On reaching his house, Ahad opened the car door for Shahina by himself. Don't want her to get scared of his scary-looking guards.
"Come." Ahad said politely and lead the way.
Coming inside the house, Ahad saw the same facial expression he saw on Kanwal's face when she first came.
"You like the house?" Asked Ahad and Shahina nodded.
"Good. Now come, I'll introduce you to your Bhabi."
Shahina fastened her steps behind Ahad, he led her into the kitchen where Kanwal was busy in making tea. On hearing footsteps, Kanwal turn towards the sound and Shahina halted instantly. The person Shahina saw in the kitchen wasn't very old from her, but what caught her attention was the person's red, swelled eyes.
Shahina glanced at Ahad and then lowered her head, mumbling Salam.
"Kanwal, this is Shahina." Ahad announced, but before he could tell the details, Kanwal left the kitchen in a rush and soon they heard a loud door slamming sound.
*
Furious at the sight of Ahad with another girl, Kanwal barged into the bedroom and started pacing around. She wasn't sure what irritated her the most, him leaving her at home alone, coming home with an unknown young girl, or not allowing her to contact her family. All she knew that she was angry and wanted to take her anger out on someone or something. Therefore, she grabbed a pillow from the bed and took out all of her frustration on it.
After a while, she calmed down a little. Kanwal's brain started to think properly and the question that popped up in her mind was who is the girl that came with Ahad? And why didn't Ahad come to her?
Unable to find the answers on her own, Kanwal thought of going out to ask directly. She didn't fear Ahad, so there was no reason for her to sit back and not question him. Slowly, she got up from the bed and made her way to the living room, where she found Shahina watching television alone.
On feeling another presence in the room, Shahina turned her face to the entrance and found Kanwal standing there. Her eyes were roaming around the room like she was looking for something.
"Assalam o Alaikum, Bhabi." Shahina said and Kanwal got startled on hearing the word 'Bhabi' from a girl's mouth. Because the only person who called her 'Bhabi' was Ayan, so she wasn't used to hearing the word from anyone else.
"Wallaikum Assalam." Kanwal didn't understand why the girl called her 'Bhabi', but she answered her Salam either way and turned her face to look for Ahad in the room.
"Ahad Bhai went out for some work. He asked me to tell you he'd be back early." Guessing Kanwal's searching gaze, Shahina answered her.
"Like I care." Kanwal scoffed.
On her tone, Shahina glanced at her and quickly lowered her head.
"Who are you?" Kanwal asked, looking at the skinny girl before her. Tanned skin, black hair tied in a braid, wearing a printed green shirt with light pink trousers and dupatta covering most of her hair. She looked a few years younger than her, but the look on her face showed that she was more mature than her age.
"I am Shahina." Shahina answered.
"I know your name. What I want to know is who are you to Ahad?" Kanwal couldn't help her tone from being slightly strict.
"I am... Ahad Bhai's daughter." She answered awkwardly.
"WHAT?" Kanwal couldn't get her point.
"I am Ahad Bhai's daughter." Shahina repeated her, thinking that she might not have heard her right.
"Huh???"
"I am Ahad Bhai's daughter." Shahina said again, but this time a little louder so her voice would reach Kanwal clearly.
"You don't have to repeat it again and again." Kanwal got a little irritated.
"Sorry." Shahina lowered her head again.
There was a minute of silence, while Kanwal waited for Shahina to say something else to explain what she meant earlier, but she merely remained standing still, looking down.
"You can sit, you know." Said Kanwal. The awkward situation was starting to make her confused.
"Yes." Said Shahina, but she stayed still.
"Uh? ...um ....what I mean is, you should sit down now." Kanwal said, looking completely confused.
"Huh? ...oh! Sorry." She said and abruptly sat down.
Is this girl normal???
Gingerly, Kanwal also sat down on a sofa away from her.
"What did you mean by Ahad's daughter? You just called him Bhai, didn't you?" Asked Kanwal.
"Ahad Bhai adopted me a few months ago. He is my guardian now."
"So, you live here?" Shahina shook her head.
"Then where do you live?"
"With Moosa Bhai and others in the main house."
"Oh! You know Moosa too?" Shahina nodded in affirmative.
"Who else lives there?" Kanwal asked without thinking.
"Moosa Bhai, Amma-bi, Owais Bhai, Bo-... I mean Yawar Bhai, me and other people. And sometimes Nats Api comes to stay too."
"And who lives here with Ahad?"
"Nats Api said he lives here alone." She said before going silent again, looking at her hands on her lap.
What's with this girl??? She talks like a sane person, but...
"You are going to live here from now on?"
"NO." She denied abruptly, "Ahad Bhai said that he will take me back home at night."
"So what's the purpose of you coming here?"
"He said he wants to introduce us and... you are missing your sister."
On Shahina's explanation, Kanwal went silent. She wasn't expecting this. To her, if Ahad would let her speak to her family even for a few minutes, it would've been better than this. But considering the generosity of the timid looking girl, Kanwal stopped herself from making any bitter comments.
"So... you are Moosa's sister?" Shahina shook her head.
"Then?"
"I - I....." Shahina hesitated to answer, "Ahad Bhai will tell you."
"Why can't you tell me?" Kanwal frowned.
"Moosa Bhai and Ahad Bhai told me not... Bhabi, I will bring chai (tea) for you." She said abruptly and ran towards the kitchen.
"O-Kay." Kanwal mumbled, looking towards the exit of the room.
