Jaana : The Girl He Loved Too Much

Chapter 7

"Tara, it's getting too hot. Come inside. " Nargis tried to plead with her to save her friend from the scotching heat. "No. If I will go somewhere, I will go to university," she replied to her, keeping her eyes on Faizan, though she knew her veil might have hidden the intensity of her glare.

"Tara, you are standing here for an hour. The exam must have started anyway you couldn't reach on time. So why are you standing here?" Nargis tried to explain her. "Atleast drink some water." She offered her the glass of water but Sitara shook her head in a no and she let out an irritated grunt. She wanted to save her friend from getting sick due her stubbornness. "Sitara you will faint like this. You can continue this argument from inside the house" she yelled in distress.

"Na-" before Sitara could have responded the screeching of tyres caught her attention. She gulped seeing Shahzain.

Her eyes met his and all her courage to put up the fight ran out the window. She casted her eyes down as he stepped out of his jeep. The clang of iron handle of the gate echoed in the air as he opened the gate and stepped inside. He leaned a bit as Faizan whispered in his ear telling the story. He nodded listening the situation. "Thank you for calling me Faizan" he nodded at him and turned to Sitara who was internally cursing Faizan for telling on her. But her uncompromising behavior made him call Shahzain. She was not letting this go and her protest may result in her ill health. He too got started worrying like Nargis.

Shahzain gestured her to move inside the house and she reluctantly took steps towards the foyer. Nargis closed her eyes in a way relieved that she finally went inside rather than standing in the heat but was also paranoid what was about to come for her friend. All three of them followed them inside.

"Sit" Shahzain said and Sitara sat on the couch. He took the glass of water from Nargis and knelt in front of Sitara "Drink" he said softly and she took the glass. She didn't want to but cannot gather the courage to disobey him either. She cringed internally for not able to stand up against him. She was all ready to fight today and she was putting up a good one up until now. What happened now, he hasn't spoken a word to stop and she was already submitting to him. She hated herself for being so weak.

Bringing the glass to her lips she drank the water. Though she was denying the need of water but as the water touched her lips she started gulping it. She realized how parched she was. She drank the whole glass in one go and let out a content gasp. "You need more" he asked taking the glass and she shook her head. The comfort water brought to her vanished sooner than she thought, listening to him. She knew she screwed up, and now she had to bear the consequences. Even though he hasn't yelled or scolded her or shown any signs of anger towards her but she knows Faizan has told him about her tantrum and that will not go unpunished by him.

"Ab batao, hamari Jaana kyu pateshan hai, hmmm?" (Now tell why my Jaana is so troubled) he asked softly taking her hand into his. "I-I need to complete my course. Ri-Rihan Bhai told me if I will study from home, I will get to give my final term exams and then I can get my degree. But now no one is letting me go to take the tests" she told him. Even she was surprised how comfortably she put up her point while a minute ago her brain was going haywire thinking what she will say to him. Maybe it was his soft tone or him holding her hand that gave her the courage to speak up or her belief to stand for herself, to be more than someone then his Jaana.

"Bus itni si baat pe hamari Jaana ek ghante se dhoope mei khadi hai, hmmm" (that's it? For such a petty thing my Jaana was standing in heat for an hour) he said kissing her hand.

"What is this course that you are studying?" He asked since it's the first time he is hearing about this. He felt stupid of not thinking about it, she is just seventeen years old ofcourse she must be studying but he never thought about it. Even when he enquired about her he did get to know she was enrolled somewhere but didnt pay attention to that. Also no one ever asked him if she can or cannot continue her studies. The way he forbade her to touch her own family members or for that matter see her, made them assume that he won't allow her to go to classes. That's why Rihan decided to homeschool her. "Fa-fashion designing" she told him. "Really. From which institute?" He asked "Uni-University" she stuttered. Her eyes wavered to her brother surprised with all these questions. How he doesn't know, she was under the impression that Rihan took his permission for her to continue her studies but looks like he is not even aware of her studying.