Hira's POV:

"Oh wow! I will be having pleasant dreams tonight." I jumped in surprise at hearing Zulqarnain's voice just behind me.

"Assalam o Alaikum teacher." He smiled when I glared at him.

"Aadamiyon wali herkatain kiya karen (behave like a sane person)." I said and murmured the answer to Salam.

"Did I startle you?"

"Yes!" I seethed.

"Good." He grinned.

I shook my head and looked away. I can't be angry at him since I was actually waiting for him to return home, so I could properly appreciate him taking the first step and talking to his parents. Otherwise, I would never stay up to destroy my sleep.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Heating up some milk."

"I really like that you take care of your health."

"I take care of myself because I have no one to look after me. I have no choice, hero." I said what came into my mind, but when I didn't get any response from him, the realization hit me that I might have said something unreasonable.

"Did I just say something odd?"

"No." He sighed and continued, "The main problem is you never say anything odd."

His dejected tone of voice made me feel guilty for some reason and I quickly changed the topic.

"The plan for Sunday's picnic is confirmed. I am glad that you talked to Auntie about it."

"Yes, I am happy too that everything is going smoothly. Although it wasn't easy for me to do that."

"Crushing your ego is not easy." I smirked to mock him.

"Are you saying that I am egoistic?" He gave me an annoyed look.

"Are you not?"

"If I were, you wouldn't have been my friend right now."

"Hm, you have a point here." I said, pouring milk into two cups and offering one to Zulqarnian.

"I have no place left in my stomach for this." I excused.

"I have poured this for you. Therefore, drink it if you have to make an extra place in your stomach." I put the cup on the shelf near him.

"You really are a troublesome woman."

"Indeed." I smiled proudly when he picked up the cup.

Sitting on the stools near the kitchen counter, both of us silently enjoyed the hot milk for a few minutes. But before the silence started to grow longer and awkward, I broke it.

"Putting a little effort on your loved one is worthwhile and to tell you the truth, when I heard about a picnic from Auntie's mouth, I felt really proud of you."

"Proud?"

"Yes, I was proud that my friend is a brave person. A person who isn't afraid of taking risks to move forward. To accept his faults and try to make things right. It needs a huge amount of courage, which people usually don't possess. This strength is a rare quality Zee, just like your kindness. Treasure, both of them."

"... I am being praised...wow." He said awkwardly after a moment of silence between us.

"Be happy." I teased.

"I am." He smiled.

~*~

Ahmar's POV:

"Proud?" I heard the voice of my big brother and stopped my tracks right there.

What is he doing this late in the kitchen???

I went to grab a water bottle but now I thought about going back without it. As soon as I was about to leave, I heard an unexpected voice and I paused unintentionally.

"Yes, I was proud that my friend is a brave person. A person who isn't afraid of taking risks to move forward. Accepting his faults and trying to make things right needs a huge amount of courage, which people usually don't possess. This strength is a rare quality, Zee, just like your kindness. Treasure, both of them."

So he is kind and brave, huh???

Quit kidding!

"... I am being praised...wow." He said after a short moment.

"Be happy." Came her cheerful voice.

Why is she so happy???

And why am I standing here????

I got annoyed by my own actions and silently went to my room.

She was really praising him, just like she used to praise us while tutoring, but none of us were happy as the brother of mine. Speaking of it, why was she praising him in the first place?

~*~

"Um,... I was thinking if Sara could join us tomorrow?"

What???

My head snapped towards my brother, who was looking expectantly at us. Zaid, Faiq, and Tahir joined us too for the dinner as we planned before, but SHE didn't come. Ami told me that she had a mild fever so she was resting before it got worse. I wasn't convinced of the reason but remained silent. Unexpectedly, the brother of mine came at the right time for dinner, only to spoil all our excitement.

"Actually, when I told her that we were going on a picnic she started to insist on coming with us."

"I see, then when will she be coming here?" Ask Dad.

"Um, actually I will pick her up in the morning."

"Okay, then I will leave with the rest." Dad nodded.

The discussion ended but none of us looked satisfied like before. The four of us exchanged glances but none of us said anything. I don't like Sara, she is so full of herself. Arrogant, selfish, and someone who doesn't know the meaning of empathy. She may be a good actress, but she doesn't fall into the category of a good person.

"Is it safe for Miss Hira if Sara comes?" Zaid asked when we lay down to get some sleep.

"Don't know." I said, covering my face with the blanket.

"Just keep a close eye on Sara and keep Miss Hira away from her." Said Tahir. Zaid and Faiq agreed with him and I remained silent.

I have a bad feeling about it...

~*~

"How is your fever?" I heard Ami's voice and the next moment she knocked on the door to wake us up.

What is she talking about???

"We are awake." I shouted and started shaking Faiq, who was sleeping beside me.

Within fifteen minutes, we were all ready to depart. The brother of mine was busy calling his friend to wake up and Ami was busy talking to Miss Hira. On the other hand, Dad was preaching Zaid to drive safely because the four of us would be going in Zaid's car.

"Miss Hira seems unusually low in spirits. Perhaps I should go with her or ask her to join us." Tahir started talking to himself while walking toward her, but Faiq quickly grabbed his shirt and stopped him.

"She still has a slight fever. So let her rest till we reach there." Said Faiq.

"Oh!" Said Tahir after a pause, "She really is a nice person. If it would've been my sister, the picnic would have been cancelled by now."

"Don't compare her with your sister. Miss Hira's situation is very different."

Faiq's words made me think if, instead of her, the big brother of mine, or I had the fever, we had also cancelled the picnic. But it wasn't the case with her, she was forcing herself to go with us in this cold weather without uttering a word of complaint.

"You will take your own car?" She asked my brother standing near Dad's car.

"Yes, well... You were resting last night so I didn't tell you. Actually, a friend of mine is also joining us today. So I have to pick her up."

"Her? A female friend?"

"Yes. You know the actress Sara right?"

"No, I don't... sorry." She gave an apologetic smile.

What???

How could she not know Sara? My likeness to her is a different matter, but she is a famous actress.

"Yeah, I forgot. You only watch Chinese Dramas." He said in a mocking tone.

"It's Korean." She corrected while scowling.

"It's the same." He shrugged.

"No, it's not."

"She is a fan of K-Dramas?" Came Tahir's surprised voice, who was standing beside me the whole time, "Wow. "

"Why are you so amazed?" I turned to him.

"Liking K-dramas...for someone who is so into Urdu literature... or any literature particularly, is quite unexpected." He chuckled and continued, "I thought she would prefer classical -."

I didn't hear what else he said, as my focus once again diverted to them. They were both making fun of each other's choices with a smile on their faces. Smiles, that rarely surface upon faces, come directly from their souls.

~*~

Mid-November mornings are refreshingly cold for me. A perfect time to enjoy hot tea for breakfast with your friends. That was exactly what we were doing, talking, and watching the sunrise. Dad and Ami were inside the house and Miss Hira, she was standing far away from us, wrapped up in a shawl, looking at the same sunrise with a blank look. Her face was completely expressionless, the smile I saw on her face while talking to the brother of mine was nowhere to be found.

I turned my attention toward the rising sun once again but kept glancing at her from the corner of my eyes. I don't know if it was the reflection of the sun on her face or if it was really getting red from her fever. Because now she was shivering, but instead of going inside she sat on the grass.

Is she crazy or something????

Unintentionally, I stepped toward her but stopped before reaching her. She was sick and someone had to tell her not to sit on the cold grass.

"Hira, don't sit on the grass you just got up from a fever." I heard Ami voicing my thoughts, coming over to us.

"Zulqarnain called me a few minutes ago. He said that they would be late, so don't wait for him." She informed.

Who was waiting in the first place???

"Where is Uncle? He told me earlier to invite him to cricket." Said Faiq looking around.

"He is inside. I will send him. Hira, come with me." Said Ami and left with her.

"We are playing cricket?" I asked, staring at Faiq.

"It was Uncle's suggestion, I couldn't say no. Besides, we can't swim in this cold weather, so why not cricket?"

"It will be fun. Later we can try some indoor games." Agreed Tahir.

"Okay then, where is the bat and ball?" I asked.

"I will bring it. You guys go ahead and call Uncle and the ladies. I need an audience to cheer my spirit." Tahir said in a proud voice while going to our car.

Within twenty minutes, the match started. Dad decided to bat first on his own and none of us protested. Dad's running wasn't as good as before, which reminds me that we aren't also the same as before either. Time is passing quickly, as we are growing up and strong, our parents are getting old and weak. This fact hit me a bit too hard to overcome the sudden sadness that emerged within me. Resultant, I missed the catch.

"Quite spacing out Ahmar." Zaid shouted from the opposite side.

"Sorry...!" I grabbed the ball and threw it to Faiq.

~*~

Hira's POV:

It was fun watching Uncle playing with the boys. It was the first time for me to witness both old and young people playing a sport. Usually, elderly people reduce their physical activities as they age. I have seen my uncles, they never played with their sons and about Baba, he didn't have a son. The bonding between a father and son is very different from the bond of a daughter with her father. I understood this after moving into Zulqarnainn's house.

"Come on Dad, you are playing like an old man." Ahmar shouted, perhaps to cheer him up.

"I am an old man." Said Uncle between his laboured breaths.

"There is still plenty of youth within you, Uncle. An old man doesn't throw shots one after another." Said Faiq, spinning the ball in his hands. Uncle laughed at it and positioned himself to bat again.

The match continues until Zulqarnain arrives with Sara. Wearing a fine black coloured tracksuit, the same as Zulqarnain, she came to us, walking side by side with him. For some reason, it surprised me, but not more than the caption of 'Hero' and 'Heroine' on their backs. Never thought that he was into such things.

And never thought that he had someone like her in his life...

After an exchange of formal greetings with me and Auntie, Sara dragged Zulqarnain to the boys and Uncle. The match was already on pause so Zulqarnain could join them. But when Sara demanded to play with them, all the boys refused and, in the end, agreed on playing with a racket. I was also offered to play with them but I excused. I don't want to make fun of myself because of my poor skills. Therefore, I stuck with Uncle and Auntie again.

"While being a father of two sons, having you around is a genuine pleasure for me," Uncle said in his usual friendly manner when I brought him a glass of water. "You have freed me from the longing I felt for a daughter."

I smiled, taking a chair beside Auntie, who was busy watching everyone playing.

"It's a pity that I cannot buy a sweet floral pattern and frilly frocks for you." His words turned my smile to laughter.

"Just like this. Keep smiling and laughing just like this every time." He straightened himself on the chair, "You know whenever I see your depressed face, I also get depressed. Thinking perhaps God's decision was right to not give me a daughter. Because when he gave me one, I was unable to bring a smile into her life."

"It's not like that, Uncle. I was brought back to life because you and your family accepted me. Otherwise, I might have ended up doing something awful."

"Don't ever think about such things, you are more courageous than this. Have faith that the bad time will pass. It always will. Promise me one thing, Hira, like my daughter, you will never give up hope no matter what."

"I promise, that I will never give up hope."

"Good, you are an obedient child... Unlike my sons." He said the last part after a dejected sigh.

"They aren't disobedient." I abruptly denied it.

"Yes, most of the time they aren't. But they sure know how to let me down."

"Don't bring that up again." Intervene Auntie for the first time, "It is their life, let them make the decision of what they want to do."

"Yes, I have seen the result of it. Throwing everything away, our elder son chooses to be an actor."

"And what's wrong with it? At least he is satisfied, unlike Ahmar who will be bearing all the burden of your hopes."

"So what if a child bears the burden of his father's hope? Ahmar possesses the ideal mind of a businessman. Why wouldn't I push him to succeed."

"Aap se baat kerna hi fazool hai (there is no use in talking to you)." And in the end, she said the typical sentence of every wife and turned her face away.

"Who was asking you to do it? I was happy with talking to Hira."

I was sitting awkwardly between them, praying that this small bickering didn't get bigger.

"Miss Hira," I heard Tahir's voice, "Come play with us." He said, holding his racket high in the air.

"No thank you, you guys have fun." I excused myself once again.

"We can play 'Ringa Ringa Roses' for you if you don't know how to play." Said Zulqarnain with a small smirk.

"Thank you for the offer, but I am better with Uncle and Auntie here."

"If she doesn't want to play, then let's continue with our game." Said Sara.

"I need a short break, you guys can carry on." Said Zaid coming toward us.

"I am going too." Ahmar followed him and then, one by one, everyone joined Zaid and the game ended.

"Now that you are all here, how about having some tea?" Suggested Uncle and everyone agreed.

"I will make it." I quickly stood up.

"A coffee for me, I don't like tea." Said Sara to me.

"Sit down, Miss Hira, we will make the tea." Said Faiq in a very serious tone.

"No its-"

Sara didn't let me finish my sentence and said, "Miss Hira?"

"Yes, didn't you know? She is our teacher." Answered Faiq.

"Teacher?"

"Yes, our tuition teacher as well as our college teacher."

I blinked my eyes, unable to believe my ears. How easily they lied about me being their tuition teacher and none of the other three denied Faiq.

"Miss Hira, tell me where we can find the stuff for the tea." Zaid stood up.

"No, it's alright, I will make it." I said, going towards the kitchen.

"Fine, then we will help you out." Zaid followed me and soon I found Faiq in the kitchen too.

What is going on around here???

____________________________________

Salam and hello everyone!

Sorry about the late update.

So, what do you think about the sudden change of mind of the boys? Are they up to something again?

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