Sorry for being a day late.
Enjoy:)

"Assalamu Alaikum, Amal. How are you?" Raiyan said with a smile as the door opened.

"Walekum Assalam," Amal said with a smile before opening the door wide. "Mamujaan your girlfriend is here. He is waiting for you in the living room."

"Okay," he closed the door behind him, "Girlfriend? What was that about?"

"When he is at work, he works with you, when his phone rings it is you, when he is home you are here. He spends more time with you than his wife. You clearly are his girlfriend." Amal sat down on the floor near the table, whereas Raiyan took the chair.

"Ignore her banter," Sufyaan said from behind his laptop, "her mother is making her study so she is aggregated."

"I am fine," Amal said before she buried her head in her book. Raiyan and Sufyaan got busy with their discussion and soon papers followed. The two parties did not disturb each other and stayed focused on their respective aims. Nevertheless, forty minutes later Amal had it enough and she looked up from the book. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

"What happened?" Sufyaan asked without lifting his eyes from his laptop. " Numbers causing a problem again?" Amal shook her head in yes making Raiyan smile at her. "Your mother loves numbers. She enjoys mathematics more than anything else and here you are struggling even for the basics. She must be very proud."

"She is enough proud of Keyaan to fill in for both of us. He is too good at too many things."

"That is true. That does not mean she isn't proud of you."

"It does not bother me. I am glad he has to bear the expectations. All I have to do is be average. He, on the other hand, always need to be perfect. My life is great." She raised her arms in the air as she said.

"That is a great attitude," Raiyan was the first to react, "I wish I thought the same as a kid. I was too busy trying to be better than my brother, who, just like Keyaan, was perfect. Now, I think I wasted my time."

Amal looked up at him and said, "Your brother was good at studies, sports and even with humans?"

"He was also good with animals. All the cats and dogs around our house loved him. I, on the other hand, was scared of them."

"They are scary. They move any time, in any direction! I do not understand how people like cats or dogs. They bite and scratch. Are their owners some sort of aliens who do not feel pain? What is it?"

Raiyan chuckled as he leaned forward. "I used to think the same. They are odd people."

"They sure are! I didn't go to Khala's house for one whole year when she got a cat. But then the cat went missing and she was upset so I spent a whole month with her. It was fun."

"This was two years ago, right?" Sufyaan asked his niece who quickly shook her head. "Last year, she spent a month or a little more at your house when you were sick. This year it is our house. Are you two planning for a month-long vacation here?"

"Yes, we are! Can we stay longer than a month? A month is too small. Right?" She asked Raiyan. 

He raised his eyebrows before saying, "for staying at someone else's house, too long. Staying with people you love, too small."

"This is not someone else's house. It is my grandfather's. Someday, after he and he," she motioned towards Sufyaan, "is gone I will own half of this place. So technically it's mine." Sufyaan frowned as he tilted his head. "And Haajar khala is my best friend. So, yes a month is a very small period of time to be with her. We must stay for at least forty-five days. Okay?" She looked at Sufyaan as she said. 

"I really don't know what to say to a girl who is calculating my property and thinking of my death."

"You do not have to say a word. We will not stay a day more than forty-five days, InshaAllah. But if Allah does not will then." She shrugged her shoulders making Raiyan laugh.   

Sufyaan shook his head before looking back at his laptop. He started to type but then a second later said, "Call Haajar and ask where she is."

"She is home. Up in the room. You did not know? She did not leave the house today."

"She didn't? Then why is she so quiet? Is she alright?"

"She never yells. She is always calm and has a soft voice. When is she not quiet? But today she is. She is on a serious call. Her stepmother called," Amal whispered the last sentence, leaning forward towards him. Raiyan raised his eyebrows for a moment but did not look up. The little group in the living was back to their respective work while up in the room, Haajar was still on the call. 

"I thought she would be there. How come phuphu missed an event as elite as that? Did something go wrong?" Haajar placed her hair on her left shoulder before taking a close look at the tips.

"She argued with your father. You know, she emphasises on small things and then complains that we don't care. She will be fine in a week or two. She does this always. If she does not get upset about something silly, then it is odd." Haajar smiled and picked the pillow from her side. "I heard someone from Lucknow is there. Your uncle is related to him, right?"

"Yeah. He is his nephew. He knows abba." Haajar frowned as she said, "Why does Abba talk to him? Work and work-related stuff are fine. Why does he talk to him about me? I got really angry when I found out. He is already someone I am not a fan of. Then I find out Abba talks to him about me and how I do not talk to him. Why did he do that? Does he have no one else other than him to talk to? Why him?"

"Why do you think? He thought you talk to that side of the family. You never talk to him. He just wanted to know how you are. He and I, you know how it is. We do not talk about things that involve emotions. He thought he can hear some stories about you from him that is why he asks about you. He did not know you do not like him. He would have never done that then. But as he did not know he talked to him.  He just wants to know a little about you. how you are, what you like, what you do, that is all he is asking for. I understand why you do not talk to him, why you are angry. It is valid. He was not great to your mother, but he was to you. Yes, he wasn't loving or extremely caring. It is not his nature to show his love. But if there is anyone that he really loves, that is you and no one else."

"I do not want that love. After what he did to my mother and how he was to you, I do not like him. He is not a great husband, meaning not a great human."

"He is a good father thought. Maybe not the greatest but he still is not the worst. For your mother, I cannot speak. I am fine now. He is not as bad as you think. Things are better now. After your grandmother, your father changed. It was your grandmother who did it all. She was the reason your mother had to leave and I was brought. She was the reason he never had a happy life. She was of the thinking that if her son has a very happy life with his wife, he will give her a lot of importance and that will make her lose her importance. Then she would not be valued. So she made sure he never was happy with his wife. If you ask me, I feel the reason your mother was forced to leave was her. I feel your father liked your mother more than your grandmother wanted to. Your grandmother always made sure it was her who was number one in the house." 

Haajar sat down on her bed as she disconnected the call. The words started to reply, their meaning started to sink. An image of her father was formed, then it was her stepmother and lastly, a faded image of her grandmother made its way to her. Haajar was never fond of her grandmother. She could not remember why, but her heart had some resentment towards her. Haajar closed her eyes before turning her head in the other direction. She tried to calm her mind, she tried to stop thinking, however, as she could not achieve that she walked out of her room. She checked Zyva's room and found her on a call, so she thought of greeting her uncle but Khurshid was fast asleep in his room. So she followed the noise which brought her to the living room.

"I think it is his friend! It makes sense. He was at all the accident sites. And when the fire was started they showed a bag which I think was similar to the one he had. It is the friend," Amal said with a shake of her head.

"I do not think so. I feel It is the cousin. He was not at all the accident sites but that's more realistic. Being at the crime scene deliberately is too risky and no smart man would do that. And! And near the body, there was a pin found which was his. I am pretty sure it is the cousin who murdered everyone."

Haajar had her arms crossed and her head titled as she observed the new friends talk. Amal gave a nod to her head which made Raiyan turn around and look at Haajar. She smiled at him before she walked and sat next to Amal. 

"I am hundred per cent sure it is the friend! I think in the next episode they will reveal it and then I will prove you wrong."

"I am sure it's the cousin. Let's wait and see who wins."

"Yes, Let's wait and see! May the best man win. The person I mean."

Raiyan smiled at her but she narrowed her eyes making him giggle. "What is happening here?" Sufyaan asked when he entered the room. He sat back on the sofa making Amal move towards Haajar. "What were you two talking about? I  heard some disturbing words. Murder, fire, and accident site."

"We both like the same series and we were discussing  who the culprit is. He thinks it is the cousin and I think it is the friend. No! He thinks it is the friend and I think it's the cousin. Wait." She closed her eyes. "I am with the friend, he is with the cousin. Whoever wins," Amal looked at Raiyan after a moment of silence, "gets to decide which show to watch next. We will then suspect who is the villain and who wins decides the next show. What do you say?"

"Sounds fun. We can try."

"Amal is getting a new best friend. How would her ex-best friend feel? Haajar are you fine?" Sufyaan said making his niece smile. They all looked at Haajar, waiting for her reaction but she kept looking at the floor making Sufyaan repeat her name. When she did not respond again, Amal tapped on her arm.

"Haajar, is everything alright?" 

"Yeah." She said in a dull tone. Sufyaan understood there was something but let it go as they had company.  Amal asked her but she smiled as a response, making her give up the topic. Raiyan quietly observed her actions and said no word. "You know I got ice cream for everyone. Why don't you go and bring it?" Sufyaan asked Amal.

"I don't think we have it for everyone. You got it only for the inhabitants."

"If that would have been the case then there would have been only three. But there are more."

"How much more? If there are less then give me money. I will run and get the extras. Come let's go and see. Come, come!"

"You get hyper about ice cream." Sufyaan stood up and followed the lady. Raiyan smiled before looking at Haajar. She was sitting quietly, not intending to move or speak. She allowed her thoughts to rule for a while. 

"Is everything really alright? Is there anything I can do?" 

Haajar smiled and looked up at him. "I don't think you can. I am just exhausted."

"Rest for a while. It will calm you."

"It will but I wish it would change the condition as well. But family cannot be changed, can they?"

"You cannot," Raiyan shook his head as he said. 

She sighed and moved in her seat. "Family can be exhausting. Very, very exhausting."

Raiyan shook his head again.
"They can be. Very, very."