get us both juice bottles."

Sila considered it for a moment and nodded. "Fair enough. Just be quick. Your Highness will drown in his sweat the longer he stands out here."

Not likely. He mused but was relieved to see her walking toward the store.

The cool air collided with her face as soon as Sila pushed the door open. She took a deep breath and went to get herself and his juice. Done with her purchases, she sat down on a chair to the side. The man on the cash counter eyed her but didn't say anything.

"Rough day?"

The voice came from the side aisle. Sila looked in that way and found a middle-aged woman there, smiling genially at her.

"Something like that."

"I've been watching you and your husband for a while now. Pardon me; I have a habit of distracting myself this way while I'm out running errands."

For emphasis, she raised her small shopping bag. Sila smiled good-naturedly as she took a sip of her juice.

"So, how far along are you?"

The question made her choke on the liquid in her mouth. Sila turned to look at the lady, aghast. "Excuse me?"

The lady threw her hand in the air dismissively. "If you don't want to tell, that's perfectly okay but my eyes don't deceive me. By the looks of it, it's the first trimester. You should―"

"Ma'am," Sila interjected the woman who looked on interestedly. "I'm not pregnant."

"No?" She looked visibly disappointed. "That's a bummer."

Sila capped her juice bottle and got up to leave. That was enough interaction with nosy strangers for today.

As soon as she came out of the store, she found Aahil on the sidewalk, talking to someone on the phone.

"I've taken care of everything. Your car will be back in about a week and hopefully, this time around, its issues will be sorted altogether. Now, let's go home."

He took the bottles from her hand and proceeded to walk to his car when she stopped him.

"Hun?"

She looked uncertain but leaned in conspiratorially. "Be a good lad and answer my question."

"Don't ask me where my family hides their mounds of riches because honestly even I'm not aware. They think I'll run off with all of it."

"Be serious and tell me," She paused and made a face. "Do I look pregnant?"

"What?" The bottle almost slipped from his hand. Sila hit her head. "Should I bring in some dramatic background score?"

"Let a man recover."

"Get over it and answer me."

He eyed her suspiciously. "Is that a trick question?"

"A woman in the store asked me that."

Aahil rolled his eyes. "So? Big deal. You look absolutely fine to me. If she thinks you are exuding a pregnancy glow you should let her know that's the after-effect of marrying a fine man."

"You know what? Never mind."

"Try doing that when people are acting nosy." Saying that he held her hand and started walking toward his car. Sila let him lead the way but in doing so, her eyes found the same woman from the store, standing outside it, looking at them with a dreamy smile on her face.

Sila turned around and looked at their intertwined hands and the man ahead. And then she really didn't have to ask why the woman thought it this way.

A chuckle escaped her lips. The assumptions lost all their aggravation right there and left just an innocently foolish but cute after-effect.

𝄞

The restaurant she and Raed met in was the same where Imran worked. Amal expected this fact to have no role here but she was in for a surprise when Imran waved at the man beside her from afar.

"I see, you guys are getting along pretty well." She commented, playing with the straw in her strawberry concoction. Raed took a sip of his coffee and nodded. "He's a nice fella. I didn't expect him to take in a complete stranger in such a warm manner but he surprised me there."

Amal had also noticed that. Imran was a solid guy with the personality of a warm cinnamon roll. No doubt the guy had a crush on Haleh. He looked disappointed even from afar when she got here alone without her best friend.

"I hope my week-long sabbatical didn't make you wary of me."

"You didn't go MIA without any notice. I knew you were busy with your personal commitments."

"That I was but I was also somewhere sure that the delay will make you get Sami on board with your research."

Raed chuckled lightly. Amal tried her best to not look affected but whom she was kidding? The man was as fine as he was the day she met him. Turned out, his charm was an everyday occurrence. Good luck, bestie. She told herself.

"Far from it. Sami was never to be involved in this project. I had it settled with your supervisor."

"And I was?" She asked, curiously.

"Yes. When I reached out to Professor Inam Uddin, I asked him to get me in touch with someone who not only knows this city but has a deep love and adoration for it. He sent me your name along with a report titled "Mera Karachi."

His Urdu pronunciation was not up to the mark but that was a given. He wasn't from here. But his features were also telling of his non-American descent.

And the report he was talking about was the result of the six-month-long project she had co-headed with Inam Uddin last year. It was in the format of journal entries where people were encouraged to share their sentiments about their city. She worked a day in and out to get the sentiments right, had to translate numerous pieces from Urdu, Sindhi Pashto, and Baluchi with the help of the experts in the languages, and then had to shape it in a narration that would touch the heart of the readers.

"That report was what I was looking for as my introduction to your city. I spent a whole week absorbing all of that, the vivid memories scattered on paper. That's when I told Mr. Inam Uddin that I'd be a favor to get you on board with the research for my book."

Amal hadn't expected this. Inam Uddin made it look like it was yet another responsibility he was dumping on her already underpaid shoulders. Knowing the actual thing was oddly pleasant. She leaned forward, her arms on the table and eyes focused on the man in front of her.

"Mr. Suleiman,"

"Call me Raed."

She smiled lightly. He also did. "Okay, Raed. Thank you for your kind words but I have to ask you this. Why my city? There are hundreds of other metropolises in the world. All of those will make for good content on the paper. Why my flawed and often, failed city?"

Raed gave it a thought and then shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a second-generation Palestinian-American, Amal. My ancestors come from a home that is no longer ours, cities and landmarks that have long been wiped off the last of my people's footsteps. Places that breathe and linger on, against all odds, fascinate me. So do the people who carry an idea of a place within them even though, in reality, that place has long been cleansed off even the vestiges of their existence. The former is your city, the latter are my countrymen. I don't know why I want to write about Karachi but it fascinates me enough that here I'm, to know it and to see what this city has to offer."

It took Amal a while to take all this in. Her face morphed into a myriad of emotions and then, at last, she smiled at him with the promise of a world he was going to witness and live in this city.

"Welcome to the city of lights, Raed. It's imperfect but it's my synonym for love. Let's see if you share the sentiment."

He was going to. He could tell that already.

𝄞

"Faran was so done with his dramatics that he handed the baby to Nawar and said, are we as strong as Mama and Baba were? I hope we are."

Adan's recollection of Zain's post-birth Chachu-coded antics made everyone laugh out loud. Only Aahil made a face and glared at Adan. Sila tried to contain her giggles but failed miserably, the reason why his disapproving gaze was now settled on her.

"Zain was a piece of work. The five years of long distance hadn't made me question everything the way five months into parenting him did. I even told Faran that's enough procreation for us. He said, say no more." Nawar added to it, leaning into Faran who shook his head, reminiscing about that time.

"You guys are awfully mean." Aahil accused them but Nawar was unfazed. "Why? We love our child to bits but are also aware of his tendencies. Hide your claws, Zain's Chachu."

"You want us to drop Zain's subject? Okay then. Let's unravel the glorious tale of Aahil Jahangir's birth and childhood to his wife."

Adan was in the mood for violence. There was no other way of putting it. Sila sat in her seat, ready to hear it all while Aahil gestured for her to get up. They were done for the night. He was never bringing her to dine with a bunch of traitors that was his family.

"Not so quick. Sit down and enjoy, son."

Mrs. Irshad ordered and Aahil had to oblige but he made sure to send a puppy dog look his mother's way. Sabah immediately came to the rescue.

"Adan, that's enough. Stop making my son uncomfortable."

"If anything, you and Baba should be uncomfortable."

Sabah's face colored. She raised her finger in Adan's direction. "I raised you better than this."

"Mama, it's a family joke. We can't deprive Sila of it." Nawar pouted. Sila craned her neck so that Aahil's ear was right next to her mouth. "Family joke, hun? Just how many things you are, my rich husband."

"Right now? Ready to bolt and never come back. Tell them I loved only my Mama and the Bacha Party among them all."

"Soooo!" Adan clapped her hands. Faseeh shook his head but said nothing to stop her. Beside her Misam looked heavenwards as if he was tired of this story.

"Add Misam Bhai to the list as well," Aahil told Sila who nodded as if she were actually keeping a count.

"Sila do you know your husband was an unexpected pregnancy?"

Sila raised an eyebrow but Mrs. Irshad shook her head. "We used to call it a love child in our days."

"They WERE married, Dado! At least get your facts straight!" Aahil was offended but Mrs. Irshad dismissed him. "What do you expect from a...what do they call it? A wedding Anniversary gateway? Yeah, that. They left the kids with me and flew away. Extended the trip when they were supposed to come back and when they finally realized that they weren't on their honeymoon, it was too late. Three weeks after, we got to know your husband was comfortable in her Mama's womb."

Mrs. Irshad's crude commentary could give Amal a run for her money. Sila face-palmed but her husband just rolled his eyes. "And I'm the loudmouthed one. Dado, there's a reason you could never stay civil with your in-laws."

Shots fired. Mrs. Irshad's smile was almost evil. "If I were as strict with your parents as my mother-in-law with me and your grandfather, boy, you wouldn't even be here."

The lounge erupted into laughter. Sila grimaced at Aahil apologetically but then couldn't help as well. Aahil was relieved the kids were on the lawn, playing cricket with Jamil. Their innocent ears didn't deserve to be marred with such talks.

"But knowing Mama and Baba's history, I'm not surprised at all." Nawar looked at Sabah and Faseeh dreamily. Faran turned to face Sila.

"They were childhood lovers. Silently so. Those who convey through their eyes and silent conversations? Yeah like that."

Mrs. Irshad laughed remembering that time. "Sabah's father and Faseeh's Baba were close friends but where my husband was ecstatic that Sabah could be his daughter-in-law, Sabah's father on the other hand didn't like Faseeh that much."

"He found me too serious and workaholic for his daughter." Faseeh looked at his wife fondly.

"You had two facial expressions at the most, Faseeh. What was he supposed to do?"

Sabah tried to defend her father but the way she moved close to her husband wasn't hidden from anyone. Sila hadn't seen anything as cute in a while.

"So, when Faseeh came to know about the disapproval of Sabah's father, he acted out his usual character and went to meet the man. That's another thing that he didn't think his plan through and was at their doorstep in the middle of the night. When he realized his blunder, instead of turning around and getting the hell out of there, he threw pebbles at Sabah's window."

"Invented romance." Aahil drawled, sarcastically.

"Impractical," Faran added.

"Rather foolish." Adan conferred.

"My lawyer is on speed dial. I'd say, watch your words." Faseeh warned but his children just looked on, judging him so hard for something he did years back.

"As I was saying, he threw stones. Romantic? Not so much as he misunderstood the window of Sabah's father as hers. The man saw him below and at the same time, Sabah did too, hearing the voices. Before anyone could say or do anything, my brave son goes on 'Marry your daughter off with me, Uncle Saleem. Don't be the Zalim Samaj'."

Sila didn't know when was the last time someone's family anecdotes made her laugh to this extent. The fact that she was now associated with this family was still surreal.

"Not my finest move," Faseeh admitted but Sabah was quick to defend him. "That got us married, so a win-win."

Faseeh held her hand, the content look on his face made them all do an internal aww.

"That's about your father and mother-in-law's love story, Sila but since we all are here, we should enlighten you with some of your husband's finest moments." Adan struck again.

"The most fun part, without any doubt." Misam's comment garnered him a glare from Aahil. "I actually used to like you as a person, Misam Bhai."

"I like him as a person, as my lover, as my husband, the father of my kid so you revoking your liking toward him really doesn't affect us."

Adan spoke for her husband who looked rather comical, between the arguing siblings.

"What do we start with? That one time he made us all drink salt-infused tea because he was bored?"

"Or when he shaved his head because Mama wouldn't let him have the viral haircut?"

"No! When in high school, he brought home a girl who was obsessed with him to the point that she'd stalk him and make her sit in Dado's room. Till today no one knows what Dado said to her but the girl never looked his way again."

"Or when he told Adan's friends that Adan wet her bed?"

"He made my cousins cry during the rasams of my and Faran's wedding. Competitive ass."

"Or when he invited my friends over for an oldie-movie night and played Titanic? When we all reduced half our weight because of crying he said that's what we get for gossiping all day."

Aahil got up immediately and held Sila's hand, pulling her along who couldn't even protest because she was in hysterics.

"That's it. We are out of here. Have a good night you all. Or not. I really don't care."

He was out of the lounge in no time with an amused Sila right behind him and his family thoroughly entertained.

𝄞

It took some time for Sila's giggles to subside as they drove him. Aahil's face was devoid of any expression but he wasn't pissed. Sila could tell.

"So, a love child, hun?"'

"Yes, and very loved as well. You just saw it yourself."

"Oh, shut it. That was fun."

"Glad to know at least one of us is amused."

Sila leaned into her seat. "How old Faran Bhai and Adan were when you were born?"

"Faran Bhai was twelve and Adan ten."

"That's quite an age gap."

"And trust me when I say this, it's cute only as a family joke."

Sila was confused. "How so?"

Aahil didn't say anything for a while, as if collecting his thoughts. "Well, look at it this way. You are a late child. Your parents thought they were done with procreating but you surprised them. Both of your siblings are already in their teenage when you graced them with your presence. A few years down, you are around five, a literal kid and your siblings are in high school. Their world is entirely different from yours. Studies, friends, teenage drama, pop culture, music, books, aspirations and the cherry on top is, both of them are not just brother and sister to each other but best friends as well, aware of each other's secrets and deepest thoughts and then there are you, to them, a baby."

He swiveled the steering and as he did, the light from outside fell on his face, obscuring half of it while the other half was bright in his focused eyes.

"Since that early age, I had just one desire, to be the third part of Faran and Adan's duo, making it a trio. I used to throw a fit when they'd not include me in whatever they were doing. I'd hate that they'd treat me as a kid and not anything more. I hated it when lost in their own problems, they'd ignore me. That made me kind of an attention seeker. I'd cause chaos and they'd notice me. That's fucking immature and childish but―"

"You were just that, a child."

"Exactly. I don't blame anyone for my mindset. It's not like Faran Bhai didn't try to include me but Adan has always been a strict school teacher when it came to me. 'You are too young to know this, Aahil.' 'You shouldn't invade someone's privacy.' 'I'm not telling you this. It's not appropriate.'"

He chuckled lightly. Sila could hear the resignation behind it. "I'm happy with the way my childhood panned out. My grandmother and mother doted on me. My father and brother were always there to take care of every mess I created. Adan, with all her vices, has also been kind of okay when she wanted to be. But I'm not going to lie, it used to feel shitty being excluded, having this unseen wall between me and my siblings. It's almost like there's a family function going on for hours and you arrived ten minutes before it concludes."

This was probably the first time he had shared something like this with her. The band of light was long behind them, but Sila could feel she was seeing him in a new light for the first time. This shit-talking, self-assured, witty wanker has a depth to him she's just gotten a glimpse of and...

That wasn't enough.

She wanted to know more. She wanted him to open up more. Again. Whenever he wanted to talk to someone.

"It's pathetic mostly. I had lots of feelings growing up, it seems."

"Aahil―"

"What about you? Got some childhood tales to tell me?"

And just like that, the moment was gone. Sila didn't show disappointment on her face. "There's nothing much to tell. I was an only child and my parents loved me to bits. I was their whole world."

"As you should've been."

He muttered softly.

"There's something about us that we need to discuss."

Aahil was all ears. Though his eyes were on the road, his focus was on what she had to say.

"We are running low on groceries."

Aahil opened his mouth but Sila beat him. "Having an unlimited supply of coffee doesn't cut it, Aahil. Neither take-out every day is a way of life. I'm not a big fan of Saleema Baji's green menu but I'm used to homemade food on most days of the week. It's healthy."

"So, we gotta do groceries and then go home?"

"Sounds like a plan."

He wasn't the one to object to it. So, groceries, that's what they did. It took them two hours to get everything in their cart and bring it home. Then they stocked their pantry and fridge. By the time they retired to the bed, they were both bone tired with droopy eyes. It was a hectic day full of activity.

"Aahil."

He was halfway through slipping into a deep sleep when he heard her. Her sleep-filled eyes bored into his.

"I've decided. Our families are enough entertainment. We won't invite anyone else to our next wedding. Deal?"

"You are on. We won't."

He agreed as he shifted closer to her. His arm went behind her head, on her pillow. Slowly the sleep took over, the last thing he felt was the softness of her fingers as his fiddled with her ring.

𝄞