"Aap theek hain? Aisa lag raha hai jaise soye nahi kal." Asked Hoorain, worriedly.

(Are you okay? You looked like you haven't slept last night.)

After her class, Hoorain hurriedly left, not wanting to face Anabia, but bumped into Mehrab, who invited her to join him in the cafeteria.

"Mujhe toh tum neend mein lag rahi ho." Mehrab chuckled.

(To me, you look sleepy.)

"Main Zaryab ki wajah se nahi jagi kal, woh toh bas aise hi, bhai kal chale gaye na..." Thinking he must be thinking about Zaryab, Hoorain mumbles, as she focuses on her milkshake.

(I wasn't up because of Zaryab,)

"Main bhi Anabia ki wajah se nahi jaga." Smiling, Mehrab also drank his coffee.

(I wasn't up because of Anabia.)

"Anabia?" Hoorain whispered as she looked at Mehrab. Just few days ago, he used to call Anabia Belle, and now he is calling her Anabia? How quickly he moved on?

"Ek... baat puchu?" Hoorain asked, hesitantly.

(Can I ask something?)

"Aap zubi aapi ke barey mein kyu puch rahe the uss din?" When Mehrab nods his head, she continued.

(Why were you asking about Zubi aapi that day?)

"Zabail Ahmed." Mehrab seems to froze for a moment.

"Main... ab kaise batau, ek bohot ajeeb si confusion ho gayi jiski wajah se..." Mehrab couldn't find the right words to explain Hoorain everything.

(I... I don't know how to explain it... there was a little weird confusion because of which...)

"Aur isme partially galti meri bhi hai, lekin pata nahi kyu mujhe uspe gussa araha hai."

(And I am at fault too, but I am more angry at her.)

"Kispe?" Hoorain confusingly asked. Not a single word made sense to her.

(Who?)

"Hoori!" Before she and Mehrab could talk more, Zaryab, who came in the cafeteria with Anabia, saw them, leaving Anabia he went to where Hoorain and Mehrab were sitting.

"Yaha kya kar rahi ho? Chalo Bia wait kar rahi hai tumhara." Taking her hand, he said and dragged her from there, he didn't wait for her answer.

(What are you doing here? Come, Bia is waiting for you.)

Hoorain couldn't said anything to Zaryab, she just gave Mehrab an apologetic look, on which Mehrab shook his head assuringly.

"Tum uske sath kyu baithti ho?" As soon as Hoorain and Zaryab sat down, Anabia asked.

(Why were you sitting with him?)

"Humari dosti ho gayi hai..." Hesitantly, Hoorain answered, as she looked at Zaryab, afraid of his reaction. Zaryab wasn't angry, but disappoint.

(We are friends now...)

"Yeh baat main isko bhi samajhta tha ab tumhe bhi samjha raha hoon Mehrab Hussain is not a good news, jitna durr rahogi ussey utna behtar rahega tumhare liye." Zaryab tried to make her understand.

(I used to tell her the same thing which I am telling you, Mehrab Hussain is not a good news, stay away from him.)

"Thank you but... apna sahi aur galat main samajh sakti hoon. Mujhe library se book leni thi main ati hoon." Hoorain walked away from them.

(I know what's good for me, what's not. I have to take some books from library, I will just come.)

"See, maine kaha tha she is behaving weird. Pata nahi kyu yeh Mehrab ko leke itna defensive ho jati hai." As soon as Hoorain left, Anabia turned to Zaryab and complained. "Mujhe toh lagta hai Hoorain Mehrab ko pasand karti hai."

(See, I told you she is behaving weird. I don't why she gets to defensive about Mehrab.)

(I think Hoorain likes Mehrab.)

"What?" Zaryab got shocked.

"Haan, I mean... just look at her behaviour, hume toh woh hamesha Mehrab se durr rehne ko kehti hai but khud unse kitni close hai ki hume ignore karke unke sath baithi thi. Ab hum ussey samjha rahe hain toh uthke chali gayi. Humne Hoorain ko kabhi aise behave karte nahi dekha."

(She always told me to stay away from Mehrab, but look how close she is with him that she sat with him, ignoring us. Now we are telling her to stay away from him, she left us. I never saw her behaving like this.)

"Waise she is behaving weird but mujhe nahi lagta she likes him." Zaryab quickly said.

(She is behaving weird but I don't think she likes him.)

"How can you be so sure?"

"I... I don't know."

•••

"Hume toh yakeen nahi ho raha, Humara nikkah hai kal." Zabail was on call with Zain, sitting on her bed, she was happily telling him about her preparation for tomorrow.

(I can't believe we are getting married tomorrow.)

"Mujhe toh aisa lag raha hai ki main iss duniya ka sabse khushnaseeb shaks hoon." Zain told her from other side.

(I feel like I am the luckiest man in the world.)

Tomorrow is Zain and Zabail's nikkah, also Zaryab and Anabia's engagement.

One side, both Zain and Zabail were happy, another side Anabia was scared.

She was confused about her feelings, she was happy that she is getting engaged to Zaryab who loves her more than his life, but still, she was feeling as if something is missing, the butterflies? The excitement? Or maybe the love she should feel about him?

She looked at Zabail, and thought this is how one reacts when they are getting married to the love of their life, but here she was feeling empty.

All night, she couldn't sleep, just turning right to left, left to right, she didn't realise when sun was up in the sky.

"Annu, uthiye." Badia removed the comforter from her and shook her shoulder.

(Annu, wake up.)

"Mamma, abhi toh soye hain." Hiding her face in her pillow, Anabia mumbles.

(Mamma, I just slept.)

"Puri raat kar kya rahi thi aap? Uthiye! Aaj apki mangni hai, yeh larki ab tak so rahi hai." Badia sat on her bed and slapped her shoulder.

(What were you doing all night? Wake up, today is your engagement. And this girl is still sleeping.)

"Neend nahi ayi puri raat." Groaning, Anabia answered. "Mamma, sone dein."

(I couldn't sleep at night.)

(Mamma, let me sleep.)

"Annu, last warning de rahe hain uth jaiye. Abhi apko parlour bhi jana hai."

(Annu, I am warning you, wake up. You have to go to parlour too.)

"Mamma, aap tension na lein, hum uthate hain inhe." Zabail, who saw anxiety lines on her mother's forehead, told her.

(Mamma, don't worry, I will wake her up.)

"Haan, please, uthaye inhe, hume abhi kitne kaam hain..." Badia looked at Zabail thankfully, patting her cheek, Badia left.

(Yes, please, wake her up. I have other work to do...)

"Annu, uth jao... aaj engagement hai tumhari." Opening the curtains, Zabail shouted.

(Annu, wake up.. today is your engagement.)

"Zubi yaar, sone do. Hume nahi karni engagement." Anabia's irritated voice came.

(Zubi, let me sleep. I don't wanna do any engagement.)

"Hain?" Zabail's eyebrows rises amusingly. "Lagta hai abhi tak neend ka asar hai..." Mischievously, Zabail said, going to Anabia's side, she picked jug full of water and throw it on Anabia.

(What?)

(Seems like you are still sleepy.)

"Za.. Zubi..." The cold water vanishes Anabia's room, who quickly sat up, gasping.

"Chalo tum uthi toh." Laughing, Zabail said. "Ab khabardar jo dubara soyi tum. Uth jao." Zabail warned her before going to restroom.

(Now you've wake up.)
(And don't you dare to fall asleep again. Get up.)

•••

"Aap yaha baithe hain, itne kaam hain, woh caters wale puch rahe the ki..." Badia, who went to her bedroom to take her phone, saw Zimraan sitting there alone, couldn't help but nagged him.

(Why are you sitting here, there are lots of works to do...)

They may have hired event planner, but she was checking every work personally, and here Zimraan is sitting idly. He has no sense of responsibility.

"Idhar aao." Zimraan stopped her sentence in mid and called her, extending his hand for her to hold.

(Come here.)

"Kya hua?" Confusingly, she took his hand and sat beside him.

(What happened?)

"Kuch nahi, bas soch raha tha humari betiya bhi kitni jaldi badi ho gayi. Aisa lagta hai kal ki hi baat hai jab Zabail ko pehli baar apni goud mein liya tha, usne jab pehli kadam uthaya tha, usne jab pehli baar papa kaha tha, aur ab uski shadi hone wali hai."

(Nothing, I was just thinking how quickly our girls grew up. I felt like it was yesterday when I held in my arms Zabail for the first time, when she took her first step toward me, when she called me papa for the first time, and now, she is getting married.)

"Aur Annu, mujhe toh abhi bhi woh 5 saal ki lagti hai jo hamesha mere kandhe pe baithi rehti thi. Dono chali jayengi toh iss ghar mein hum dono akele reh jayenge."

(And Annu, I still see her as the 5 years old who always use to sit on my shoulder. After their marriage, we will be alone in this house.)

Badia's lips smiled but her eyes filled with tears. She was so busy with the preparation that she never thought about her daughters going away.

"Ek kaam karte hain.. Zain aur Zaryab ki rukhsati yaha karwa lete hain. Zaniya aapi aur Zayrah apni hain mana thori karengi." Drying her eyes, she suggested.

(Lets's do one thing... we can ask Zain and Zaryab to shift here with us. Zaniya api and Zayrah won't refuse us.)

Zimraan was speechlessly looking at her then burst into laughter. "Haan kyu nahi."

(Yes, why not.)

"I am serious." Badia took offence that he was laughing at her idea.

Zimraan pinched her cheeks in reply.

•••

"Make up zyada loud nahi chahiye hume, ek dam subtle sa..." Zabail was telling the make up artist about her make up.

(I don't want loud make up, I want a subtle look...)

Anabia was sitting on the chair beside her, letting the make up artist do whatever she pleases.

She wasn't as excited as Zabail.

Anabia got ready first, as she was getting the minimal look for her engagement. But Zabail's make up took more time.

Bored, Anabia picked her phone to kill some time, she saw some msgs from Zaryab, which she ignored.

Opening call log, she called Mehrab. He didn't receive her call.

"Annu! Hum lehenga pehen ke atey hain." Zabail was done with her make up, as she called Anabia and told her she is going in the changing room. Anabia nods her head.

(Annu, I will just come.)

When Zabail left, an idea came to Anabia's mind.

She quickly stood up, and picked her handbag.

"Is everything okay?" The worker there asked her.

"Yeah! Yeah everything is okay, my sister forgot her footwear in the car, I am gonna pick it up." Telling her this, Anabia left.

•••

Itne din baad kisi story pe kaam karna... bohot mushkil kaam hai

Khair, how was the chapter?

-Ufaq