Kanwal was only a year older than Mahnoor, but she is definitely not as mischievous, stubborn and confident like her. Kanwal is a selfless, obedient, and simple type of girl and being a big sister, she is very careful of what she does or says in Alina's presence. Especially after her engagement is broken off, she became even more serious.
Her engagement only lasted for a year, but the feeling she had for her fiancé was not of one year. Ahad Murtaza, son of Majid and Amna Murtaza, who were their family friend as well as living in the same neighbourhood. She knew Ahad since the day they moved to Shareefabad and had liked him since she understood the meaning of liking someone. Her feelings for Ahad was innocent and sweet like a kid's crush on a celebrity. But her likeness gradually increases and bloomed into love when she got to know that her feelings aren't one-sided.
It was after she finished school and was about to take admission into college when Mahnoor broke the news to her that both Ahad and her parents are willing to bond them in marriage. But they weren't planning on telling her anytime soon as they all wanted her to focus only on her studies.
In the state of shock and extreme happiness, she listened to Mahnoor that Ahad himself told her mother that he wants to marry Kanwal. Since then, her life changed, she started to feel hesitation in facing Ahad and avoided talking to him or being alone with him.
Ahad being Ahad, never missed the chance of teasing her after he realized that Kanwal knew of his feelings for her. And what's worse is that he would always team up with Mahnoor or Alina in such missions. Kanwal could easily handle Alina by scolding her or blackmailing her but she couldn't stop Mahnoor. Though, she never hated his pranks.
"Hello, Earth to Baji?" Kanwal snapped out of her thoughts on hearing Alina's voice.
"Sorry, what?" She looked at Alina, then at Mahnoor, like someone has woken her up from sleep.
"Nothing, get up and wear your scarf."
"Oh! Right. Give me a minute." She said and abruptly stands up to take her scarf as if she is about to have a panic attack.
Mahnoor bit her inner lip and looked away. It breaks her heart to look at her friend in this state. She loves her, like a friend, like a sister and because of that, she is starting to hate Ahad who was once like a brother to her and was also her Mathematics tutor. Now he is nothing but a big scum, who left everything for power.
It was clear from the beginning that Ahad had always sought something different. He never liked the idea of settling down after having a nice job and do nothing. Mahnoor remembers that he often told her that Allah made everything for a purpose and as being Asrah-ul-Makhlooqaat (The greatest creation), it's our duty to find our purpose in life and fulfil it.
But no one would have ever thought that Ahad would join the Black Eagles one day - The same gang which he hated so much. Looking at her best friend's broken self, she wanted to grab Ahad from his collar and ask him, why did he do it? What is so important than his family and the girl he claims to love?
But she never put her thoughts into words. She couldn't open up to Kanwal that she is starting to hate him as others because she's aware that Kanwal still loves him. Even after her engagement is broken off and her parents are planning to marry her off to someone else, she still feels for him.
~*~
"Sir? ..... Sir, we're here." Shakeel's gruff voice woke Ahad up from his sleep.
"Sir, are you sure that you want to stick to the schedule? You look rather exhausted." Shakeel, Ahad's PA asked again and once again, Ahad refused, shaking his head in negative.
"You know how I like to accomplish things on time. And I don't like to postpone things either." He settled his tie and stepped out the car.
Just today, just a few more hours...
"I see you are very eager to go back, Sir." Shakeel said, catching up to his pace.
"Who'd want to live away from their family for long, Shakeel? I have waited more than a whole year to go back and now, this one day is starting to feel like a decade."
"I'm afraid I don't understand how you feel Sir, as my whole family lives here."
"Be happy about it." Ahad smiled and enter the elevator.
He silently gazed at the buildings outside through the glass of the elevator till they disappear from view as he went up to the highest floor.
To most people who had come from a developing country, Dubai was a haven. But to Ahad, those high buildings, as well as the impeccably developed areas has no appeal. He preferred the small town where he was brought up. After spending so many months, days, hours, minutes there, he was starting to feel homesick now.
He wanted to go back to his hometown, back to someone who is waiting for him...
