Collection of Short Love Stories

Chapter 2

Amal's POV:

Little one? Like a flash, I recognize the long forgotten nickname given to me by Salaar bhai when we, no, when I was a kid. Quickly wiping my tears away, I opened the door a little so only my one eye was visible. I don't want to see anybody right now.
"Kiya kaam hai apko?" I asked and he frowned at my voice. It was more softer than usual because of my crying.
(What do you want?)

"Darwaza kholo." He looked almost....angry. Not wanting to poke the lion, I opened the door with an unpleasant expression. He entered inside completely and closed the door behind him. He looked so out of place in my cute room.
(Open the door.)

"Kiya harkat hai ye? Bachon ki tarah rona band karo or neeche akar nashta karo." The way he said it made me feel like a burden. Like a fly he wants to get rid of.

It didn't help that she was crying already and her eyes filled up with tears once more.
(What is this behavior? Stop crying like a child and come downstairs to eat breakfast)

"A-apko kiya hai? Ap jayein yahan se. Mujhe aana hoga m-main ajaoungi." She pulled up a strong front while trembling from inside. His angry eyes reminded her of all the times when he scolded her when she was little.
(What does it mean to you? You should leave. If I want to eat, I'll come down myself.)

"Agar abhi tum mere sath nahi gayi to mujhse bura koi nahi hoga."
(If you didn't leave with me right now, there will be no one angrier than me.)

"A-apse bura koi hai bhi n-nahi." She sniffled and looked away. His eyes soften immediately after that. If only she knew what he felt seeing her tears, he wouldn't have reacted like that.
(No one is ever angrier than you anyways.)

"Little one, it's okay. She's your mother and it's her responsibility to right you when you do wrong. There's nothing to feel bad." He consoled her in as soft voice as he could manage and stepped closer to her. She didn't notice it.

"B-but she shouldn't have s-scolded me like that in front of everyone. She could have called me in her room and then scold me. I'm not a child anymore." He didn't have an answer for her innocent words. She is the only person in this world who can render him speechless with just a few words. He knows she's not a child anymore. As much as he stopped himself, he couldn't help but admire her beautiful self multiple times.

"Okay, I'll talk to her about it. Ab chalo nashta karne. Wese hi itni kamzor ho." Salaar didn't like that she was so thin. If he had it in his hands, he would've stuffed her with food every few hours. She wasn't unhealthy but very delicate. The reason he tried to stay away from her was because he's afraid of hurting her with his rough self.
(Now come and eat breakfast. You're thin as it is.)

"Ji nahi. M-main bilkul bhi kamzor nahi hon." She gave an angry look to him while just looking more cute to him than she already is. Her flushed cheeks and red nose from crying before didn't help her. She didn't know where she got that confidence from but hearing him call her that nickname after so many years could've made her comfortable again like she was before.
(No, I'm absolutely not thin.)

"Hmmm, or agar main abhi kuch karon tumhe ghalat sabit karne ke liye to?" His eyes had a familiar mischievousness in them. It gave her a nostalgic feeling. Her eyes widened when she understood his words. Her eyes drifted to his slender fingers as he wiggled them infront of her in a silly manner. A squeal left her and she tried to run from besides him when he grabbed her wrist and turned her around. A melodious laugh left her mouth and he grinned before tickling her lightly as to not hurt her.
(Hmmm and if I do something right now to prove you wrong then?)

Her sweet laugh bounced off the walls and went straight to his heart and he grinned.

"Not so strong now, huh?" She wriggled in his arms again and he gripped her waist tightly just as the door to her room opened. Both of their heads lifted to the door to see Maria Sikander, Salaar's mother, standing with the door opened. Maintaining their distance again, Salaar cleared his throat and looked away. For the first time in his life, Salaar Sikander felt nervous. He was always monotonous and blank with other people even if it's his own parents and other family members. After joining the army, it's the first time Maria saw her own son grinning like that. Probably in 12 years.

"Huzaifa or Ayesha arahe hain. Sab intezar kar rahe hain neeche. Chalo." Maria said and both of them left the room together. Closing the door, Maria looked at them from behind, walking together and a knowing smile graced her lips.
(Huzaifa and Ayesha will be reaching soon. Everyone is waiting downstairs. Let's go.)
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"Api! (Sister!)" Amal laughed in delight as she hugged her favorite cousin and she laughed in return. Ayesha and Huzaifa are the children of Late Ahmed and Amina Sikander who is the middle brother of Rizwan and Saleem. After dying in a car accident, both the families took it upon themselves to raise the children as best as they could. After coming of legal age, Huzaifa wanted to take over his father's business and provide for his only sister. Huzaifa is like a father figure to Ayesha and almost all the cousins too. He did his responsibility and gave his sister the best education and also she was engaged in a good family.

As Ayesha is the only cousin closer to age in Amal, both of them were inseparable since babies. Even though Amal called her Api (Elder sis), they were very frank with each other. Amal didn't have any school or college friends. Being an introvert and shy girl, it was hard for her to make friends and the ones she did, were very different from her. They took advantage of her innocence and were very....vulgar. When a friend of hers visited her for the first time in her home, Salaar was so angry that he almost prohibited her from continuing studying as the said friend threw herself at him very shamelessly. Innocent and naive Amal didn't even know why her friend was actually friends with her.

"Bas ab to sirf Api hi nazar aati hain or bhai to kisi khate main hi nahi aate, haina Amal?" Huzaifa acted with sad pout.
(Only your elder sister is visible to you now and this brother doesn't have any value, right Amal?)

"Bhai, bht hi ugly lag rahe hain. Please ye gandi si shakal banana band karein." Aina, middle sister of Amal who's the same age as Ayesha, acted to vomit and the cousins laughed except one. You know who.
(Bro, you look too ugly. Stop making that ugly face.)

"Or tum to jese ayi badi hoor pari. Pata nahi bechara Asad kese tumhe bardasht karta hoga." Asad was her fiance and Huzaifa smirked when Aina glared at him.
(And you talk like you're some princess. I don't know how poor Asad tolerates you.)

The room was filled with chatter and everyone was doing something or the other. Salaar was talking to Huzaifa but his eyes kept drifting to the beauty in green and white who kept smiling and laughing at her cousins antics. His hands twitched to hold her soft ones, look into her big doe eyes and tell her how much he missed her. He sighed tiredly and put his attention back on the ongoing conversation. He thought he always looked cold to others but at this moment, Maria was observing her son and saw a warmness in her son's eyes as he looked at his cousin like he never did with anyone. Maria grinned in relief and planned something which no one could've guessed.
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A/N:

Okay, so this is my first time writing anything at all and English is not my first language so please be a lil lenient. I would very much appreciate your thoughts in the comment section.
Please vote and share it if you liked it! ❤️