Saad's pov :

As soon as I went to open the door, I was engulfed in a tight hug by someone. That person literally jumped on me like a rabbit. And who else could it be other than my best friend, Ali.

"Assalamualikum to you too Ali." I greeted him with a choked laugh, hugging him back.

"Oh, Walikumussalam yaar! I missed you so much! Tumne to aane ke baad bhi nahi bataya ke tum aa gaye ho! Aisi bhi kya masroofiyat? Sab theek to haina? Wo to bhai mujhe raaste me mil gaye the to unhone mujhe bataya ke tum wapas aa gaye ho to pata chala, warna maine to bas tumhare call ya message ka intezaar hi karte rehna tha." He bombarded me with his questions all at once, releasing me from his hug and looking at me with a frown.

(You didn't even tell me that you returned! Where were you busy? Everything okay? I coincidentally met bhai on the way and he informed me that you are back, or else I would still have been waiting for you call or message.)

"Haan ji sab theek hai, alhamdulillah. Bas batane ka mauka nahi mila isliye bata nahi paaya." I replied with a smile, internally scolding myself for forgetting to inform him.

(Yeah, everything is alright. I just didn't get any chance to inform you.)

"Accha. Kam se kam I missed you too to keh dete. Kitne boring ho tum yaar!" He replied with a scowl, making me grin at him cheekily.

(I see. At least you could have said I missed you too. How can you be so boring, man?)

"Aur tum isi boring se bande ke bohot acche dost ho. Jab maine tumhe miss hi nahi kiya to kyu kahu mai?" I teased, enjoying his state.

(And you are a very good friend of this boring person. When I didn't even miss you, why should I say that?)

"Yaar kaise bande ho tum? Tumse to kuch kehna hi bekaar hai." He sulked, looking away.

(What kind of a guy are you? Saying anything to you is useless.)

"Accha chalo bahar baitho, mai bhabi ko bata ke aaya ke hamara dushman aaya hai, aur wo acche se khaatirdaari kare warna mai naraaz ho jaunga." Laughing, I teased further.

(Okay go and sit outside, I will just inform bhabi that our enemy is here, and she should take good care of you or else I will be upset.)

"Haa bada dushman aaya haina?" He imitated me with a scowl before heading out, managing to earn a hearty laugh from me.

(Yeah your enemy came, right?)

._._._.

"Matlab ke, tum keh rahe ho ke, tumhari shaadi ho gai hai?" He exclaimed in shock and disbelief once again.

(So like, you are telling me that you are married?)

"Haa mere bhai, mai jabse wohi to batane ki kosish kar raha hu." Rolling my eyes, I replied in irritation while taking a sip of my tea.

(Yeah my brother, I'm trying to tell you that only.)

"Maaf karna yaar, lekin yakeen nahi aa raha hai ke hamare pure school ke sabse boring bande ne shaadi kar li, wo bhi chupke se. Yaar mujhe kyu nahi bulaya, mai bhi enjoy kar leta na. Kaise dost ho tum? Apne hi sabse acche dost ko nahi bulaya tumne!" He complained with a pout, looking at me in annoyance.

(Forgive me man, but I can't believe that the most boring person of our school just got married, and that too secretly. Man why didn't you call me, even I would have enjoyed it! What kind of a friend are you? You didn't call your best friend only?)

"Tumhe ye sab sun ke to bada aa raha hoga na, waha meri jagah hote to pata chalta tumhe!" I sulked, glaring at him.

(You must be enjoying listening to all this, if you would have been in my place then you would have gotten to know!)

"Accha to ab mujhe samajh me aaya! Tumne mujhe isliye nahi miss kia kyu ke bhabi thi waha par tumhare saath. Hayyeee, pehle batana chahiye tha na. Mai samajhta tumhari baat ko. Waise kaisi hai bhabi? Theek hai? Aur kaisi dikhti hai?" Ignoring my comment, he questioned eagerly while looking at me in excitement.

(Okay so now I understood! You didn't miss me because bhabi was there with you. Awwwh, you should have told me this before. I would have understood. By the way, how is bhabi? Is she okay? And what does she look like?)

"Maar khaoge tum mere haath se. Bhabi hai tumhari, stop thinking about her." Glaring at him, I told him through gritted teeth while running my hand through my hair.

(I will beat you now. She is your sister-in-law, stop thinking about her.)

"Accha accha, sorry yaar! Mai to bas tumhe ched raha tha. Itna gussa mat karo." Raising his hands up in defence, he apologised. A scared look taking over his features he eyed me.

(Okay okay, sorry man! I was just teasing you. Don't get angry at me.)

Sighing, I closed my eyes while leaning my head back, trying to take a few deep breaths. I ran my hand through my hair, annoyed at myself for losing my temper so soon. But he was getting on my nerves and I couldn't ignore it. How could he even think about her? I mean... Allah!

"I'm sorry. Just... let's talk about something else?" Shaking my head, I looked at him before asking sceptically, hoping he would drop this topic.

._._._.

"Now are you even going to listen to what I have to say?" Bhabi asked me in annoyance.

She wanted to say something since yesterday but since we didn't get any time alone after that because mama and baba were there, she couldn't tell me. And now, when baba and bhai went to work and mama was with Alayna, she was bugging me. I took a leave for today because I just felt like staying at home and clearing up my mind because if it wasn't obvious already, I wouldn't have been able to work because of her thoughts anyways.

Closing my laptop, I turned my attention to her. "Jee kahiye, I'm listening."

(Go ahead, I'm listening.)

"Finally! Oh my God, you won't even believe ke maine kisko dekha. Nahi nahi, sirf dekha nahi, mili bhi. Oh my God! Alhamdulillah. I'm so happy. Tumhe bhi yakeen nahi hoga jab mai tumhe bataungi to." She started telling me excitedly, making me confused.

(Finally! Oh my God, you won't even believe who I saw. No no, not only saw, but met too. Oh my God! I'm so happy. You wouldn't even be able to believe me when I tell you.)

"Bhabi..." I groaned while closing my eyes, wanting her to get to the point already.

"Oh yeah, oops sorry." Giving a nervous laugh, she continued. "Mai Atifa aur Amira se mili thi. Wo bhi yaha par. Hamare area me hi."

(I met Atifa and Amira. That too here, in our area.)

My eyes shot open as I looked at her with furrowed brows, not being able to believe her. Narrowing my eyes at her, I leaned back on the couch. "Hahaha, very funny! I'm not in the mood to joke bhabi."

"What? You don't believe me? Saad, I'm serious. I'm not kidding! Ya Allah, this guy!" Looking at me incredulously, she exclaimed in frustration while getting up from her place.

"Oh really? To phir bataiye mujhe, where did you happen to see her?" I inquired with a raised brow. Although my demeanour seemed calm and confident, I was waiting for her reply anxiously, not knowing what to expect. How could it even be possible? Why would they be here?

(So tell me, where did you happen to see her?)

"Nahi nahi, tumhe to yakeen nahi ho raha haina? To mat karo yakeen meri baat ka. Karte raho jo karna hai." Bhabi replied sarcastically, annoyance clear in her voice as she headed to the door.

(No no, you don't want to believe me, right? So don't believe me. Do whatever you want to do.)

"Bhabi..." I muttered through gritted teeth in irritation, turning my face away from her.

"She is living around here, I will tell you the exact house but first tell me, will you go meet her?" Turning around, she grinned before sitting down on the couch in front of me.

"Wha- How do you know? And how are you so sure?" Confused, I asked her, doubting her words.

"I went to her house yesterday with mama. Since they shifted here recently, we went to meet her. Apparently, mama met them somewhere on her way and Atifa's mom invited her over so we went to meet them yesterday. But when we went there, her mom wasn't home, only she was there with Amira. Now do you believe me?" Bhabi was looking at me with narrowed eyes as she narrated the whole thing, waiting for my reply.

"Oh..." Was all I could mutter. Oh my God! She was here! They were here! Ya Allah, I didn't know if I should be happy or angry. I didn't even know if I would like to go meet her or not. Because I felt so angry at them for just leaving without informing us.

"Kuch bolo to sahi!" Bhabi uttered in frustration, snapping me out of my thoughts, making me look at her.

(Say something!)

"Where are they living?" I inquired indifferently. I didn't know what I was going to do now.

"Just a few blocks away from here." She replied, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Okay. Let's go." I said while getting up from my seat. What? What did I just say? No actually, what would I even do after going there? I had no idea.

"What? Now?" Looking at me incredulously, she stood up.

"Jee abhi, abhi nahi jaana hai to kab jaane ka irada hai? Do saal baad?" I questioned, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

(Yes now, if not now then when? Two years later?)

"Nahi- nahi mera matlab tha ke, at least let's check if her mom is at home or not." Flustered, she replied while fiddling with her hijab.

(No- no I mean, at least let's check if her mom is at home or not.)

"What do you mean 'if she's at home or not?' I don't care if she is at home or not. I just want answers for my questions. And it would be better if her mom will be there." I snapped angrily, running my hands through my hair.

"Saad, listen to me. Abhi aise hi mil lena, baad me sawal kar lena." She was saying but my mind was reeling. Far too gone to actually listen to her.

(You can just meet her today and ask her questions some other time.) 

"Bhabi, just take me there. I don't care about anything right now!" Pacing around the room, I replied in frustration.

"No. I won't be taking you anywhere unless and until you are calm and agree to just talk to her today. Not question her." Replying firmly, she walked out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

"I will find them myself." Muttering, I rushed out of my home, deciding to just walk around the streets until I found them.

._._._.

Ya Allah! I still couldn't believe this was real, this was actually happening. I was standing outside the window of her room, - at least I hoped that it was her room - contemplating once again whether to go in or turn back around and walk away.

As I was walking around the streets, I spotted aunty, I mean ammi, walking in the direction of a taxi stand. I was shocked to say the least. But here's the thing, I saw her, but I wasn't able to see from which direction she came. I mean, I still didn't know where they lived.

Excited about this new found hope, believe, that ammi wasn't at home and not wanting to lose this chance of meeting her, I rushed back home, calling bhabi on the way. She was with mama and Alayna, doing something.

When she came into the kitchen, where I was waiting for her impatiently, I told her what I saw and asked her to take me to her home. Grinning, she told me that she would take me there, but before that, she would be taking Amira out with her. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes and a smug look on her face. I couldn't exactly understand her plan, but I agreed with it anyway. At that time, asking her questions was out of the way because I didn't even remember about it.

Asking me to wait in their backyard until she heads out with Amira, she went to the front. And here I was, after receiving a positive message from bhabi, standing outside her window. I didn't even know why I was standing there or planning to enter her room from there when I could easily just go and ring the doorbell.

Oh yeah, my idea of scaring her or catching her off guard was still on. Why did I ever think of this plan? No wait, where did I even get this idea from? It was all because of her books and my jealousy towards them. Wait a minute... I wasn't exactly jealous, I just wanted to try and see what was so thrilling about it. Yeah, that was the reason. That was the only reason.

The memory of that day resurfaced as I contemplated my decision for the last time.

I was sitting on the bed, trying to complete reviewing the file on my laptop when my mobile rang. Not taking my eyes off the laptop screen, I tried searching for my mobile phone on the side table, knocking one of the books off it in the process.

Sighing, I finally turned to look where my mobile was and caught sight of the book. Answering the call, I bent down to pick up the book, confusion clear on my face. I wondered whose book it was.

Hanging the call after informing Ali that the file will be sent to him by tonight, I furrowed my brows as I examined the book. It looked more like a novel with the front page having a big picture of a couple holding hands.

Opening a random page, I noticed a bookmark stuck in there. Curiosity got the best of me and I read the first paragraph. Confusion filled my mind as I noticed 'FAVOURITE SCENE. ♡' written boldly on the bookmark.

Quickly reading the next paragraph, I tried to see which scene was she actually referring to. But I was still confused. Confused and agitated thinking that how could a scene, in which the boy visits the girl secretly through her window, be her favourite? And why?

And more importantly, how could she even give that mere book much more importance than me as she was busy reading that book since morning, ignoring my presence.

Feeling frustrated, without even reading further, I closed the book and kept it on the side table carelessly. 'She can live with her books in peace. I don't care, I thought.

Sighing, I tried to open the window and surprisingly, it was unlocked. Who keeps their windows unlocked? Was she not afraid of anything? What if thieves plan to come from here? This girl was so careless!

Shaking my head, I peeked in and when I saw no one there, I jumped in, hoping I didn't make much noise. Staying there for a while, I looked around, trying to see if she would come in to check what happened. This room wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. Just a single bed with the wall in front of me and a cupboard on my right side with a study table on my left side. Other than this, only a small bedside table was kept beside the bed.

Nice. It looked like something she would do to make some space in the room. When I was sure that she wouldn't be coming in to check up on the matter, I stood up from my crouched position before closing the window, leaving it unlocked just in case.

Tiptoeing out of the room, I looked around before making my way to the first door in front of me. Thankfully, it was the kitchen and surprisingly, she was standing there, looking around in frustration. A smile graced my lips as I stood there, watching her for a while before she turned around.

Oh Allah! Quickly taking a few steps in, I turned her back around and covered her mouth with my hand before she could scream more. She actually did look cute when in shock. She struggled to get out of my grip for a while but when she couldn't, just as I was about to tell her who I was, she bit the end of my palm, making me groan. This girl! I removed my hand from her face, shaking it to get rid of the pain when she screamed once again. Sighing, I covered her face again, mentally groaning and scolding myself for choosing this plan. She stomped on my foot suddenly, making me move it back. Ya Allah help me! I prayed silently.

._._._.

As she was trying to free herself from my grip, my gaze caught her hoodie. I mean the hoodie which she was wearing. I had seen that hoodie somewhere before. Where did I see it? A frown adorned my face as I tried to remember it.

Wait... Wasn't that my hoodie? The one which I took with me to Suva? But what was it doing with her? Although I couldn't ignore the fact that it looked cute on her, I was still curious to know how she got it. But my stubborn wife wouldn't tell me anything.

"Wait a minute, why are you so hot?" I asked her with a frown, bringing one of my hands to her cheek. Opening her eyes slightly, she smiled at me.

"I know I'm hot, aapko abhi pata chal raha hai?" She replied, amusement clear in her eyes.

(I know I'm hot, you are getting to know that now?)

"Hahaha, very funny!" Replying sarcastically, I narrowed my eyes at her. "Mera matlab tha ke tum itni garam kyu hui wi ho? Bukhar hai kya?" Furrowing my eyebrows, I asked her, concerned.

(I mean to say that why do you feel so warm? Do you have fever?) 

"Jee thoda sa bukhar hai, I'm fine though. So no need to worry." Pushing me away, she took a step back. Swaying a little side by side, she tried to hold the counter.

(Yes, just a slight fever, I'm fine though. So no need to worry.)

I quickly stepped forward, holding her arm and pulling her to my chest before she could fall. Her head fell on my shoulder as her eyes closed, making me panicked. "Atifa! Open your eyes!" I called out, not exactly knowing what to do. Ya Allah, what has this girl done to herself? I wondered worriedly.

Sighing, I picked her up before taking her back to her room. Laying her down on the bed and covering her with the blanket, I called bhai, the doctor of our family.

._._._.

"I don't have time for this chote. You can waste my time all you want when I come back home." He replied, distracted.

Apparently, he wasn't ready to believe the fact that Atifa lived here, in our town. And I didn't even know what else to tell him for him to believe me.

"Accha. You can ask bhabi if you want. I'm not lying, she only told me about her." Annoyed, I told him in a hushed voice, running my hand through my hair.

"Are you serious right now?" He exclaimed in shock, his attention turning to me.

"Yes bhai, I'm serious." I replied with a sigh, my gaze drifting to her unconscious form.

"Okay, let me just digest this fact! Like how? Why? Do you know what's actually happening? Or what's going on in their minds?" He inquired quietly.

"No bhai, I don't know. And honestly, I don't even care right now! Just tell me what should I do?" I replied in frustration, squeezing my eyes shut as I started pacing around the room.

"Okay theek hai. Since I don't know what the matter is exactly, and we only know about her fever, so when she wakes up, just give her paracetamol for now and ask her what's wrong. If it is too bad, let Zara know so that she can take her to a clinic. And if whatever you said is true, then she might be dehydrated, weakness can be a reason for her fainting. Ask her to drink lots of liquid stuff and also, ask her to eat something. She shouldn't stay empty stomach." Bhai replied, his tone professional.

With furrowed eyebrows, I listened to him carefully, nodding my head once in a while although he couldn't see. "Okay, Jazak Allahu Khairan bhai." I replied gratefully as a sigh of relief escaped my lips.

"Waiyyakum. Now I have to go, I have work unlike you." He replied just as I heard someone calling his name.

"Yeah, yeah. Allah hafiz." I replied with a shake of my head.

"Allah hafiz." Just as he disconnected the call, I noticed the incoming call from mama.

Sighing, I accepted it before making my way out of the room, to the kitchen. "Assalamualikum mama."

"Walikumussalam, where are you? Tumhari to aaj chutti haina?" She asked me, worry evident in her voice.

(Today is your holiday, right?)

"Jee mama. Mai apne dost ke ghar aaya hua hu, uski tabyat kharab ho gai hai. Sorry mai aapko batana bhul gaya." I replied while rubbing two fingers on my forehead, already regretting the lie which I uttered.

(Yes mom. I came to meet my friend, he is sick. Sorry I couldn't inform you about it earlier.)

"Oh accha. Kya hua tumhare dost ko?" She inquired, concerned.

(Oh okay. What happened to your friend?)

"Fever hai, aur weakness bhi hai. Mama kya aap soup bana sakti hai uske liye? Mai aake le lunga thodi der me. Balke mai bhi yahi khana kha lunga." I requested while checking the kitchen and not finding anything for lunch.

(There is fever, and weakness too. Can you make soup for him mom? I will come by and take it in a while. In fact, I think I will do my lunch here only.)

"Accha theek hai. Allah tumhare dost ko jaldi shifa aata kare. Mai call karungi to aa jaana." She replied before hanging the call.

(Okay. May God recover your friend quickly. Come here when I will call you.)

Calling bhabi and asking her to keep Amira with her for a while longer, I filled a bowl with cold water before taking it back to her room. Not sure about where I might find a spare piece of cloth, I took out my cotton napkin before folding it and dipping it in the water to keep it on her forehead.

._._._. 

▪ Who, according to you, is the craziest character of this book, until now?

And I know the length of these chapters are increasing, and I'm sorry for that. But I just couldn't help it. >.<

._._._.