INTEZAAR

8. || Yaas ||

THE PAST IN BOLD.

There is a thing with children of broken houses, they seeks home wherever they go. For them nights where there's no shouting between their parents, no arguments, no talks even, were the best nights. For them family is not necessarily a whole brunch of people staying together, for them it is always about that single person who will make their heart forget every fight, every abuse, every argument.

A place where they don't have to be stay in fear that next moment there will be another fight coming. For them it is not about attention, it is always about the warmness, about the peace, about the feeling of being home. That is something Seher Mirza always wanted.

A thirteen years old girl joined a new school, in a new place, completely unknown to her. A place where she just wanted to live peaceful, without fights, without arguments. The front gate of Kendriya Vidyalaya IIM, Lucknow, seems much similar to previous KV. Being in the same school, just a different branch will surely help her to make many friends easily. And being the thoughtful, practical woman as always decided it way back.

No one could ever thought a 13year old girl asked her parents to get separated, but she did. Seher Mirza is always been like this. She never wanted others to suffer because of her.

The new girl in school is quite a topic, the girl who made Arhaan Ahmed Khan lose the science quiz. And that's the beginning of a new story. A story of two broken souls coming together. A tale of their friendship. A saga of selflessness.

From that day Arhaan Ahmed become close to Seher Mirza. Saira started giving Arhaan classes as he asked her to. Saira's place become his escape from the noises of the massive haweli. Arhaan, then a 17years old boy, got Saira as his mother, his Maa. Seher, his best friend, his avid listener. And it's not an one sided thing.

With passing time Seher opened up too. One day, she cried her heart out to Arhaan, and he listened to all her complains, all her pains, her all sufferings during those painful nights, when she saw Saira crying after every fight.

He has been the only person she can truly open up, a person to whom she can always complain about anything and everything. She talked to him about those rainy days when used to all alone by herself , and everytime there will be a lightening she used to hide herself under covers. After that day, everytime it rains in Lucknow, Arhaan remembers to stay next to Seher holding her hands, letting her enjoy her favorite rain without any fear.

During a PTM, Saira met Rubina for the first time, and became goods friends from that time. Arhaan was never happy in that haweli. According to him, there was always too much of everything, and that place never feels like home. So for Arhaan Ahmed Khan always waited for his home, and he got one at the age of 17. He got it, finally, as Saira and his Seher.

After his broads he took Seher to the haweli for the first time, from that day something changed. One cannot particularly point out what, but surely something did.

From that day, Arhaan started to stay sometimes with people around there, Seher asked him to. For Seher having a family home is something foreign, so when she stepped in the Haweli, that place turns to be a family again.

That three months break changes many things, feelings, bonds and equations. Arhaan and Seher became inseparable. Arhaan always used to say, Seher is his light in those starry nights, his cold breezes on those summer days, his moon in the dark sky and his sun in dusty clouds. For Arhaan Ahmed, Seher is his world.

The last day before he will go to join IIT Kanpur, he is visibly upset, he have to leave his Seher behind, a new start is waiting for him, but with that his beautiful present is going to be his past too. That day maybe he realized, his feelings for a girl with brown orbs is more than what he thinks, it is not only friendship, not only companionship, not only love, it is a eternal feeling, something he can never name. And for that he have to grow, for Seher he have to wait. Aur agar sawal woh toh, aur jawab INTEZAAR, toh Arhaan Ahmed ko Seher key liye INTEZAAR karna hi tha.

So finally the day come when he have to leave, his favorite cookies made by his Maa, Saira, is packed, everything done, just a last minute promise to his best friend. That day they both gifted each other books, their favorite books with highlighted lines, and promised to mail each other every week.

And with that the waiting period starts, four years only meetings during holidays, but they never felt left out. Mostly everyday they used to write to each other about all the happenings with every bit of details.

During this time, Seher never stopped going to haweli, she became the soul of that place. Pranks on Haider with Haniya. Sadia who used to be in office taking care of business always have some extra time for her. Cooking with Rubina. Stories by Mir Mustafa. And Daddo, the sweet lady loved her the most. With Seher the noises of Haweli turns into happy laughs.

After four years, Seher went to Hindu college in Delhi. And Arhaan too, for his MBA. That is the start of another tale. With time they grow more closer, from besties to family to lovers. And then Arhaan left and their waiting starts again, but this time it is for only one year. After graduation, Seher is gone too. And in New York where Arhaan Ahmed is working the hell off for his company, Seher become his soul support. She did the MBA along with that took care of every need of Arhaan.

That is the story of Arhaan Seher. For the longest time, they have each other. Being around is the most normal thing. They are always been together, they are the family. The supporters. The lovers.

But destiny is playing it's own game. 'Kismat badi kutti cheez hai, jab dekho tab palat jati hai'. And then it happen, the past came up, secrets came out, burning everything in its hell fire. Seher Mirza lost her love, and the waiting phase started again. The tale of their downfall being.