Happy reading ❤️

...................................................................

    “As-salamu alaykum, Phupo (aunt) Jan.” I greet her as I walk into the house through the main door. She is reading a book, sitting in the sofa. Hearing my voice, she turns her head towards and smiles at me.

“Wa-Alaikum-Salaam, my dear Arzu.” She embraces me back when I approach her and throw my arms around her. I peck her on the forehead after receiving a sweet kiss on my left cheek from her.

“What did bring you here, Zunaira? Is everything OK? Both of you have come to visit us so late at night.” She asks my mother, glancing over the clock striking 10:30 pm,before removing her glasses from her face and putting them down on the closed book.

“Of course, everything is fine. Actually....” I cut in my mother receiving a glare from her but ignoring it, I turn towards Phupo.

“Actually, I was missing you so much Phupo Jan. Exams had trapped me in their cell and I just got escaped from their torture. I was missing all of you so couldn't wait any longer and came to meet you.” I flash her a pearly grin, and she chuckles before patting me on my hand.

“ My dear, Arzu, we all missed you too.” I get up from my place to give her a quick embrace.

“ Oh, who has been missing me so much?” A voice turns my genuine sweet grin into a tight lip smile and I flick my head towards him. He is wearing black sweatpants and a blue hoodie over it, which is not covering his head.

“No one has been missing you.” I give him a tight lip smile.

“But I heard from the kitchen that you were missing all of us.” He bites into the apple, he is holding in the right hand and smiles at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“That all doesn't include you. Junaid bhai(brother).” I turn my back to Phupo, who is keenly looking at both of us.

“Whatever.” He rolls his eyes, biting again into his apple.

“Mom, I am going back in my. I have to work on a few files. Tell everyone not to disturb me.” He tells his mother before picking up his laptop from the side table of a couch and striding towards the staircase.

I am bewildered that he didn't look back at me or even tried to show any irritation when I mocked him a little. What's going on in his weird brain? I think to myself. But shaking that thought aside, I decide to look for Sumbul in the house and talk to her.

“Phupo, Is Sumbul in her room?”

“Oh yes. Arzu beti(daughter), she is in her room. She told me that she is studying for her midterms.”

“Oh... Then I should not disturb her.”

“No no. Arzu, go and meet her in her bedroom. She has been studying for an hour. Now she must be resting for a while.”

“OK Phupo Jan.” I nod at her with a gentle smile and move towards her bedroom.

What should I say to her exactly?
Something that will convince her to believe me. Yes, something like that but what? I am in a conversation with myself mentally, holding my hand in the air, ready to knock on the door of her bedroom. Drowned in my thoughts, I knock twice.

“Come in.” A frustrated voice comes from inside the room. I breathe in and out before twisting the doorknob and opening the door. I enter the room and spot her sprawled on the bed, typing furiously on her phone.

“Hello, Sumbul. What's up?” I make my presence noticeable with a hello. Her eyes flash upward from the screen of her phone and make a contact with mine. She springs up from her previous position and sits up on the bed, clutching to her cell phone.

“What are you doing here?” She grunts putting down her cellphone. She gets up from the bed and stands in front of me, folding her arms over her stomach. I can see the coldness radiating from her eyes. I fidget in my place, chewing on the inside of my cheek.

“ Would it be an acceptable answer if I say that I have come to tighten your screws?” I pull my lips into a one gentle smile trying my best to help me out with sarcasm in such an awkward situation. Her indignant glares will never make it easy for me to talk to her.

“ Oh then you are at the wrong place dear cousin.” She turns away her face, pulling up her hair into a messy sort of bun.

“You are the one who needs her screws to be tightened.” She sits on the edge of the bed, looking straight at me. She doesn't even ask me to have a seat and I remain standing there, process in my head what to say next.

“Sumbul, you are not just my cousin but like a sister to me. You  have not been responding to my phone calls for a whole week, and now you are giving me this rude attitude.” I wait for her to say something, but she only gives a blank look.

“Sumbul. I am talking to you. Are you even listening?” I narrow my eyes at her. She gets up from her bed, picks up her phone and takes slow steps towards me.

“Do you really consider me your sister?” She raises an eyebrow at me.

“I..... I do. That's why I want to save you from Irfa......” She cuts me off by holding up her hand.

“Then why did you stop Irfan from marrying me? Why you tried to put differences between us?” Her voice is filled with hurt, rage and distrust. Her each and every word is falling on me like a bombshell. I stumble backwards after hearing her words. I can't believe and process the shit she is speaking to me.

“ Woha. This is a big damn misunderstanding.” I throw up my arms in frustration. I came here to fix up everything, to make her understand me better but here another drama has been waiting for me. Bravo!

“Misunderstanding? Hun? This is not any misunderstanding. You stopped him from marrying me. You manipulative witch.” She is about to slap me when I hold her hand down instantly. I feel the blood rush to my temples in rage, but I have to control it. I can't lose my temper over her stupid misunderstanding.

“ What has made me a manipulative witch?” I smirk at her. She is flaring up in anger. It seems like she had been holding back her rage for a long time and now my sudden appearance has given her a reason to erupt her volcano.

“This look at this.” She thrusts her phone in my hand and my eyes drop to look at its screen.

             BRING YOUR COUSIN ARZU WITH YOU
              TO MEET ME AT MY PLACE.
           
              ONLY THEN I WILL SEND MY PARENTS
               TO ASK FOR YOUR HAND.

                         TEXT SENDER : IRFAN (MY LOVE)

  “What the hell is this, Sumbul?” I don't shout whilst my patience is reaching its peak.

“The same thing I ask you. What the hell is this, Arzu?” She asks through red complaining eyes, like I have done something which has broken her, which I have not.

“I don't know what you are talking about.” I rub my forehead, tightly shutting my eyes for a second.

“He said that he will only marry me if I take you with me to his place.” I snap my face towards her and give her a still stare.

“Why?”

“He wants you to apologize to him.”

“What? Apologize to him b.... but why? And for what?” Now my head is spinning, and I wish that I could throw that Irfan from the top of the mountain. Pardon me for having all the violent thoughts, but I am helpless at this moment and all the murderous thoughts are invading my mind.

“I don't know. He said that you have disrespected him that is why.” She shrugs with furrowed eyebrows.

“How do you know that I disrespected him?” I fold my arms, this drama is now getting on my nerves.

“I... I don't know that, he said that he tried to contact you to make it clear to you that he is serious about me, but you disrespected him by blocking him.” I wish to smack her thick skull. Why is so easy to manipulate? I lean towards her a bit and poke her shoulder with my forefinger.

“You know what, Sumbul, my dear cousin. Your lover boy is a manipulative bastard. Not me.” She is about to say something, but I beat her to it.

“And you got any proof of my disrespectful behavior to your dream boy? You don't even know the whole truth.” I lift an eyebrow at her waiting for her answer.

“N.... No. I mean, no I don't have any proof and why would he lie to me. He..... said that he called you but you cut it without even listening to him and called him names too.” Her words put a smirk on my face.

“I wish I could really call him names on his face, right here and right now.” Her expressions are hardened after hearing my words.

“He... He can never lie. He loves me.” She scares me when she talks about love. If love is something that turns you into a total idiot then I am better away from it.

“He doesn't love you. Love doesn't make someone insecure.” I say to her politely.

“I am not insecure.” She holds up her face and looks straight at me, making me chuckle at her.

“Then why did you think that I am a manipulative witch who will take away your love from you?” I raise my eyebrows at her.

“I...... I am sorry. I. Please Arzu, you must go to his place and apologize for your behavior.” Her demeanor suddenly changes, and she holds my hands in hers, looking at me with pleading eyes.

“Have you lost your mind?” I try my best not to snap at her. Her condition makes me feel pity for her.

“I... I love him, so much.”

“He has lied to you. I have a proof against that moron. Wait let me take you to your brother. He has the proof enough to enlighten your dumb brain.” I drag her towards the door of her room.

“ No, Arzu, don't take me to him.....” She tries to pull me back in her room.

“ No, Junaid must know.....” I am cut off, when stepping out of the room I bump into someone who makes Sumbul's breath hitch in her throat.

“What should I know?” He raises an eyebrow, fixing his gaze on both of us. I look at the ghost pale face of Sumbul through the corner of my eyes and then look back at the curious face of Junaid.

“What is there that I must know, Arzu, Sumbul?” He gives both of us a death glare this time like he knows that we have been hiding something from him and everyone.

'Shit.' I mutter to myself looking back at the beading forehead of Sumbul.

*****************************************************
TO BE CONTINUED...........
*****************************************************

Tdhaaaaa! So a cliffhanger is here. Sorry my precious reader for this cliffhanger.

But I want to know,
what you guys think of this chapter?

And Do guys think that Arzu will tell Junaid about who Irfan really is? Should she or should she not?

Do comment below your thoughts which I would love to read.

Stay tuned for next update ❤️