"For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first." ―Suzanne Collins. 

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Tani's POV

I entered in my home by unlocking the main gate, it was a tiring day, it was my last paper today and I was so happy but so exhausted too. I decided to just sleep all day, nothing else. When I was about to went towards the stair case lead to my room, I heard someone calling my name, mommy?

"Tani, come to my room sweety." 

'Aargh, why mom is calling me? I am tired today, I just wanna sleep.' Beside this, I said.

"Okay, mom, coming.", I quickly said and headed towards her room.

"Yes mom---" I immediately cut off when I saw my mom and pop packing their suitcases.

"Wh---what's all that? Are you two going somewhere?" I asked suspiciously.

"Yeah Tani, listen, come here, sit, we have something important to tell you." Mommy motioned me to sit on the bed, I threw my bag and scarf, while nodding I settled on the corner of the bed and gestured her to start what she wanted to tell me.

"Alright---" Mom sighed and then started, "---Actually, its an emergency, long story short, we have to leave for Pakistan now!" My eyes got wide while listening, many questions came to my mind, she surely read my expression cause then she started,

"I-I just can't tell you the reason right now. Just, you have to understand it's important, something bad happened or is going to happen, I don't know exactly but we have to be there, I don't know how long it would take, so I wanted to ask you if you two be a good girls and take care of house and yourselves so that we can easily leave without having the second thoughts of your security." This is too much, mommy is not telling me the reason and they are just leaving like that and what does she mean by you two ? who else is going with mom and pop.

"You two?" I raised my eyebrows skeptically.

"Ohh yeah, ghannu and you, hamza is going with us, you know your bro, how he is, he is not allowing us to go alone when the lots of already happened there." I again got confused why can't she just tell me, what happened there, I am getting worried.

"Mommy I am coming too, what happened there ? why can't you just tell me?" I took a glance at my pop's face, he was looking in between mommy and I but he looked lost and hurt, he seemed hurt, I didn't get it, why he is hurt? Is something that bad happened there? mommy grabbed my hand and while shooing me out of the room, she closed the door behind us and started,

"Tani, why do you ask so many questions? why can't you just listen to me what I am saying?" I frowned then she sighed.

"Look baby, your pop is already hurt, we can't take you with us, you know you two can't take off for so long to your university and school, but Hamza has taken urgent leave from his work and he is going with us. Just this information should be enough for you that someone near to your father in Paistan has betrayed him and now you should understand why he is so hurt. Don't ask more questions." I sighed, I can't ask more questions, but betrayed, who betrayed pop? who could have done that? near to my father? who was near to pop and is in Pakistan? whatever.

"Then what we are gonna do here all alone in this house?" I asked carelessly, mommy grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"Don't worry, if you have a fear of home alone then I can ask your mummy to come and live here till we come back." Mummy, mommy's sister? No way!

"No, no, I didn't mean that, we would be fine, I just wanted to say that we would miss you, exactly how long you would stay there?" I noticed the worried expression on mom's face then she started.

"Actually, I don't really know. But we will try to come as soon as possible."

"Okay, mommy where would you all gonna stay?" I asked worried.

"At aani's place, remember Aani?" Yeah, how can I forget her, my sweetest aunt, mommy's younger sister.

"Ohh okay then it would be good and enjoyable." I said happily, I know but still I am worried.

"Mommy you all would be fine there, yeah?" I wanted surity.

"Yeah sweety, don't worry, just take care of yourself and your sister, we have already told her, she is sleeping right now." I nodded sadly.

"Okay, when are you gonna leave? what's the time of the flight?"

"In two hours. At 6:00 p.m" What?

"In Just two hours?" I asked unsure. There must be an emergency otherwise they would have never left us like that.

"Okay, okay you all prepared? where is Hamza? I am going to help him in packing."

"Yeah, ofcourse, please." Then she closed the distance between us and hugged me.

"My big daughter, be careful baby, don't hesitate to call us whenever you want, and call somy or any of your friends for sleepover, you can call Sami or Faiz too, if you want any male in the house for your protection." She chuckled while saying that and I laughed too.

"There is no way that I'd call him, yeah unless it'dn't be so much important." She tapped my shoulder lightly while laughing then she pulled away and I headed to Hamza's room.

"Hey buddy? what's up? need any help in packing?" I asked while entering and my eyes got wide when I saw his room.

"Hamzaaa! What did you do to your room?" He chuckled while turning around he said, 

"I am all done, you just have to clean this mess when we all will go." My mouth fell open. he must be joking, what?

"No way! you are kidding or what? look at this wardrobe, what have you done to your clothes?" I said while picking up his clothes from the floor, some were hanging from the wardrobe to the floor, some were lying on the floor and some were in the wardrobe.

"Please, you are my dear sister, please please clean this mess when I go." I frowned, he really knows how to make me fool with those puppy-dog eyes.

"Okay, fine, I will clean your mess." I said angrily and he chuckled. Then I remember something, that I haven't asked him yet.

"You didn't tell me why were you sad that day?" I noticed his body tensed a little then he said,

"Ask your friend." I got confused, why he said that?

"Means you are not going to tell me?" I asked with straight face.

"No, ask her, she will give you details." He shrugged and quickly stormed out of his room, I was standing there shocked why his behaviour suddenly changed? then I started cleaning his mess and went to wake up Ghannu so that we can go with them to airport.

But before that I have to call someone.

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We were at airport, its time for their leaving now and this was the intense situation, intense emotions, mixed with worries and sadness. We all were avoiding eye contacts and I know why we were all doing that, we haven't lived before without each other, it was really hard for me and ghannu to see them go and likewise for them to leave us behind all alone in this big city. When we finally heard the call for flight to Pakistan. We panicked, now we looked at each other and ofcourse as expected, the emotion, the feeling that I was avoiding now it came to haunt us, I just don't wanted to cry infront of everyone, but I cried, seeing my mother crying who wouldn't.

"Mommy don't worry, we will be fine." I said with tears in my eyes. Then she hugged ghannu cause she was crying badly, I know, she is the younger one among us, how couldn't she? Although she seems so stronger and mature than me but I guess she just seem like that. Mommy and ghannu was continuously crying, my pop having sad face was standing there lost then I went beside him and took his hand in mine when he suddenly woke up from his thoughts, his eyes got wide and when I kissed his hand, he looked at me with mild expression and tears in his eyes then he kissed my forehead, hugged me and said,

"My brave child! I love you my daughter."

"I know pop, I love you more." He kissed my hairs and said,

"You sure, you two will be fine?" I could hear concern and care in his voice. Sometimes fathers don't show their love to their children but their actions shows that they love their children more than anyone else. Like my father was showing this time, I am sure he thought that we all would have love for only mom, but I wanna show him, that besides his strictness and anger, we have seen his love too, why won't we love him too? He is our protector, our saver, our first ever love, our father. How can't we love him? I don't know who has betrayed him and what he has done to him but I can see and feel that he is so much hurt, I've never seen him this much hurt before, he is so strong person or maybe you can say that he is so good at hiding his problems that he never showed his problems before, we never get to know his problems from him besides mommy, she always told us to pray for our father that he came out of this or that problem but he never told us neither he showed with his expression or with anything. But today is different, this one was different, he was hurt and it was shown on his face. I don't remember anyone in Pakistan who was near to him. But maybe I am wrong maybe someone I know and I don't wanna believe that he could do that to him. But I don't wanna think about it right now, my first priority is my family and I have to make sure that they are fine. I started while pulling away from him,

"Yeah I am sure pop, don't worry. If I would feel something bad, I will call the police." I assured him by giving him light smile.

"Don't forget to call me whenever you need." I nodded, He again kissed on my forehead and then he called Sami. Ohh yeah I completely forgot that I have called him to take us to the airport so that on our way back to home we would have someone to take us home safely. So that's why he was there. After reaching here, he didn't say anything he was just looking at us or maybe wondering on the whole emotional scene. He quickly came to my father and my eyes got wide when I hear what my father was saying to him.

"Don't ever leave my daughters alone in there, be there with them, wherever they wanna go take them with you." My father ordered him like he was some servant, I laughed at his expression, he was looking completely lost at that time. My father would have surely noticed cause he suddenly changed his tone and said like this,

"I mean, please take care of them, I can believe you, yeah?" He nodded and I frowned.

"Pop, we don't need him---" I cut off by my pop's sudden reply.

"Ohh sure, you do." He said with straight face and I didn't argue more then I went to Hamza hugged him and he said,

"Tell your friend, good bye from me." he winked while saying that and I punched his arm and ordered him,

"Take care of my parents do you get it?"

"Okay boss." He saluted me and I chuckled then I again hugged him and murmured sadly in his arms.

"Take care of yourself too." He pulled away and kissed my hands and said,

"I will and you two better be careful otherwise when I will come back, I will kill you two." I laughed and said,

"How rude." 

We laughed, cried and finally said our good byes and they left us. We don't know how long we stood there watching the only direction from where they went as if they'd come back again from that direction.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned to see Sami standing there smiling,

"Ohh yeah, um... let's go." I said to him, grabbed Ghannu's hand and was about to leave when my phone beeped in my other hand. I quickly opened it, thinking about maybe it could mommy and read,

"Now you are all alone, for me." 

My eyes got wide reading this, I stopped in my tracks. How can he see me? How does he know that my family has left. But I am not all alone, I have ghannu, yeah. No... now she is in danger too, only because of me. what should I do now? I panicked and Ghannu asked noticing me.

"What happened? who's message was that?" She asked concerned and I looked at her but said nothing.

"What happened Tani? You guys stopped here and I almost reached to the parking." Sami asked when he came running back to us and then he asked me noticing my expression.

"What? Did I miss something?" I said nothing, he raised his eyebrows and I pointed towards my phone, he quickly took it from my hand and read, his eyes got wide, he quickly searched any sign of anyone watching us but there was no one that'd seem like watching us.

"Just let's leave, hurry up." He said hurriedly, I frowned but I got it, its his responsibility now to take care of us and if anything happened to anyone of us, he'd be responsible for that, that's why he got more worried than me, then we almost ran towards the parking lot and his car. Ghannu was still confused but maybe she got that something is surely wrong otherwise we wouldn't be running like this so she didn't ask anything.

We quickly settled down in his car and drove off. No one among us said anything through the whole drive back to home. When we reached home, Sami parked his car and came inside with us and informed us that he'd stay here. I didn't argue for the sake of my sister's safety. I am strong, but I know when it comes to my family, I become weak, they are my biggest weakness. I can't take any risk cause of them. She is my responsibility when my parents and bro is not home, I can't let anything happen to her, if it means my death too. Ghannu sensed all the tension cause when we were in the living room she asked,

"What was that text?" I tried to say something but nothing came out. I don't know, how would I explain all this to her. So, I just simply handed her my phone and she read every message and after reading, her eyes popped out from her head and she was giving me death glares, I know that, I deserve it.

"Tani? what's wrong with you? why didn't you tell mom, pop or hamza? Are you a little child? are you a dumb? Can't you see he is watching you everytime? He is saying literally in his every text, that he is watching you and there is no way to hide from him. I just can't believe this that you could be so dumb." She said throwing her hands in the air.

"And by the way who is that creep, is he your new boy friend?"

"Ohh God no, I don't--- even know this freak, he is just texting me or calling me." I quickly cleared.

"He has called too?" She asked unbelievably.

"Yeah." I said avoiding the eye contact with her then I told her everything from beginning. After I finished, suddenly my phone started shouting loudly in my hand and I almost jumped in my place. I quickly saw the caller ID. It was Rezay, Ghannu raised her eyebrows and I quickly showed her the caller ID and excused myself and went to other room. I picked up his call and before I could say anything, he asked,

"Tani? You didn't text me for once in a whole day. You okay? Is everything alright?" I smiled at his concern for me. Then I felt the sudden urge to tell him everything that I am facing but I thought, don't know what he'd think about me. So I excluded that part and started with today's events. We talked for about an hour and in this whole time, I didn't feel any fear, I didn't get worry about anything, his voice, his words gives me power to deal with my every problem, he told me to take care of myself and if I needed something then I would call him anytime, I agreed then said,

"But I have a doubt that you'd even pick up my call, if I'd call you in any emergency." He chuckled then said,

"Hey? Why did you say that? why do you think like that?" I laughed and said,

"Cause I know you'd never come for me, I don't know why but I just know that and feel like that. You don't wanna meet me, although you asked me for a meeting/hang out with you but I know it was all just a big lie. You'd never come. I wanna believe you that you will come whenever I will call you but I just know this truth that----" When he didn't say anything, I started.

"-----We are nothing but just FB buddies." And that's the truth that I didn't even know that I'd say to him someday. But, Yeah I know that, he'd never come for me. We are just FB friends, why would he come for his any virtual friend. Although thinking like that hurts me too but that's the truth, I can't deny it.

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How was this chapter? I tried to make it long. There is so much going on in her life, her love, this mystery, sami's love and now they are alone in their home. what would happen more? read to know more.

Don't forget to read, votes and comments.

xoxo

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