"I was on a goddamn vacation in this God-forsaken place. I never meant to get engaged to you. I never meant any of this to happen. You. Me. Us. None of it!"
That was Saira Malik's life in summary. Once a happy-go-lucky girl fantasized about two thin...
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"Chaliyea, ab ijazat. We better get going." I hear daddy speak for the first time since they've got here.
"Khush raho bache." He chants, placing a hand on Saira's head before ambling out of the house. I notice his tense shoulders as he steps out the front door. Bidding farewell to everyone, mummy and I follow his suit. I move towards my motorbike but halt when he calls me over.
"My bike?"
"I'll send Imran to get it for you." Shrugging in response, I begin walking around, and reach for the driver's side only to be stopped by him.
"Peeche," He says curtly.
Ohkaaaayy.
Wordlessly, I slide into the backseat. The ride back home was thick with tension. The kind of a situation in a brown household where even a word can turn into a trigger, resulting in an explosion. Especially the fathers.
"We'll go to the clinic first, for getting his dressing done and then for the ring selection," Mummy says lightly, trying to break the ice, but frowns when daddy does not respond. Instead, keeping his eyes on the road without even nodding his head. "Maqsood, are you listening?"
"We're going home ." He snaps, throwing both of us off guard.
Mummy shoots me a quizzing look while I shrug in response, deciding to remain silent for the rest of the ride. Reaching home, Imran is waiting for us in the doorway. From the big smile on his face, there was no doubt that the news of our engagement spread already.
"BHAIYA!" He yells, crashing into me. "I'm soooo happy!"
"Control, Imran, control. Daddy mood mein hai aaj. Zyada excitement show mat kar, nai to tere uper baras jaate." I say, patting his back.
(Control, Imran, control. Daddy is in the mood. Don't get too excited else you'll be 'it' today.)
"Oh, acha, aysa?" He replies, pulling away and quickly getting his shit together. Putting on a serious and solemn expression, he cleared his throat for the extra effort. We make way for our parents to enter. Taking my shoes off, I go and stand by the couch like a good kid, waiting patiently for him to start. Heavy footsteps came my way, as I began counting.
