~ ᴠ ᴀ ɴ ᴇ ᴇ ᴢ ᴀ ~

Emanating the magical hues of resplendence and marking the beginning of the celebration of one of the most beautiful festivals, the Khan's Mansion was determined to mesmerise every single eye due to its flawlessly sparkling decorations which were welcoming the aura of the delightful morning of the first day of Eid, in an extremely heartwarming way.

Tiny flames on the aesthetically pleasing purple colored scented candles continued to flicker thus spreading a heavenly aroma of refreshing lavender and creating a lovely and tranquil atmosphere all across the magnificent mansion.

It was around 8 a.m by the time all the men of the mansion had left for the nearby Mosque in order to offer their Eid prayers while the highly energised women were busy preparing variety of mouthwatering desserts like kheer, Besan k Laddoos and Sheer Khurma..!

The insanely scrumtious aroma of these heavenly delicacies had already started to escape the kitchen and scatter throughout the mansion, making the rest of the sleepy heads, who were neither in the kitchen, nor in the Mosque, immediately wake up way before their alarms could chime loudly in their dreams, only to get silenced at the end!

"HOLY CRAP!"

Haya shouted with shock as she watched me lying on the bed like the sleeping beauty.

"Vani! Get up .... It's 8 a.m already! For God's sake get up... you have been sleeping like an animal which has gone on hibernation! What would be granny thinking about us you silly? Get up Get up Get up! It's EID today!"

She continued to shake me as if I were a bottle of juice filled with one hundred and thirty three ice cubes and loads of undissolved sugar!

"For God's sake Haya! Let me sleep peacefully and get lost this instant!"

I sluggishly picked up a cushion which was once resting beside me and threw it right at her face.

"Vaneeza you have to curl my hair, straighten your own and get ready too... which is I am sure going to take a century! Get up or else......"

And before she could complete her sentence, another cushion came towards her face even more wildly.

"Ouch....! Vaneeza!"

Haya glared at me as she rubbed her forehead with anger.

"Get up already! Granny wants both of us at the dining table within half an hour!"

She announced very much authoritatively.

"Half an hour?"

I jolted upon hearing the most unjust statement in this world.

How can a girl get ready within half an hour, and that too, on the day of Eid?

How unfair!

Immediately throwing the comforter away from my face, I jumped out of the bed and raced towards the bathroom.

"Hey, your dress is already ironed and placed inside your wardrobe by granny! Now hurry up and come downstairs real quick!"

Haya snapped her fingers as she gave one last glance at her reflection which was adorned with a beautiful Anarkali frock.

"Wait for me Haya... don't leave me alone here. You will go with me or else I won't come downstairs!"

I warned her as I started to panic.

To my utmost surprise, the jacuzzi was beautifully decorated with myriad of scented candles and rose petals while the aroma of lavender and jasmine continued to emanate from the steam coming out.

Ditching this refreshingly warm relaxing bath due to lack of time felt so cruel and heartbreaking.

But still I decided to give a treat to my sore muscles by relishing this delicious bath following by a detailed shower.

By the time I had dried myself up, I was smelling like a fresh bouquet of roses and lavender.

Ahh..so divine!

I chuckled to myself as I dramatically threw my wet hair on my back.

I took out my beautiful light pink gharara from the wardrobe and wore it without wasting my time.

After straightening my half damp hair and applying minimal makeup to stay natural, I raced towards the vanity in search of my jewelry and hurriedly wore my earrings and anklets.

Before leaving the room, I gave one last glance at the full length mirror.

Amazingly, a small amount of blush never failed to crawl towards my cheeks as I silently watched my reflection with shyness.

And that's when my eyes unintentionally landed on the dressing table where a beautiful set of red colored bangles was resting peacefully.

I looked here and there to see if by chance anyone had passed by my room to put them on the dressing table.

But unfortunately, there was no sign of any existence.

"Haya, who brought these?"

I asked with curiosity, but as soon as I failed to hear anything, my anxiety started to accelerate!

"Haya?"

I turned only to find no one inside my room.

"YOU CHEAT!"

I shouted to myself in anger as I had finally realised that now I had to go downstairs all by myself!

Gosh! It was so hard to avoid all the gazes which were soon going to land upon me.

Solely me!

Oh God why????

I started panicking.

I needed someone to come along with me.

"I hate you Haya I hate you!"

I kept on murmuring to myself with anxiousness as I continued to slid the red bangles down my wrist, one by one, still unaware of the person who brought them.

Uttering as many prayers as I could, I mustered up some courage to come out of my room and brace myself to go downstairs.

"How I wish she was here by my side! I hate to go alone!"

I mumbled under my breath as I walked along the corridor, while my gaze was still fixed on the bangles as I gently brushed my fingers against them, unaware of the fact that someone was coming in a hurry from the opposite direction.

And before I could find a way to escape this pathetic collision, I found myself bumping right into the most unexpectedly rude and mysterious person on this planet Earth.....

"Umar!!"
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~ ᴜ ᴍ ᴀ ʀ ~

"Hmmm...We have a Miss Universe standing in front of us!"

Aman smirked while shamelessly teasing me.

"Seriously ? Miss Universe?"

I sighed in despair while clipping my cufflinks neatly in place.

"Sharma to esy he rhi ho jaan-e-man...!"

(You are blushing, my darling!)

Came another shameless remark from my extremely illiterate brother who was apparently enjoying all of this.

"Behave yourself!"

I glared at him which was obviously of no use.

"Would you like to bless us with your presence downstairs Umar Bhayi? Everyone's waiting!"

Entered Kinza and Hassan.

"Oh Boy, MashaAllah! Someone's looking so hot!"

Complimented Hassan.

"Someone's surely gonna melt like a candle tonight!"

Kinza smirked while the rest burst into laughter.

"Well it's not that easy to melt her heart so soon!"

Perhaps, they were not wrong!

"And you gotta work really hard for that bro!"

They continued to tease me as if I was listening to them, although a part of me wanted to agree with them.

"Anyways, we are going, make sure you come downstairs before eight thirty, or else you know very well about granny's mood!"

"Don't worry, I'll be there...!"

I assured them as I grabbed my cologne while they finally decided to leave.

As I sprayed few puffs over my outfit, somehow, my thoughts started to waver once again.

What if I never succeed in melting her heart with my love?

I blankly stared at my reflection in the mirror which had already started to become nothing but just a heap of hopelessness and disappointment as I thought about the most dangerous possibility which could occur in future.

A layer of fear started to spread across my soul as my heart winced with pain.

Without any doubt, I had those looks which could make girls fall for me head over heels, but she was different!

Completely different.

She was not one of those who would melt over looks or beautiful features.
She would always prefer something else.

God knows what?

Brushing all types of negative and painful thoughts away, I quickly styled my hair and turned to leave the room as the clock was about to strike 8:30, which meant danger!

And I was in no mood to make granny upset, and that too on the very first day of Eid.

Without noticing my surroundings, I continued to walk hurriedly while my gaze was fixed on the screen of my phone which had been blinking a few seconds ago, due to which I was unaware of the fact that someone else was also coming in my direction.

And before I could stop myself from colliding into that poor soul, I found myself bumping into the most beautiful and serene reality of my life....

"Vaneeza!"

Unintentionally, her name came out of my mouth as I held both of her arms in order to avoid stumbling, leaving just half an inch between us.

"Umar!"

She stiffened with nervousness as she called out my name in a way which was enough to create chaos in my already disheveled heart.

I nearly forgot to breath when my gaze landed on her breathtakingly beautiful features which were adorned by a natural makeover. Her chocolate brown eyes never averted from mine as she continued to tremble with fear.

Sensing her extreme discomfort, I immediately backed off and apologized.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Vaneeza!"

I stammered while trying to normalize my breathing.

She remained silent as she stared at me worriedly while her hands were still glued to my chest.

The hands in which red coloured bangles were twinkling flawlessly, after seeing which, a tiny smile silently crept across my lips.

After watching me smile with mysteriousness, she immediately removed her hands and backed off while lowering her gaze.

"You look beautiful Vaneeza!"

Even though my brain stopped me to say so, my heart never listened.

"Thank you Umar!"

She smiled adorably and turned to leave in order to escape from this awkward situation.

"Just like a much needed sunshine on a rainy day!"

I almost whispered to myself but unluckily she heard it as she stopped in her tracks and turned again.

"What?"

"You heard it...Vaneeza!"

I rolled my eyes and turned to go downstairs, ushering her to go first.

"After You...!"

I almost burst into laughter as she immediately denied and took a step back.

Apparently, she was getting nervous. Maybe because of the huge number of relatives waiting for us downstairs.

"Fine then..!"

As I started to descend the stairs, I could feel her follow me like a shy, little girl while trying to hide behind my back in order to avoid all sorts of gazes.

At that time, I wanted to do nothing but just take her hand in mine and whisper in her ears that, 'I am with you, my love!'

But I believe, this would have frightened her even more.

As we continued to walk down the stairs, I could hear a couple of people whispering 'MashaAllah' (All evil eyes off) while looking at us.

When we reached the last step, I instructed her to go first, out of respect, which she thankfully agreed to do.

"Thank You!"

She whispered, making me smile at her courtesy.

"MashaAllah MashaAllah you look so gorgeous Vaneeza!"

Granny kissed her forehead and everyone came towards her to greet her Eid Mubarak.

This girl had always loved to rule over millions of hearts...!

As everyone continued to compliment her unmatchable beauty, I immediately felt a need to utter prayers and blow Ayat-ul-kursi on her as I did not want her to be a victim of any evil eye.

I couldn't afford to see her fall sick!

"Settle down everyone... There's an important announcement which I have to make once we finish our breakfast!"

Everyone gathered at the dining table as Hassan started brewing suspense in the air.

"Announcement about?"

Inquired one of the girls.

"Have some patience! It will be announced soon!"

I replied spontaneously.

"So you know?"

Complained Aman.

"Yeah, and me too!"

Boasted Shehryar, as he poured some milkshake in his glass.

"WOW...! You guys have disowned me already?"

Aman glared at all three of us as if we had betrayed him.

"Now here begins the marathon of complaints!"

I rolled my eyes as I threw my hands in the air.

"Only the sensible and the mature ones know about this secret plan!"

Shehryar decided to add fuel to the fire.

"What do you mean? Are we all senseless?"

Kinza shouted at him while representing rest of the girls.

"Of course! Senseless and mindless beauties...!"

Shehryar fired back.

"Talk about yourself only!"

I interrupted.

"Well...kids, would you all please shut up and settle down? For God's sake stop fighting on the dining table at least!"

One of the aunts scolded all of us to which we silently sat down to continue the breakfast.

Without any delay, I grabbed two to three pieces of tissue paper in order to blot them on my extremely oily puri which everyone else was eating, along with even more oily halwa, very peacefully.

"Come on Umar ... Stop being such a fitness freak, for once!"

Mom eyed me with annoyance.

"I'm sure it would have more calories than I have burnt in my entire life!"

I rolled my eyes.

"As long as you are here in Pakistan, consider everyday as your cheat day, bro!"

Everyone burst into laughter as Rayan, another cousin of mine, felt extremely necessary to convince me with compromising on my calorie intake, which was impossible.

Not satisfied at all, I decided to stick to the mango juice only!

"So ladies and gentleman! All of you are requested to bless us with your presence in the basement lounge at 7:30 pm sharp as the plan is going to be discussed there!"

Hassan finally announced, to which the dining room echoed with countless groans.

"You are brewing suspense in the air like a Star Plus drama!"

One of them complained.

"Granny, do you have any idea what's the plan about?"

Haya whispered in granny's ears with curiosity, to which she symbolically zipped her mouth.

"That's not fair!"

Complained all the girls, while the most graceful one of all sat their silently, focusing decently on her plate filled with a very little amount of food, totally uninterested in the whole chaos happening around her.

"We can't wait that long!"

Aman snapped his fingers in front of my eyes, to which I came back to my senses which were once again hypnotized by this dreamy angel sitting in front of me.

"Case dismissed, y'all! No more arguments!"

I immediately silenced them all as everyone started to leave the dining room with their heads drooping low, whispering and chattering about what the plan could possibly be?

Few hours later, when everyone had drained their energies while exhausting their minds by guessing unlimited possibilities, granny finally decided to call everyone downstairs as she had to distribute the Eidi...!

Something for which everyone was waiting anxiously.

And within just thirteen and a half seconds, the crowd went wild...!

Jumping, hooting, fighting, laughing and screaming with madness in order to get more Eidi than others.

"Asfandyar Uncle? What is this? A rupee note? Where are our pounds?"

Protested Daniyal and Haya while looking at the Pakistani currency in Dad's hands.

"Ohooo.... Actually I converted all of my pounds into rupee cash before coming back to Pakistan!"

Dad feigned innocence.

"No..no... that's cheating!"

Others joined them too, making me feel pity for poor Dad.

"Oh come on Asfandyar! I have just seen few pounds in your cupboard in the morning, don't lie to the kids! Let them be happy on this day!"

I face palmed as I watched Mama adding cherry on the top of the cake, Dad was too busy baking!

All the uncles and aunts burst into laughter while looking at the innocence on my Dad's face.

Poor soul ...!!

The world war 3 had already begun a few minutes ago, and everyone was determined to win the highest amount of all.

It wasn't something new for me, but what I saw next, surely was.

Vaneeza silently left the lounge in a way that nobody could notice her, and went outside in the garden. Perhaps, she was extremely fond of peace which certainly lacked inside.

Without any delay, I secretly followed her towards the garden which was still glimmering due to the raindrops from the rain early morning.

"Don't you want Eidi, Vaneeza?"

I nearly scared her as she jerked upon hearing me.

"Umm...No..I...I.. don't like taking it!"

I burst into laughter as I heard the most unbelievable statement from the most unbelievable girl.

"Are you serious? You don't like to take Eidi? Over there, those animals are fighting over it, and you don't like to take it? It's your right Vaneeza! It's everyone's right!"

I smiled while looking at those beautiful orbs which were now drowned with chastity.

"I know...but...I don't like taking it!"

She uttered her previous words again.

"Why are you so different, Vaneeza?"

I crossed my arms and tilted my head while smiling at her, determined to meet her deadly gaze which was lowered due to hesitation.

"I don't know...but it doesn't feel right to me. I mean.....!"

She paused as if she was reluctant to share.

"I'm all ears, Vaneeza!"

I smiled again, sensing her discomfort.

"I mean that.... Alhumdulillah, I have everything one could wish for, but there are the ones sitting outside on the roads who don't even have new clothes to wear even on the day of Eid!"

I remained silent as she began to amaze me with her beautiful thoughts.

"It makes me feel guilty to be gifted with money although I am already blessed with it, unlike the ones sitting outside!"

She sighed with disappointment.

After a silence of few seconds, I took one of her hands in mine and opened it as she watched me with surprise.

"What are you doing?"

She started panicking as I placed Eidi on her cold, icy palm.

"This is your Eidi, from me!"

"I...I can't take it Umar!"

She stammered.

"Keep it Vaneeza! This is your right! And always will be...!"

"But I just told you that ....!"

"Shh...!"

I silenced her while placing my index finger on her delicate rose-like lips.

"You can distribute them among the less privileged ones, whenever you want to!"

Her eyes widened with amazement and twinkled with magic as she looked at me with a feeling I was dying to see in her eyes for me, since nine years!

After realizing that I had been lost deeply in her beautiful brown eyes, I immediately removed my finger from those soft, fresh and glossy petals.

"Have a joyous Eid... Vaneeza!"

I smiled as I decided to leave.

"Wishing you the same, Umar!"

And just at that very moment, my heart melted away like a huge glacier as she ended up smiling at me, with shyness...!