Ameen wanted to run away from the Khan villa that day, he hated every minute being spent with little miss Maya as his best friend calls her. God, she was the most annoying girl he has ever met and tolerates her only for the sake of Asad. She was Asad's stupid cousin. 

His best friend passed him an apologetic smile, for he had to listen about Maya's designer bags for the fifth time that evening. Ameen rolled his eyes in return and the dumb girl just continued with whatever she was rambling without noticing the disinterested looks people are passing her way. 

It was Asad's nineteenth birthday party and all of their classmates and close friends were present in the living room currently, eating snacks, drinking juices and playing games and doing whatnot. Of course, there was no alcohol. Maya happens to come here without any invitation and no one was happy about it. 

"Why don't you go and mingle with Alizah and her friends?" Asad finally asked, unable to take any more of her nonsense. The only thing which he'd agree with his stepsister would be about this girl Maya. He disliked her as much as his stepsister does. But has to tolerate her for the sake of his dead mother.

"Ugh, don't even ask. Your annoying step sister and her stupid friend. What do they think of themselves?" 

As soon as the word stupid left her mouth, Ameen clenched his fists in fury. 'How dare she' He thought with a frown. Asad, who knew how obsessed his best friend was with Mahira, gulped nervously. 

"Stop calling her stupid." Ameen snapped at Maya, who looked taken aback at his reaction. It was the first time he was talking with her that evening and she didn't expect him to be so rude. 

"Asad, just because its your birthday party, I'm tolerating all this nonsense. What do you all think of yourselves? Do you know who I am, who my father is?" Maya growled in anger as she glared at Ameen and then at Mahira who just happen to pass that way. 

"What?" Mahira snapped back at her, seeing that girl glared at her for no particular reason. What did she ever do to her?

"Don't use that tone with me, you middle-class witch." Maya threw her apple juice on Mahira and felt satisfied for spoiling the beautiful white frock which she wore that day. 

Had she not been a girl, Ameen could swear that he'd have punched her face like crazy. He felt helpless like never before, seeing his girl being insulted like that. 

"How dare you?" Alizah who was beside Mahira punched Maya in the nose for humiliating her best friend like that. The people around them gasped in shock and there was a pin drop silence.

Only Ameen was the one who felt happy for that punch. She freaking deserved it and he mentally made a note to treat Alizah with something the next day.  

Tears welled up in Mahira's eyes as she processed everything. She was never insulted in such a brutal way. She knew her family was from the middle class but Alizah never had any problem with that. Nobody did. 

Anger rose in her as she recollected Maya's words and before they all could grasp what the hell was happening, Mahira threw another hard punch on Maya, knocking the girl on the ground, making her wince in pain. 

Alizah smiled smugly in Maya's direction, who was still on the ground. 

Ameen's heart fluttered at the fact that she stood up for herself. He couldn't describe what he felt at that moment. But damn, his respect for Hira grew to another extreme after that evening. 

"My father will sue all of you," Maya muttered venomously whilst eyeing Mahira, Alizah and Ameen, before running away from there. 

"Whatever. Let's go and clean you up, babe. I'm done with this stupid birthday party." Alizah dragged her friend with her, while Ameen looked on in their direction, feeling slightly helpless and worried. Will Mahira be okay, was his worry. 

Asad passed a nervous look to his friend, who glared at him.

"Control your cousin, bro. I spared her. Only because she was a girl. You know me otherwise." Ameen shook his head before walking towards the backyard, to clear his mind. He was beyond furious at that moment. 

He knew his Hira was hurt and that feeling was making him go crazy beyond imagination. He wanted to do something for her. Anything to cheer her up. Otherwise, he won't be able to sleep peacefully. 

Mahira on the other hand was somehow composed. She stood on the Khan Villa's porch, waiting for her brother to pick her up. People like Maya, who think the world revolves only around them make her so mad and she just hoped, Maya's father won't cause any further trouble for her or worse her family. She can't expect anything less from a girl like her. 

"Hey!" Her heart began to beat like a marathon as she heard that familiar voice, it took her by shock that he was standing close by her. She could feel him... his scent, behind her. When did she become a vampire to observe such details, she had no idea, but she just knew that it was him. 

Ameen mustered up a lot of courage before finally approaching her. She took her sweet time in turning around to face him and when she finally did, his heart skipped a beat. God, why was she so beautiful? 

"Y-yes?" 

"I- Take thi-this." He lost his ability to speak when she eyed him curiously yet shyly like that. They've never talked before. There was no reason to. The last time they did, he was ten and she was seven. That was nearly a decade ago. But today, he felt this sudden urge in him to talk with her, make her feel okay. Wipe away all her worries. Damn, he was so whipped. 

"Why?" Mahira eyed the Snickers bar in his hands, hesitantly. She loves those chocolate and on a sad day like this, she'd munch it to cheer her up. It helped her in forgetting things but how did he know that? 

"Please..." Ameen added desperately and she took it in no time, while her gaze was lowered shyly. The brief moment when their hands touched, they felt those chills passing down the spine. 

"I h-hope you're fine now." He felt like facepalming himself for being so nervous and shy. He was nineteen and not ten for goodness sake. 

"I- I'm fine, thank you for this. I should go now, bye." With her cheeks so red, Mahira sprinted from there without turning back and left a grinning Ameen behind.

He touched his chest to feel the loud thumping of his heartbeats. She has that freaking effect on him. Damn, he loved her so much and waited impatiently for two more years to pass.

He wanted her to be his, but she was still a minor. Two more years were left for her to be an adult. He waited for these many years and he will wait for two more years as well. He was in love with her since the age of twelve, he didn't know its meaning back then. But he does now.
And what Ameen felt towards her is something so pure and beautiful. Growing up, it only grew stronger than ever.

Ameen could swear the feelings were not one-sided. He noticed all those secret glances which she passed his way, discreetly without her notice every Sunday. That was the only day, they both will meet in the khan villa.
Just one glance from her would make his whole freaking day. They never spoke though. He spent years like this. Two more years were nothing, it should pass in the blink of his eye. If only it was that simple.

"What are you doing to me, Hira..." He whispered to himself with a shake of his head as a chuckle left his lips. 

Ameen felt like the happiest man alive that night. He can now sleep peacefully knowing that she'd be happy and cheered up somehow. And him being the reason for it, made him want to jump in glee.

Mahira Husain, his Hira... had that freaking effect on him.

***

"Yes, deliver them to this address. Give it to only that girl, no one else." Ameen added with a hidden smile as he eyed those boxes. There was a total hundred of them. Each wrapped in a satin blue ribbon, along with his handwritten sorry cards attached to it. 

The delivery agent nodded at him before driving to the said address. And Ameen couldn't wait to see her reaction to this.

An hour passed by and he still waited patiently for that one call, without doing anything else. He really had lots of work to do that day. But his mind and heart were totally distracted for obvious reasons.

It should have been delivered by now. Any more minute, Ameen was going to call that delivery agent but his thoughts came to an abrupt halt when his phone rang making him smile widely. 

"Hello?" 

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" came that familiar loud voice. He couldn't stop smiling at the fact that he has her number now.

"Hira... Did you get those snickers?" 

"THESE MANY? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?" She yelled at him again. 

"I'm really sorry, Hira... I don't know what else to do... You wouldn't talk with me otherwise." 'I wanted  your number somehow.' Ameen sighed exasperatedly, muttering the last part to himself.

"So? You send these many snickers? God, your handwriting is still very horrible." Mahira whined whilst carrying those boxes to her room, one by one. 

"Hey, I have good handwriting." He replied defensively. 

"What are you trying to prove Ameen? By sending all this, do you think you can win me over, huh?" Her voice clearly stated how annoyed she was. 

"No, of course not. Hira..." 

"You eat those when you're sad or upset... It was your way of forgetting things." The fact that he knew so well about her, till this day made her go speechless for a minute. Mahira had no reply to that, because damn. He was right. 

"I know you were so sad and upset because of me for four damn years, Hira... and I've sent 1460 of them. I counted. Yes. Take this as the first step of me saying sorry. And I won't stop until you forgive me." 

There was a pin drop silence from the other side before she hung upon him. Ameen stared at his phone with a sad smile, before saving her new number. 

"Hira💎" It said. 

Earning her forgiveness wasn't going to be an easy task, but Ameen was not the one to give up easily.