Beintehaa Mohabbat [On Hold]

Chapter 5

Author's pov...

After sometime...

"Sameer, zara Mustafa ko ghar batao. Pehli baar aye hai wo hamare ghar ko." Saniya Khan saw how the youngsters were sitting quietly listening to the elders gossip.

"Aap sab bacche jao. Hum budhe log ke baaton mai kya karoge." Mahmooda Bakhtiyar also noticed that the kids were just silent.

"Ammi mujhse nahi hoga. Pehle hi ye results lene ki chakar mai kitni ki lambi line mai kharna pada." Maheen said as she lazily sat on the sofa beside her mother.

"Same with me." Chris said as he lay his head on Saniya Khan's shoulder who lovingly patted his cheeks.

"Theek hai. Bakhi tum log chale jao." Shakeel Khan said in his dominating voice as Sameer quickly got off his seat and the others followed him behind.

Just a few steps were taken towards the large garden in the backside of the house when Sameer received a call.

"Shariya, Shimrah, tum dono Mustafa ko garden batao. I need to take this call. It is very important." Sameer went towards his room leaving his sisters with Mustafa and Masi.

"Shimrah, tum Bhai ko peeche ka garden batao. Mai aur Shariya abhi aate hai." Masi held Shariya's hand and ran away leaving Shimrah alone with Mustafa and her fast beating heart.

"Aap chaliye." Shimrah nervously said as she walked out in the garden and Musatafa followed her silently. Both of them were silent until they reached the middle of the garden where Shimrah had bent down to smell the flowers.

"So... What are you planning to do now that your engineering is completed. I mean ki Maheen ne to saaf saaf keh diya hai ki woh ek do mahine khali baithgi aur fir Hassan se nikah. To aapka kya plan hai?" Mustafa asked trying to break the awkward silence between them.

"I am actually planning to get a job. I did many online internships during these last semesters but now I was thinking of applying for a job as a graphic designer." Shimrah said as she stood straight and walked further in the garden as Mustafa tagged along.

"Aapne kabse hijab karna shuru kiya. I don't mean to offend you but the last time I saw you, you weren't the type to wear scarfs." Shimrah laughed at Mustafa's question as she noticed that she wasn't the onoy one nervous.

"I guess... It's been nine years since I started wearing scarfs. It kind of gives me a sense of protection." Shimrah remembered how she had first worn a scarf and felt addicted to it.

"How have you been? How was your life in US?" Shimrah finally decided to ask something and tried not to be too formal.

"It was good. Had good experience about everything. Got to meet different kinds of people. But I am glad to be back in London. Now it feels like home." Mustafa told Shimrah as he remembered his days in US.

And after this little conversation it again went silent in between them. Only there breathing could be heard and their crazy heartbeats which were not calming down.

"Why didn't you ever come to visit me when I came to London for short visits?" Mustafa was curious as to why she never tagged along with her family when they came to meet him.

"I-I j-just di-didn't get ti-time." Shimrah tried her best to not sound like she was lying but she still stuttered.

"You have changed. A lot." Mustafa finally said what he was holding back to say from the moment he saw her.

"In what means?"

"In most of the means. Your looks, your behavior, your talking style and everything. You are at least talking to me now or else you would always run away after seeing me. But you are still nervous around me just like old times." Mustafa confessed his thoughts without any hesitation and Shimrah laughed at how he described her behavior in those days.